History timeline By Logan Gifford Oct 12, 1492 Columbus Discovery of America May 4, 1607 Settlement of Jamestown Period: 1754 to 1763 The French and Indian War Dec 16, 1773 Boston Tea Party Apr 19, 1775 Battles of Lexington and Concord Jul 4, 1776 Declaration of Independence Sep 28, 1781 Battle of Yorktown May 25, 1787 Constitutional Convention 1793 Invention of the cotton gin 1798 The Alien and Sedition Acts 1803 Louisiana Purchase Mar 3, 1820 Missouri Compromise Oct 31, 1828 Andrew Jackson Election Period: 1837 to 1843 The Panic of 1837 Period: 1838 to 1839 Trail of Tears May 24, 1844 Invention of the Telegraph Period: Apr 25, 1846 to Feb 2, 1848 The Mexican-American War Jan 29, 1850 The Compromise of 1850 Apr 12, 1861 Firing on Fort Sumter Jan 1, 1863 The Emancipation Proclamation 1863 Organization of Standard Oil Trust Period: Jan 31, 1865 to Feb 26, 1870 The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments Apr 9, 1865 Surrender at Appomattox Court House Apr 15, 1865 Assassination of Abraham Lincoln Feb 24, 1868 Andrew Johnson's Impeachment Period: 1871 to 1903 Invention of Electric light, Telephone, and Airplane Period: May 11, 1894 to Jul 20, 1894 The Pullman Homestead Strike Period: Apr 21, 1898 to Aug 13, 1898 The Spanish-American War Sep 14, 1901 Theodore Roosevelt became president Period: Oct 8, 1912 to Jul 18, 1913 The Balkan Wars/ War of 1912