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Jan 1, 1100
Crusades
The Cruades were a series of holy wars. This was between the Chrisitians and Muslims over the holy land, Jerusalem. The Europeans did not have the greatest army, but they did discover new things. Asians introduced the to many new items, such as food, spices, and instruments. The European's wanted more, but it was to far, it cost a lot of money, and it took to much time. This is important because people started to go out and do things, -
Jan 1, 1340
Black Death
The Black Death was a disease carried by the fleas on rats. The plague of the 1300's killed 1/3 of the European population. Over 25 million people were killed in 5 years. People believed it was a punishment from god. The adorable little nursery rhyme Ring Around the Rosey is from this event :). This is important because after the Black Death, the Europeans made recovery and kept on living. -
Aug 3, 1492
Columbus' Voyage
Columbus hoped to sail West to get to the East side which he thought would bring him to India. When he landed he called the people there Indians as he thought he had made it to India. Although he landed in Cuba. This is important because Columbus discovered another route to get to somewhere. He also drew a map of his voyage which helped other people know where he went and how he got there. -
Jul 8, 1497
Vasco Da Gama Voyage
Vasco da Gama was the first to complete the task of sailing around Africa to India. This is important to our history because people and explorers started to venture out and complete their life goals. -
Apr 2, 1513
Ponce De Leon Explores Florida
Ponce De Leon was a Spanish Explorer. He was the one that founded Florida. He named this newly founded land Florida because of it's flowers and vegatation. This is important because he was the first explorer to find the continent of North America. -
Oct 31, 1517
Posting of the 95 Theses
Martin Luther, a peaceful monk, wondered and began to question the teachings of the church. So on October 31, 1517, he nailed the 95 theses (complaints) to the door of the Wittenberg Church. This began the the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. This is important because other pepole started to question the teachings and eventually will go against the church. -
May 23, 1532
King Henry VIII's Divorce
King Henry's divorce happened because his wife, Catherine, was not giving him a son. The Roman Cathloic Church did not allow anyone to get divorced. This is what caused the king of England and all of his people, to break away from the Roman Catholic Church, giving the king more power. This was important because later on people of the King's Church and the Roman Catholic Church will disagree on many things and the outcomes could be deadly. -
May 23, 1532
King Henry VIII Est. Anglican Church
The Church set up by the king of Great Britian was nearly identical to the Roman Catholic Church, except you could get divorced. It also gave the king more power over the people. This is important because some will follow in the king's footsteps, while others will stick to the original ways. -
Jan 1, 1565
St. Augustine Est.
St. Augustine was the first permenant European colony. It was set uo by Spain in September of 1565. This is important because it was the first European colony in the "new world". -
Roanoke Colonization Attempt.
Roanoke was a British colony set up in New England. The people in Roanoke was left behind as their leader returned to England to gather more supplies. When he came back to Roanoke the settlement was gone, not even ruins remained. This is impotant because Roanoke was the first British colony in the "new world". -
Jamestown Est.
Jamestown was the first lasting colony in the "new world". The settlement started with about 400 colonists but after the first year they were down to 97 pepole. This is important because if it had failed, other colonies may not have been created. -
Pennsylvania Est.
Pennsylvania was the most diverse colony. This colony consisted of Irish, Dutch, German, and British settlers. This is important because it is much like todays America, showing people of different life styles can live together. -
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War began in 1754 and ended in 1763. This war was fought over the Ohio River Valley. This war was between France and England. This is important because this is the war that caused England to become broke and tax colonists to refill treasury. -
Treaty of Paris
This is the treaty between France and England. This gave England all the land East of the Mississippi, and Spain all the land to the West. This is important because it starts to divide the land. -
Creation of Sons and Liberty
The Sons of Liberty were a group who strongly disagreed with the taxes and treatment the British have given them. At first their protests were peaceful, but then became violent after some time. The group's leader was Sam Adams. This is important because they were some of the first people to attack the British Parliment. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was a tax placed on all printed items. This act was passed by the British government. This act made colonists have printed goods stamped after paying the tax. This is important because it was the first direct tax on colonists. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre, drawn by Paul Revere, was an attack on colonists that was actually a both way fight. Colonists attacked soilders with rocks. One of the soilders was hit and fired at the colonists. This is important because it called for Independence. -
1st Continental Congress
The first Continetal Congress was made so that the United States had representaion in the taxes being placed by the British Government. This is important because this is one of the first democratic form of govenment in the colonies. -
Declaration of Independance
The Declaration of Independance was written by Thomas Jefferson and was approved by congress on July 4th. This showed England would no longer be in control of the United States. This is importanat because it starts the American Revolution. -
Winter at Valley Forge
Valley Forge is where General George Washington's army stayed at for the winter. Overlooking Philidelphia, while at Valley Forge many died because of Small Pox, however the others were trained by a Prussian named Baron von Stueben. This is important because our army became more organized and learned to work together. -
William Pitt
William Pitt became England's Prime Minister during the French and Indian War. He poured a lot of money into the war effort. This caused England to win, but also put them in debt. This is important because he was the cause of the debt needed to be paid through taxes. -
Treaty of Paris
The treaty of Parisin 1783, ended the American Revolution. This treaty was made after America beat England in the battle of Yorktown. This is important because America just won and defeated Great Britain. England at that time was the most powerful country in Europe. -
Louisiana Purchase
This piece of land was bought by America from Fance. The president was convinced by Franklin to make this country large and strong. This piece of land went from the Rocky Mountains to Montana, down to New Orleans. This is important because the United States doubled in size. -
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Thomas Jefferson chose William Clark and Meriwether Lewis to go down to the Missouri River and see if it connected to the ocean. Along the way they also had to collect information on Indians, plants, animals, and create detailed maps of the area. This is important because it showed people what was out there. -
Indian Removal Act of 1830
In 1830, an act was passed to move all Indians east of the Mississippi River over to the west side. The act was written by Andrew Jackson, who gave permission to soilders to force the Indians off the land. This was done so more settlers could move into the area. This is important because it opened up more room for the settlers. -
Mexican-American War
The Mexican-American War was over Texas, this happened after the Texas War of Independance. Americans were still considered intruders on Mexican land and Santa Anna. This war is important because after this war we gained Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California. This opened new land for settlers. -
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses used to free slaves to the North. Many people helped others escape even though it was dangerous and against the law. some would sneak out at night while their owners were asleep. This is important because many were saved and could live their life the way they wanted to. -
Fugitive Slave Law
This law is also known as the "Compromise of 1850". This is a law that required the return of slaves. The law stripped runaway slaves of basic legal rights. People would pay others to find their runaway slave(s). This is important because later on this will cause a war between the North and the South. -
John Brown's Raid
John Brown was a commited abolitionist who had a plan of seizing the arsenal and giving the weapons to the slaves. The only problem was, no one told the slaves about the plan. This is important because of someone told the slaves, this plan could've worked and changed history. -
Battle of Gettysburg
In Pennsylvania, Gen. Robert E. Lee ledn an offensive attack on the North. On the second day of fighting, Gen. Josh Chamberlain secured the high ground, also known as the Ridge. On the third day, Gen. Pickett attacked the Ridge, but didn't take it over. They were forced to retreat. This is important because it gave the North another victory. -
Assassination of Lincoln
Lincoln's assassination happened at Ford's Theatre. Lincoln's killer, John Booth, was born in Maryland and remained in the North for the Civil War. During the play, There are many ideas on how John Booth killed the president. Some say he opened the door and shot him in the head, others say he burrowd a hole in the door and shot him in the head. This is important because when the president was killed, everyone was a little sad and sometimes we wonder what would've changed in history if he lived. -
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush brought many people to San Francisco. These people were named "the 49ers" after the year they left. San Francisco became a huge port city over night. This happened because John Sutter and one of his workers found gold. This is important because it brought thousands of people to the west side of the United States.
