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1491
Native American Cultures Pre-Contact
There are 10 separate culture areas: the Arctic, the Subarctic, the Northeast, the Southeast, the Plains, the Southwest, the Great Basin, California, the Northwest Coast and the Plateau. Their environment and location determined their lifestyle. -
1492
Christopher Columbus' Voyage (Unit 1)
During his first voyage in 1492, he reached the New World instead of arriving in Japan as he had intended, landing on an island in the Bahamas archipelago that he named San Salvador. -
1501
Black Legend (Unit 1)
A term indicating an unfavorable image of Spain and Spaniards, accusing them of cruelty and intolerance, formerly prevalent in the works of many non-Spanish, and especially Protestant, historians. -
1501
Triangular Trade (Unit 1)
It carried slaves, cash crops, and manufactured goods between West Africa, Caribbean or American colonies and the European colonial powers, with the northern colonies of British North America, especially New England, sometimes taking over the role of Europe. -
1503
Encomienda (Unit 1)
A legal system in colonial Spanish America by which the Spanish crown attempted to define the status of the Indian population in its American colonies. -
1520
Spread of European Diseases (Unit 1)
When the Europeans arrived, carrying germs which thrived in dense, semi-urban populations, the indigenous people of the Americas were effectively doomed. They had never experienced smallpox, measles or flu before, and the viruses tore through the continent, killing an estimated 90% of Native Americans. -
1558
Elizabeth I (Unit 1)
Elizabeth I was the long-ruling queen of England, governing with relative stability and prosperity for 44 years. The Elizabethan era is named for her. -
Jamestown (Unit 2)
The first permanent English settlement in North America, located near present-day Williamsburg, Virginia. Established on May 14, 1607, the colony gave England its first foothold in the European competition for the New World. -
First Slaves Shipped to Virginia (Unit 2)
Slavery in America began when the first African slaves were brought to the North American colony of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619, to aid in the production of such lucrative crops as tobacco. -
Creation of the House of Burgesses (Unit 2)
House of Burgesses, representative assembly in colonial Virginia, which was the first elective governing body in a British overseas possession. -
Arrival of Pilgrims (Unit 2)
Some 100 people, many of them seeking religious freedom in the New World, set sail from England on the Mayflower in September 1620. These original settlers of Plymouth Colony are known as the Pilgrim Fathers, or simply as the Pilgrims. -
Bacon's Rebellion (Unit 2)
Bacon's Rebellion was an armed rebellion in 1676 by Virginia settlers led by Nathaniel Bacon against the rule of Governor William Berkeley. It was the first rebellion in the American colonies in which discontented frontiersmen took part. -
The Dominion of New England (Unit 2)
The Dominion of New England from 1686 to 1689 was a province created by combining the British colonies in North America which included present-day Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and starting 7 May 1688 New Jersey, and New York. -
The Glorious Revolution (Unit 2)
The Glorious Revolution of 1688-1689 replaced the reigning king, James II, with the joint monarchy of his protestant daughter Mary and her Dutch husband, William of Orange. -
The French and Indian War (Unit 3)
Also known as the Seven Years’ War, this New World conflict marked another chapter in the long imperial struggle between Britain and France. It did not become a worldwide issue until 1756, 2 years from when it started in 1754. -
The Stamp Act (Unit 3)
The Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament on March 22, 1765. The new tax was imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. -
Boston Massacre (Unit 3)
The Boston Massacre occurred on March 5, 1770. A squad of British soldiers, come to support a sentry who was being pressed by a heckling, snowballing crowd, let loose a volley of shots. -
The Boston Tea Party (Unit 3)
In Boston Harbor, a group of Massachusetts colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians board three British tea ships and dump 342 chests of tea into the harbor. -
The Declaration of Independence (Unit 3)
By issuing the Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, the 13 American colonies severed their political connections to Great Britain. The Declaration summarized the colonists’ motivations for seeking independence. -
Shays’ Rebellion (Unit 3)
Shays’ Rebellion is the name given to a series of protests in 1786 and 1787 by American farmers against state and local enforcement of tax collections and judgments for debt. It proved the Articles of Confederation were too weak. -
The Whiskey Rebellion (Unit 3)
The Whiskey Rebellion was a tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791 during the presidency of George Washington. The so-called "whiskey tax" was the first tax imposed on a domestic product by the newly formed federal government. It proved that the new Constitution was effective and would work. -
Louisiana Purchase (Unit 4)
The Louisiana Purchase (1803) was a land deal between the United States and France, in which the U.S. acquired approximately 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million. -
War of 1812 (Unit 4)
This war was caused by British attempts to restrict U.S. trade, the Royal Navy’s imprisonment of American sailors/merchants, and America’s desire to expand its territory. This war left America with newly founded nationalism after their victory. -
The Treaty of Ghent (Unit 4)
The Treaty of Ghent was signed by British and American representatives at Ghent, Belgium, ending the War of 1812. By terms of the treaty, all conquered territory was to be returned, and commissions were planned to settle the boundary of the United States and Canada. -
Missouri Compromise (Unit 4)
Missouri is admitted as a slave state and Maine as a free state; furthermore, with the exception of Missouri, this law prohibited slavery in the Louisiana Territory north of the 36° 30´ latitude line. -
Monroe Doctrine (Unit 4)
The Monroe Doctrine was articulated in President James Monroe's seventh annual message to Congress in 1823. The European powers, according to Monroe, were obligated to respect the Western Hemisphere as the United States' sphere of interest. It warned European powers not to interfere in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere. -
Nat Turner Rebellion (Unit 4)
Nathanial “Nat” Turner (1800-1831) was a black American slave who led the only effective, sustained slave rebellion (August 1831) in U.S. history. -
Nullification Crisis (Unit 4)
Nullification crisis, in U.S. history, confrontation between the state of South Carolina and the federal government in 1832–33 over the former’s attempt to declare null and void within the state the federal Tariffs of 1828 and 1832. -
Invention of the Telegraph (Unit 5)
Developed in the 1830s and 1840s by Samuel Morse (1791-1872) and other inventors, the telegraph revolutionized long-distance communication. It worked by transmitting electrical signals over a wire laid between stations. -
The Mexican-American War (Unit 5)
The Mexican-American War (1846-1848) marked the first U.S. armed conflict chiefly fought on foreign soil. It pitted a politically divided and militarily unprepared Mexico against the expansionist-minded administration of U.S. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (Unit 5)
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed on February 2, 1848, ended the Mexican-American War in favor of the United States.The treaty (primarily) added an additional 525,000 square miles to United States territory. -
Abraham Lincoln becomes the President (Unit 5)
Abraham Lincoln is elected the 16th president of the United States over a deeply divided Democratic Party, becoming the first Republican to win the presidency. -
Emancipation Proclamation (Unit 5)
After the Union victory at Antietam, Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation stating that all slaves in the rebellious states “shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” While the Emancipation Proclamation did not free slaves, it transformed the fight to preserve the nation into a battle for human freedom. -
Battle of Gettysburg (Unit 5)
This most famous and most important Civil War Battle occurred over three hot summer days, July 1 to July 3, 1863, around the small market town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It began as a skirmish but by its end involved 160,000 Americans. -
13th Amendment (Unit 5)
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. -
First Transcontinental Railroad (Unit 6)
On May 10, 1869, a golden spike was driven at Promontory, Utah, signaling the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States. -
Standard Oil Trust (Unit 6)
Standard Oil Company and Trust, American company and corporate trust that from 1870 to 1911 was the industrial empire of John D. Rockefeller and associates, controlling almost all oil production, processing, marketing, and transportation in the United States. -
Chinese Exclusion Act (Unit 6)
In the spring of 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed by Congress and signed by President Chester A. Arthur. This act provided an absolute 10-year moratorium on Chinese labor immigration. -
Creation of Time Zones (Unit 6)
At exactly noon on this day, American and Canadian railroads begin using four continental time zones to end the confusion of dealing with thousands of local times. The bold move was emblematic of the power shared by the railroad companies. -
Progressive Era (Unit 7)
The Progressive Era was a period of widespread social activism and political reform across the United States. It lasted for approximately 30 years and happened mostly due to the unfair circumstances brought about by the Gilded Age. -
Plessy v. Ferguson (Unit 6)
In the pivotal case of Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racially separate facilities, if equal, did not violate the Constitution. Segregation, the Court said, was not discrimination. -
Spanish American War (Unit 6)
The Spanish-American War was a conflict between the United States and Spain that ended Spanish colonial rule in the Americas and resulted in U.S. acquisition of territories in the western Pacific and Latin America. -
WWI (Unit 7)
The first global war; it originated in Europe and began due to the assassination Archduke Franz Ferdinand. It was a war between the Allies and the Central Powers. -
18th Amendment (Unit 7)
"After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited." -
Roaring Twenties (Unit 7)
The Roaring Twenties was a period of change. This change involved retained economic prosperity, and it lasted throughout almost the entirety of the 1920's. -
Great Depression (Unit 7)
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that took place mostly during the 1930s, originating in the United States. It started in 1929 and lasted until 1941. -
New Deal (Unit 7)
The domestic program of the administration of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt between 1933 and 1939, which took action to bring about immediate economic relief as well as reforms in industry, agriculture, finance, waterpower, labor, and housing. -
WWII (Unit 7)
World War II was the second global war. It happened due to the conditions brought about upon Germany by the Treaty of Versailles.The opposing forces were the Allies and the Axis. -
Baby Boom (Unit 8)
(Post-WWII) The baby boom was a period of time in US history marked by the sudden increased birth rate. This period spanned from the year 1946 to 1964, and it was the largest generation for quite a long time. -
Containment (Unit 8)
The Containment Policy was made by George Kennan, and it lasted from 1947-1989. This policy stated that in order to prevent the spread of communism, it must be contained. (not allowed to spread to other countries) -
McCarthyism (Unit 8)
This was a term used to describe the period of time in which allegations given out to people who were suspected to be communists. It was a major factor of the second red scare (1947-1957), and it lasted from 1950-1954. -
The Silent Spring (Unit 8)
A book, that took 4 years, written by Rachel Carson on the detrimental effects of pesticides on the environment. This book spurred government involvement and was ultimately responsible for the creation of the EPA. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (Unit 8)
A resolution that the US Congress passed in 1964. It gave the president unlimited power, for they could use as much military power as they needed in order to subdue communist forces. It happened after the Gulf of Tonkin incident. -
Great Society (Unit 8)
A domestic policy containing various programs created primarily to end segregation and poverty. It was launched by President Lyndon B. Johnson, and it lasted from 1964-1965. -
Watergate Scandal (Unit 9)
A series of interconnected political scandals lasting from 1972-1974. The main component of the scandal was the break in on the Watergate building, instigated by President Richard Nixon. -
Stagflation (Unit 9)
(After Yom Kippur War) Rising levels of both inflation and unemployment within the US. The economic growth rate is slowed due to this, and the country goes into a recession. This was mainly due to the OPEC embargo placed on the US. -
Yom Kippur (Unit 8)
(October) A war with Israel against Egypt and Syria, in which the US backed Israel. The US involvement led to an oil embargo shortly after, leading to the 1973 oil crisis. -
Reaganomics (Unit 9)
A domestic policy plan advocated by President Ronald Reagan. It promoted lowering taxes for the wealthy in order to bring about economic prosperity. It was also referred to as trickle-down economics. -
NAFTA (Unit 9)
It stands for the North American Free Trade Agreement. It allows for free trade between the US, Canada, and Mexico. It eliminates most of the tariffs on trade between these three nations. -
War on Terrorism (Unit 9)
(October) An international military campaign that was launched by the U.S. government in response to the September 11 attacks. It was declared by President George W. Bush. It is the longest war in US history and is still going on today. -
9/11 (Unit 9)
(November) Attacks made by the terrorist group al-Qaeda in four different locations. The first two planes crashed onto the North and South Tower, the third crashed into the Pentagon, and the fourth crashed onto a field after passengers overcame the hijackers. -
Affordable Care Act (Unit 9)
Also known as Obamacare, it is a US healthcare reform law that expands and improves access to care and curbs spending through regulations and taxes. The goal of the program was to provide more Americans with health insurance. It was the most significant expansion of coverage since Medicare & Medicaid.
