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Oct 12, 1492
Columbus
The Italian explorer, Christoper Columbus, was finially hired by Spain in 1492 . Columbus was supposed to sail to India is search of spices. Three ships were sailed; the Nina, the Pinta, and Santa Maria. The voyage began August 3, 1492. On October 12, 1492 land was spotted. However, Coloumbus did not realize that he did not reach Indina, but sailed to the Caribbean islands instead. -
Jamestown
Jamestown was the first settlement founded in America. It was founded by the Virginia Company of London in May 14, 1607, and named after King James. The location of was chosen by Captain Wingfield for a few reasons; there were no Indian (Native American) tribes, the waterways were deep and good for navigation and defense, the area was surronded by rivers and bays. However, the settlers soon realized that the water was bad for drinking and crop growing. Many of the people became sick and died. -
Mayflower
The Pilgrams took their voyagae on the Mayflower begining August of 1620. there were 150 members on the ship. After sailing about 4 months, they spotted land in November. Due to the harsh weather, they could not get off the ship right away. They finally settled on land in March of 1621 with only 53 passengers left alive. The Mayflower voyage was after Jamestown. Although a better location was settled, they were not prepared for the extreme winter weather of Northeast America. -
Puritans
The Puritans , now know as Protestants, were eligious people that wanted to make Catholic rules more strict, but they were not allowed to by Church of England. As early as 1558, the Puritans began began a movement that increased through the 1630"s. Many Puritans decided to immagrate to America, Irelad and the Netherlands in search of religious freedom. The Mayflower voyage had many Separatists and Puritans aboard. -
End of the French-Indian War
The French-Indian War was from 1754 to 1763. The was was fought between the British and the French. The British ambushed the French. The French gathered the help of the Indians (Native American's) in battle. The war began over the control of two rivers in Pennsylvania. Eventually the Bristish were able to take over Montreal and the war ended for North American when the Treaty of Paris was signed on February 10, 1763. The French-Indian Wasr preceeded the American Revoultion by about 12 years. -
American Revolution
The American Revolution was fought between the 13 Colonies of America against Great Britain ,and the Loyalists. The American Colonies wanted separatation and to make laws of their own. They no longer wanted to be under British rule. The Revolution officially began in April of 1775 and ended in 1783. Battles were fought in New York, Boston and Philadelphia.The American Revolution directly influenced the Declaration of Independence .The Colonies declared Independence from Britain on July 4, 1776. -
Declaration of Independence
The American Revolultion lead to the the Declaration of Independence. The American Colonies stated their independence from the British Empire, and they also defined their own laws, with this document. In 1776 Thomas Jefferson wrote the draft of the Declaration of Independence. Congress and representaticves revised, approved, and signed the Declaration. About 13 years later the Bill of Rights was created. The Declartation, Bill of Rights, and Constitution are the founding documents of the U.S.A. -
Bil of Rights / Constitutiratedon adopted, Washington inaugurated
The Constitution was adopted September 17, 1787. However, not effective until March 4, 1787. The Bill of Rights (first ten Amendments of the Constitution) became official in 1791. The documents give Americans freedoms, and rules. Both also give government separtation into three branches, which helps keep laws fair. George Washington was one of America's founding fathers, and the first president (inaugurated on April 30, 1789). Washington was directly involved with the independence of America. -
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase Treaty was signed on April 30, 1803. American territory grew to include the trade port of New Orleans, and the Mississippi River. The land was bought from France for 15 million dollars (currently equal to $230 million dollars). The land purchased was 828 square miles from the Gulf of Mexico, to the Rocky Mountains. America gained more confidence from the Louisiana Purchase. Therefore, the purchase may have influenced the War of 1812 that followed about ten years later. -
War of 1812
The War of 1812 began on June 18, 1812 and ended in 1814. It was fought from Maine to New York, and Baltimore to New Orleans. This was an important event in America's hisotry mainly because land boundaries changed, and the U.S. was again able to confirm its independent from Britain. The war was thought of as a "second war of independence". The War of 1812 followed the Louisiana Purchase and preceeded the growth of manufacturing in the U.S. -
The Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway from the Hudson River in Albany to Lake Erie in Buffalo, New York. The Canal provides transportation from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. It was the first water route that did not have any obstacles. The Erie Canal officially opened on October 26, 1825 and helped make New York the main U.S. port. The canal greatly influenced the Growth of Manufacturing and Industrial Revolution because it provided fast, easy, and cheap transportation of goods and materials. -
Jackson's presidency (1830's)
Andrew Jackson was the 7th U.S. president of from March 4, 1829 to 1837. His presidency was during the Great Depression. Previously, Jackson was a commander in the War of 1812. He was also known as an aggressive politician. He used the dishonest "patronage system" to get votes. Jackson became wealthy, owned slaves, and put the Indian Removal Act into law. He forced Native American's to leave their land and move west of the Mississippi River. Jackson influenced many events during his lifetime. -
The Alamo
The Alamo is land in San Antonio, Texas which was originally part of Mexico. From February 23 to March 6, 1836 a series of battles took place between Mexico and the U.S. The land was won by American and became important part of the Texas Revolution. The battle of The Alamo preceeded the Mexican War. Therefore, the gain of the Alamo's land led to further expansion of America. -
The Mexican War (1846-1848)
The Mexican War is also called the Mexican-American War. It began on April 25, 1846 and ended on February 2, 1848. The U.S. declared war on Mexico to secure land up to the Rio Grande because the borders were not clear. The Mexican War began about ten years after the battles at The Alamo. The Mexican War was as also important because it ended the Texas Revolution. Both the Mexican War and The Alamo and allowed America to expand. -
Civil War (1861-1865)
The Civil War was fought between the nothern (Union) states, and the southern (Confederate) states of America. The war lasted four years, from April 12, 1861 to 1865. The Confederate states supported slatvery and threatened to suceed when President Abraham Lincoln abolished it. Many battles were fought from east of the Mississippi river. The Civil War began during the Growth of Manufacturing period, and led to the Industrial Revolution Due to war, there was great demand for battle supplies. -
Industrial Revolution (1861-1900)
The Industrial Revolution overlapped the Reconstruction Era and the Civil War in the U.S. Just as the war began manufacturing increased. Supplies were needed for battle and the northern states were more urban and had more factories. The Reconstruction Era also contributed to the Industrial Revolution because manufactured supplies were needed to rebuild the southern U.S. states. The south depended on the production of the north. The Industrial Revolution continued through 1900. -
Reconstruction (1865-1877)
With the end of the Civil War on April 18, 1865, the Reconstruction Era began, and continued through 1877. Most of the reconstruction was needed in the sourthern U.S. There fore, there became a greater need for manufactured supplies. The nothern industrial states profited from the demand. President Lincoln and Andrew Johnson tried to help the south repair it's economy. The Civil War was the cause for the Reconstruction Era in America, and also influenced the Industrial Revolution. -
Spanish-American War
The Spanish-American War was from April 25 to August 12, 1989. The main cause of the war was Cuba's independence from Spain. American journalists wrote negative opinions, which put pressure onto President William McKinney to battle against Spain. America won the War, and then took control of Cuba. Cuba did not gain independence. America continued to increase it's power and confidence. This lead to the Progressive Era, which was a time when people tried to make society and politics better. -
Progessive Era (1901-1917)
The majority of the Progressive Era 1901-1917. By the time President Theodore Roosevelt was inaugurated, on September 14, 1901, American's had already begun to distrust the government. The Spanish-American war may have influenced opinions because Cuba did not gain independence. Journalists called "Muckrackers" were publishing negative articles as well, Citizens tried to make society and politics better by campaigning for the outlawing of alcohol sales, and for women to have voting rights. -
U.S. in World War I (1917-1918)
World War I (WWI) was the first global war involving the greatest word powers, it began in 1914. However, America did not become directly involved until 1917, when the U.S. declared war on December 17. After Germany continued to sink American ships, the U.S. joined the Allies, who fought against the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary). WWI preceeded the Roaring Twenties, which was a period of revival and economic growth. -
Roaring Twenties (1920's)
With the end of WWI, the world transitioned into a period of revival. The Roaring 20's was a period of economic growth and cultural change in many major cities, such as New York, Paris, Berin and London. The automobile, telephone, and Prohibition changed lifestyles. Womens voting rights, and the Harlem Renaissance created positive changes. The Roaring 20's ended on October 29th, 1929 with the Stock Market Crash. This led into the Great Depression. -
Great Depression (1930's)
The Stock Market Crash on October 29, 1929 directly led to the Great Depression of the 1930's. It was the worst depression in history. More than 25% of people lost their jobs. Taxes on trade slowed transport with other countries. Government had trouble balancing interest rates, which made the Great Depression worse. The depression effected most of the world. The Great Depression preceeded World War II. -
World War II (1941-1945)
World War II began on September 1, 1939, because Japan was fighting with China for East Asia. The war is usually considered to have began in June of 1941 because of the European Axis invasion of the Soviet Union. The U.S. got involved on December 8, 1941, when the U.S. declared war on Japan. The U.S. used 2 atomic bombs on Japan in 1945. WWII was mainly caused by Hitler's persecution of Jews, and his plans of domination. More than 30 countries fought. WWII ened in 1945, but led to the Cold War. -
Cold War (1945-1989)
WWII ended in 1945, and the Cold War began. America had used nuclear weapons on Japan in 1945. However, there continued to be problems between the U.S. and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Org.) against the Soviet Union and it's allies. The U.S. and the Soviet Union were the two leading countries with different ideas about society and government. While Reagan was president, he helped end the Cold War. The Cold War ended in 1989. -
Korean War (1950-1953)
The Korean War began on June 25, 1950 and was fought on the Korean penninsula. The war was caused by the Allies winning WWII, which caused Japan to lose control overn Korea. The U.S. and Soviet Union decided to divided Korea. The U.S. supported the south, and the Soviet Union controlled northern Korea. However, the Soviet Union didn't keep the agreement to have elections because they are communist. The was ended three years later on July 27, 1953, and Korea was still divided. -
JFK
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK) was president from January 20, 1961 to November 22, 1963. JFK was the 35th President of the United States of America, and he was also the youngest presildent. JFK was a democrat for Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives, and had also fought in WWII. JFK was assassined in Dallas, Texas when he was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald, but some people think there was a conspiracy. His death made many American's sad because he was liked by a lot of people. -
Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive was a campaign during the Vietnam War. The word "Tet" comes from "Tet Lunar" which is the Korean New Year. The Tet Offensive began on January 30, 1968 and was against South Vietnam, the U.S. and allies. There were many surprise attacks by the Viet Cong group and North Vietnam, which was under the communist Soviet Union. -
Armistice Vietnam
The Armistice was an agreement to have a truce, so the United States, and it's allies, couled back out of the Vietnam War. On January 15, 1973, President Richard Nixon decided on the ceasefire. The Armistice was signed on January 27, 1973 in Paris, France. The Armistice preceeded the end of the Vietnam War on April 30, 1975. -
Fall of Vietnam
The Fall of Vietnam was on April 30, 1975. North Vietnam began an attack the day before when they invaded Saigon, which was the capital of South Vietnam. The U.S. and it's allies had been trying to help South Vietnam fight against the Communist leaders of North Vietnam.The Vietnam War was over when Saigon was siezed. -
Reagan Era (1980's)
Ronald Reagan was the 40th President of the U.S. from January 20, 1981 to 1989. Before he became president he was an actor, then a govenor in California. At first Reagan was a democrat, but he switched to being a republican in 1863, While he was president, he helped the economy and the war on drugs. Reagan also helped end the Cold War. He stopped being president in 1989 because he found out he had Alzheimer's disease. -
End of Cold War
The Cold War began with the end of WWII. After WWII there was tension between the U.S., and NATO against Communist U.S.S.R. American President Ronald Reagan helped end the Cold War. He put pressure on the Soviet Union and their leader Mikhail Gorbachev to liberate people. Eastern Europe also put pressure and the U.S.S.R. fell apart. On November 9, 1989 East Germany let West Germany visit. Both sides met at the Berlin Wall and the Cold War was over. However, the Cold War officially ended in 1991. -
September 11, 2001
The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 are also referred to as "9/11". On this day Islamic terrorists hijacked 4 American airplanes. The terrorists flew the planes into the World Trade Center, the two Twin Towers in New York, and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Althogether about 3,000 people died. The Islamic leader, Osama Bin Laden had previously declared a "holy war" on America. The U.S. had been trying other countries that Bin Laden, and his allies, were trying to control.