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Period: to
1607-1861 Timeline
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Thirty Years' War
Thirty Year’ War started when the Protestants and Catholics in central Europe competed to have overall control of the European Empire. The series of war within this time period was one of the most destructive, and longest, conflicts in European history claiming approximately eight million deaths. As a result, neither the Protestants nor Catholic reached their dreams of being empire of central Europe. Ended in 1648. -
Mayflower Compact
Known for being the first governing document of the Plymouth Colony, this 1620 agreement bound the Pilgrims together once they arrived in New England. The Pilgrims during this time were separated because of their different beliefs within the church; these beliefs were the Puritans and the Church of England. The Mayflower Compact didn’t receive this official name until 1793, one hundred and sixty-three years later. -
Enlightenment Period
Enlightenment Period, commonly known as the Age of Reason, was where European science, politics, communication, and philosophy drastically rearranged. The thinkers during this period steered away from traditional authority and realized humanity can be rationally changed through world ideas. The ideas that were brought during this period was liberty, tolerance, separation of church and state, and progress. Period ended in 1815. -
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was an attempt to overthrow the reigning king, James II, by a union of English Parliamentarians. The person replacing James II was his protestant daughter Mary and Dutch husband, William of Orange. This revolution was a keystone for the Whig history for the British people, and according to the Whigs, was also known for being bloodless. Ended in 1689. -
John Quincy Adam's Birth
On this day, John Adams and Abigail Adams gave birth to their second child, John Quincy Adams. John Quincy was born in Braintree, Massachusetts, a few miles South of Boston, and was the first son in John Adams and Abigail Adams’ family. Throughout his childhood his mother and father taught John Quincy Adams mathematics and several languages. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act of 1773 was passed by British Parliament granting the British East India Company to tax the colonists on their tea. The Parliament granted the company to do such thing to help them avoid bankruptcy. As a result, the angry colonist refused to the tea and started a protest commonly known as the Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Tea Party
John Adams referred to the Boston Tea Party as the “Destruction of the Tea in Boston” and that is exactly what happened. The Boston Tea Party was a political protest held by the Sons of Liberty in reaction to the Tea Act given by British Parliament. Protesters dumped 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor as a result of the Tea Act. Great Britain reacted to this behavior by shutting down the Boston Harbor. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
This early stage battle of the American Revolution occurred in Massachusetts, just a few miles away from John Quincy Adams’ home. On the hilltop of his home, as a 7 year old, John Quincy Adams personally witnessed the Battle of Bunker Hill with his mother. “...100 dead patriots and 267 wounded lay on the hilltop. John Quincy said the battle and the carnage is left made ‘an impression in my mind’ that haunted him for the rest of his life” (Unger 16). -
Declaration of Independence
A statement created by the Second Continental Congress, the Declaration of Independence was born on July 4, 1776 in Philadelphia. The Declaration of Independence stated the thirteen colonies freedom from the British Parliament and become their own country based on “life, liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Overall, the Declaration of Independence has fifty-six signatures on the document indicating everyone’s agreement for freedom from Britain. -
Shays' Rebellion
Shays’ Rebellion was a series of protests by American farmers against enforcements of tax collections and judgements for debt by state and state government. The farmers were so enraged with these taxes that they were willing to fight to get rid of them. This rebellion as a whole demonstrated a weakness in the Articles of Confederation, excesses of democracy and lack of virtue. -
French Revolution
The French Revolution occurred when the citizens of France decided to overthrow the monarch and restriction was forced on the Catholic church. The bourgeois and landowning people of France eventually became dominant during this Revolution. This resulted in Napoleon becoming the dictator of France and the beheading of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Ended in 1799. -
Whiskey Rebellion
The tax on whiskey was given during Washington’s presidency to assist paying off the war debt. Many farmers were angry due to this tax because they grew the corn that made the whiskey; if they tax whiskey it would be too expensive for the farmers to make. Washington did not like the farmer’s rebellion to the tax, so he sent 12,000 troops to enforce the tax. This rebellion demonstrated the strong central government both George Washington and Alexander Hamilton both wanted for America. -
John Adams Elected President
Becoming the second president of the United States, John Adams was elected on March 4, 1797. Adams campaign was not easy; Thomas Jefferson tried his hardest to become president for the Democrat-Republicans. Due to his alliance with French minister Pierre August Adet, Republicans decided not to vote for Jefferson for president. “In the end, John Adams eked out a victory over Thomas Jefferson by three Electoral College votes, by rule relegating Jefferson to the vice presidency” (Unger 103). -
John Quincy Adam's Marriage
On this day, John Quincy Adams his first, and only, wife, Louisa Catherine Johnson. The couple met in England as the thirty-year-old, John Quincy, was abroad as an American diplomat for European affairs. The two married in 1797, but Adams’ believed the marriage would cause much conflict due to the fact he was marrying a foreign-born woman. -
George Washington's Death
On this day, the father of our country, America’s first beloved president George Washington died at Mount Vernon, Virginia. Washington is believed to have died from a pronounced fever; the last hours of George Washington’s life was excruciating. A few days before Washington’s death, a young army soldier had a sudden death, and John Quincy feared that the soldier’s death was an omen of worse things to come thus resulting in Washington’s death. -
John Quincy and Louisa Adams' First Born Son
George Washington Adams was the name of John Quincy and Louisa Adams’ first child. After several miscarriages, Louisa started to fall ill and become depressed. After Louisa gave birth to her first child, her life changed forever. “…after four miscarriages, Louisa Adams gave birth to John Quincy’s first child. ‘I have this day to offer my humble and devout thanks to almighty God for the birth of a son at half-past three o’clock in the afternoon,” he prayed as he wrote in his diary” (Unger 120). -
War of 1812
Approximately three decades after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, Great Britain and America were in conflict once again, which started the War of 1812. The overall causes for the War of 1812 was Britain’s attempt in restricting the United States trade and America wishing to expand their territory within North America. The war ended in a 1-1 draw; America won the sea war while Canada, a colony of Britain, won the land war. -
Amistad Case
The Amistad was an extremely controversial Supreme Court case in 1841. 36 Africans who were held prisoners on the slave ship, Amistad, and ultimately overthrew the ship by breaking free of their chains and killing members on the ship. The 36 men were taken to New London, Connecticut and charged with piracy and murder. John Quincy fought very hard for the Africans to be freed; the result of this court case was the release of the Africans and return them to Africa at the government’s expense. -
Irish Potato Famine
Irish Potato Famine was the worst famine to occur in Europe during the 19th century. After Columbus’ discovery of the Americas, he comes back to the European to share his news. As a result of him returning to Europe, he brings back the diseases he caught in the Americas. The diseases he caught had a drastic effect on the potato crop in Europe, especially Ireland. This result in many Irish citizens to starve to death or move to the Americas to have a better chance of living. Ended in 1849. -
John Quincy Adams' Death
The sixth president of the United States of America, John Quincy Adams, died eighty years old after a stroke took his life. John Quincy’s stroke occurred on the twenty-first of February in the House of Representatives. Quincy laid in a coma for two days, and at 7:20 in the evening John Quincy took his last breath in the capital he adored. -
Abraham Lincoln Elected President
Becoming the first Republican to become president, Abraham Lincoln became the 16th president of the United State of America. The former Whig representative received national recognition while campaigning against Stephen Douglas in 18558 for the Senate seat for Illinois. The three candidates Lincoln defeated with only forty percent of the popular vote was John C. Breckinridge, John Bell, and Stephen Douglas.
