-
Aug 3, 1492
American discovered
America was named after Amerigo Vespucci when the first map of America (New world) was made. The first inhabitants of North America were believed to be from Asia, dating back to the ice age. Columbus arrival in the Americas sparked the globalization of animals, plants and microbes. Columbus opened new routes for trade between Europe and America. -
Period: Aug 3, 1492 to
America
-
May 2, 1497
The beginning of British exploration
The first British exploratory mission to the New World took place shortly after Christopher Columbus first voyage. Cabot's adventures failed to spark much interest, and England's break with the Catholic Church in 1533 led to decades of religious turmoil. Newfoundland for England and reported an abundance of fish. -
Roanoke established
The first English Colony of Roanoke, originally consisting of 100 householders.This Colony was run by Ralph Lane after Sir Richard Grenville, who had transported the colonists to Virginia, returned to Britain for supplies. By the time John White finally returned in August 1590, everyone had vanished. The first Roanoke colonists did not fare well, suffering from dwindling food supplies and Indian attacks, and in 1586 they returned to England aboard a ship captained by Sir Francis Drake. -
Jamestown
The company also supported English national goals of counterbalancing the expansion of other European nations abroad, seeking a northwest passage to the Orient, and converting the Virginia Indians to the Anglican religion. The first two English women arrived at Jamestown in 1608, and more came in subsequent years. The first representative government in British America began at Jamestown in 1619. Although Jamestown ceased to exist as a town by the mid 1700s, its legacies are embodied in U.S. -
Plymouth/Massachusetts Bay Colony
Which was initially conceived as a profit-making endeavor in the New World. Preliminary voyages were made in 1628 and 1629, and resulted in the establishment of a small colony on Cape Ann and later at Salem. The Massachusetts Bay Company and the colony were one and the same until 1684, when the charter was taken away. Later, in 1691, a new royal charter was granted to Massachusetts; the Plymouth Colony and Maine were absorbed. -
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War resulted from ongoing frontier tensions in North America as both French and British imperial officials and colonists sought to extend each country’s sphere of influence in frontier regions. British forces seized French Caribbean islands, Spanish Cuba, and the Philippines. Started the Revolutionary War. The war provided Great Britain enormous territorial gains in North America. -
Proclamation of 1763
A royal decree was issued that prohibited the North American colonists from establishing or maintaining settlements west of an imaginary line running down the crest of the Appalachian Mountains. In 1768, the first Treaty of Fort Stanwixformally recognized the surrender of transmontane lands claimed by the Iroquois.The proclamation, in effect, closed off the frontier to colonial expansion. The proclamation also established or defined four new colonies, three of them on the continent proper. -
Revolutionary War
The 13 American colonies fought for independence from British rule to become the United States. The first shots rang out on the morning of April 19, 1775 in Lexington, Mass. The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, and Great Britain acknowledged America's independence. The treaty established a northern boundary with Canada and set the Mississippi River as the western boundary. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration summarized the colonists’ motivations for seeking their independence. By declaring themselves an independent nation, the American colonists were able to conclude an official alliance with the government of France and obtain French assistance in the war against Great Britain. The Sultan of Morocco mentioned American ships in a consular document in 1777, but Congress had to wait until the 1778 Treaty of Alliance with France for a formal recognition of U.S. independence. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation became the ruling document in the new nation after they were ratified by the last of the 13 American states. The Articles created a nation that was “a league of friendship and perpetual union". The Articles of Confederation created a weak national government. States printed their own money. -
Treaty of Paris of 1783
Recognized the independence of the United States. Granted the U.S. significant western territories. The United States agreed to use its powers to end the persecution of Loyalists by state and local governments and to restore their property confiscated during the war. Both countries agreed not to block creditors from seeking to recover debts owed to them. -
Constitution created
In 1787, Congress authorized delegates to gather in Philadelphia and recommend changes to the existing charter of government for the 13 states, the Articles of Confederation, which many Americans believed had created a weak, ineffective central government. After the ratification of the Constitution in 1789, the machinery of state had been designed, but not yet tested and put to use. The provisions for management of foreign affairs would be put to the test in 1794. -
John Adams elected president
The winner of the presidential election was the individual who received the largest number of votes, if it constituted a majority of the votes cast. The person receiving the second largest number of votes, whether or not it was a majority, was to be the vice president. While Adams was President, the United States government moved from Philadelphia to Washington, DC. The Department of Navy and the Marine Corps were established during his presidency. -
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 treaty established a true and sincere Friendship between the French Republic and the United States of America giving each other the “Most Favored Nation” trade status. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
These laws included new powers to deport foreigners as well as making it harder for new immigrants to vote. Previously a new immigrant would have to reside in the United States for five years before becoming eligible to vote, but a new law raised this to 14 years. The Sedition Act provoked a more extensive understanding of freedom of speech than anyone had considered before. Anger over the Alien and Sedition Acts played a large part in electing Jefferson to the presidency in 1800. -
Thomas Jefferson elected president
Fact: The election constitutes the first peaceful transfer of power from one political party to another in the United States. Effect: The election's outcome brought a dramatic victory for Democratic-Republicans who swept both houses of Congress, including a decisive 65 to 39 majority in the House of Representatives.