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1492
Christopher Columbus Founds" New World
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1492
Columbian Exchange Begin
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Period: 1492 to
European Exploration Era
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1500
Spanish Encomienda System Begin
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1500
Spanish Casta System Begins
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Period: 1500 to
Triangular Trade
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Period: 1500 to
Middle Passage
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1520
Small Pox Begins Spreading to Native Americans
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1521
Spanish Conquistadors Hernan Cortez Conquers the Aztec Empire
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1534
England Splits from the Catholic Church
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London Company Gains Charter for Set Up English Colony
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Jamestown, Virginia Colony Founded
first permanent English colony in 1607 -
Period: to
Colonia Era
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French found Quebec on the St. Lawrence River and Engage in the Fur Trade
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Tobacco Introduced to Virginia Colony by John Rolfe
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First African Slaves Arrive in Jamestown, Virginia Colony
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Virginia House of Burgesses
serve as a representative assembly for the settlers -
Plymouth, Massachuttes Colony Founded
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Mayflower Compact
Pilgrims signed; created a model for the rule of law and democratic government in the colonies -
New Hampshire Founded
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Dutch New Amsterdam Becomes Capital of New Netherlands
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"City Upon a Hill" John Winthrop
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The Great Migration to Massachusetts Bay Colony
Puritans led by John Winthrop : founded Boston as they colony -
Maryland Founded
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Thomas Hooker Founds Connecticut
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Pequot War
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Roger Williams Founds Rhode Island
freedom of religion, separation of church state "Fundamental Orders of Connecticut" -
Harvard College Founded in Massachusettes
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Delaware Founded
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Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
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Maryland Toleration Act
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North Carolina Founded
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Iroquois Confederacy Formed
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Navigation Act and Mercantilism
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South Carolina Founded
tobacco plantations in the rich lands -
New York Funded
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New Jersey Founded
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King Phillips War
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Bacon's Rebellion
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Pueblo Revolt
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Quaker William Penn Founds Pennsylvania
Catholics led Lord Baltimore -
Period: to
Enlightenment Era
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John Locke's Two Treaties of Government Published
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English Bill of Rights
English citizens were confirmed in Bills Of Rights; guaranteed trail by jury, freedom of speech, press, petition, and assembly -
Salem Witch Trials
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Period: to
Salutary Neglect Policy
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The Great Awaking
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Georgia Founded as a Debtors Colony
philanthropist named James Oglethorpe; poor and homeless -
Stono Rebelion
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French and Indian War Begin
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French and Indian War Ends
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Proclamation Line of 1763
American colonists were furious when Britain declared that there could be no American settlements west of Appalachians Mountains -
Period: to
Revolutionary Era
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Period: to
Republican Motherhood
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Sugar Act
taxes were levied on colonial American paper money to be in valid -
Stamp Act
taxes were levied on all materials printed in the colonies -
Quartering Act
colonists were required to house and supply British goods -
Townshend Acts
more taxes levied on colonial imports -
Boston Massacre
British troops fired on a crowd of protesters -
Tea Act
British East Indian Company was given control of the American Tea Trade -
Boston Tea Party
colonists attacked several East India Company ships in Boston Harbor and destroyed 342 chest of tea -
Intolerable Act
regain control over the situation; British Government passed new measures -
First Continental Congress
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Thomas Paine's Common Sense Published
Challenged the authority of the British government over the Thirteen Colonies -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
American minuteman with British troops sent to arrest colonial leaders and seize colonial stores of weapons and ammunition north of Boston -
Second Continental Congress
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Continental Army Lead by General George Washington
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Declaration of Independence
Created a new nation that would be based on the principles of freedom and democracy -
Benjamin Franklin Becomes French Ambassador
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Adam Smith Publishes "The Wealth of Nations"
Smith, a Scottish moral philosopher by trade, wrote the book to describe the industrialized capitalist system that was upending the mercantilist system -
Winter at Valley Forge
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Battle of Saratoga
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Articles of Confederation
sovereign states and a weak central government, leaving most of the power with the state governments. -
Period: to
Abolition Movement
organized effort to end the practice of slavery in the United States. -
Battle of Yorktown
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Treaty of Paris of 1783
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Shays' Rebellion
uprising led by a former militia officer, Daniel Shays, which broke out in western Massachusetts in 1786. -
Federalist Papers
eighty-five essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in the late 1780s to persuade the voters of New York to adopt the Constitution -
U.S Constitution
established America's national government and fundamental laws, and guaranteed certain basic rights for its citizens -
The Great Compromise
two national legislatures in a bicameral Congress. Members of the House of Representatives would be allocated according to each state's population and elected by the people -
Constitutional Convention/ Philadelphia Convention
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The 3/5ths Compromise
agreement between delegates from the Northern and the Southern states at the United States Constitutional Convention (1787) -
Bills of Rights Added to U.S Constitution
the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution. -
The French Revolution Begins
when revolutionaries stormed a prison called the Bastille -
Washington Elected 1st President
69 of the 69 first-round votes cast in the United States Electoral College. With this election, he became the only U.S. president to be unanimously chosen. -
Washington Creates Presidential Cabinet
his group of advisers who reported in private and solely to the U.S. chief executive officer. -
Washington D.C. Becomes New US Capital
American Congress declares that a swampy, humid, muddy and mosquito-infested site on the Potomac River between Maryland and Virginia will be the nation's permanent capital -
Alexander Hamilton Gets Congress to Approve National Bank
It could lend the government money and pay off state debts. -
Whiskey Rebellion
was a 1794 uprising of farmers and distillers in western Pennsylvania in protest of a whiskey tax enacted by the federal government -
Washington Farewell Address
George Washington advised American citizens to view themselves as a cohesive unit and avoid political parties -
First Two-Party System Created (Dem-Rep vs Federalist)
The Federalists, led by Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton, wanted a strong central government; the Anti-Federalists, led by Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, advocated states' rights instead of centralized power -
John Adams (Federalist) Elected 2nd President
a remarkable political philosopher -
XYZ Affair
a diplomatic incident between French and United States diplomats that resulted in a limited, -
Alien and Sedition Acts
a series of four laws passed by the U.S. Congress in 1798 amid widespread fear that war with France was imminent -
Kentucky and Virginia Resolution
authored by Jefferson, went further than Madison's Virginia Resolution and asserted that states had the power to nullify unconstitutional federal laws -
Election of 1800 and the Start of the Jeffersonian Era
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Period: to
Manifest Destiny
the United States is destined by God, its advocates believed to expand its dominion and spread democracy and capitalism across the entire North American continent -
Thomas Jefferson (Democratic Republican) Elected 3rd President
Vice President Thomas Jefferson of the Democratic-Republican Party defeated incumbent President John Adams of the Federalist Party. -
Louisiana Purchase
was a land deal between the United States and France -
Marbury v. Madison
a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that established the principle of judicial review in the United States -
James Madison (Democratic Republican) Elected 4th President
James Madison defeated Federalist candidate Charles Cotesworth Pinckney decisively -
British Impressment of US Sailors
recruitment by force; It was a practice that directly affected the U.S. and was even one of the causes of the War of 1812. -
British Impressment of US Sailors
the British impressed more than 15,000 U.S. sailors to supplement their fleet during their Napoleonic Wars with France -
War Hawks in Congress Support War Against British
The War Hawks were members of Congress who put pressure on President James Madison to declare war against Britain in 1812 -
War of 1812 Begins
On June 18, 1812, President James Madison signed a declaration of war against Great Britain, marking the beginning of the War of 1812. -
Francis Scott Key writes the Star Spangled Banner
The poem, originally titled “The Defence of Fort M'Henry,” was written after Key witnessed the Maryland fort being bombarded by the British during the War of 1812. -
Congress Passes Preemption Acts
reforming U.S. policy on acquiring public lands; -
Texas Revolution and Independence from Mexico
a rebellion of colonists from the United States and Tejanos in putting up armed resistance to the centralist government of Mexico. -
Increased Irish and German
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James K. Polk Elected US President (Democrat)
an ambitious agenda with four major goals: cut tariffs, reestablish an independent U.S. Treasury, secure the Oregon Territory and acquire the territories of California and New Mexico from Mexico -
Texas Annexation by the United States
annexation of the Republic of Texas into the United States of America, which was admitted to the Union as the 28th state -
Frederick Douglass Publishes Autobiography “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave”
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Oregon Territory Divided Between British and U.S.
The Oregon Treaty was signed between the US and Britain to settle the boundary dispute. -
Mexican American War Begins
Mexican cavalry attacked a group of U.S. soldiers in the disputed zone under the command of General Zachary Taylor, killing about a dozen. They then laid siege to an American fort along the Rio Grande. -
Wilmot Proviso
designed to eliminate slavery within the land acquired as a result of the Mexican War -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: Mexican American War Ends
ended the war between the United States and Mexico -
Free Soil Movement Begins
was a short-lived coalition political party in the United States active from 1848 to 1854, when it merged into the Republican Party. -
Mexican Cession
the region in the modern-day southwestern United States that Mexico ceded to the U.S. -
California Gold Rush
rapid influx of fortune seekers in California that began after gold was found at Sutter's Mill in early 1848 and reached its peak in 1852 -
Compromise of 1850
It admitted California as a free state, left Utah and New Mexico to decide for themselves whether to be a slave state or a free state, defined a new Texas-New Mexico boundary, and made it easier for slaveowners to recover runways under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 -
Fugitive Slave Law Passed in Compromise of 1850
was part of the Compromise of 1850; required that slaves be returned to their owners, even if they were in a free state -
Harriet Tubman Begins Using Underground Railroad
she used it to escape slavery herself -
Harriet Beecher Stowe Publishes “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”
injustices of slavery, pushing back against dominant cultural beliefs about the physical and emotional capacities of black people -
Gadsden Purchase
an agreement between the United States and Mexico -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
was an 1854 bill that mandated “popular sovereignty”–allowing settlers of a territory to decide whether slavery would be allowed within a new state's borders -
Bleeding Kansas Begins
Kansans engaged in a violent guerrilla war between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces; which significantly shaped American politics and contributed to the coming of the Civil War -
Republican Party Created
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Caning of Senate Sumner
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Dred Scott v. Stanford
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John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry, Virginia
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Republican Abraham Lincoln Wins Presidential Election of 1860
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Democrat Jefferson Davis Elected President of the Confederacy
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Seven Southern States Secede from the Union, Forming the Confederate States of America
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Battle of Fort Sumter
he return gunfire and subsequent surrender by the United States Army, that started the American Civil War. -
Lincoln Suspends Habeas Corpus
between Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia to give military authorities the necessary power to silence dissenters and rebels -
Period: to
The Civil War
was fought between the United States of America and the Confederate States of America, a collection of eleven southern states that left the Union -
Emancipation Proclamation
the nation approached its third year of bloody civil war. -
Battle of Vicksburg
was a decisive Union victory during the American Civil War -
Gettysburg Address
short speech at the end of the ceremonies dedicating the battlefield cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. -
Battle of Gettysburg
was the largest battle of the American Civil War as well as the largest battle ever fought in North America -
Gen. Lee Surrenders to Gen. Grant at Appomattox Court House
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President Abraham Lincoln Assassinated by John Wilkes Booth
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President Andrew Johnson Becomes President
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Johnson Pardons the South
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Radical Republicans Champion for Black Civil Rights in Congress
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Freedmens Bereau Created
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Sharecropping Begins in the South
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Black Codes First Passed in the South
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Ku Klux Klan Formed
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"Scalawags and Carpetbaggers"
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13th Amendment
abolished slavery in the United States -
Period: to
Reconstruction Era
during which attempts were made to redress the inequities of slavery and its political, social, and economic legacy -
Impeachment of President Andrew Johnson
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14th Amendment
ranted citizenship to all persons -
Hiram Rhode Revels Becomes First African American in Congress (senate)
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15th Amendment
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. -
Chicago's Hull House started by Jane Addams
provided numerous services for the poor, -
Influence of Sea Power Upon History
has always been to protect friendly shipping from enemy attack and to destroy or hinder the enemy's shipping -
Boxer Rebellion
an uprising against foreigners that occurred in China about 1900, begun by peasants but eventually supported by the government. -
How the Other Half Lives
a pioneering work of photojournalism by Jacob Riis, -
Period: to
Progressive Era
a period of widespread social activism and political reform across the United States of America -
Period: to
Imperialism
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Annexation of Hawaii
extended U.S. territory into the Pacific and highlighted resulted from economic integration and the rise of the United States as a Pacific power -
Spanish America War
was a conflict between the United States and Spain that effectively ended Spain's role as a colonial power in the New World. -
Open Door Policy
a statement of principles initiated by the United States -
Roosevelt's Big Stick Diplomacy/ Roosevelt Corollary
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Period: to
Theodore Roosevelt
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Panama Canal U.S. Construction Begins
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The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
the appalling working conditions in the meat-packing industry. -
Pure Food and Drug Act
interstate commerce and laid a foundation for the nation's first consumer protection agency -
Ford Model-T
a self-starting vehicle with a left-sided steering wheel, -
NAACP started by W.E.B Du Bois
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Period: to
William Howard Taft
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Federal Reserve Act
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16th Amendment
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Period: to
Woodrow Wilson
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17th Amendment
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Assissination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
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Period: to
World War 1
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Sinking of the Lusitania
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National Parks System
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Zimmerman Telegram
a secret diplomatic communication issued from the German Foreign Office -
Russia Revolution
removed Russia from the war and brought about the transformation of the Russian Empire into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( -
U.S. entry into WWI
Wilson cited Germany's violation of its pledge to suspend unrestricted submarine warfare in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean -
Battle of Argonne Forest
was part of what became known as the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, the last battle of World War I . -
Germany Declares an Armistice
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Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points
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Treaty of Versailles
the primary treaty produced by the Paris Peace Conference at the end of World War I. -
18th Amendment
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19th Amendment
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President Harding's Return to Normalcy
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Harlem Renaissance
was the development of the Harlem neighborhood in New York City as a Black cultural mecca in the early 20th Century and the subsequent social and artistic explosion that resulted -
Red Scare
Americans grew afraid of a Communist takeover, caused by the Russian Revolution. Radicals and foreigners were targeted. Federal Bureau of Investigation. -
Period: to
Roaring Twenties
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Teapot Dome Scandal
shocked Americans by revealing an unprecedented level of greed and corruption within the federal government. -
Joseph Stalin Lead's Soviet Union
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Scopes "Monkey" Trial
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Charles Lindbergh's Trans-Atlantic Flight
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St. Valentine's Day Massacre
mass murder of a group of unarmed bootlegging gang members in Chicago -
Stock Market Crashes "Black Tuesday"
