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Period: 1492 to
U.S History
The history of the United States from Columbus' discovery of the new world to the invention of the lightbulb -
Oct 12, 1492
Christopher Columbus discovers America
Christopher Columbus lands on the island of San Salvadore in what is now the Bahamas, discovering what was then called the New World -
Jamestown Colony Settled
Settlers land in Jamestown Virginia, and begin what became the first successful colony on continental North America -
The French and Indian War
The French and Indian war, the American extension of the Seven Years War in Europe, began this year and ended in 1763 -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party, where dozens of men dressed as indians threw hundreds of crates of tea into the harbor, was the first large insurrection against the british -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battle of Lexington took place in the early hours of April 19 and was known as the first shots fired in the American Revolution. The Battle of Concord was the first victory for the Americans. -
Declaration of Independence Signed and Adopted
The Declaration of Independence, written by Richard Henry Lee and Thomas Jefferson, was Signed and Adopted on August 2, although Independence was officially declared on July 2. -
Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown, the battle that would result in the surrender of General Cornwallis, began on this date and ended a month later. -
U.S. Consitution Signed
After nearly 4 months of argument and deliberation, the Constitutional Convention ended on this date with the signing of the Constitution. -
Cotton Gin invented
The Cotton Gin, a device making it simple to separate cotton from seeds, was invented in 1793 and patented in 1794 by Eli Whitney. -
Alien and Sedition acts
The Alien and Sedition acts, acts limiting the ability of Ally and Enemy immigrants to become citizens, were passed by congress in 1798 -
War of 1812
The War of 1812, where the british invaded US ground and succeeded in burning down the white building took place in, you guessed it, 1812 -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was a way congress tried to ease the tensions between Slave and Free states and balance the scale. In 1820 the United States added Missouri as a Slave state in order to add Maine as a free state. -
Andrew Jackson Elected
Andrew Jackson, hero of the battle of New Orleans, (back during the war of 1812) is elected president. -
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears was a forced evacuation of Eastern Cherokee natives by the US army. It began in 1831 and continued for many years as Cherokees used the trail to flee West -
Panic of 1837
The Panic of 1837 was a financial panic that seized America and led to hundreds of salaries being reduced. -
Invention of the Telegraph
The Telegraph was invented by Samuel Morse for long distance communication. Morse's Telegraph played an important part of our history. -
The Mexican-American War
The Mexican war was fought over conflicted border lines between the United States and Mexico. It started in 146 and continued to 1848. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a deal between slave and free states regarding the new states won from Mexico. -
Firing on Fort Sumter
The Firing of Fort Sumter was the official beginning of the American Civil War when Confederate troops opened fire on Union held Fort Sumter in South Carolina. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation was written by Abraham Lincoln as he continued to fight for slave independence. -
Thirteenth Amendment Passes
The thirteenth amendment, which banned Slavery, was passed by congress in 1865 -
Abraham Lincoln Assassinated
Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in Peterson House theater by an actor named John Wilkes Booth on April 15 1865 -
Fourteenth Amendment Passes
The Fourteenth amendment was an amendment giving citizenship to those born within the US. -
Andrew Johnson Impeached
Andrew Johnson, Abraham Lincoln's vice president, was impeached in 1868 following an affair with the supreme court -
Fifteenth Amendment PAsses
The Fifteenth amendment, passed by congress in 1870, granted freed slaves and Native Americans the right to vote. -
Standard Oil Trust Founded
The Standard Oil Trust, founded in 1870 by John Rockefeller, was largest oil refinery in the world at the time. -
Telephone Invented
Alexander Graham Bell invented the Telephone in 1879, although some claim and earlier model of the Telephone was invented in Italy in the early 1850's -
Pullman Strike
The Pullman Strike was a result of when Pullman refused to pay to it's workers the amount demanded by the worker's union. -
Spanish-American War
The Spanish-American war began with the sinking of the MAINE and ended with the US taking the Philippines. -
Theodore Roosevelt Elected
Theodore Roosevelt, famous hunter and the namesake of every teddy bear, was elected as president in 1901 -
Airplane Invented
The Wright brothers, based in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, flew the first successful flight of their plane prototype one December 17, 1903 -
Homestead Strike
Same thing as the Pullman strike, but in 1907 -
Electric Light Bulb Invented
Thomas Edison, after finding a famous 1,000 ways not to make a light bulb, finally succeeded in creating the first industrial bulb design in 1907.