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The Quakers (Founded by George Fox)
The Quaker faith was a radical form of Protestantism. Although Quakers went through persecution, the religion kept its support for women's rights and equality. Soon, the Quakers were against the using of slaves and started accepting outcasts from other communities. Because of the Quakers' belief, Native Americans with the same beliefs accepted the Quakers, beginning a friendly relationship between the two. William Penn, an English Quaker later makes Pennsylvania a place for religious freedom. -
The Bacon's Rebellion (Led by Nathanial Bacon)
Bacon's Rebellion was an uprising in Virginia because of Virginia Governor William Berkley's lack of aid. Virginians didn't like the alliance between their governor and the Natives. Berkley refused to retaliate while American Indian attacks were occuring. This led the Virginians to kill the Natives and even to burn the colonial capital. This rebellion is important to history because it showed poor whites, blacks, and salves working together to overcome an unjust government. -
Pennsylvania (Founded by William Penn)
In 1680, King Charles II of England gave Penn land (Pennsylvania) as the payment he owed William Penn. It wasn't until about 1682 that Pennsylvania became known as a sanctuary for religious freedom and tolerance. Quakers, Anglicans, and German Baptist & Lutherans came to the new colony to live peacefully together. Native Americans even respected the people and were respected in return. This was a time in history where the colonists and natives lived in peace and understood each other's ideas. -
Edward Braddock
During the French and Indian War, Edward Braddock, a British general, organized an attack at Fort Duquesne. Sadly, the British army suffered a disastrous defeat as General Braddock marched into a French and Indian ambush at Fort Duquesne. Edward Braddock died in 1755. However, George Washington, Braddock's Virginian lieutenant partner led a skillful retreat saving half of the army. Washington also warned Edward Braddock about bad outcomes to the plan, which did go as predicted by Washington. -
Pontiac's Rebellion
The Native, who lived in the interior of America, encountered challenges because of the conquest of Canada including, being unable to play the French and British against each other, not receiving delivery of British goods, and land being taken by incoming British settlers. However, the Natives decided to fight back, a rebellion started to weaken the British and lure the French back into North America with surprise attacks. The Natives capturing British forts and raided settlements in the west. -
The Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris concluded the French and Indian War. The British, the French and Spain all exchanged land as a result of the treaty. For the British side of the treaty, they received Canada, the Great Lakes region, the Ohio River Valley, and Florida from the French and Spain. In return, the French got to keep its land and Indian factories, as well as, receiving Guadeloupe and Martinique. For Spain, they received New Orleans and Louisiana from France and Cuba and Philippines from Britain. -
The Stamp Act
Passed via Parliament, the act required the payment of taxes on most printed materials. Parliament's direct taxing resulted in angry protests, claiming that the act threatened the colonists' prosperity and liberty. Debates over Parliament's rights to tax the colonies arose. In 1766, the colonies decided to work together getting Parliament to repeal the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act crisis showed the colonists' determination to overcome direct taxing and the British government's fight to raise money. -
Eli Whitney
An American inventor who is best known for his invention of the cotton gin, patenting it in 1794. The invention is used to automate the removal of seeds from raw cotton. However, Whitney's greatest contribution was developing the idea of mass-producing interchangeable parts in 1797, in order to fulfill a contract to supply muskets for the government. Eli Whitney and manufacturers designed products with interchangeable parts, or identical components, to improve efficiency in factories. -
The Boston Massacre
In response to Parliament's Townshend Act, protests, boycotts, and street violence occurred. British customs officials then started to abuse their power soon seizing John Hancock's merchant ship. The seizure set off riots, which got the Crown to send 4,000 troops to suppress Boston riots. One night in March, a fight between the colonist and British soldiers began. Nervous soldiers fired into the crowd, killing five colonists. After the event, the Patriots called the killings the Boston Massacre. -
The Intolerable Acts
In response to the Boston Tea Party, Parliament punished Boston by passing the Coercive Acts (the Intolerable Acts). The Acts sent British warships & troops to ensure the closing of Boston's port until the inhabitants paid for the destroyed tea and its taxes. It also increased the governor's power of the expense of the elected assembly & town meetings. The colonists were outraged, leaning towards violence to shut down the Act. They went to the extreme coating the victims in hot tar and feathers. -
Henry Clay
An American politician who was one of the leading advocates of this new economic nationalism, promoting federal support of internal improvements,a protective tariff,and a national bank. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate from the state of Kentucky. In 1820, Clay helped craft the Missouri Compromise to try to balance the rights of free and slave states. He wanted the federal government to build new roads and canals to link the Atlantic states with the Midwest. -
John Adams Presidency
John Adams, a Federalist candidate, beat Jefferson in the 1796 presidential election, making him the second President and the second Federalist to be President. With Thomas Jefferson coming in second place for the 1796 election, he then became John Adams' vice president. Due to his meddling with the government, Adams' administration started to weaken and his presidential term ended in 1801. Adam faced many difficulties during his presidential term, such as living up to Washington's standards. -
The XYZ Affair
During his presidency, Adams faced a French crisis, unifying our nation. The French had become offended by the Jay Treaty of 1794, so to show their irritation the French began seizing American merchant ships in 1796. President Adams, as a response, sent negotiators to negotiate peace with France. However, three French officials—known in code as X, Y, and Z—demanded humiliating terms, including $250,000 in bribes. As a result, Adams broke off negotiations, building the U.S. Navy to fight France. -
The Alien and Sedition Acts
In 1798, to exploit the war fever, the Federalists passed the Alien and Sedition Acts. The Alien Act authorized the President to arrest and deport non-citizens who criticized the federal government, due to most non-citizen immigrants supporting the Democratic-Republicans, making it difficult for them to become citizens. The Sedition Act made it a crime for citizens to publicly criticize the federal government, thinking that criticizing the government shows a lack of trust with the government. -
Thomas Jefferson Presidency
In 1800, not only did Democratic-Republicans win control of Congress and most of the state government, but Jefferson won the election becoming the third President and first Democratic-Republican President. By taking the government in a different direction with his new political belief, the Jefferson administration impacted on the U.S. government. One of the changes in the government was the Cabinet. In past, Adams kept Washington's Cabinet due to same political views. However, Jefferson didn't. -
The Louisiana Purchase
With America and France in trouble, both Jefferson and French military dictator, Napoleon agreed to trade the Louisiana Territory. The deal consisted of Jefferson obtaining a territory extending from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and Napoleon getting $15 million for it. Although a great bargain, the Louisiana Purchase contradicted Jefferson’s constitutional principles. The Constitution also didn't authorize the federal government to buy territory from a foreign country. -
The Lewis and Clark Expedition
In 1804, President Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark to explore the Louisiana Territory that he bought for Napoleon. The two men were guided by a Shoshone woman, named Sacajawea. Lewis knew that exploring the territory would be difficult so he studied medicine, botany, zoology and maps and journals of the region. He also asked his friend Clark to co-command the expedition. The two men and their team encountered Native American tribes including the Shoshone, the Minitari, the Chinook, and the Sioux. -
The Tariff of 1816
The Tariff of 1816 was imposed by Congress in order to prevent American industries to wither from the British competition. The tariff was a protective tariff established by Congress to encourage Americans to buy goods made in the United States. It also increased the price of imported manufactured goods by an average of 20 to 25 percent. The inflated price for imported encouraged Americans to buy products made in the United States. The tariff helped industry, but it hurt farmers. -
Missouri Compromise
In 1820, after a long and bitter debate, Henry Clay crafted the Missouri Compromise, an agreement calling for the admission of Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state. This compromise ultimately banned slavery in the Louisiana Purchase north of the 36 degrees 30' N latitude. To discourage future disputes over state admissions, the compromise also drew a line across the continent from the southwestern corner of Missouri to the nation's western boundary. -
Monroe Doctrine
In 1823, President Monroe set forth a foreign policy doctrine that discouraged European intervention in the Western Hemisphere. This policy responded to threats by European powers, including France, to help Spain recover Latin American colonies that had declared their independence. However, the Monroe Doctrine meant little in 1823 when Americans lacked the army and navy to enforce it. The doctrine became more significant in the 1890s when the U.S. sent armed forces into Latin American countries.
