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1492
Columbus lands in the new world
Columbus tried to sail to India but landed in the Americas. There was more land for Europe to explore and inhabit. This was important because that's when we discovered the Americas -
Jamestown founded in 1607
The English came to the new world and settled in Jamestown. They were looking for land that they could inhabit but they ended up growing tobacco. This was important because it started a new colony and made tobacco one of the most important cash crops -
Pilgrims land in Plymouth
The pilgrims came to Plymouth on the Mayflower and started settling, but soon later people began getting sick. The Pilgrims were the creators of Thanksgiving and we still celebrate that today. This was important because it helped the pilgrims escape religious persecution which allowed them to make a utopian community freely. -
French and Indian War May 28, 1754
The French and natives fought against the British and the colonies over land in Asia. The British won the war and they went on to rule most of Asia until they completely left I in 1947. This was important because the war gave the British lots of room to expand their territory and the debt from the war carried onto the American Revolution which made it hard for both countries to fund the war. -
Albany Plan of Union
Benjamin Franklin made a plan to unite all the colonies under one government to organize a defense. The colonies refused and didn't want to give up their independence. It took the British much longer to capture Asia because the French had the natives on their side who had a better fighting strategy than them, and by not uniting that put them at a disadvantage. This was important because this could have given the colonies a big advantage but it was never successful so that hurt the colonies. -
Proclamation of 1763
The King made a limit of no settling past the application mountains. This cut the land for settling by a third. This was important because this was one of the first times that the colonists had sensed tyranny inside the government. -
Treaty of Paris
The French Finally surrendered the land to the British. The British inhibited all the land to the Mississippi which was a lot of land for settling and growth of the British. This was important because it ended the 7 year war. -
Quartering act
The problem was that soldiers needed housing and forced people to house soldiers. The people started refusing to house the soldiers and started protesting. This was important because it helped soldiers have housing but it didn't last for long. -
Stamp Act
The government required that people had to stamp every paper they wrote. The people protested and eventually it got worse and people started rioting. Eventually, the Stamp Act was removed. This was important because it helped provide money for soldiers and remove debt from the 7 year war. -
Townshed act
The Government needed money for expenses so they taxed any imports/exports from Great Britain. The colonists started trading with the neighboring colony. This was important because it started a whole new trading route and they showed the government that they didn't need great Great Britain anymore. -
Boston massacre
When civilians taunted British soldiers by throwing snowballs and ice at them eventually turned into a street fight that ended up with several colonists being killed. This was important because it killed many colonists and it sparked a new fight between the soldiers and the colonists. -
Tea Act
The British government made a deal with the East India Company that nobody could sell tea in Britain or its colonies. However, the tea was eventually more expensive because of taxes. This was important because it could lead to the growth of East India and it also made colonists mad because the tea was still heavily taxed so this ended in the Sons of Liberty snuck onto a ship and ransacked it and destroyed all the tea. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a protest against the taxation on tea, hundreds of chests filled with tea were dumped into the Boston Harbor. This was important because it showed the British that the colonists wouldn't put up with tyranny -
intolerable acts
The intolerable acts were made to make money for the government and to have more control over the colonists because they were frequently rioting. These acts were important and a main factor in the colonist's rage that led to the American Revolution. -
1st continental congress
1 person from twelve of Britain's thirteen colonies met to talk about their future under British rule. This was important because this brought together their resistance to the revolution -
2nd continental congress
The representatives met to discuss all the acts. This is important because this is where they discussed the Declaration of Independence -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
The colonists outnumbered the redcoats and shot at them and eventually started the American Revolution to gain back their independence from the British. This was important because it was one of the main battles if not the main battle that led up to the revolution. (the acts that led up to this battle were the Stamp Act, the Boston Massacre, and the Boston Tea Party) -
Olive Branch Petition
The olive branch petition was an attempt by the colonists to avoid war, the colonists offered an olive branch which is a symbol of peace, and a sword that symbolizes war. The king ignored the request and this made people want to fight the British more. This was important because this is what made Thomas Paine write the common sense article that made the colonists want to fight fir their freedom. -
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American revolution
The American Revolution was an 8-year war between America and its colonies and the British (the motherland) this war was fought for American independence. These battles were important because it marked the start of American independence and its 13 colonies -
declaration of independence
The Declaration of Independence was made by people like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. This was signed to be free from British rule. This is important because it ended the motivation of the colonists to move to be free and it marked the beginning of the many colonies that would soon be states in the U.S.A -
Common Sense
Thomas Paine wrote an article arguing that "independence was just common sense" And that they should fight for their independence because they were not protecting themselves for the colonists, they were protecting themselves for themselves. He printed thousands of copies and sent them out to the 13 colonies. This was important because it made most of the colonists want to fight for their independence -
Treaty of paris
The Treaty of Paris was a treaty signed by the Americans and the British to end the American Revolution and confirm American independence. This was important because it made American freedom official and made the colonies able to govern themselves. -
Shays Rebellion
1,500 armed protesters blocked judges from entering the Northampton courthouse, where judges arrested people who failed to pay their taxes. The rebellious colonists went to seize the guns, and it ended in many deaths. This rebellion was important because it exposed the weaknesses of the government. -
Congress ratifies the U.S constitution
A weak government was made so they decided they needed a stronger government so Congress ratified the constitution to create a stronger constitution. This was important because this ended in the people accepting a new constitution that eventually ended in their rights, safety, and happiness -
The Whisky Rebellion
The Whisky Rebellion happened when the farmer's corn supplies were going bad so they fermented the corn to turn it into whiskey so whiskey started to become the main money source for farmers and the government needed money so they taxed whiskey, and the farmers grew very angry, and started rebelling. This was important because this was a turning point in Washington's leadership skills to be on full display. -
XYZ affair
The French are not happy with the U.S., the U.S. has no army so they have a better chance at going to war because they have 0 power. The U.S. broke the treaty with France and made an alliance with Britain. The U.S. wants to make peace with everyone, and if all goes to plan, the us will have no wars. This is important because this was the first time we really saw the U.S. make independent decisions for the better good. -
War of 1812
A war that the Americans and Great Britain fought. This war was fought over the impressment of American sailors by the British navy. Nobody won this war but it was important to the Americans because they had "beaten" Britain and that gave them immense amounts of pride