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Jamestown
Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in America, is established by the London Company in southeast Virginia. -
The House of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses, the first representative assembly in America, meets for the first time in Virginia. The first African slaves are brought to Jamestown. -
Mayflower Compact
The Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts is established by Pilgrims from England.
Before disembarking from their ship, the Mayflower, 41 male passengers sign the Mayflower Compact, an agreement that forms the basis of the colony's government. -
Colonial population
Colonial population is estimated at 50,400. -
English seize New Amsterdam
English seize New Amsterdam (city and colony) from the Dutch and rename it New York. -
Britain and the British colonies
Britain and the British colonies switch from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar -
French and Indian War
French and Indian War: Final conflict in the ongoing struggle between the British and French for control of eastern North America. The British win a decisive victory over the French on the Plains of Abraham outside Quebec. -
Treaty of Paris
With the Treaty of Paris, the British formally gain control of Canada and all the French possessions east of the Mississippi. -
Boston Massacre
Boston Massacre: British troops fire into a mob, killing five men and leading to intense public protests. -
Boston Tea Party
Boston Tea Party: Group of colonial patriots disguised as Mohawk Indians board three ships in Boston harbor and dump more than 300 crates of tea overboard as a protest against the British tea tax. -
Continental Congress
First Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia, with 56 delegates representing every colony except Georgia. Delegates include Patrick Henry, George Washington, and Samuel Adams. -
American Revolution
American Revolution: War of independence fought between Great Britain and the 13 British colonies on the eastern seaboard of North America. Battles of Lexington and Concord, Mass., between the British Army and colonial minutemen, mark the beginning of the war. -
Battle-weary
Battle-weary and destitute Continental army spends brutally cold winter and following spring at Valley Forge, Pa. -
Charles Cornwallis surrenders to Gen
British general Charles Cornwallis surrenders to Gen. George Washington at Yorktown, va -
Great Britain
Great Britain formally acknowledges American independence in the Treaty of Paris, which officially brings the war to a close. -
Shays's Rebellion erupts
Shays's Rebellion erupts; farmers from New Hampshire to South Carolina take up arms to protest high state taxes and stiff penalties for failure to pay. -
Constitutional Convention
Constitutional Convention, made up of delegates from 12 of the original 13 colonies, meets in Philadelphia to draft the U.S. Constitution. -
George Washington elected president
George Washington is unanimously elected president of the United States in a vote by state electors. -
U.S. ratified by nine states.
U.S. Constitution goes into effect, having been ratified by nine states. -
The court
The court, made up of one chief justice and five associate justices, hears its first case in 1792. -
Merchants Exchange Building in New York City
U.S. Supreme Court meets for the first time at the Merchants Exchange Building in New York City. -
Bill of Rights, are ratified
First ten amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, are ratified. -
Inauguration of Washington's
Washington's second inauguration is held in Philadelphia. -
John Adams
John Adams is inaugurated as the second president in Philadelphia. -
Period: to
A New Nation 1800 to 1849
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Philadelphia to Washington
The U.S. capital is moved from Philadelphia to Washington, DC. -
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson is inaugurated as the third president in Washington, DC. -
Marbury v. Madison
Marbury v. Madison: Landmark Supreme Court decision greatly expands the power of the Court by establishing its right to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional. -
Lewis and Clark
Lewis and Clark set out from St. Louis, Mo., on expedition to explore the West and find a route to the Pacific Ocean. -
Jefferson's
Jefferson's second inauguration. -
James Madison
James Madison is inaugurated as the fourth president. -
War of 1812
War of 1812: U.S. declares war on Britain over British interference with American maritime shipping and westward expansion. -
Madison's
Madison's second inauguration. -
White House and Capitol.
British capture Washington, DC, and set fire to White House and Capitol. -
James Monroe
James Monroe is inaugurated as the fifth president. -
Florida to the United States
Spain agrees to cede Florida to the United States. -
Missouri Compromise
Missouri Compromise: In an effort to maintain the balance between free and slave states, Maine (formerly part of Massachusetts) is admitted as a free state so that Missouri can be admitted as a slave state; except for Missouri, slavery is prohibited in the Louisiana Purchase lands north of latitude 36°30'. -
Denmark Vesey
Denmark Vesey, an enslaved African American carpenter who had purchased his freedom, plans a slave revolt with the intent to lay siege on Charleston, South Carolina. The plot is discovered, and Vesey and 34 coconspirators are hanged. -
Monroe Doctrine
Monroe Doctrine: In his annual address to Congress, President Monroe declares that the American continents are henceforth off-limits for further colonization by European powers. -
Gibbons v. Ogden
Gibbons v. Ogden: Landmark Supreme Court decision broadly defines Congress's right to regulate interstate commerce. -
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams is inaugurated as the sixth president. -
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Construction is begun on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the first public railroad in the U.S. -
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson is inaugurated as seventh president. -
President Jackson
President Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act, which authorizes the forced removal of Native Americans living in the eastern part of the country to lands west of the Mississippi River. -
Nat Turner
Nat Turner, an enslaved African American preacher, leads the most significant slave uprising in American history. He and his band of about 80 followers launch a bloody, day-long rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia. The militia quells the rebellion, and Turner is eventually hanged. As a consequence, Virginia institutes much stricter slave laws. -
Jackson's
Jackson's second inauguration. -
Texas
Texas declares its independence from Mexico. -
Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren is inaugurated as the eighth president. -
Trail of Tears
More than 15,000 Cherokee Indians are forced to march from Georgia to Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma. Approximately 4,000 die from starvation and disease along the “Trail of Tears.” -
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison is inaugurated as the ninth president. -
U.S. annexes Texas
U.S. annexes Texas by joint resolution of Congress -
Mexican War
Mexican War: U.S. declares war on Mexico in effort to gain California and other territory in Southwest. -
Oregon Treaty
Oregon Treaty fixes U.S.-Canadian border at 49th parallel; U.S. acquires Oregon territory -
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor is inaugurated as the 12th president. -
Period: to
Civil War and Reconstruction
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President Taylor
President Taylor dies and is succeeded by his vice president, Millard Fillmore. -
Harriet Beecher
Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin is published. It becomes one of the most influential works to stir anti-slavery sentiments. -
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce is inaugurated as the 14th president. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Congress passes the Kansas-Nebraska Act, establishing the territories of Kansas and Nebraska -
James Buchanan
James Buchanan is inaugurated as the 15th president. -
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln comes to national attention in a series of seven debates with Sen. Stephen A. Douglas during Illinois state election campaign. -
Harpers Ferry
Abolitionist John Brown and 21 followers capture federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Va. (now W. Va.), in an attempt to spark a slave revolt. -
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln is elected president. -
Secede
Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana secede. -
Homestead Act
Homestead Act becomes law, allowing settlers to claim land (160 acres) after they have lived on it for five years. -
Civil War
Civil War: Conflict between the North (the Union) and the South (the Confederacy) over the expansion of slavery into western states. -
$7.2 million.
U.S. acquires Alaska from Russia for the sum of $7.2 million. -
President Johnson
President Johnson is impeached by the House of Representatives. -
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant is inaugurated as the 18th president. -
Fifteenth Amendment
Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, giving blacks the right to vote. -
Chicago
Chicago fire kills 300 and leaves 90,000 people homeless. -
Crédit Mobilier scandal
Crédit Mobilier scandal breaks, involving several members of Congress. -
Grant's
Grant's second inauguration. -
Lt. Col. George
Lt. Col. George A. Custer's regiment is wiped out by Sioux Indians under Sitting Bull at the Little Big Horn River, Mont. -
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes is inaugurated as the 19th president. -
James A. Garfield
James A. Garfield is inaugurated as the 20th president. -
U.S.
U.S. adopts standard time. -
Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland is inaugurated as the 22nd president. -
Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty is dedicated -
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison is inaugurated as the 23rd president. -
NOW
National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) is founded, with Elizabeth Cady Stanton as president. -
Ellis Island
Ellis Island becomes chief immigration station of the U.S. -
Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland is inaugurated a second time, as the 24th president. He is the only president to serve two nonconsecutive terms. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson: Landmark Supreme Court decision holds that racial segregation is constitutional, paving the way for the repressive Jim Crow laws in the South. -
William McKinley
William McKinley is inaugurated as the 25th president. -
U.S. annexes Hawaii
U.S. annexes Hawaii by an act of Congress. -
Great Britain and Germany.
U.S. acquires American Samoa by treaty with Great Britain and Germany. -
Period: to
Progressive Era and World Wars
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Galveston hurricane
Galveston hurricane leaves an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 dead. According to the census, the nation's population numbers nearly 76 million. -
McKinley's
McKinley's second inauguration. -
Panama Canal Zone
U.S. acquires Panama Canal Zone. -
Theodore Roosevelt's
Theodore Roosevelt's second inauguration. -
San Francisco earthquake
San Francisco earthquake leaves 500 dead or missing and destroys about 4 sq mi of the city. -
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft is inaugurated as the 27th president. -
Korean War
Korean War: Cold war conflict between Communist and non-Communist forces on Korean Peninsula. -
Period: to
Mid-Century and Cold War
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Twenty-Second Amendment
Twenty-Second Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, limiting the president to two terms. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kans.: Landmark Supreme Court decision -
Explorer
Explorer I, first American satellite, is launched. -
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy is inaugurated as the 35th president. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis: President Kennedy denounces Soviet Union for secretly installing missile bases on Cuba and initiates a naval blockade of the island. -
North Vietnam
U.S. planes begin bombing raids of North Vietnam. -
Vietnam War
Vietnam War: Prolonged conflict between Communist forces of North Vietnam, backed by China and the USSR, and non-Communist forces of South Vietnam, backed by the United States. President Truman authorizes $15 million in economic and military aid to the French, who are fighting to retain control of French Indochina, including Vietnam. As part of the aid package, Truman also sends 35 military advisers. -
Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War: USS Maine is blown up in Havana harbor. -
Period: to
The New Millennium
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According to the census
According to the census, the nation's population numbers more than 280 million. -
George W. Bush
George W. Bush is inaugurated as the 43rd president. -
State of the Union address
In his first State of the Union address, President Bush labels Iran, Iraq, and North Korea an “axis of evil” and declares that U.S. will wage war against states that develop weapons of mass destruction. -
Space shuttle
Space shuttle Columbia explodes upon reentry into Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts on board. -
The U.S.
The U.S. returns sovereignty to an interim government in Iraq, but maintains roughly 135,000 troops in the country to fight a growing insurgency. -
The U.S.
The U.S. engagement in Iraq continues amid that country's escalating violence and fragile political stability. -
The U.S.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the population of the United States has reached 300 million. -
Democrat Nancy Pelosi
California Democrat Nancy Pelosi becomes the first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives. -
Barack Obama and John McCain
After months of campaigning and primary races, Barack Obama and John McCain are finally chosen as the presidential nominees for the Democratic and Republican parties, respectively.
