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A historical timeline of the United States political landscape from 1784-2017
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Delaware becomes the 1st state to become a state. It was named in the honor of the early Virginia governor, Lord De La Warr.
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Pennsylvania becomes the 2nd state. It was named in the honor of Admiral William Penn and his son of the same name, the founder of Pennsylvania.
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New Jersey becomes the 3rd state. It was named by James, Duke of York, who was given the state from his brother, King Charles II of England.
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Georgia becomes the 4th state. It was named to honor King George II of England.
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Connecticut becomes the 5th state. The name came from the word "quonehtacut", a Mohican/Algoquin word that means "long tidal river"
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Massachusetts becomes the 6th state. It was named for an Algonquian Indian word that means "a big hill place"
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Maryland becomes the 7th state. It was named to honor the Queen consort Henrietta Maria (1609-1669), the wife of King Charles I
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South Carolina becomes the 8th state. It was named in the honor of King Charles I
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New Hampshire becomes the 9th state. It was named by Captain John Mason for Hampshire, England
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Virginia becomes the 10th state. It was named for Queen Elizabeth I of England, known as the Virgin Queen.
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New York becomes the 11th state. It was named in the honor of the Duke of York
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Unaffiliated George Washington becomes the first President of the United States. His Vice President was John Adams
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North Carolina becomes the 12th state. It was named to honor King Charles I
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Rhode Island becomes the 13th state. It was named after either the Island of Rhodes or Dutch explorer Adriaen Block may have named it "Rood Eylandt" which means Red Island in Dutch for it's red clay.
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Vermont becomes the 14th state. The name comes from "mont vert" a French word that means "green mountain"
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Kentucky becomes the 15th state. It's name is from the Iroquois Indian word "Ken-tah-ten,", meaning "land of tomorrow"
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Tennessee becomes the 16th state. The name is from a Cherokee village in the region called "Tanasie"
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Federalist John Adams becomes the 2nd President of the United States, previously the first Vice President. His Vice President was Thomas Jefferson.
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Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson becomes the 3rd President of the United States. His Vice President was Aaron Burr and then George Clinton.
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Ohio becomes the 17th state. The name comes from an Iroquois Indian word meaning "good river" or "large river"
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The Louisiana Purchase gave the Louisiana territory to the United States from France.
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Democratic-Republican James Madison becomes the 4th President of the United States. His Vice President was George Clinton and then Elbridge Gerry, who both died in office.
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Louisiana becomes the 18th state. It was named by French explorer Sieur de La Salle to honor King Louis XIV
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Indiana becomes the 19th state. The name refers to the Indians.
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Democratic-Republican James Monroe becomes the 5th President of the United States. His Vice President was Daniel D. Tompkins.
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Mississippi becomes the 20th state. The name comes from the Ojibwa (Chippewa) Indian words "mici zibi," which means "great river" or "gathering of waters"
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Illinois becomes the 21st state. The name comes from the word Illini, a confederation of the Cahokia, Kaskaskia, Michigamea, Moingwena, Peoria and Tamaroa Indian tribes
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Alabama becomes the 22nd state. The name comes from the language of local Creek Indians, it means "tribal town"
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Maine becomes the 23rd state. It's name refers to the mainland.
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Missouri becomes the 24th state. It's name is an Algonquian Indian word that means "river of the big canoes"
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Democratic-Republican John Quincy Adams becomes the 6th President of the United States. His Vice President was John C. Calhoun.
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Democrat Andrew Jackson becomes the 7th President of the United States. His Vice President was John C. Calhoun who resigned then Martin Van Buren.
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Arkansas becomes the 25th state. It's name is from the Quapaw (Sioux) word "acansa," which means "downstream place" or "south wind"
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Democrat Martin Van Buren becomes the 8th President of the United States. His Vice President was Richard Mentor Johnson
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Michigan becomes the 26th state. It's name is from an Algonquian Chippewa Indian word "meicigama" that means "big sea wate", referring to the Great Lakes
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A financial crisis in the United States that began a major recession that lasted till the mid-1840s.
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Whig William Henry Harrison becomes the 9th President of the United States. His Vice President was John Taylor. He died in office and was succeeded by Taylor.
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Whig and later in his second term Unaffiliated John Tyler becomes the 10th President of the United States in William Henry Harrison's place. He did not have a Vice President.
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Florida becomes the 27th state. It was originally found by Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon and named the "Pascua de Florida," meaning "Feast of Flowers", claiming it for Spain
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Democrat James K. Polk becomes the 11th President of the United States. His Vice President was George M. Dallas
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Texas becomes the 28th state. It's name came from the Caddo Indians of eastern Texas who called their tribes "Tejas", meaning "those who are friends"
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Iowa becomes the 29th state. The name comes from Ioway, the French word for the Bah-kho-je Indian tribe that lived in the area
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Wisconsin becomes the 30th state. The name is from an Indian word, but it's origin is unknown. It might be an Algonquian Indian word that means "long river", or a Chippewa/Ojibwa/Anishinabe word, "ouisconsin", that means "grassy place," or "gathering of the waters."
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Whig Zachary Taylor becomes the 12th President of the United States. His Vice President was Millard Fillmore. He died in office and was succeeded by Fillmore.
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Whig Millard Fillmore becomes the 13th President of the United States in Zachary Taylor's place. He did not have a Vice President.
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California becomes the 31st state. Its name comes from a mythical Spanish island ruled by a queen called Califia that was featured in a Spanish romance ("Las Sergas de Esplandian") written by Garcia Ordonez de Montalvo in 1510. The Spanish explorers originally thought that California was an island.
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Democrat Franklin Pierce becomes the 14th President of the United States. His Vice President was William R. King then in his second term had no Vice President due to King's death.
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Democrat James Buchanan becomes the 15th President of the United States. His Vice President was John C. Breckinridge.
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Minnesota becomes the 32nd state. The name is from a Dakota Sioux Indian word that means "cloudy water" or "sky water" and refers to local rivers
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Oregon becomes the 33rd state. The origin of the name is unknown but it may have come from the French word Ouragan (which means Hurricane) and was a former name of the Columbia River
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Kansas becomes the 34th state. It was named for Konza (also called Kansa or Kaw) Indians who lived in the area
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Republican (National Union) Abraham Lincoln becomes the 16th President of the United States. His Vice President was Hannibal Hamlin and then Andrew Johnson. He was assassinated while in office and was succeeded by Johnson
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The American Civil War took place from 1861 to 1865. The result of the war abolished slavery, destructed the Confederate States.
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West Virginia becomes the 35th state. It was named for Queen Elizabeth I, known as the Virgin Queen.
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Nevada becomes the 36th state. Its name is from the Spanish word meaning "snowcapped"
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President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in Ford's Theatere in Washington D.C.. He was shot in the head.
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National Union then Democrat Andrew Johnson becomes the 17th President of the United States in the place of Abraham Lincoln. He did not have a Vice President.
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Nebraska becomes the 37th state. Its name is from an Oto Indian word that means "flat water", referring to the Platte River, which means "flat river" in French
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Republican Ulysses S. Grant becomes the 18th President of the United States. His Vice President was Schuyler Colfax then Henry Wilson who died in office, leaving it vacant.
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Colorado becomes the 38th state. The is Spanish meaning the "color red," and refers to the Colorado River
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Republican Rutherford B. Hayes becomes the 19th President of the United States. His Vice President was William A. Wheeler.
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Republican James A. Garfield becomes the 20th President of the United States. His Vice President was Chester A. Arthur. He was assasinated while in office and was succeeded by Arthur
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President James A. Garfield was assassinated by Charles J. Guiteau at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in Washington D.C..
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Republican Chester A. Arthur becomes the 21st President of the United States in the place of James A. Garfield. He did not have a Vice President.
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Democrat Grover Cleveland become the 22nd President of the United States. His Vice President was Thomas A. Hendricks who died in office, leaving the office vacant.
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Republican Benjamin Harrison become the 23rd President of the United States. His Vice President was Levi P. Morton.
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North Dakota becomes the 39th state. Dakota is what the Sioux Indians called themselves.
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South Dakota becomes the 40th state. Dakota is what the Sioux Indians called themselves.
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Montana becomes the 41st state. The name comes from the Spanish word for mountainous.
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Washington becomes the 42nd state. The state was named after George Washington, the first President of the United States.
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Idaho becomes the 43rd state. The origin of the name is unknown.
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Wyoming becomes the 44th state. The name may come from the Delaware Indian word "Maughwauwama," which means "large plains"
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Republican Grover Cleveland, previously the 22nd President, becomes the 24th President of the United States. His Vice President was Adlai Stevenson.
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Utah becomes the 45th state. Its name is from the Ute Indians.
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Republican William McKinley becomes the 25th President of the United States. His Vice President was Garret Hobart who died in office and later Theodore Roosevelt in his second term. He was assassinated while in office and was succeeded by Theodore Roosevelt.
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William McKinley is assassinated by Leon Czologosz in Buffalo, New York. He was shot to "advance anarchism"
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Republican Theodore Roosevelt becomes the 26th President of the United States in place of William McKinley. His first term had no Vice President then had Charles W. Fairbanks in his second term as Vice President.
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Oklahoma becomes the 46th state. The name is from the Choctaw Indian words "okla" meaning people and "humma" meaning red
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Republican William Howard Taft becomes the 27th President of the United States. His Vice President was James S. Sherman who died in office, leaving it vacant.
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New Mexico becomes the 47th state. It was named by the Spanish in reference to Mexico
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Arizona becomes the 48th state. The origin is not certain but it could be from the Aztec Indian word "arizuma," that means "silver-bearing," from the Tohono O'odham Indian word "Aleh-zone" which means "small spring," or the Pima Indian word "Ali shonak" which also means "small spring."
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Democrat Woodrow Wilson becomes the 28th President of the United States. His Vice President was Thomas R. Marshall.
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Republican Warren G. Harding becomes the 29th President of the United States. His Vice President was Calvin Coolidge. He died in office and was succeeded by Coolidge.
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Republican Calvin Coolidge becomes the 30th President of the United States in the place of Warren G. Harding. His first term he did not have a Vice President but in his second he had Charles G. Dawes as his Vice President.
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Republican Herbert Hoover becomes the 31st President of the United States. His Vice President was Charles Curtis
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Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes the 32nd President of the United States. His first and second term Vice President was John Nance Garner. His third term Vice President was Henry A. Wallace. His fourth term Vice President was Harry S. Truman. He died in office and was succeeded by Truman.
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Democrat Harry S. Truman becomes the 33rd President of the United States in place of Franklin D. Roosevelt. His first term he had no Vice President and in his second his Vice President was Alben W. Barkley.
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Signed to settle peace and alliance with the U.S. and Europe. Created NATO, National Atlantic Treaty Organization.
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Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes the 34th President of the United States. His Vice President for both of his terms was Richard Nixon
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Alaska becomes the 49th state. The name is from the Aleut Indian word "alaxsxaq" or "agunalaksh" that means the mainland or shore.
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Hawaii becomes the 50th state. It may been named for the traditional home of the Polynesians, Hawaii or Hawaiki, called "Owhyhee"
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Democrat John F. Kennedy becomes the 35th President of the United States. His Vice President was Lyndon B. Johnson. He was assassinated in office and Johnson succeeded him.
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President JFK is assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas. He was shot in a sniper style.
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Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson becomes the 36th President of the United States. The Vice President office was vacant and then Hubert Humphrey became the Vice President.
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Republican Richard Nixon becomes the 37th President of the United States. His Vice President was Spiro Agnew, who resigned leaving the office vacant. His second Vice President was Gerald Ford. Nixon resigned from office and was succeeded by Ford.
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The Watergate scandal was a break in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate hotel/office. It led to President Nixon resigning.
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Republican Gerald Ford become the 38th President of the United States in the place of Richard Nixon. His Vice President was Nelson Rockefeller after the Vice President office was vacant.
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Democrat Jimmy Carter becomes the 39th President of the United States. His Vice President was Walter Mondale.
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Republican Ronald Reagan becomes the 40th President of the United States. His Vice President was George H. W. Bush.
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Republican George H. W. Bush becomes the 41st President of the United States. His Vice President was Dan Quayle.
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Democrat Bill Clinton becomes the 42nd President of the United States. His Vice President was Al Gore.
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Republican George W. Bush becomes the 43rd President of the United States. His Vice President was Dick Cheney.
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9/11 was four coordinated terrorist attacks against the United States by an Islamic group, al-Qaeda. They used hijacked planes to crash into buildings and people. It killed nearly 3,000 people and injured over 6,000. Most notably they attacked the World Trade Center in New York. Another place crashed into The Pentagon in Virginia. Another was initially going to Washington D.C. but crashed in Pennsylvania.
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Democrat Barack Obama becomes the 44th President of the United States. This makes him the first African American President in U.S. history. His Vice President was Joe Biden.
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Republican Donald Trump becomes the 45th President of the United States. His Vice President is Mike Pence.
