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Aug 29, 1492
Christopher Columbus finds America
C. Columbus leads advanced scouting party for invasion of America. Columbus is important because his explorations made Europeans much more aware of the New World and helped to encourage more exploration of North and South America in the 1500s. -
Aug 29, 1517
Martin Luther launches the Protestant Reformation
Martin Luther launches the Protestant Reformation in Europe, bringing an end to the sole authority of the Catholic Church, resulting in the growth of numerous Protestant religious sects. -
England's First Enduring North American Settlement
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French and Indian War
Half a century of conflict between Britain and France over North America culminated in the French and Indian War. When the war began, there were more than about 2 million British colonists in America and about 65,000 French in Canada. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a catalyst for one of the most important events that ever took place in the history of the founding of America. The Boston Tea Party was one of the more powerful and significant messages sent to Great Britain to let them know that the colonies of America were going to do what it took to be independent from them. -
First Continental Congress Convenes
Britain responded to the Boston Tea Party with outrage. Convinced that rebels in Boston had to be taught a lesson, Parliament passed several laws that the colonists called the "Intolerable Acts." One act closed Boston Harbor until Bostonians paid for the destroyed tea. Another measure gave the governor the right to move trials of those who injured customs collectors to another colony or to England. -
George Washington elected President
Even though he was the first president and general during the american revoluton, he also managed to unit the colonies to a common cause and after the war he promoted the thought that this young counrty should refrain from being involved in foreign disputes. He assisted and endorsed central banking and an income tax system. He also never sought a third term in office and to this day no president has had a third term. -
The bill of Rights Ratified
This is important because without it we wouldn’t have certain freedoms. Among the rights that were guaranteed were freedom of the press, of speech, of religion, and the right to a jury trial. -
Eli Whittney invents Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin gave slavery a new lease on life. -
Thomas Jefferson elected President
Among the important things that Thomas Jefferson did was to draft the Declaration of Independence, which declared the 13 colonies a free and independent country. As the 3rd President, he also agreed to the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, doubling the size of the acknowledged territory of the US. -
Spain cedes Florida to the United States
A critical foreign policy issue facing the United States after the War of 1812 was the fate of Spain's New World Empire. In 1808, Napoleon deposed Spain's King, and Spain's New World colonies took advantage of the situation to fight for their independence. These revolutions aroused enormous sympathy in the United States. But this unrest also raised American fear that European powers might but down the revolutions and restore monarchical order in the Spanish empire. -
Civil War
The Civil War was important because of what we fought for. Our own country split into 2 sides and fought one another over the human rights of African Americans, among other issues. Today, we still fight for human rights, though we no longer go to war over it. The Civil War is important because it freed African Americans from slavery. We split into two sides--one supported keeping slaves and the other supported freeing slaves. -
First transcontinental railroad completed
Along with the development of the atomic bomb, the digging of the Panama Canal, and landing the first men on the moon, the construction of a transcontinental railroad was one of the United States' greatest technological achievements. Railroad track had to be laid over 2,000 miles of rugged terrain, including mountains of solid granite. -
Orville and Wilbur Wright make the first piloted flight on a powered airplane.
With out this event, trips around the world would be much harder. -
Ford Motor Company produces the Model T.
This is important because transportation is much easier now days, especially in the heat. -
The Great Depression begins.
The Great Depression changed the way we live today because it makes the government more careful about the way the they spend their money. -
Rosa Parks refused surrender her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus.
This event was the symbolic beginning of the modern Civil Rights Movement. At the time that she refused to give up her seat, only 31 African Americans in Montgomery were registered to vote. Her act of defiance, however, shook the foundations of segregation. -
Astronaut Neil Armstrong becomes first man to walk on the moon
This event is important because we wouldn’t have the same technologies we have today, concerning space, if he hadn’t walked on the moon.
