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100,000 BCE
Out of Africa Theory
All modern humans stem from a single group that originated in Africa. -
10,000 BCE
Stone Age
-Stone age lasted from 10,000 BCE to 3,500 BCE
-First societies were clans
-The people were hunter gatherers
-They created fires -
8000 BCE
The Neolithic Revolution
-Hunter gatherers settled down into villages and started farming and domesticating animals -
3500 BCE
Bronze and Iron Ages
-3,500 BCE- 479 BCE
-Empires begin to emerge including the Sumerian Empire, Babylonian Empire, The Shang Dynasty in China, The Phoenicians, and The Persian Empire. -
Period: 2000 BCE to 900 BCE
The Mayan Empire
-Only civilization with fully developed written language
-Noted for art, architecture, math, and astronomy
-Initially established around 2000 BCE. Mayan cities reached their highest developmental state around 250 to 900 CE, and continued until the arrival of the Spanish. -
1325 BCE
The Aztec Empire
-More recent civilization
-Migrated from the south into central Mexico
-The migrating Aztecs encountered the descendants of the Toltec people and befriended them.
-Took refuge in the Lake Texcoco swamp and eventually built a temple there and named the city Tenoctitlan. -
455
The Dark Ages
-455 CE-1492 CE
-Rome was declining
-Western Roman Empire had been in decline for 150 years
-The Vandal invasion is the final fall of Rome.
-The black plague occurred during this time (1346-1353 CE)
-The Viking age occurred during this time.
-The Renaissance began
-Columbus came to North America in 1492. -
1300
The Inca Empire
-Skilled politicians and managed to govern a realm
-Instead of a money tribunate, demanded labor and military service.
-Inca capital is Machu Pichu. -
1492
The New World
-Beringia was the land bridge people crossed over to migrate.
-Clovis People were the first people to appear on our continent.
-The Tainos were the first people Columbus met. -
1500
The Columbian Exchange
During the 1500's Spain, Portugal, France and England sent explorers to the New World. They brought animals, plants, and other goods. They also brought illnesses and the native people had no natural immunities. -
Period: 1565 to
The first colonies
St. Augustine, Florida- Pedro Menendez de Aviles discovered it in 1565.
The Lost Colony of Roanoke, Virginia- (Late 16th century) remains a mystery to this day.
Jamestown, Virginia- America's first permanent English colony founded in 1607 -
The First African Slaves
-The first documented Africans in Virginia arrived in 1619.
-First Africans were treated as indentured servants, with an end-date, usually 7-14 years, when they would be freed. -
Plymouth Colony
-The Separatist Pilgrims established their own colony.
-The Mayflower Compact was the first document of Democracy in the New World. -
French and Indian War
-Also called the "Seven Years War"
-English won, but at the cost of the English government getting destroyed.
-Debt caused the escalation of tensions leading to the Revolutionary War. -
Boston Tea Party
-When the Sons of Liberty (disguised as Native Americans) boarded tea ships in the harbor and dumped tea overboard. -
Tea Act
-Act of Parliament of Great Britain.
-Purpose was to reduce the massive surplus of tea held by the British East India Company. -
Lexington and Concord
Kicked of the Revolutionary War -
Battle of Saratoga
-Turning point of the Revolutionary War
-Washington gained an important victory -
Declaration of Independence
New world declaring that they will not be governed by England anymore. -
Period: to
The American Governemnt
-In 1781 the Articles of Confederation passed giving less power to the government and more power to the states.
-In 1787 the US Constitution is signed -
Period: to
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Jefferson sends Lewis and Clarke to explore the New West.
Established relationships with the Natives -
War of 1812
Began due to economic sanctions by the British and French against the U.S.
Neither US or Britain won. Treaty of Ghent ended the war. -
Indian Removal Act
Gave the federal government the power to exchange Native-held land east of the Mississippi for land in the west. -
Period: to
The Cilvil War
Northern Victory in the war preserved the US as one nation and ended the institution of slavery. -
Period: to
Reconstruction
-Process of rebuilding the South.
-Black codes
-Ku Klux Klan -
Wounded Knee
Likely marked the end of the frontier and the beginning of the modern age.