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Oct 12, 1492
America Discovered
Christopher Columber lands in the Bahamas and discovers America. -
Apr 3, 1513
Florida
Ponce de Leon explores Florida in search of gold. -
Feb 4, 1540
Grand Canyon and Colorado River
Francisco Coronado was the first European to see the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River. -
Sep 30, 1542
California Coast
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo explored all the way up the California Coast. -
Sep 8, 1565
Fortress at St Augustine, Florida
The Spanish built a fortress at St. Augustine, Florida to block the French ambitions and rotect sea lanes. -
Roanoke Colony
Sir Walter Raleigh landed on Roanoke Island in North Carolina where Roanoke Colony was formed. Not long after that, however, Roanoke Colony mysteriously vanished. -
Jamestown Founded
One hundred men on three English ships arrived in North America, sailing up the Chesapeake Bay and moving in towards what is now Virginia to colonize Jamestown. -
New Mexico
Don Juan Onate proclaimed the area of New Mexico, along with founding its capital at Santa Fe. -
Perfection of Tobacco
John Rolfe had perfected the tobacco plant by 1612. Because of this, a tabacco rush swept through Virginia and tobacco became known as "King Nicotine". -
First Anglo-Powhattan War
Lord De La Warr introduced "Irish Tactics" on the Indians, raiding their villages and stealing items. This was the First Anglo-Powhattan War that ended in a peace agreement of John Rolfe marrying Pocohontas. -
Slaves introduced to Jamestown
The first African Slaves were introduce to America at Jamestown in 1619. A Dutch ship sold twenty slaves to the colonists at Jamestown. -
Pilgrims at Plymouth
In 1620, the Mayflower landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The Pilgrims were Puritans leaving their home country and creating a colony at Plymouth. -
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact was signed to give the Puritans a set of rules to abide by in the New World. -
Virginia: Royal Colony
James I revoked the charter of the Virginia Company making Virginia its own colony and controlling it himself. -
Maryland
Lord Baltimore sent his settlers to this area to found Maryland. Most were Catholics, making this one of the few regions to have high ranking officials being Catholic. -
Second Anglo-Powhattan War
The Indians tried to remove the Virginians from their homes, but failed. The Indians were sent else where to live. -
Carolina Founded
Carolina was founded in 1653 by Charles II and other Virginians. It had close economic ties with the English West Indies allowing it to fluorish. -
Bacon's Rebellion
Nathaniel Bacon started an uprising due to high taxes, low cost for tabacco and favoritism from the governor. -
William Penn
In 1681, William Penn founded the Pennsylvania colony, naming it after himself. -
English Parliament
The English Parliament adopted a Bill of Rights that guarenteed the freedom of religion to Protestants. -
Treaty of Utrecht
This treaty ended King William's War and Queen Anne's War. Britain was given Acadia along with the Hidson Bay. -
The Great Awakening
This was a period of time when liberal ideas began to challenge the old time religion traditions. It was started by Jonathan Edwards and continued by George Whitefield. -
Molasses Act of 1733
The Molasses Act was passed to stop trade between America and West Indies. It made molasses cheaper to buy from Britain than from there. -
Zenger Trial
Peter Zenger was charged with seditious libel when his newspaper criticized the royal governor. He was, however, found not guilty. -
War of Jenkins's Ear
This war was fought between Britain and Spain when Jenkins returned to Britain with a severed ear due to one of the Spainiards. It was fought in the Caribbean Sea and Georgia. It eventually led into the War of Austrian Succession. -
Peace Treaty of 1748
This ended the War of Jenkins's Ear but angered the colonists when Louisbourg was handed back to the French. -
Washington's Defeat
Washington erected the "perfect" fort called Fort Necessity, but it wasn't strategically placed. This was the one and only place that Washington had to surrender in his career. -
Albany Plan
This plan was made through the meetings of the Albany Congress and would have the power to raise a navy, make war or peace with the Native Americans, regulate trade, and tax. -
Seven Years' War
This war was otherwise known as the French and Indian War, where the French and Indians battled the British army. This war fought around the world however. -
Treaty of Paris (1763)
This treaty was signed between Britain, France, Spain, and Portugal to end the Seven Years' War. With this, France lost all power in North America. -
Proclamation of 1763
This proclamation prohibited settlement anywhere beyond the Appalachian and that the Indians now owned the land that they resided on. This was to keep Pontiac's men from attacking the British settlers. -
Sugar Act of 1764
The Sugar Act was passed to increase the tax on foreign sugar imported and was the first law passed to raise tax revenue. -
Stamp Act of 1765
The Stamp Act was to raise revenues for the new British army. Any paper, document, or even playing cards required a stamp to show a tax was paid for it. -
Repeal of the Stamp Act
The Americans were upset with the Stamp Act and started forming protest groups like the Sons of Liberty. Eventually, stamp agents were forced to resign, leaving no one to sell stamps. The British commoners started suffering from this when they had to pay high taxes, so Parliament repealed it. -
The Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were created by Charles Townshend. These acts put a tax on imported glass, white lead, paper, paint and tea. -
Boston Massacre
The people of Boston were harassing soldiers for killing a boy. This led to the soldiers opening fire and killing or wounding 11 people. -
Boston Tea Party
The Sons of Liberty dressed in Indian costumes and boarded British ships filled with tea. They emptied these chests into the Boston harbor, upset with the high tax on tea. -
The Intolerable Acts
These acts were to punish Boston for the Boston Tea Party. The acts included the Boston Port Act and the New Quartering Act. -
Quebec Act
The Quebec Act gave much of the Ohio Valley to France as a means of befriending them. However, the colonists did not see it that way and were upset. -
1st Continental Congress
This was the meeting of twelve out of the thirteen colonies to discuss the colonial grievances. Eventually, they drew up the Declaration of Rights and sent it to the king to protest the policies. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
The Battle of Lexington and Concord were the first battles fought in the Revolutionary War. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress served as the first government for five years. All thirteen states met in Philadelphia for these years. -
King George's III Proclamation
King George officially proclaimed that the colonies were in rebellion and now everything they did became treason. -
Paine's Common Sense
Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet called the Common Sense so the colonists would see the need to revolt. -
Declaration of Independence
This document declared independence from Great Britain during the Revolutionary War. -
Articles of Confederation
This document was the first Constitution of the new nation. It was very weak but was a milestone in history. At this point, it was adopted by the Second Continental Congress. -
French-American Alliance
This alliance helped the Americans defeat the British because of the help from their ally, France. -
Battle of Yorktown
This battle was the last major battle fought in the Revolutionary War. The British were defeated and had to surrender. -
Treaty of Paris
The British signed this treaty to show that the United States was completely independent from Britain. -
Land Ordinance of 1785
This ordinance was drawn up to survey and sell land in the northwest reagion to help raise revenue. -
Shays' Rebellion
This rebellion was led by Daniel Shays. The group of rebels were farmers and poor people and were upset that they just fought in the war and then were losing their homes due to the high debt. -
Constitutional Convention
This convention was held in Philadelphia to create a new Constitution since the Articles of Confederation were weak. -
Northwest Ordinance
This document acted as a charted government for new states in the northwest region. It had a set number of people in a region to be allowed to become a state. This helped the US gain six states from this region. -
President Washington
George Washington was unanimously chosen to be President. This was the first official election in the United States. -
French Revolution
The citizens of France were upset with their country so they beheaded King Louis XVI and overturned the throne. This bloody war lasted many years. -
Judiciary Act of 1789
This act officially established Judicial Courts of the United States. -
Excise Tax
This tax was put on items after they were sold, giving them the name hidden taxes. Many people were upset with them but it was to raise revenue for the government. -
Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights were established to ensure the rights of the people. The anti-federalists were against the Constitution unless it contained the Bill of Rights. -
Judiciary Act of 1801
This act reorganized the Judicial System and replaced the Judiciary Act of 1789. -
Louisiana Purchase
Thomas Jefferson negotiated with Napoleon to obtain this large piece of land. In the end, Napoleon agreed and actually wanted to get rid of it. -
Exploration of Louisiana Purchase
Sent by Thomas Jefferson, Lewis and Clark made their famous expedition into the Louisiana Purchase to observe what was out there. They were assisted by an Indian named Sacajawea. This expedition lasted approximately 2 1/2 years. -
Impeachment of Samuel Chase
In 1804, Samuel Chase was impeached due to high crimes and misdemeanors. However, in 1805, these charges were dropped with claims that his acts were just arrogance. This was the only time in US history that a Supreme Court judge was impeached. -
Pike's Expedition
While Lewis and Clark were busy exploring the western part of the Louisiana Territory, Zebulon Pike explored the southern part, sailing down the Mississippi River. -
Embargo Act of 1807
Congress issued this act to forbid the exports of US goods to any country. This was hated by many Americans because they couldn't sell their goods now to other countries. -
Non-Intercourse Act of 1809
Since the Embargo Act was failing, Congress passed the Non-Intercourse Act of 1809 which reopened trade with all the countries except France and Britain. -
Macon's Bill No. 2
This bill was passed in 1810 because the Non-Intercourse Act was to expire. It reopened trade with all the world. Whichever country, either France or Britain, first lifted its commercial restictions with the US, the US would trade with them and embargo the other. It was France who lifted their commercial restrictions. -
Battle of Tippecanoe
This battle was fought between the Shawnee Indians, led by Tenskwatawa, and the United States, led by William Harrison. Up to this point, the United States was constantly pushing the Indians westward. So Tenskwatawa and Tecumseh led an uprising to fight back the United States. -
War of 1812
In the year of 1812, America, once again, fought with the British. There are several reasons as to why they fought including trading issues, Indians attacking settlers, and the English impressing American merchants. -
Burning of Washington
In August of 1814, the British arrived in the Chesapeake Bay and moved into Washington. While in Washington, the British managed to burn the Capitol along with the White House. -
The Star-Spangled Banner
After the British landed in the Chesapeake Bay, they attacked Fort McHenry in Baltimore. While aboard one of the British ships during this battle, Francis Scott Key wrote the Star-Spangled Banner to describe the fighting. -
Hartford Convention
During the end of the War of 1812, Massachusetts called for a meeting to discuss all of the grievances of the United States. -
Treaty of Ghent
This treaty was signed between the United States and the United Kingdom in Ghent, Belgium. The Treaty of Ghent officially ended the War of 1812. -
Fighting for New Orleans
Andrew Jackson led an army to try to defeat the British in New Orleans. The British made the frontal assult on Jackson, however, Jackson managed to defeat the British and take New Orleans. -
Tariff of 1816
In 1816, Congress passed this tariff, not as a source of revenue, but rather for protection of American goods. This tariff was the first of its kind. -
Rush-Bagot Agreement
This agreement was signed because of Canada's demands. The Canadians feared that the United States might attack them becasue of the British. The Rush-Bagot Agreement demilitarized the Northern Part of the States and created the longest border without a fence. -
Florida Purchase Treaty of 1819
This treaty was signed to move Spain away from the eastern side of the United States. It gave Florida to the United States and gave the Southwest to Spain. It also defined the southern line of the United States, making a border next to Mexico. -
MCCulloch v. Maryland
This court case was held in 1819 and resulted in only strengthening the Supreme Court. Its result was that the Supreme Court could overrule the decisions of the state courts. -
Panic of 1819
During this time period of 1819, many "wildcat banks" were opening and were very unsteady. This caused worry throughout the United States because people were losing money due to banks closing. -
The Missouri Compromise
Since Missouri wanted to be admitted to the States as a slave state, a compromise was needed to keep the North happy. The North was then allowed to admit Maine as a free state. Along with this, the 36 degree 30 minute line was established so that slave states could only be admitted south of this line. -
Cohens v. Virginia
This court case strengthened the Supreme Court by stating that the Supreme Court had the right to review any decision of the state courts. -
American Temperance Society
This was a society that was formed to stop the constant consumption of alcohol. It wasn't a law but it was what was right. -
Mormon
This was a new religion founded by Joseph Smith. They slowly moved west due to persecution. When Smith died, Brigham Young took the Mormons to Utah to reside. -
Slave Rebellion
Nat Turner led an uprising in Virginia killing 60 Virginians. -
Gag Resolution
This resolution was passed by southerners in the House to stop the petitions for ending slavery. It put aside all petitions for ending slavery. -
The American Scholar
The American Scholar was a speech given by Ralph Waldo Emerson to explain the relationship between the scholar and nature. -
Caroline Incident
The Caroline was an American ship that was trading with the Canadians. The British in Canada became upset and set fire to it while it was on the United States side of the Niagara River. -
Aroostook War
This war was fought between the Lumberjacks of upper Maine and the British. The British wanted the Aroostook River Valley to build a road into Canada but the Lumberjacks claimed that it was theirs. -
Webster-Ashburton Treaty
Lord Ashburton came to America to settle the Aroostook War. In the end, this treaty gave the British the Aroostook River Valley but gave the Mesabi Range to the United States. -
Texas
Polk officially signed the document that granted statehood to Texas, which would becom the 28th state as well as a slave state. -
Mexican War
This war was fought between America and Mexico over a land dispute. Gen. Taylor had purposefully entered an undetermined land mass in southern Texas where he was attacked by Mexico. This gave reason for the United States to declare war. In the end, America won and managed to buy California from Mexico. -
49th Parallel
As people were moving west on the Oregon Trail, a boundary was needed to define Canada and America. The United States wanted to have up to the 54 degee, 40 minute line. However, the Canadians wanted the line to be along the Columbia River. So the United States and Canada agreed that the border would be the 49th Parallel. -
John C. Fremont
In 1846 during the Mexican War, John C. Fremont took thirty-three soldiers into California and claimed that it was the United States. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The treaty was signed between Mexico and the United States. It officially ended the Mexican War and allowed the United States to purchase California for $15 million. -
Senaca Falls Convention
This convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York to discuss giving women rights. It was led by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. -
The Oneida Community
This community was founded in hopes of creating a Utopian Society. It prospered from the silverware that they made. -
Free Soil Party
The Free Soil party was a political party that only lasted a few elections. Its primary view was to stop slavery in the south. -
California Gold Rush
For several years, many Easterners headed west to California in hopes of finding gold and becoming rich. However, most of the people barely found enough to make a profit. -
The Scarlet Letter
This popular novel was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne to describe life in the 1600s and dealt with a woman committing adultery. -
Compromise of 1850
This treaty allowed California to enter the United States as a free state, allowed Utah and New Mexico to decide on slavery by popular sovereignty, gave Texas $10 million, and enforced the Fugitive Slave Law. -
Gadsden Purchase
The United States wanted an easier way to travel to Southern California without having to cross the Rocky Mountains. James Gadsden purchased land from Mexico near southern Arizona and New Mexico to be used for the Transcontinental Railroad. This purchase became known as the Gadsden Purchase, -
Bleeding Kansas
In 1856, a small civil war broke out in Kansas over the issue of Kansas entering as a free state or slave state. -
Pottawatomie Massacre
This massacre was led by John Brown who killed five pro-slavery people in Kansas over the issue of whether Kansas should be free or a slave state. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott was a slave who moved with his master to Illinois, a free state. There, he sued for his freedom because it was a free states. In the end, the decision was made that slaves can't sue, can live anywhere because they are property, and that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional. -
Panic of 1857
This panic occurred as a result of people moving west to find gold in California. The gold found inflated the United States Treasury and overspeculated the land. -
The Great Debate
In 1858, Lincoln was battling Douglas for a seat in Illinois's senate. Lincoln questioned Douglas on the issue of popular sovereignty and Douglas answered it the wrong way to lose the Presidential Election of 1860. -
President Lincoln
Republican Abraham Lincoln wins presidency in 1860, causing the south to be upset and eventually secede. -
Secession
After Lincoln won the election of 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union. Six more states followed shortly after that. -
Morrill Tariff Act
This tariff was passed by the Union to help with war costs. It was a protective tariff. -
Confederate States of America
After the secession of the southern states, a new country was created called the Confederate States of America. They elected Jefferson Davis as their president and fought against the Union is the Civil War. -
Fort Sumter
After the seven southern states seceded, Fort Sumter was the first battle site of the American Civil War. This fort is in South Carolina and the Confederates won this battle. -
Merrimack vs Monitor
The Merrimack (Union) and Monitor (Confederate) were two iron ships that fought at sea. Neither won because the cannons couldn't destroy the metal. This started a new era of iron warships. -
Alabama
The Confederates bought a ship called the Alabama that would raid Union ships of good. It lasted for two years until it was sunk in 1864. -
Homestead Act
This act was passed in 1862 to give applicants of land for free or of little cost. -
Railroad
In the midst of the Civil War, a transcontinental railroad was called for, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. -
7 Days Battle
This battle lasted seven days in which McClellan lost and was removed from his postition as leader of the Union troops. -
Second Battle of Bull Run
This battle ended the same way as the first. Lee defeated Pope and Pope was dismissed from his position as leader. -
Battle of Antietam
This battle became the single bloodiest day of battle. The Union managed to stop the Confederates from advancing northward, however, it was a draw. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation to free all slaves in the rebellling states. -
National Banking System
The National Banking System was created in 1863 to hold the government money without being a bank. -
Battle of Gettysburg
This battle become one of the famous battle of the Civil War. The Union managed to win their first major battle of the War. -
Archduke Maximilian
Napoleon had wanted to control Mexico so he sent the Archduke Maximilian to become the emperor of Mexico. He was later overthrown and killed. -
Election of 1864
In this election, Lincoln defeated McClellan to become the president once again. With this, there were goiing to be no negotiations to end the war. -
13th Amendment
In the Winter of 1864, the 13th Amendment was ratified to outlaw slavery and involuntary servitude. -
Freedmen's Bureau
This was intended to provide clothing, medical care, food, and education to freedmen and white refugees. -
Lincoln's Assassination
On Good Friday, Lincoln spent his evening watching a play at Ford's Theatre. There, he was shot and killed by John Wilkes Booth. -
Reconstruction Plan
This planned called for all states attend a convention so that each would repeal secession, repudate Confederate debts, and ratify the 13th Amendment. -
Black Codes
This was a series of laws designed to regulate the affairs of emancipated slaves. -
Ku Klux Klan
This group was founded in Tennessee by whites who were upset with slaves being free. They would either intimidate or hurt the blacks of the south. -
National Labor Union
In 1866, the National Labor Union was created to help support the workers of companies. This union disliked blacks, women, and Chinese. It wanted shorter work hours for the workers. -
Purchase of Alaska
In 1867, William Seward signed a treaty with Russia that gave Alaska to the United States for $7.2 million. -
Election of 1868
As the election of 1868 arrived, Grant was the canidate for the Republican Party. He defeated Seymour to become president, however, he proved to be a weak political leader. -
Knights of Labor
After the National Labor Union failed, the Knights of Labor was then known. They supported all people unlike the NLU. They wanted the work day to be eight hours and wanted a safer working condition. -
15th Amendment
In July of 1869, the 15th Amendment was ratified to grant black men the right to vote. -
Railroad Combined
After seven years of working on the railroad, it was conjoined in 1869 in Utah. -
Black Friday Scandal
Gould and Fisk decide to buy large quantities of stocks of gold. Then they convinced Grant's brother-in-law to talk to Grant about eliminating the amount of gold in circulation. Because of this, the market for gold went up and Gould and Fisk sold their stocks to make a large profit. -
Standard Oil Company
In 1870, John D. Rockefeller created the Standard Oil Company which used the idea of horizontal integration. This meant that all smaller oil companies put their stock into his company. In a way, it was a monopoly. -
Tammany Hall
Boss Tweed created this political machine to gain votes from the Irish and win elections -
Civil Rights Act of 1875
In 1875, the Civil Rights Act was passed to keep African Americans equal to the whites. In 1883, this act was declared unconstitutional. -
Whiskey Ring Scandal
With a president like Grant, workeers manaaged to get away with things that they normally couldn't. As people were being taxed on alcohol, the workers of the treasury were pocketing the tax money. -
Election of 1876
In the Election of 1876, a standoff occurred and a president was needed. Tilden had won the popular vote but needed one more electoral vote. Three states in the south didn't vote. In the end, Hayes won because of an agreement that the northern troops would be pulled from the south. -
Telephone
In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell created the telephone to communicate over long distances. -
Reconstruction Ends
In 1877, Reconstruction of both the North and South had been completed. -
Compromise of 1877
As election day was arriving, a president was needed to to enter office. This compromise allowed Hayes to enter office as long as they remove the federal troops from the south. -
Electricity
Three years after the telephone was created, Thomas Edison invented the electric light with electricity. -
Assassination
Shortly after Garfield became president, he was assassinated. It was Arthur who only finished out his term. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
In 1882, the government declared that Chinese Immingration was illegal and came to an end. -
Pendleton Act
In 1883, the Pendleton Act was created to make campaigning contributions from federalemployees illegal. It also created the Civil Service Commission. -
American Federation of Labor
In 1886, the American Federation of Labor was formed and was the only successful one out of the three. The public thought that this union wasn't allowed to go on strike making it a strong union. -
Interstate Commerce Act
The Interstate Commerce Act was created in 1887 to prohibit pools and rebates as well as charging more for a short trip than a long one. -
McKinley Tariff Act
As president, McKinley created this tariff to raise revenue yet again. It had a negative effect on the farmers and caused the Republicans to lose support in Congress. -
Wilson-Gorman Tariff
In 1894, Wilson created this tariff to lower the tariff price from the McKinley tariff. It also added a two percent income tax.
