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1492
Christopher Columbus
An Italian explorer sailing for Spain who believed that Asia (India) could be reached by sailing west from Europe. His first voyage was in 1492, wherein he discovered North America (Caribbean islands) and named it the West Indies. He will make four voyages to the new world without fully realizing what he had discovered. -
Jamestown Colony
Jamestown was the first English settlement located near the present day Williamsburg, Virginia. The colony gave England a foot in for the competition of the new land. -
Southern Colonies
The southern colonies strove through agriculture they grew their plantations by exporting tobacco,cotton,corn, and livestock.The southern colonies had the greatest slave population to work on their plantations. The southern colonies included Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia. -
Plymouth
It is the site of the first Pilgrim settlement. Plymouth Rock marks the place where settlers are thought to have landed on shore. The famous Mayflower was what brought them over. -
Massachusetts Bay Colony
One of the original colonies established, located near the present day Massachusetts. It settled in 1630 by 1,000 puritans from England. The puritans settled there to live as God wanted them to. -
Middle Colonies
The Middle Colonies were a subset of the Thirteen Colonies in British America, located between the New England Colonies and the Southern Colonies. This area now roughly makes up the mid-Atlantic states. -
Great Awakening
The great awakening was a religious revival in the British/American colonies, the purpose was to get people excited to be religious again. The leaders of the great awakening were Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield. -
French and Indian War
Was fought between the French and the British, the whole war started because there was arguments that the British didn't own the Ohio river and that was not British territory. -
Stamp Act
A taxation on all papers this act began because the british wanted more control over the colonies. “Taxation without representation” -
Boston Massacre
British soldiers in Boston opened fire on a group of American colonists killing five men. Before the Boston Massacre the British had instituted a number of new taxes on the American colonies including taxes on tea, glass, paper, paint, and lead. The colonists where already very angry at the British so they antagonized them until they couldn’t take it anymore. -
Boston Tea Party
Was a rebellious protest by the Sons of Liberty where they dressed as Indians and dumped the shipments of tea into the harbor. They went about this because they were not happy about the taxes on the tea and other things the British King had done. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
Was the first battle of the Revolutionary war, "the shot heard round the world" was very disastrous for the British because it persuaded many Americans to join the war. -
American Revolutionary war
Was the war fought between the Americans and Great Britain to gain American independence. This war was brutal and lasted a long time but finally ended with America becoming its own country. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a official document declaring separation from Great Britain, it was wrote by Thomas Jefferson, Ben. Franklin, John Adams, Rodger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. This document is a big key on why we have independence today. -
Valley Forge
Was a camp where the army could train and regroup from battles, while the harsh winter shut down supplies and other necessities. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation served as the written document that established the rules and ways of function, of the United States after it declared independence from Great Britain. -
Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown was the last great battle of the American Revolutionary War. It is where the British Army surrendered and the British government began to consider a peace treaty with the US. -
Constitutional Convention
The Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia met to address the problems of the weak government that existed under the Articles of Confederation. -
Bill of Rights
The bill of rights is the first 10 amendments in the constitution, these are the basic rights for all. They include freedom of speech, religion, press, ect. -
Underground Railroad
Was a secret tunnel and passage way to lead slaves to freedom. Was a secret among the abolitionists so they weren't caught. -
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana purchase was made by Thomas Jefferson by France, this eventually led to the size of the country being doubled. -
Lewis and Clark
Lewis and Clark were sent on an expedition of the Louisiana purchase to see what was just bought, they discovered many new animals and things about the land no one had ever known about. -
War of 1812
Was a political war between the US and their old allies Great Britain. -
Missouri Compromise
In order to balance out the power in Congress between slave and free states, the Missouri Compromise was passed in 1820 admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state. -
Indian Removal Act
President Jackson established this act in 1830, it was a process that said the president could grant land west of the Mississippi river to Indian tribes that agreed to give their homes to settlers. -
Abolitionists
A person who sought to abolish slavery. Most abolitionists were white religious Americans, but some of the most promising ones where also black men and women that had escaped slavery. -
Battle of the Alamo
Was a war for Texas revolution against Mexico, where Mexico captured the fort killing most Texans inside. -
Manifest Destiny
Was a phrase made by the Americans because they thought that the United States was destined by God and they wanted to spread there ways through the country. -
Mexican-American War
The senate voted to go to war with mexico because people were accusing Mexicans to have attacked Americans on US soil. -
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush was a rush that happened in 1849 and led to 300,000 people coming to mine for gold and settle in California. -
The compromise of 1850
Was a package of 5 bills that were passed that dealt with the issues of slavery and territory's between the North and South. -
Uncle Tom´s Cabin
Uncle Toms Cabin is a book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, that is used to describe the experience of slavery. Uncle Tom was a slave that saved a little girl named Eva, Tom was bought by her dad who when his daughter was sick had plans to release his slaves. Then the slave owner died and Tom was bought by someone new he then was beaten to his death. -
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas was series of violent warfare because of the borders and slavery rights. -
Dred Scott Decision
Missouri's Dred Scott Case, 1857, the United States Supreme Court upheld slavery in United States territories, denied the legality of black citizenship in America, and declared the Missouri Compromise to be unconstitutional. -
Lincoln Douglas Debate
The Lincoln–Douglas debates were a series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln, the Republican Party candidate for the United States Senate from Illinois, and incumbent Senator Stephen Douglas, the Democratic Party candidate. These debates included the topics of slavery and territory expansion and led Lincoln to his presidential victory. -
Fort Sumter
The battle of Fort Sumter was the first battle of the civil war. This island fort originated in 1812 and was still incomplete when the civil war began. -
Confederate states of America
The Confederate States of America, commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy, was an unrecognized breakaway state that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865, and that fought against the United States of America during the American Civil War. It consisted of South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee. -
Civil War
The civil war was practically a military effort to limit political change. It was fought between the northern and southern states and had a big deal to do with the freedom of the slaves. Abraham Lincoln was the president during this time. -
The battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg was fought July 1863, in the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. The battle involved the largest number of casualties of the entire war and is often described as the war's turning point. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Abraham Lincoln wrote this document up to change the focus of the civil war to also include freeing the slaves. -
Gettysburg Adress
The Gettysburg Address is a speech that U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivered during the American Civil War at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. To speak about the turning of the war. -
Appomattox
Battle of Appomattox Court House is one of the last battles of the American civil war. Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee briefly engaged Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant before surrendering to the Union at Appomattox Court House. This signaled the beginning of the end of the protracted Civil War.