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1400
Columbian Exchange
This exchange happened in the 1400s through the 1500s. It saw plants, ideas, technologies and disease exchanged between countries in the eastern hemisphere and people in the Americas. Ultimately devastating to the Native Americans. -
Sep 1, 1513
St. Augustine
This was the oldest continuously occupied settlement(1513-1565) of European origin in the U.S. It was settled by the Spanish and used as a military outpost as well as a base for catholic missionary settlements. St. Augustine paved the way for future colonies. -
Anglo-Powhatan Wars
The three wars (1609-1646) were fought between European settlers and the Powhatan Confederacy. The wars started due to the settlers demanding more and more of the Powhatan's land. The Powhatan lost all three wars and received more and more restrictions as a result. -
Navigation Acts
These acts (1651-1696) were enacted to restrict trade in the colonies. These restrictions were not super successful due to the lax enforcement, but they created tensions between Britain and the colonists as they did not like being told what they could and could not do. -
Bacon's Rebellion
This was the first armed insurrection and began due to indentured servants being upset that they were given poor plots of land and not given guns to protect themselves from Natives. Jamestown was captured and burned, and the foundation for racial based slavery was created to stop further rebellions. -
The Enlightenment
This intellectual movement (1715-1789) saw a shift in thinking towards the use of reasoning. One of the most important ideas produced during this movement was the idea of social contract. This idea created visions of democracy in many people across many nations, including America. -
French and Indian War
This war took place between 1754 and 1763, when Britain and France fought over rival claims in western Pennsylvania. George Washington gave the command to fire on French soldiers. The Americans and British won in the end, even with a rocky start. Britain gained New France but the war was expensive. -
Intolerable Acts
Enacted between March 31 and June 22 of 1774. These Acts were passed after colonists had refused to pay the many taxes Britain had passed to pay off their war dept. They were made to punish the rebellious colonists, and Boston's port was closed. Britain had hoped fear would cause the colonists to submit to their rule, but instead sparked ideas of revolution. -
The First Continental Congress
The first Continental Congress saw delegates from 12 of the American Colonies met (all but Georgia) in Philadelphia to resist the Intolerable Acts. Created the Declaration of Rights, saying that they were still loyal to Britain but Britain doesn't have the right to tax them. They also decided that if the intolerable acts weren't repealed by December 1 of that year, they would boycott British goods. -
The Battle of Saratoga
This battle (September-October 1777) was a turning point in the American Revolution. The Americans saw a decisive victory, and this convinced France to sign a treaty of alliance, and later, so would the Spanish and Dutch. -
Shay's Rebellion
This happened between August 1786–February 1787, when disgruntled farmers that had fought in the revolution were not paid due to the government's inability to tax its citizens and many were going to lose their land. They targeted the court houses is Massachusetts to prevent their land being taken. Showed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. -
Early Industrialization
Changed the way the home looked. Consumerism and new technologies, class differences, and most importantly a shift to unskilled labor done outside the home. Families no longer worked together at home, people began working for wages doing repetitive work that was easy to learn. People became replaceable and some artisans became less valuable. -
War of 1812
France and Britain were in conflict and they both tried to block the U.S. from trading with the other. British used impressment, and captured thousands of Americans, angering the U.S. Declaring war divided the house and senate, as those in opposition felt that others were using this war for expansionism. U.S. didn't get what they wanted in the end. -
Missouri Compromise
Drew a line along the 36/30 parallel. New states made above this line would be free, and those below would be slave states. This was the first attempt at solving the issue of slavery as the U.S. expanded its borders. The proposed amendment that would phase out slavery in Missouri never got passed and tensions would increase as new states joined. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
This treaty ended the Mexican-American War. Mexico gave up substantial amounts of land, and in the treaty the American government promised to treat Mexicans in those areas as American citizens and as such they could do things like keep their land. However, this was far from what happened, with their land being stolen and Mexicans being killed. -
Fugitive Slave Act
This was one part of the Compromise of 1850 and obligated people to capture and return slaves that had escaped. This upset many northerners, and lead to the creation of the underground railroad. Penalties were issued to federal marshals who did not uphold this act as well as people who helped slaves escape. -
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Decided that those of African descent were not U.S. citizens and could not sue in the federal court as well as ruling that slavery could not be banned by the government and slaves were property. This decision outraged many abolitionists -
Emancipation Proclamation
Freed all slaves in Confederate states except for the areas under Northern control. It also allowed black men to serve in the army and navy and fight for the freedom of other African Americans. It also helped boost morale in union soldiers and was an important step to the eventual freedom for all African Americans. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
A strategic march through Georgia burning and destroying railroads, farms, bridges, factories and provisions. They hoped to scare Georgians into calling for the war to end and hurt southern morale. This worked and helped bring the war to an end. -
Lee Surrenders in Virginia
Lee surrendered his 28,000 troops to Ulysses S. Grant after losing Richmond and being blocked from the rest of the Confederacy by Union troops. There was still some scattered resistance from the Confederacy after this, but the war was essentially ended with this surrender.