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Jamestown
It's a corporate colony, operated by joint stock companies. Virginia colonies sought to encourage settlement here. It is a representative government which was where many Puritans lived. -
First Africans brought to Virginia
The first Africans came from slave ships operated by Dutch traders. At first, the African Americans received the same status as white indentured servants. They were later discriminated by the House of Burgesses to becoming slaves. Although, most colonists were too poor to afford slave workers. -
Mayflower Compact
Pilgrims signed and drew up a document that pledged them to make decisions by the will of the majority. It represented both an early form of colonial self government and an early form of written constitution. -
Great Migration of Puritans
Approximately one thousand Puritans were led by John Winthrop to sail for the Massachusetts shore. They wanted to escape religious prosecution and explore the new land. This founded Boston and several other towns. -
Roger Williams Established Rhode Island
Roger Williams established Rhode Island. It was originally up in Massachusetts Bay. It was an English Protestant theologian. Rhode Island was an early proponent of religious freedom and a separation of church and state. -
William Penn Established Pennsylvania
The royal family owed William Penn's father a large amount of money. The debt was paid off to William Penn with lands in America. He wanted to acheive 3 purposes: 1) provide a religious refuge for the Quakers and other persecuted people 2) enact liberal ideas in government 3) generate income and profits for himself. -
Salem Witch Trials
Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft. They were thought of as evil beings. Some people who were falsely accused with little evidence or preposterous assumptions were still executed regardless. -
James Oglethorp Established Georgia
It acted as the colony's first government. Georgia strictly prohibited the drinking of rum and slavery. Unfortunately, the land did not prosper due to Spanish attacks. -
Jonathan Edwards Sparked the Great Awakening
A man named Jonathan Edwards sparked the Great Awakening. This was a period of religious revival in American religious history. It was a time of purification, faith, and cleansing. -
The French And Indian War
The French and Indian War was from 1754-1763. It is also known as the 7 Years' War. The French had started the initial provocation by building a chain of forts in the Ohio River Valley in order to halt Western growth of Brittish colonies. -
Proclamation of 1763
King George III issued the Proclamation of 1763. Its purpose was to organize Great Britain new North American empires, In addition, it should also stabilize American relations with Native Americans through trade, settlement, and land purchases. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was issued in the years 1765-1766. It was in order to raise revenue for taxes. The colonists were protected by the British, and also for war debt. It declared that nothing is able to be sent off without the purchase of a stamp on the product. -
Declaratory Act
The Stamp Act was repealed. Parliament enacted a face-saving measure known as the Declaratory Act. It asserted that Parliament had the right to tax and make laws for colonies in all cases whatsoever. This led to renewed misunderstanding and conflict between American colonists and the British government. -
Townshend Acts
Parliament enacted new duties. The law required that revenues raised would be used to pay crown oficials the colonies. Thus, this made them independent of colonial assemblies that had previously paid their salaries. -
Boston Tea Party
Colonists refused to buy tea. parliament made Brittish tea cheaper than the smuggled ones but people still didn't buy them. A group of Bostonians disguised themselves as Natives and dumped the tea into the bay. This event became known as the Boston Tea Party. -
First Continental Congress
The purpose of this was to determine how the colonies should react to what. From their viewpoint it seemed to pose an alarming threat to the rights and liberties. At the time, Americans had no desire for independence. The Intolerable Acts had caused this convention. -
Lexington and Concord
This was the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. It marked the outbreak of open armed conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and its 13 colonies. These colonies were locaated in teh mainland of Breat Britain and North America. -
Second Continental Congress
It was a convention of delegates from the 13 colonies. They met in Philadelphia soon after warfare in the American Recolution. They succeeded at the First Continental Congress. It managed colonial war effort, move towards independence, and adopted a Declaration. -
Thomas Paine published Common Sense
This pamphlet was written by Thomas Paine. He presented the American colonists with an argument for freedom from British rule at a time when independence was still a question. The pamplet was structured like a sermon and used biblical references to bring across its case. -
Declaraion of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was mostly written by Thomas Jefferson. It was an assertion of independence of aspiring states. It also listed the grievances about King George III. -
Treaty of Alliance
The Treaty of Alliance was with France. It was a definite alliance with the French and USA. It promised military support in case of attack by the British forces into the future. -
Articles of Confederation
It went into effect in 1781. It was the first written constitution of the United States of America. It specified how the national government was to operate. -
Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown was the last major battle of the American Recolution. It was also known as the American War of Independence. It was a complete decisive victory for the combined forces of America and France. -
Peace of Paris
Great Britain had signed treaties with France, Spain, and Dutch Republicans and the U.S. These were the set of treaties that ended the American Revolutionary War. It's more commonly known as the Treaty of Paris. -
Northwest Ordinances
These were split into different years of 1784, 1785, and 1787. It was for the large territory lying between the Great Lakes and the Ohio River. Congress had passed an ordinance that set rules for creating new states. It granted limited self- government to developing the territory and prohibited slavery in the region. -
Shays' Rebellion
Captain Daniel Says was a Massachusetts farmer and Recolutionary War veteran. He led other farmers in an uprising against high state taxes, imprisonment for debt, and lack of paper money. It took on a time span of one year. -
Constitutional Convention
The Constitutional Convention took place in Philadelphia. It was a meeting of delegates to adopt a new constitution. If not for this, then it also revised an already existing constitution. -
The Federalist Papers Published
The Federalist Papers were a series of 85 articles or essays. It advocated the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. The Federalist remains a primary source of interpretation of the Constitution. It provides an early example of governing and helps in the creation of a better document. -
Washington's Presidency
Washington's presidency initiated significant leadership role over the United States. He entered office with full support of national and state leadership, and established executive and judicial branches of federal government. President Washington was also the general of the Continental Army. -
Alexander Hamilton appointed Secretary of the Treasury
Alexander Hamilton was appointed the first Secretary of State by Gearge Washington. Within two years, Hamilton proposed 5 reports which lead to the building of the national bank. He was in the treasury until 1795. -
The Bill Of Rights
The Bill of Rights was ratified on December 15, 1791. It was created on September 25, 1789. The Bill of Rights set a limitation on U.S Federal Government. It protected the liberty and property, including freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom to assembly, freedom to association, and freedom to bear arms. -
The Cotton Gin
The Modern Cotton Gin was invented by an American named Eli Whitney. He later patented his creation on, March 14, 1794. Because of his new creation, many other planters saw to create their own and patent a Cotton Gin. Eli Whitney sought to fight for his right to own the Saw Cotton Gin he created and later won all rights to it. It was later known that he did not have time to make money off it as he had only one year left of his patent when the government changed the patent laws. -
Washington’s Proclamation of Neutrality
George Washington delclared Neutrality during a war between Great Britain and France. He believed that the country was too young and the military was too small to aid either side. He proclaimed that if any citizen of the United States they would be punished by law. -
Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion was due to Alexander Hamilton's attempt to finance the national debt. He put an excise tax on Whiskey and it affected the western the most. Protesters used violence and intimidation to prevent government officials from collecting tax. Some instances using tar and feather on tax collectors. The Militia was drafted and sent out, consisting of about 13,000 militia men. They supressed the rebellion and the government won the approval of the rest of the country. -
Washington’s Farewell Address
This was George Washington's address to the nation that he was declining to run for president another term. It originally writtin in 1792, with much pleading from Hamilton and Jefferson, he stayed another term. He stayed a second term to help the growing division among the political parties and foreign affairs. he served 45 years under new Republic, from the French and Indian war, to the American Revolution, and Retired as the First President of the United States. -
XYZ Affair
The XYZ Affair started when American merchant ships were seized by France enroute to Britain. The French prime minister sent three diplomats, named XYZ by the Americans, requested a bribe of $250,00 and a $12 millions dollar loan. America, under the rule of President Adams, refused the pay this riduculous amount and sent his own diplomats to negotiate. The negotiation failed and a small navel war broke out on the east coast. French and American merchant ships were being taken by both side. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
The Alien and Sedition Act consisted of 4 Bills. They are the Naturalization Act, the Alien Act, the Alien Enemies Act, and the Sedition Act. These were all past by President John Adams in response to the XYZ Affair and the naval war between France. -
-1799 Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
This was a Political statement drafted by Kentucky and Viriginia that the Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional. There were two Kentucky Resolutions, one written on November 16, 1798 by Jefferson and the second one on December 3, 1799 by an uncertain author. The Virginia Resolution was written by James Madison and passed on December 24, 1798 -
Election of 1800
Thomas Jefferson defeated John Adams in the election of 1800. He won 73 electoral votes and had over 41,000 popular votes. Compared to Adam's 65 electoral and 25,000 popular votes. -
Midnight judges
Also known as the Judiciary Act, it was an effort to change the U.S. Supreme Court. The seats in the U.S. Supreme Court went from 6 to 5 and the circuit courts were reconized and doubled from 3 to 6. The midnight judges came from John Adam's attempt to put as many people in the Supreame seats as possible before Thomas Jefferson's inauguration. -
Marbury v. Madison
This trial gave the basis judicial branch equal power with the executive and legislative branches. It was the first time a law was judged unconstitutional and it was thanks to William Marbury for bring up this controversial case. -
Louisiana Purchase
The United States purchased 828,800 square miles from France, who claimed the terroritory of Louisiana, for 18 million frac. This is equivilant to 15 million dollar in U.S dollars. It stretched from Louisiana to Montana. It also encompassed a little portion of Northern Texas. -
Lewis and Clark expedition
Thomas Jefferson requested $2500 dollars from congress to fund this expedition to survey the land. They were the first to celebrate July 4th west of the Mississippi. They had a indian girl guide them named Sacajawea. Through many illness and skin conditions they made it to the coast and built Fort Clatstop. They departed Fort Clastop in March 23, 1806 and returned home safely in September. -
Trial of Aaron Burr
The Trial of Aaron Burr tested the power of the government. Aaron Burr was the 3rd vice President. Even though there was likely claims against Burr of treason, there was no evidence to convict him. Despite President Jefferson's political force on the Supreame Court, the court did not yield in their decision. -
Jefferson’s embargo
The Embargo Act of 1807 was suppose to protect the United States from war breaking out between England and France. Choosing to be Neutral, this led to the war of 1812. -
War of 1812
The United States declared war on Britiain for numerous reasons. Some of them being trade tension, the desire to expand northwest, and the imprisonment of American merchants. The war lasted 3 years. It became a scrimmage between America and Britain. Even though Britain burned Washington D.C in 1814, America came back and won. -
Treaty of Ghent
The Teaty of Ghent was a peace treaty that ended the war of 1812. Because of the slow communitcation between the two countries, new of this treaty was not heard. this led to the battle of new orleans. -
Battle of New Orleans, 1815
This was the final major battle of the War of 1812. American soildieers led by Major General Andrew Jackson won against the British attempt to take over New Orleans. This was considered the greatest land vistory of this war. -
The American System
The American System was created by Henry Clay. It was an economic plan to unite the country. It supported taxes, argricultural jobs and a national bank to foster commerce. -
Adams-Onís Treaty
This was a treaty between the U.S. and Spain. It was the purchasing of Florida, which at that time was just swamp land. They also decided to set the boundaries between New Spain, no Mexico, and The U.S. The line split between the Sabine River of Texas. -
McCulloch v. Maryland, 1819
This case lead to the governing of banking in America. Maryland, as a state, decided to tax money that was coming in from different states. Even though there was no say in the governing of the bank the Supreme courts ruled that congress has the right to regulate the banks instead of the states. -
Missouri Compromise
An agreement between which states were Pro-Slavery and which states were Anti-Slavery. It was divided betwen North and South. It was also proposed that there should not be Slavery within the Louisiana Purchase except in Missouri. -
Building of the Eerie Canal
The Eerie Canal is a waterway in New York. It helped to regulate trade and made a pathway for ships to travel. It has been recognized as the most successful manmade waterways and one of the most important works of civil engineering and construction in North America. -
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine was written by James Monroe. It furthered the efforts by European countries to colonize or interfere with the states. In America, it would be viewed as acts of aggression. -
Election of 1824
Jackson had lost. John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay made a corrupt bargain. This meant that no candidate had received a majority of the electoral votes. Under the rule of the 12th amendment, the House of Representatives had to choose one out of the top three presidents. Clay got out and supported Adams. -
Maysville Road Veto
It vetoed the law for finding roads in Kentucky. President Jackson viewed the completion of this project unconstitutional. He also thought that paying for this would defeat the goal of paying off the national debt. -
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act was established by Jackson. This action was in hope to resolve the Georgia crisis. It was supposed to be voluntary, but there was a lot of pressure. Many Europeans supported, and Christian missionaries were against. It forced the Seminole tribes to move West. -
Nat Turner’s revolt
Nat Turner was an American Slave who led a slave rebellion. they killed 56 whites regardless of age and gender. Upon his capture he told the militia that he wanted to spread fear to show slavers the cruelty of slavery. -
Nullification Crisis
The Nullification crysis was created by South Carolina. They declared that within their borders the federal tax of 1828 and 1832 were unconstitutional. So it was null and void within the state. President Andrew Jackson, knowing the trouble caused by the Tax of 1828 is in a crisis because he originally voted for it. -
Panic of 1837
The Panic of 1837 was a financial crisis. After the destruction of the Second Bank of the United States, there grew to be an inflation. The crisis was then followed by a 5 year depression with failure from banks and high unemployment rates. -
Horace Mann began school reform in Massachusetts
Horace was the first to become Secretary of the Board of Education. He went around each school in the state to obseve how each school was alike. He then came to an idea that education would be better embraced with variety of backgrounds/ -
Trail of Tears
The Trails of Tears was the removal and movement of Native Americans. It was described as genocide. Native American suffered from exposure, disease, and starvation. They travelled about 2,200 miles in winter. -
Election of 1840 – Whig Party
The Whig Party supported William Henry Harrison for President. As a united party they easliy took the office from re-elect president Van Buren. -
Annexation of Texas
The Republic of Texas became the 28th State of the United States of America. This led to the Mexican-American War. -
The term “manifest destiny” first used
The term Manifest Destiny was first used by John L. O'Sullivan, in the issue of "United States Magazine and Democratic Reviews." The article was termed "Annexation". Manifest Destiny was a belief that America was destined to expand through out North America. The Democratic party used it to justify the wars with mexicans in the south. -
Mexican-American War
The Mexican-American War was an Armed conflict. Mexico claiming to own property that Texas believed themselves to have led to heated dispute and gun fights. -
Mormons migrated to Utah
On April 5th, a company of 143 men and 73 wagons made their way towards Salt Lake Valley. Many joined this company as they traveled and soon more than 2000 Mormans traveled to Salt lake City. They built churches there and fertiled the ground, but it wasn't long before Utah became a part of America. -
Mexican Cession
Mexico gave up the fight and with it Texas, New Mexico, and California. It was a major goal in America. It was almost as Manifest Destiny wasn't a dream. -
Seneca Falls convention
The Seneca Falls convention was an early movement for women's right. They also held to abolish slavery. It was a convention that influenced many women to stand up for what they believe in. It was all thanks to the influential speaker, Lucretia Mott. -
California gold rush
James W. Marshall, found gold on Sutter's Hill in Coloma, California. The states close by caught wind of it first so it led to a crazed rush for gold. The population grew about 200,000. -
Wilmot Proviso,
The Wilmot Proviso stated that there would be no slavery in the newly aquired states. This was a major event that led to the civil war. David Wilmot was the congressman who wanted to pass this bill. -
Compromise of 1850
It was a package of 5 bills used to solve the long war over slavery state lines. It brought relief to the government as both side were unhappy with specific detail and it was accepted. -
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe published Uncle Tom's Cabin. It's a book about anti-slavery. Uncle Tom's Cabin was a best seller in the 19th century and it helped lay the ground work needed to free slaves. -
Creation of the Republican Party
The Republic party rose to prevent the expansion of Slave states into the territory. It promoted a more vigorous attempt to raise the economy. It had almost no support in the south, except a majority of the northern States supported the Republic. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Kansas and Nebraska opened up their borders to let settlers in. they also abolished the Missouri Compromise to let the state have free will to choose if they want slavery of not. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order given by Abraham Lincoln. He announced the freedom of couple million slaves. It made abolition the central goal of the war.
