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The Founding of Massachusetts
The first emigrants crossed the Atlantic on the Mayflower in 1620 and founded the Plymouth Colony. These were the 1st Puritan emigrants who were later called the Pilgrims. They made an agreement called the Mayflower Compact. Another larger group of Puritans led by John Winthrop established the Massachusetts Bay Colony. -
The Puritans and the Separatists
Many people in New England disagreed with the Church of England. The two main groups were called the Puritans and the Separatists. The Puritans wanted to purify the Church of England. On the other hand, the Separatists wanted to start their own churches. -
The Salem Witch Trails
In Salem between 1692 and 1693, more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft. Out of the 200 accused, 20 were executed. It all started when Reverend Parris' daughter Elizebeth and niece Abigail Williams started having fits. Three women got blamed for making the girls crazy. After days of interrogation, all three were put in jail. This led to other people blaming people of witchcraft. Soon many more people put in jail and executed. -
John Adams is Born
John Adams was born in Braintree (present-day Quincy), Massachusetts on October 30, 1735. He graduated from Harvard College in 1755. Adams then taught school for several years and studied law with an attorney in Worcester, Massachusetts. He began his law career in 1758 and soon became one of Boston's most prominent attorneys. In 1764, he married Abigail Smith, a minister's daughter from Weymouth, Massachusetts. Adams had six children. -
Thomas Jefferson is Born
Thomas Jefferson was born April 13, 1743, in Shadwell, Virginia on his father's plantation. His father was a sucessful planter and surveyor and his mother was a member of one of Virginia's most distinguished families. His father died when Jefferson was 14, and Jefferson inherited 5,000 acres. -
Rivalry For Land
France and Britain were main rivals for land. They tried to become allies with the Indians to try to gain more territory -
French and Indian War (1754-1763)
The War was a conflict between France and England over land in North America. Fighting for the war was also in other parts of the world like India. The Treaty of Paris ended the war and the British drove the French from North America. -
Pontiac's Rebellion (1763-1766)
The Rebellion started with Native American tribes in the Great Lake Regions when they were dissatisfied with British policies after the French Indian War in the Region. Native Americans started to attack British Forts. The Native Americans failed to drive away the British, but the British failed to drive out the Native Americans. -
Townshend Acts
The British knew that the colonists would not accept direct tax. The British still needed money to pay off their debt and to support their troops. The Townshend Acts levied new import duties on everyday items like glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. -
Boston Massacre
A group of colonists assembled and through snowballs and rocks at British Troops guarding the Customs House. The soldiers fired their guns into the crowd killing five colonists. -
Taxation Without Representation
The colonists were angry about the Stamp Act that was taking affect in November. They claimed that it threatened their liberty and prosperity. The colonists questioned if Parliament had the right to tax them directly. -
Eli Whitney
An American inventor best known for his invention of the cotton gin, which he patented in 1794, to automate the removal of seeds from raw cotton. Whitney's greatest contribution was developing the idea of massproducing interhchangable parts. -
Election of 1796
The Federalist candidate, John Adams, narrowly defeated Thomas Jefferson in the 1796 presidential election. While was Jefferson winning most of the southern electoral votes and Adams carrying almost all of the northern states. Due to Constitution, Jefferson, as the second place finisher, became Adams's Vice President. -
Adams Stubborn Side
Although Adams was honest and dedicated, he was also very stubborn and pompous. Lacking tact, he made few friends and many enemies. One of his enemies was Hamilton, who had retired from public office but who tried to control the Federalist Party and the national government from behind the scenes. His meddling weakened the Adams administration. -
The election of 1800
The Democratic Republicans took power and they spoke of the election as a "revolution." Jefferson insisted that it was a real revolution in the principles of our government. The Jefferson administration set out to do things quite differently from their predecessors, who had copied the style of the British monarchy. -
The Louisiana Purchase
Jefferson wanted the United States to expand to the Pacific, despite the fact that much of the continent was already inhabited by American Indians or claimed by other nations. Jefferson reasoned that he could avoid war by offering to buy New Orleans from France. Napoleon decided to sell all of the territory, which Jefferson obtained the land for $15 million. It was embarrassing to Jefferson because it contradicted his constitutional principles. -
American System
Henry Clay's federal program designed to stimulate the economy with internal improvements and to create a self-sufficient nation. Clay and his supporters also wanted the government to build new roads and canals to link the Atlantic states with the Midwest. He insisted that the tarrif and "internal improvemnts" would work together to tie the different regions into a harmonious and prosperous whole. -
Nationalism Sweepts the Country
After Monroe won reelection as President by receiving almost of the electoral votes, a spirit of nationalism swept the country. Nationalism is an indentification with one's own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations. -
The Monroe Doctrine
A foreign policy doctrine set fourth by President Monroe in 1823 that discouraged European intervention in the Western Hemisphere. This policy responded to threats by European powers, including France, to help Spain revover Latin American colonies that had declared their independence. -
Erie Canal
Completed in 1825, the canal ran 363 miles across New York State from Lake erie to the Hudson River. The canal lowered the cost for ships to go from Lake Erie to the Hudson River to just $4. It was more than a $100 before the canal.
