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Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer sponsored by Spain, lands in the Caribbean, marking the beginning of European exploration and colonization in the Americas.
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The English establish Jamestown in Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in North America.
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A conflict between France and Britain in North America, part of the larger Seven Years’ War, leading to significant changes in territorial control.
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American colonists, protesting British taxation, dump 342 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor.
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The first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War, marking the start of the conflict between Great Britain and the American colonies.
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The Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence, announcing the American colonies' separation from Britain.
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The decisive victory by American and French forces over the British, leading to the end of major fighting in the American Revolutionary War.
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A meeting in Philadelphia where the U.S. Constitution was drafted, establishing the framework for the American government.
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Eli Whitney invents the cotton gin, revolutionizing cotton processing and boosting the cotton industry in the U.S.
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A series of laws passed by the Federalist-controlled Congress aimed at restricting the activities of foreigners and limiting free speech.
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The United States acquires approximately 828,000 square miles of land from France, doubling the size of the country.
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A conflict between the United States and Britain, largely over maritime rights and territorial expansion.
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An agreement allowing Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state while Maine entered as a free state, attempting to balance the power between free and slave states.
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Andrew Jackson is elected the 7th President of the United States, representing a shift towards greater democracy and the “common man.”
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A financial crisis that led to a severe economic depression in the United States, marked by bank failures and high unemployment.
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Samuel Morse invents the telegraph, allowing for rapid long-distance communication and revolutionizing information exchange.
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The forced removal of the Cherokee Nation from their ancestral lands in the southeastern U.S. to present-day Oklahoma, resulting in significant suffering and death.
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A conflict between the United States and Mexico that results in significant territorial gains for the U.S., including present-day California, Arizona, and New Mexico.
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A series of laws intended to ease tensions between free and slave states, including the Fugitive Slave Act and the admission of California as a free state.
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The first battle of the American Civil War, where Confederate forces attack a U.S. military garrison in South Carolina, leading to the start of the war.
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An executive order by President Abraham Lincoln declaring the freedom of all enslaved people in Confederate-held territory.
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General Robert E. Lee surrenders to General Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the American Civil War.
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President Abraham Lincoln is assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C.
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13th Amendment (December 6, 1865): Abolishes slavery in the United States. 14th Amendment (July 9, 1868): Grants citizenship and equal protection under the law to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S. 15th Amendment (February 3, 1870): Prohibits the denial of the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
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President Andrew Johnson is impeached by the House of Representatives primarily over his opposition to Radical Reconstruction policies, but is acquitted by the Senate.
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Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone, revolutionizing communication by allowing people to speak to one another across long distances.
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Thomas Edison invents the practical electric light bulb, transforming lighting and enabling extended work and leisure hours.
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John D. Rockefeller establishes the Standard Oil Trust, a large-scale oil company that would come to dominate the industry and face antitrust legal challenges.
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Pullman Strike (May 11, 1894): A nationwide railroad strike that turns violent and leads to federal intervention.
Homestead Strike (July 6, 1892): A labor strike at the Carnegie Steel Company’s Homestead plant, resulting in a violent clash between strikers and private security agents. -
A conflict between the United States and Spain, leading to the U.S. acquiring territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.
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Theodore Roosevelt becomes the 26th President of the United States following the assassination of William McKinley.
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The Wright brothers achieve the first powered, controlled flight in an airplane, marking the beginning of the aviation industry.