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Period: 30,000 BCE to
Beginnings to Exploration
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20,000 BCE
Bering Land Bridge: First Wave
The Bering Land Bridge was when People migrated during the Ice Age. During the Ice Age, Beringia formed between Asia and North America. Beringia was a land that was above sea level during the Ice Age. This piece of land was arguably the one of the most important pieces in Human History. It allowed Humans to travel all around the world and evolve as a civilization as a whole. -
1400 BCE
Mesoamerican Ballgame
The Mesoamerican ballgame was a sport with ritual associations played since 1400 BC by the pre-Columbian people of Ancient Mesoamerica. The sport had different versions in contrasting places during the millennia, and a newer more modern version of the game, ulama, is still played in a few places by the indigenous population. -
476
Fall of the Roman Empire
The Roman empire covered 44 modern-day countries and was too large to be controlled by one city. Emperor Diocletian tried to fix this by dividing the empire into two parts, but it only weakened both areas.They had economic trouble because of military overspending. When Rome was extremely weak Germanic tribes invaded Rome, burned and looted the city. -
Mar 4, 1394
Henry the Navigator
Henry the Navigator was a Portuguese prince; and was the First European royal to heavily promote discovery and exploration. Motivated by mercenary as well as missionary factors. Seeking to promote Portugese economic interests and to further Christian influence. Hope to find the kingdom of Prince Henry promoted settlement of islands in the Atlantic and exploration of the African coast. Founded the school for navigators at Sagres at the southwestern tip of Portugal. -
1500
Hernan de Soto
He helped conquer many lands in parts of Central and South America, including those of the Inca Empire. But he was also an explorer. De Soto explored and mapped parts of nine states in the southeastern part of the United States. His explorations took him from present day Florida up to North Carolina, and west of the Mississippi River. History recognizes his great achievement of being first recorded European to discover and cross the Mississippi River. -
1519
Introduction of Horses
Domesticated horses were the ancestral stock of the group of breeds or strains known today as the Colonial Spanish Horse. They predominated through the southeast and western United States from 16th century until about 1850, when crossbreeding with larger horse breeds changed the phenotype and diluted the Spanish bloodlines. Later, some horses became strayed, lost or stolen, and proliferated into large herds of feral horses that became known as mustangs. -
1580
John Smith
was an English soldier, sailor, and author. He is remembered for his role in establishing the first permanent English settlement in North America at Jamestown, Virginia, and his brief association with the Native American girl Pocahontas during an altercation with the Powhatan Confederacy and her father, Chief Powhatan. He was a leader of the Virginia Colony between 1607 and 1609, and led an exploration along the rivers of Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay. -
Roanoke
Roanoke, also known as the "Lost Colony"; was the first attempt in making an a permanent colony in The Americas. Due to a lack of supplies and bad interactions with the locals didn't give them a good start to life in the Americas. John White, the governor of Roanoke goes back to England to get more supplies. But, when he returns the colony looks deserted. Eventually he finds a Tree that has "Croatoan" carved into the tree; which could be attributed to the disappearance of the colonists. -
Period: to
English Colonial Societies
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New England
The English Pilgrims were Puritans fleeing religious persecution in England who established Plymouth Colony in 1620, the first colony in New England and second in America. A large influx of Puritans populated the greater region during the Puritan migration to New England; which lasted from 1620 to 1640, and largely in the Boston and Salem area. Farming, fishing, and lumbering prospered, as did whaling and sea trading. -
New Amsterdam
Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant gives up New Amsterdam to an English naval squadron under Colonel Richard Nicolls. New Amsterdam’s name was changed to New York, in honor of the Duke of York, who formed the mission. The colony of New Netherland was established by the Dutch West India Company in 1624 and grew to surround all of present-day New York City and parts of Long Island, Connecticut, and New Jersey. -
Puritans
In the early 17th century, thousands of English Puritans settled in North America, mainly in New England. Puritans were most likely members of the Church of England who believed that the Church of England wasn't reformed, having too much of its Roman Catholic doctrinal roots, and who therefore opposed royal religious policy under Queen Elizabeth I of England, King James I of England, and King Charles I of England. -
Division of Carolina's
Charles II issued a new charter to a group of eight English noblemen, granting them the land of Carolina, as a reward for their faithful support of his efforts to regain the throne of England. The eight were called Lords Proprietor or simply Proprietors. The 1663 charter granted the Lords Proprietor title to all of the land from the southern border of the Virginia Colony at 36 degrees north to 31 degrees north. -
English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights is an Act of the Parliament of England that sets out certain basic civil rights and resolve who would be next to inherit the Crown. It acknowledged the Royal Assent on 16 December 1689 and is a restatement in legal form of the Declaration of Right presented by the Convention Parliament to William III and Mary II in February 1689. -
Unification of Scotland and England
The Unification of Scotland and England was a capstone of constant political upheaval within Scotland. Nobility associated their own power with the continuity of the Scottish monarchy. A choice whether Scotland would be subject to an English ministry with or without free trade. Military threat of England was overwhelming but England's financial power and especially their control over the government appointments was also a powerful weapon. -
Period: to
Colonial America
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Sir Isaac Newton
Issac Newton an English mathematician, astronomer, theologian, author and physicist who is widely considered as one of the most influential scientists of all time, and a key figure in the scientific revolution. Newton also made seminal contributions to optics, and shares credit with Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz for developing the infinitesimal calculus. -
Slave Rebellions
A slave rebellion is an armed revolt by slaves. Slave rebellions have happened in nearly all societies that had slavery or have practiced slavery in the past, and are among st the most feared events for slaveholders. These were deadly rebellions that caused many deaths from whites and blacks. These were just rumblings in the issue of slavery that would eventually boil over by the start of the Civil War. -
Ohio Company on Virginia
The Ohio Company on Virginia was a land speculation company formulated for the settlement by Virginians of the Ohio Country and to alliance with the Native Americans. The company had a land grant from Britain and a treaty with Indians, but France also claimed the area, and the conflict helped provoke the outbreak of the French and Indian War. -
French-Indian War- George Washington's Role
The French and Indian War put the colonies of Great Britain against those of France, each side supported by military units from England, France; and also by American Indian allies. George Washington role in the French-Indian War was a major in a British Militia.He was also sent as a Ambassador from Britain to France. -
Period: to
The Revolutionary War
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Treaty of Paris-1763
The Treaty of Paris was signed by Great Britain, France, and Spain. It terminated the Seven Years War. France lost its possessions on the North American continent by giving up Canada and all its territories east of the Mississippi to Great Britain, and by grant Louisiana to its ally, Spain, in payment for Florida, which Spain gave to Great Britain. -
Revenue Act/Sugar Act
The Revenue Act/Sugar Act was a revenue-raising act passed by the Parliament of Great Britain on 5 April 1764.By reducing the rate by half and increasing measures to enforce the tax, the British hoped that the tax would actually be collected. These incidents increased the colonists' concerns about the intent of the British Parliament and helped the growing movement that became the American Revolution. -
Boston Tea Party: "Drunk Indians"
The Boston Tea Party was a political and mercantile protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts. This incident was caused by the Tea Act. The disguise was mostly symbolic in nature. The act of wearing “Indian dress” was to express to the world that the American colonists identified themselves as “Americans” and no longer considered themselves British. -
Coercive Acts
The Coercive Acts or also called "The Intolerable Acts" were punishing laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 after the Boston Tea Party. The laws were meant to discipline the Massachusetts colonists for their rebellion in the Tea Party protest in reaction to changes in taxation by the British to the detriment of colonial goods. -
Salutary Neglect
Salutary Neglect was Britain's unofficial policy, initiated by prime minister Robert Walpole , to loosen up the enforcement of strict regulations, particularly trade laws, establish on the American colonies late in the seventeenth and early in the eighteenth centuries. -
Battle of Lexington & Concord: "Shot Heard Around the World"
In Lexington 70 Minutemen were lead by captain John Parker who positioned his men for an attack on the red coats. When out of know where a shot was fired and the shot was known as "the shot heard around the world". Nobody knew what side it came from, but it let loose both sides. That day 18 Minutemen lost their lives. After Lexington the British troops continued their march to ward Concord Massachusetts. -
Deceleration of Independence: July 4th
An act of the Second Continental Congress, adopted on July 4, 1776, which declared that the Thirteen Colonies in North America were Free and Independent States and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain. This was the United States declaring themselves independent from Great Britain. -
Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga was a the turning point in the American Revolution. This was a key battle that showed the world that the United States can put up a fight. It also convinced France to join the Colonies in the war against the British. They mainly joined for retribution against the British for losing the French-Indian War. -
Articles of Confederation: Inability of Congress
This document, the nations first constitution, was adopted by the second continental congress in 1781 during the revolution. the document was limited because states held most of the power, and congress lacked the power to tax, regulate trade, or control coinage. It mainly struggled with balance the power of the federal government; and the the power of the state. -
Siege of Yorktown
American troops under George Washington and Comte de Rochambeau trapped British troops under Charles Cornwallis and his troops in the Chesapeake Bay, with the help of Admiral de Grasse and the French fleet. Cornwallis was forced to surrender. It basically meant the United States of America surrounded the British from all directions which would eventually would lead to the surrender of the British Army. -
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The Constitution
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Federalists
Americans who initially believed in the constitutions system of government and who thought the Articles Of Confederation did not support the country effectively. 3 of the most influential figures that were part of the Federalist group were; James Madison, John Jay and Alexander Hamilton. They also wanted a strong central government, thought constitution limited governments power. And agreed with the idea of 3 branches of government balancing each other out -
Connecticut Plan
agreement that large and small states reached during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that in part defined the legislative structure and representation that each state would have under the United States Constitution. It maintained the bicameral legislature as proposed by Roger Sherman, along with proportional representation of the states in the lower house, but enforced the upper house to be weighted equally among the states. -
Anti-Federalists
Opposed to a strong central government; saw undemocratic tendencies in the Constitution and insisted on the inclusion of the Bill of Rights. Included Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and Patrick Henry. Anti federalists fear of strong national government local and closely linked with the will of the people, taking rights away, replacing people in key positions often. -
Virginia Plan
Proposed a strong national government. Act only on the states not the people directly. Gives Legislative branch to make laws, individual states were not able to make laws stopping trade between two states. Drafted by James Madison, and presented by Edmund Randolph. This plan also proposed the 3 Branches of Government; Executive, Legislative, Judiciary. -
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New Republic
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3 Branches of Government: Three-Tier system
Our federal government has three parts. They are the Executive, Legislative and Judicial. The President of the United States administers the Executive Branch of our government. The Legislative part of our government is called Congress. The Judicial part of our federal government includes the Supreme Court and 9 Justices. -
Republicanism
A philosophy of limited government with elected representatives serving at the will of the people. The government is based on consent of the governed. This philosophy was a influence in the United States of America and influence a lot of political figures during this time in history. The philosophy is based on the idea that the people have the power. -
Presidency of George Washington: First Cabinet
A cabinet is not mandated by either the Constitution or established law. George Washington still had a cabinet which included just four original members Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Henry Knox, and Edmund Randolph. Washington set the precedents for how these roles would interact with the presidency, establishing the cabinet as the chief executive's private, trusted advisers. -
Pickney's Treaty
This treaty showed that Spain recognized U.S. borders at the Mississippi and the 31st parallel. Spain granted Americans the right to deposit goods for shipment at New Orleans. The second provision was a critical concern of American farmers in the West. Efforts to shipping their goods to market in the East by overland routes were time-consuming and expensive. The right of deposit allows one nation to temporarily store goods on another nation's soil without paying any fees or duties. -
Jay's Treaty
Jay's Treaty was a treaty between the United States of America and Great Britain. It also sought to settle outstanding issues between the two countries that had been left unresolved since American independence. The treaty proved unpopular with the American public but did accomplish the goal of maintaining peace between the two nations and preserving U.S. neutrality. -
Washington's Farewell Address
President George Washington decided not to run for a third term and began writing his farewell address to the American people. The address went through numerous drafts, in large part due to suggestions made by Alexander Hamilton. In the 32nd page, Washington urged Americans to avoid extra political party spirit and geographical characteristics. In foreign affairs, he warned against long-term alliances with other nations. -
XYZ Affair
The XYZ Affair was a diplomatic incident between French and United States diplomats that resulted in a limited, undeclared war known as the Quasi-War. U.S. and French negotiators restored peace with the Convention of 1800, also known as the Treaty of Mortefontaine. The negotiators chose to annul the 1778 Treaty of Alliance, and instead negotiated a new agreement based on the 1776 Model Treaty.This resulted in the Convention of 1800. -
Period: to
The Age of Jefferson
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Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase 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. As the United States had expanded westward, navigation of the Mississippi River and access to the port of New Orleans had become critical to American commerce, so this transfer of authority was cause for concern. -
Marbury vs Madison
a U.S. Supreme Court case that established the principle of "Judicial Review" in the United States, meaning that American courts have the power to strike down laws, statutes, and some government actions that breach the U.S. Constitution. Decided in 1803, Marbury remains the single most important decision in American constitutional law. -
Alexander Hamilton
New York delegate to the Constitutional Convention which occurred in 1787, he also was a major author of the Federalist papers, and first secretary of the treasury of the United States which was from 1789–95, who was the foremost champion of a strong central government for the new United States. He was killed in a duel with Aaron Burr. -
Embargo Act of 1807
The neutrality of the United States was tested during the Napoleonic Wars. Both Britain and France enforce trade restrictions in order to reduce each others economies. This also had the effect of disturbing American trade and testing the United States of America's neutrality. As time went on, provocation by the British of American ships increased. This included incarceration and seizures of American men and goods. -
Star Spangled Banner
"The Star Spangled Banner" is a sing that was written by Francis Scott Key during the when the British bombarded the Maryland Fort. It was also is known as the "The Defense of Fort McHenry". This poem/song eventually became out national anthem that is widely recognized as an a sign of American Patriotism. -
Period: to
The American Industrial Revolution
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Battle of New Orleans
Although Americans and British had worked out negotiations for peace in the Treaty of Ghent at the end of 1814, Americans enormous victory was in the Battle of New Orleans, fought on January 8, 1815, almost a month after the treaty was signed. The Battle of New Orleans devastated a British attempt to gain control of a critical American port, and it elevated General Andrew Jackson’s motley militia to victory and the general himself to national fame. -
2nd Bank of the United States
Due to the Bank of the United States of the America charter running out, the economy suffered. In 1816, a second bank of the United States of America was established. This control of the money supply gave a boost to American businesses. Nicholas Biddle, a wealthy upper class intellectual and financier, was appointed president of the bank. -
Rush-Bagot Treaty
The Rush-Bagot Treaty of 1817 was a milestone in American diplomacy during the 19th century. Remember, the United States was in its developmental stages during the period of 1810-1820. The United States of America wanted to decrease the number of vessels in the Great Lakes; while the nation was still ironing out its diplomatic aims, and this treaty represented a major benchmark. -
Adams-Onis Treaty
The Adams-Onis Treaty between the United States and Spain concluded all controversies regarding Spain's claims to Florida. Signed in Washington DC on February 22, 1819, by John Quincy Adams, the American secretary of state, and Luis de Onis, the Spanish minister. All Spanish claims to East Florida was deserted and the territory ceded to the United States, -
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Cultural Changes
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Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise of 1820 was an effort by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to preserve a balance of power between the slave holding states and free states. The slave holding states feared that if they became outnumbered in Congressional representation that they would lack the power to assure their interests in property and trade. -
Yeoman's Farmers
A yeomen farmer who owned his own humble farm and worked it primarily with family labor remains the archetype of the ideal American; honest, virtuous, hardworking, and independent. These same values made yeomen farmers essential to the republican vision of the new nation. -
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Age of Jackson
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Canals
A canal is a man made waterway meant to connect rivers that were previously were not connected naturally. The most influential canal in American History and during this time was the Erie Canal. This man made waterway connected New York and the Great Lakes Region together. This made transporting goods from the Great Lakes to New York a lot more easier. -
Lowell Mills
Lowell had visited England's textile mills. He was fascinated with British technology, particularly an automated weaving machine called the power loom, that was not available in the United States. Back in Massachusetts , Lowell was able to create his own version of a working power loom with the help of a highly skilled mechanic. He then began to study other developments of textile production to determine how to carry out large-scale production at low cost. -
Tenements
During the 19th century, more and more people began crowding into America’s cities, including thousands of newly arrived immigrants seeking a better life than the one they had left behind. In New York City where the population increase every decade from 1800 to 1880. Buildings that had once been single-family residences were increasingly divided into multiple living spaces to contain this growing population. Known as tenements. -
Charles Grandison Finney
Born in Warren, Connecticut in 1792; Charles Grandison Finney was a minister and leader of the Second Great Awakening. He spent many years spreading the teachings of the awakened Christianity and believed salvation was meant for all. He became a professor at Oberlin College in Ohio in 1851, and stayed until 1866 when he retired. He was also considered by many as the father of modern revivalism. -
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was a war hero of 1812. Jack used the spoil system; which gave the government jobs to his financial supporters. He also had a kitchen Cabinet; which is an informal group[ of advisers that met in the White House Kitchen. Later his closing of the 2nd National Bank an buying on credit, led to an economic depression that the next president after hi, was blamed for. -
Death of Jackson’s wife
Rachel Jackson was the wife of former president Andrew Jackson. She died from a Heart attack on December 22, 1828 in Nashville, Tennessee. She died before Andrew Jackson's inauguration. Andrew Jackson blamed it on the campaign attacks on her reputation. This broke Andrew Jackson's heart so much that when before he died he requested to be buried next to her. -
Eastern State Penitentiary
Eastern State Penitentiary was a America's first penitentiary and former prison that was opened in 1829. it is America's most historic prison. It opened up during the Industrial Revolution. The prison allowed prisoners to reflect upon their decisions as a result of being there in hope of returning them to society. All prisoners were kept separate from each other. -
Telegraph
The electric telegraph was an important invention born out of Joseph Henry’s electromagnetic motor. The idea is to achieve a coded electric signal at one location, send it through a wire over a long distance, and decode the message at a far location. This was first efficiently adapt by sending electrical pulses that caused an electromagnet to rotate and strike a bell. Samuel Morse improved Henry’s design and made the electrical telegraph more practical and commercialized. -
Webster-Haynes Debate
The Webster-Haynes Debate started when Senator Samuel J. Foot proposed that the Federal Government restrict land sales in the West. A Senator from Missouri named Thomas Hart Benton denounced the law as a Northern effort to slow the settlement of land in the West so that the East might maintain its supply of the cheap factory labor. Senator Robert Hayne supported Benton, while Senator Daniel Webster took Foot's Side. -
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or known as the Mormon religion. It was founded by Joseph Smith in 1830 in the United States. One day Joseph had a vision and declared that he was going to start a church. They escaped to the west and made a town called Salt Lake City. They escaped due to religious persecution. -
Indian Removal Act of 1830
Congress, with President Andrew Jackson's support, passed the Indian Removal Act in 1830. Under this law, the federal government funded treaties that forced tribes west. The Cherokee Tribe in Georgia refused and were supported by the Supreme Court. Jackson refused to abide by the Court decision. The Trail of Tears followed the court ruling as U.S. troops rounded up the Cherokee and drove them west, mostly on foot and thousands of died during the relocation. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
a slave named Nat Turner led more than fifty followers in a bloody revolt in Southampton, Virginia, killing nearly 60 white people, mostly women and children. The local authorities stopped the uprising by dawn the next day. They captured or killed most of the insurgents, although Turner himself managed to avoid capture for sixty days. -
Nullification Crisis
The Nullification Crisis was caused mostly by the Tariff of 1828, also considered as the "Tariff of Abominations" which protected northern manufactures from other countries goods. South believed that this showed favoritism towards the North. Jackson did not real it when he took off; then the South began to take action, most noticeably South Carolina. -
Tariff Act of 1832
In 1832, Congress decided to reduce the tariff to please the South. However, Southerners still believed the tax was too high. Southern states threatened to secede in the name of states rights if the tariffs were not removed. Jackson was trying to appeal to the South because he sympathized with them. After all, he was a southern planter himself. The lowered tariffs did not satisfy the most extreme supporters of states rights. -
American Anti-Slavery Society (AASS)
The American Anti-Slavery Society was founded by William Lloyd Garrison in 1833. They promoted immediate abolition of slavery in the United States; sponsored meetings, adopted resolutions, petitioned, published journals, propaganda, and sent lectures to carry ant-slavery messages. By 1840, they had 2,000 societies in the USA and the membership ranging from 150,000 to 200,000 people. The society ended in 1870. -
Oregon Trail
Americans were traveling to Oregon because of fertile land economic troubles in the East. The first settlers were the Whitman family, Native Americans massacred the family because they brought measles. Pioneers traveled 2,000 miles along the Oregon Trail in wagons with all their belongings. Bur thousands of families and individuals walked and rode along this trail as they moved to western and middle parts of the country. -
New York Female Reform Society
The New York Female Reform Society was founded in 1834 by Lydia A. Finney. With their new leisure time, middle class women became the backbone of many reform movements. These first began as social gatherings among neighborhood wives, but many of these gatherings adopted specific social reforms to address. It was created to prevent prostitution in the early 19th century in New York. -
Siege of Bexar (Alamo)
A siege is where one army is inside a fort or city and the other army tries to block all supplies and people from getting in or out. the Mexicans were victorious, killing the 250 Texans that took refuge in the Alamo; with the Mexican Amy only suffered 600 casualties. This battle spurred on the Texan during the revolution and motivated them to win their independence. -
Battle of San Jacinto
The Battle of San Jacinto was the final and deciding battle in the Texas Revolution. It was the shortest battle only lasting 18 minutes; during those 18 minutes Santa Anna lost hundreds of men while the Texan Army only lost 10 minutes. The day after Santa Anna captured and they negotiated a peace treaty which took Mexican forces out of Mexico and granted Texas independence from Mexico. -
Iron Plow
John Deere created the steel plow. He thought this would be better adept to handle the soil. In early 1838, Deere made his first steel plow and sold it to a local farmer. John Deere created the first steel plow in 1837. He drafted the first cast steel plow that greatly assisted farmers. John Deere revolutionized American agriculture by evolving and sailing the world's first cast steel plow. -
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was a prominent American abolitionist, author and speaker. He was a born a slave; but Douglass eventually escaped slavery at age 20. Douglass worked as a reformer ranged from his abolitionist activities in the early 1840s to his attacks on Jim Crow and lynching in the 1800s. He mad a powerful charge against slavery and racism, provided an voice of hope for his people, embraced anti-slavery politics and preached his own brand of American ideals. -
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Westward Expansion
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Election of 1844
In 1844, the democrats were split , the three nominees for the presidential candidate. Martin Van Buren, a former president and an abolitionist. James Buchanan, a former president and Lewis Cass, a general and expansionist. From Nashville came James Polk; he was considered a "Dark Horse" in the election. James Polk eventually won the Election of 1844. -
Annexation of Texas
During the 1820s many Americans began moving to Texas. Texas was controlled by mexico at the time. In 1846 Texas had won their independence from Mexico and became a independent republic. Many Americans believed that Texas should be annexed by the United States of America. But others worried that if Texas was annexed by the United States; then Mexico and the United States could potentially come into conflict. -
Battle of Palo Alto
On May 8, before Polk signed the declaration of war, the first major engagement of the Mexican-American War began. The Battle of Palo Alto took place along the Gulf Coast north of Matamoros and the Rio Grande. The Americans had 2200 troops and the Mexican had 3200 troops. Taylor launched a full scale infantry assault that made the Mexicans retreat giving the Americans the victory. -
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Sectionalism
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California Mass Migration: Mass Migration
The California gold rush was a defining moment in the history of westward expansion in the United States. It was also an critical period in U.S. immigration history. Many immigrant groups, especially the Chinese, began coming to the United States following news of a gold rush in California. at first, the call for citizens was open to all, but as immigrants began coming in larger and larger numbers, laws were established to limit immigration and decrease the rights of those immigrants. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The United States of America and Mexico fought each other in the Mexican-American War. The war ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hildago. Mexico for losing the war give the us more than 500,000 square miles of new territories that included California, Nevada, Utah, Most parts of Arizona and New Mexico and Parts of Colorado and Wyoming. The US also accepted that the Rio Grande River would be the southern boundary of Texas; and the US also payed Mexico $15 million. -
Seneca Falls Convention
In 1848, Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton organized the Seneca Falls Convention. It was the first women's rights convention in history. Issued Declaration of Sentiments and resolutions modeled after the Declaration of Independence and they demanded same rights as men. The right to vote was of the top priorities and planted the seeds for the Suffrage Movement. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise was actually a series of bills passed mainly to address issues related to slavery. The bills implemented for slavery to be decided by popular sovereignty in the admission of new states. It also banned the slave trade in the District of Columbia, settled a Texas boundary conflict, and established a stricter fugitive slave act. -
Seventh of March Address
As the United States struggled with the deeply disruptive issue of slavery a decade before the Civil War, public attention in early 1850 was directed to Capitol Hill. And Daniel Webster, widely regarded as the nation's greatest orator, delivered one of the most controversial Senate speeches in history. Webster's speech was widely anticipated and was a major news event. Crowds flocked to the Capitol and his words traveled quickly by telegraph to all regions of the country. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which was also a part of the Compromise of 1850; required that the U.S. government actively arbitrate to help slave owners regain control over their slaves. This act precept that fugitive slaves were neither allowed to testify on their own behalf, nor were they allowed to have a trial by jury. This was “justified” through legislator's claims that African Americans couldn't be United States citizens and therefore were not afforded any protections. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tm's Cabin was a anti-slavery novel that showed the brutal reality of everyday life in a slave's world. The book was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe who was a enormous abolitionists. The book could also be considered to have help lay the groundwork for Civil War; which the main conflict of the Civil War was on the debate of slavery. -
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was a secret passage that slaves would use to escape to the North from the southern plantations they were stuck on. Harriet Tubman was one of the most influential people who helped other slaves cross the Underground Railroad to freedom in the north. It was a risky move for slaves cause if they got captured they would be taken back to their plantation and were punished. -
Secession of Southern States
After the election of 1860; which Abraham Lincoln won. The southern states believed that Lincoln would ban slavery completely. Lincoln's main goal was to stop the spread of slavery to the western hemisphere, not to ban slavery. The first one to leave was South Carolina then after was Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and finally North Carolina. -
Northern Cotton Embargo
Believing in the power of Cotton, the Confederates placed an embargo on cotton exports in 1861. By the time Davis lifted the embargo, it was too late; the Union navy had began blocking Confederate ports. The blockade began in 1861, it wasn't perfect. It did not entirely block cotton from leaving the South but it did hobble export activities and made cotton sales risky and unpredictable. British manufacturers sought other supplies. -
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The Civil War
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1st Bull Run (1st Manassas)
the first major battle of the American Civil War, fought at a small stream and tributary of the Potomac River named Bull Run near Manassas in northern Virginia. It was a anarchic encounter fought by volunteers short of training and organization and badly equipped. It ended in victory for the Confederate Army under General Pierre Beauregard. The defeat astonished the Union into mobilizing resources for a long and drawn out war. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation was a direct order from the president of the United States of America at the Abraham Lincoln; he declared all slaves were free. He also declared that freedom would only come to the slaves if the Union won the war. It was basically abolishing slavery if the Union won the war. -
Twenty Negro Law
The Second Conscription Act exempts from the Confederate draft one white male for every 20 slaves held on a plantation. The purpose of this provision is to ensure that enough white males remain behind to prevent violent slave revolts, which may encourage slaves to rebel. The law is resisted by poorer white Southerners who own fewer than 20 slaves or none at all. -
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Reconstruction Era
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Lincoln's 10% Plan
Lincoln's 10% Plan replace majority rule with "loyal rule" in the South. He also didn't consult Congress regarding his idea of reconstruction. The plan would also pardon to all citizens except the highest ranking military and civilian Confederate Officers. When 10% of the voting population in the 1860 election had taken an oath of loyalty and established a government, it would be recognized. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle in the Civil War. It lasted from July 1-3, 1863. It was a Union victory and the turning point in the Civil War. The Confederate Army lost 28,063 of their men, and the Union lost a total of 23,049. 9 of the 120 generals that participated in the battle were killed, and 63 Medal of Honors were awarded. -
Wade-Davis Bill
In the summer of 1864, they introduced a bill as an alternative to Lincoln's plan. Majority of males in confederacy take an oath, then each state could hod constitutional conventions to create new state governments. Abolish Slavery, Reject Confederacy, and to forbid former Confederate Officers and officials from voting or holding office. -
Freedmen's Bureau
The Freedman's Bureau was established in 1865 to help poor blacks and whites in the South. The Freedman's Bureau established schools in the South. Laws against educating slaves during the Civil War meant that most ex-slaves did not know how to read or write. It basically was a call for whites to help and educate slaves. -
Appomattox Courthouse
Grant chased Lee out of Richmond; Lee wanted to continue to fight, but he knew his situation was hopeless. On April 9, 1865, General Lee and General Grant met at the Appomattox Courthouse to arrange the surrender. Grant offered generous terms of surrender; and that the Confederates could return home in pence, taking their private possessions and horses. -
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
On April 14, 1865 just 5 days after the bloodiest battle America had ever been in ended the president got assassinated while watching a play at the Ford's Theater with his wife. The killer was John Wilkes Booth eluded soldiers for 12 days before being cornered and killed. John Wilkes Booth's last words were " I will die for my country." -
KKK (Ku Klux Klan)
The Klu Klux Klan is a racist group that were against people of color and were in favor of white power. The First clan was founded on December 24, 1865 by former members of the Confederate Army. They quickly adopted violent methods to intimidate black people. The organization was in decline from 1868 to 1870 and was destroyed in the early 1870s by President Ulysses S Grant. -
Jim Crow
Jim Crow was a parody of a inept, dimwitted black slave. The person who played Jim Crow was a white actor called Thomas Dartmouth Rice who played the character in the 1830s ; This character influenced The Jim Crow Laws. The Jim Crow Laws were administrative laws that separated people of color and whites which basically created segregation. -
Carpetbaggers
Northerners who traveled down south after the Civil War. Some of these "Carpetbaggers" went to the South to help the people there, like teachers, and others who wanted help the freed slaves. Other carpetbaggers saw that they could take advantage of the weakened South. This gave northerners a bad name, and today carpetbaggers represent people who are greedy and take advantage of others. -
Election of 1868
The impeachment of Andrew Johnson occurred in 1868. The election was between Horatio Seymour and Ulysses S. Grant. Democrats nominated Horatio Seymour. Republicans nominated war hero, Ulysses S. Grant. Grant won 300,000 more popular votes than Seymour. The vote of 500,000 blacks gave republicans their victory. -
Compromise of 1877
The Compromise was a promise that the new government would give more aid to the South. Democrats in congress threatened to fight the decision. Republicans and Southern Democrats reportedly met in secret to work out an agreement. Republicans would withdraw all remaining troops from Southern states. The Democrats promised to maintain African Americans.
