U.S. History to 1600-1877

Jamestown

May 13, 1607

First permanent English Settlement in what is now the United States.

Virginia House of Burgesses

Jul 30, 1619

First form of Representation Colonies

Mayflower Compact

Nov 11, 1620

First written framework of Government in what is now the United States.
Written by Puritans and Pilgrams to establish order in the colony of Plymouth.

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

Jan 14, 1639

Basic laws of Connecticut until 1662

French and Indian War

Dec 5, 1754

1754-1763
Fought over Ohio River Valley and other territories in North America.

Proclamation of 1763

Dec 19, 1763

Mainly intended to conciliate the Indians by checking the encroachment of settlers on their lands.

War Ends

Dec 19, 1763

Treaty of Paris

Dec 19, 1763

Ended the French and Indian War.

Currency Act

Sep 1, 1764

Passed by the British Parliament on September 1, 1764 as part of Prime Minister George Grenville's plan, along with the Sugar Act and the Stamp Act, to reduce the British national debt

Stamp Act and Quartering Act

Dec 19, 1765

Stamp Act: First direct tax imposed by Britain on its American colonies. Under the Stamp Act, all printed materials and commercial documents as well as printed material including, newspapers, pamphlets, bills, legal documents, licenses, almanacs, dice and playing cards, were taxed and had to carry a special stamp. Quartering Act: Required the colonies to provide barracks and supplies to British troops. Under the law, the colonist had to give quarters, food, and transportation to the soldiers.

Townshend Act

Dec 19, 1767

They were designed to collect revenue from the colonists in America by putting customs duties on imports of glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea.

Boston Massacre

Mar 5, 1770

Only killed 5 men.
African American died first. (Crispus Attucks)

Tea Act

May 10, 1773

Main purpose was not to raise revenue from the colonies but to bail out the floundering East India Company, a key actor in the British economy.

Boston Tea Party

Dec 16, 1773

Seized 342 chests of tea in a midnight raid on three tea ships and threw them into the harbor.

1st Continential Congress

Sep 5, 1774

Met in Philadelphia from Sept. 5 to Oct. 26, 1774, to protest the Intolerable Acts.

Intolerable Act

Dec 19, 1774

Britain responded to the Boston Tea Party in 1774 by passing several laws that became known in America as the Intolerable Acts.

Intolerable Acts

Dec 19, 1774

Were made to make the colonist pay for the tea and to keep them from planning other attacks.

Battle of Lexington and Concord

Apr 19, 1775

The Battles of Lexington and Concord, fought on April 19, 1775, kicked off the American Revolutionary War.

2nd Continental Congress

May 10, 1775

Met at the State House in Philadelphia.
Established the militia as the Continental Army to represent the thirteen states. They also elected George Washington as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army.

Declaration of Independence

Jul 4, 1776

2nd Continental Congress
Break up letter to King of England

Battle of Saratoga

Sep 20, 1777

Is considered the turning point of the Revolutionary War.

Valley Forge

Dec 20, 1777

Washington took his troops here and they suffered hunger and coldness.

Articles of Confederation

Dec 31, 1777

Set up first U.S. government. Was very weak.

Battle of Yorktown and Articles of Confederation were in force

Dec 31, 1781

Last battle of American Revolution

Treaty of Paris

Dec 31, 1783

Ended the revolutionary war and recognized American independence.

Constitutional Convention

Feb 16, 1787

February 1787, to call for a convention of delegates to meet in May in Philadelphia "to devise such further provisions as shall appear to them necessary to render the constitution of the Federal Government adequate to the exigencies of the Union."

3/5 Compromise

Dec 17, 1787

Slavery, taxes, representation.
Slaves were counted as 3/5 of a person.

Great Compromise

Dec 17, 1787

House of representation

Constitution is Written

Dec 31, 1787

Washington Takes Office

Dec 31, 1789

Bill of Rights

Dec 17, 1791

Limited the powers of the King and set the rights of Parliament.Freedom of speech in Parliament.Set the requirement to regular elections. The right to petition the monarch without fear of retribution. The liberty of to have arms for their defense.

Genet Affair

Dec 31, 1793

A foreign affair

Whiskey Rebellion

Dec 31, 1794

Pinckney’s Treaty

Dec 31, 1795

Encouraged American settlers to continue westward expansion, and made frontier areas more attractive and lucrative.

Jay's Treaty

Dec 31, 1796

Created to lessen tention between Englad and U.S.

Adams Takes Office

Dec 31, 1797

XYZ Affair

Dec 31, 1797

Alien and Sedition Acts

Dec 31, 1798

Created to keep immigrants out of the United States

Quasi War Begins

Dec 31, 1798

Jefferson Takes Office

Dec 31, 1801

Louisiana Purchase

Dec 31, 1803

Jefferson buys more land and doubles the size of the United States

Marbury v. Madison

Dec 31, 1803

Marbury tries to keep Madision from becoming Supreme Court

Lewis and Clark Expedition

Dec 31, 1804

Embargo Act of 1807

Dec 31, 1807

McCulloch v. Maryland

Dec 31, 1819

Abilitie to make national bank.

Gibbons v. Ogden

Dec 31, 1824

Arguing over who gets to use the river.