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John Rolfe
Who: John Rolfe
Where: Varina Farms, Virginia
When: Some day in May
What: First successful cultivation of tobacco as an export crop in the Colony of Virginia, an English settler
Why: Virginia Colony almost destroyed by famine and disease -
House of Burgesses
Who: Elected representative in North America
Where: Jamestown, Virginia
What: The first legislative assembly
Why: As an effort to encourage English craftsmen to settle in North America and to make conditions in the colony more agreeable for its current inhabitants -
Mayflower Compact
Who: Separatists
Where: The Mayflower
What: The first governing document of Plymouth Colony
Why: The storm that forced the landing of the Mayflower to be in Cape Cod made some of the passengers assume that they have freedom from the king -
Bacon's Rebellion
Who: Virginia settlers, leader is Nathaniel Bacon
Where: Jamestown, Colony of Virginia
When: some day in 1676
What: An armed rebellion against the rule of Governor William Berkeley
Why: Governor William Berkeley did not attend to the demands of the settlers on their safety to keep his trading with the Indians -
Salem Witch Trials
Who: "Witches"
Where: Colonial Massachusetts
When: Feb. 1692 - May 1963
What: A series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft
Why: The people believed that it was because of the dark magic of the witches, or witchcraft in general, that caused the unfortunate events that happened -
Zenger Case
Who: John Peter Zenger
Where: New York City, New York
What: He was arrested and charged with seditious libel
Why: For publishing a newspaper in New York to voice his disagreement with the trivial policies of newly appointed colonial governor William Cosby -
Stono Rebellion
Who: Native Africans from Kingdom of Kongo, Kongolese slaves, leader is Jemmy (or Cato)
Where: Colony of South Carolina
What: Slave rebellion
Why: They were inspired by some of the accounts of slaves gaining freedom by going into Spanish territory, which was Florida -
Fort Necessity
Who: British-America, Gerge Washington, Jamees Mackay; French, Louis Coulon de Villiers
Where: The mountaintop hamlet of Farmington in Fayette County, Pennsylvania part of suburban Pittsburgh
What: One of the first battles of the French and Indian War and George Washington's only military surrender
Why: New France became more agressive in removing the British traders and colonist from the area, which led to the building of Fort Necessity -
Albany Plan
Who: Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Chew, Richard Peters, Isaac Norris, Pennsylvania delegation, Congress
Where: Albany, New York
What: A proposal to create a unified government for the Thirteen Colonies
Why: To join as one government so that the political stuff would be given to the government to see to it -
Boston Massacre
Who: British Army soldiers, Civilians
What: British Army soldiers killed five civilian men and injured six others
Where: Boston, Massachusetts
Why: British troops who were ordered to protect colonial officials were subjected to verbal abuse harassment and fired into the crowd without orders -
Coercive Acts
Who: British Government
Where: Boston, Massachusetts
What: A series of laws passed by the British Parliament. It took away Massachusetts rights and government
Why: In response to the Boston Tea Party -
Declaration of Independence
Who: Continental Congress
What: The 13 colonies declared their independence from Great Britain
Where: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Why: The colonies wanted their independence and natural and legal rights -
Whiskey Rebellion
Who: U.S. Marshals, Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, Farmers/Rebels
Where: Western pennsylvania
When: 1791-1794
What: A tax protest against treasury secretary Alexander Hamilton
Why: Hamilton made a new tax that forces farmers to pay tax for using leftover corn and grain to make whiskey. Also, it shows how the government can surpress rebellions to their laws -
Cotton Gin
Who: Eli Whitney
Where: Unites States
What: A machine that removes cotton fiber from its seed
Why: It made getting cotton easier and faster while the manual way took a considerable amount of work -
Alien and Sedition Acts
Who: Federalists, John Adams
Where: Unites States
What: Four bills that were passed by the Federalists
Why: It was to guard against threats from the French -
Marbury vs. Madison
Who: John Marshall, Williams Marbury, James Madison
Where: United States
When: Argued on Feb. 11, 1803
What: A landmark United States Supreme Court case
Why: To find the boundary between the executive and judicial branches -
Lewis and Clark
Who: Meriwether Lewis, William Clark
Where: St. Louis to the Pacific Coast
When: May 1804 - Sept. 1806
What: The first American expedition that crossed Western U.S.
Why: To explore, map, find a route across it, and establish a claim to the territory before the others -
Missouri Compromise
Who: United States Congress
Where: Missouri, United States
What: A regulation of slavery in the western territories
Why: To balance the free states and slave states -
Monroe Doctrine
Who: President James Monroe, John Quincy Adams
Where: United States
What: A policy about how the U.S. will not meddle into the European countries or colonies
Why: To free new independent colonies in Latin America from Europe -
Trail of Tears
Who: Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek), Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw
Where: Their homelands to Indian territory (Oklahoma)
What: Forced removal and relocation of Native Americans
Why: For more area for White settlements -
The Alamo
Who: Mexican troops, leader is President General Antonio López de Santa Anna; Texians, leader is Alamo co-commanders James Bowie and William B. Travis
Where: Near San Antonio de Béxar (modern-day San Antonio, Texas, USA)
When: February 23 – March 6, 1836
What: Santa Anna launched an attack on the Alamo Mission
Why: The Texians had driven all Mexican troops out of Mexican Texas -
Manifest Destiny
Who: Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, Douglas MacArthur, and George W. Bush
Where: Westward across the continent
When: Mid-nineteenth century
What: The belief of American settlers destined to expand across the nation
Why: The Democrats used to justify events with this belief -
Seneca Falls Convention
Who: New York women, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Where: Seneca Falls, New York
When: July 19 and 20, 1848
What: First convention led by women about women's rights
Why: For the roles of women in society and women's rights -
Compromise of 1850
Who: Stephen Douglas, Henry Clay
Where: United States
What: Five bills passed to stop the slave states and free states from arguing over land
Why: To difuse a confrontation between the free and slave states -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Who: Harriet Beecher Stowe
Where: United States
What: An anti-slavery novel
Why: To show people the other side of slavery -
Dred Scott Case
Who: Dred Scott
Where: Missouri, Unites States
When: Argued on Feb. 11-14, 1856
What: A landmark decision on African Americans cannot be American citizens
Why: Scott, haven been taken into free states, sued for his and his family's freedom while stating other cases similar to his -
Emancipation Proclamation
Who: President Abraham Lincoln
Where: During the American Civil War
What: An executive order to free the slaves in the ten states that still has rebellions
Why: It was a war goal of uniting the Union -
KKK Force Acts
Who: United States Congress
Where: United States
What: Three bills passed to keep Blacks' rights
Why: To improve conditions for the Blacks -
Shays' Rebellion
Who: Daniel Shay, Protesters, War Veterans
Where: Central and Western Massachusetts
When: August 29, 1786 – June 1787
What: An armed uprising against
Why: The financial difficulties and harsh government policies on tax and debts -
Spanish American War
Who: Americans, Spanish
Where: Cuba, Puerto Rico, Philippines, and Guam
When: April 25, 1898 – August 12, 1898
What: A conflict between Spain and U.S.
Why: The Americans intervened the Cuban War of Independence -
Zimmermann Telegram
Who: Arthur Zimmermann, Heinrich von Eckardt
Where: Washington to Mexico
What: A diplomatic proposal from Germany for Mexico to join them
Why: The Americans are joining in World War I -
Harlem Renaissance
Who: African-Americans
Where: Harlem, New York
What: A cultural movement
Why: To expose the cultures of Blacks into American history -
Black Tuesday
Who: Stock Exchange Companies
Where: Wall Street
What: Most devastating stock market crash, beginning of Great Depression
Why: The crash of the London Stock Exchange cause the increase in pprice and trade -
New Deal
Who: U.S. Congress, President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Where: United States
When: 1933 - 1938
What: A series of programs enacted in response to the GReat Depression
Why: To recover, relief, and reform the economy -
Pearl Harbor
Who: Empire of Japan
Where: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory, US
What: A surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base
Why: It was an action to prevent U.S. Pacific Fleet from interfering with military actions against oversea territories -
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Who: United States
Where: Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan
when: Hiroshima-6 Aug., 1945; Nagasaki-9 Aug., 1945
What: Atomic bombings by U.S.
Why: It was during World War II -
Truman Doctrine
Who: Harry S. Truman
Where: US
What: An international relations policy stating that the U.S. would support Greece and Turkey with economic and military aid to prevent them from falling into the Soviet sphere
Why: To help free people from being subjugated by outside forces -
Brown V. Board of Education
Who: Oliver Brown, Board of Education
Where: Topeka, Kansas
When: Argued on Dec. 9, 1952, Again on Dec. 8, 1953
What: A landmark United States Supreme Court case about blacks and whites learning together
Why: To change their policies on racial segregation -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Who: United States Congress
Where: United States
What: A joint resolution in response to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident
Why: President Johnson authorize military in Southeast Asia and the resolution is for giving the Presidents authorization to do anything needed -
Tet Offensive
Who: Viet Cong, South Vietnam, United States, and allies
Where: Vietnam
What: It is one of the largest campaigns of the Vietnam War
Why: It was a cease fire for the Tet Lunar New Year celebration -
Watergate
Who: Richard Nixon, five burglars
Where: Washington, D.C.
What: A political scandal of the break-in of the Water office Complex
Why: The cash was found going to Nixon's campaign -
Iran Hostage Crisis
Who: President Carter, Iranians
Where: Tehran, Iran
When: November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981
What: Fifty two Americans were held hostage
Why: Iran wanted the Shah back for punishment on his reign -
Iran Contra Scandal
Who: President Reagan and co.
Where: United States
When: Aug. 20, 1985 - March 4, 1987
What: A political scandal where the senior administration official gave Iran arms sale
Why: It was to free seven hostages in captivity by a group in ties with Iran -
Challenger Explosion
Who: Seven crew members
What: Space shuttle "Challenger" exploded 73 seconds into the flight
Where: Atlantic Ocean, off coast of central Florida
Why: O-ring seal in right solid rocket booster failed at liftoff -
9/11
Who: Al-Qaeda terrorists, Osama Bin Laden, passengers on the planes
Where: New York City and the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, Twin towers, Pentagon, and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania
What: A series of four coordinated terrorist attacks launched by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda on the twin towers
Why: U.S. support of Israel, presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, and sanctions against Iraq
