-
An Italian explorer sailing for Spain who believed that Asia (India) could be reached by sailing west from Europe. His first voyage was in 1492, wherein he discovered North America (Caribbean islands) and named it the West Indies. He will make four voyages to the new world without fully realizing what he had discovered. -
-
An important piece of the Triangular Trade, which took goods such as knives from Europe to Africa, the Middle Passage, which took Africans for slave labor to America, and raw materials, such as sugar, from America to Europe. -
Jamestown was a colony, established May of 1607. It was England's first foothold in the Americas, which was largely dominated by Spain at the time. The colony was named after King James I, for he granted the charter to the colony. -
Plymouth colony was established by a group of around 100 English men and women, many of which were members of the English Separatist Church. This group of people became known as the Pilgrims. They landed in late December of 1620 at Plymouth Rock, in modern day Massachusetts. -
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was one of the original English settlements in modern day Massachusetts. It was settled in 1630 by nearly 1,000 Puritans, who were refuges from England. The colony received their charter from King Charles I, giving them the right to colonize and trade in New England. -
The Southern Colonies stretched from modern day Virginia to Florida, and from coast to coast. These colonies were large farming colonies, harvesting corn, lumber, beef, pork, and eventually even rice. Southern Colonies relied heavily upon slavery, and many of them were involved in the slave trade themselves.
-
Consisting of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, they mostly farmed, hunted, and fished. New York was granted to James, the Duke of York, by his brother, King Charles II. It was settled largely by Dutch, as well as Germans, Scandinavians, and others. New York was one of the most diverse colonies of the Thirteen. -
Made up of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire, and settled largely by Puritans and Jewish, as well as other religious groups, these colonies fished, hunted, and farmed. -
A religious revival among the British-American colonies, it swept through west Europe in the late 17th century. It served to revitalize religion in the colonies. -
Also known the Seven Years' War, it marked the long struggle between Britain and France. They fought from 1756 to 1763, until a treaty was signed. The British received Canada, as well as Florida. This opened the Mississippi Valley for expansion westward. -
The first British parliamentary attempt to tax the colonies. They taxed commercial and legal papers, newspapers, pamphlets, cards, almanacs, and even dice. It was made in an attempt to pay the debt created by the recent wars. -
An encounter between British troops and a crowd in Boston, Massachusetts. It was widely publicized, and contributed to the British unpopularity in America. -
Occurred in the Boston Harbor, 342 chests of tea from the British were dumped into the harbor by american patriots, disguised as Indians. They were protesting the tax on tea. -
The American Revolution was a war between the 13 Colonies and Great Britain, where the colonies won political independence, and would become the United States of America. -
Fights that marked the beginning of the American Revolution. British troops were ordered to seize colonists's military supplies, stored at Concord. On the way there, the 700 British Soldiers were met by 77 local minutemen and any others that could fight, warned by Paul Revere. The British pushed through, and most supplies at Concord had been hidden or destroyed. They were then confronted by nearly 400 patriots, and were forced to withdraw. -
The document that announced the separation of the 13 colonies from Great Britain. The congress voted unanimously voted that they should be "Free and Independent States." It was adopted July 4th, and is still celebrated today. -
A camp for the Continental Army, being led under George Washington. He led 11,000 regulars to winter at Valley Forge, on the west bank of the Schuylkill, northwest of Philadelphia. The site was very defensible, near to trading routes and farm supplies. The winter that followed was a harsh one, but the Army emerged as a strong, fighting machine. -
The battle in Yorktown, Virginia, was more than just a military win. It marked the conclusion of the American Revolutionary War, as well as a newfound independence. It also gave Washington the reputation of a great leader, and got him elected as the first president of the United States. -
The Articles of Confederation served as the first U.S. constitution. Because of how the British controlled the colonies, they wanted to assure that it wouldn't happen again. The document gave Congress power to regulate foreign affairs, wars, postal service, appoint military officers, control Indians, borrow money, determine the value of money, and issue bills. However, it was not effective. This document gave congress no real power, and was soon discarded. -
A movement in Europe and the Americas, created to end the slave trade, and abolish slavery. It was created by the thinking that slavery violated the rights of man. -
The convention that laid out the Constitution. It was forced into motion by financial strain, rebellions, and demand for stronger central government. It was organized to amend the Articles of Confederation. They eventually discarded the idea of amending the article, and went about creating a new document. There were many plans for the new document, but in the end, they went with the Great Compromise, presented by Connecticut.
-
The Industrial Revolution marked a turn from the agricultural economy to more industrial. It started in Britain, and was slow starting in America due to the abundance of land and the lack of workforce. Once the first cotton mill was created, the revolution took off. -
The Bill of Rights is the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution. They were adopted together, on December 15th. They constitute guarantees of rights of individuals, on the federal and state level. -
The Louisiana Purchase was made to buy the western bank of the Mississippi River, as well as much of the plains, from France, at 3 cents per acre. This is still known as the greatest land bargain in U.S. history. This purchase doubled the size of the U.S., and increased the potential for westward expansion. -
A military expedition, led by Captain Meriwether Lewis and Lieutenant William Clark, explored the newly bought Louisiana Purchase. Sent by President Jefferson, the expedition was meant to make contact with the Indian tribes, expand fur trade, and try to find a water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. -
A conflict fought between the US and Great Britain, due to the British violating US marine rights, mainly the US trade routes. It was ended by the Treaty of Ghent. -
Created the conflict of slavery, leading to the Civil War, it allowed Missouri to be admitted into the US. It started a debate over government's ability to control slavery. It restricted slaves from being allowed into Missouri, as well as emancipation of those already there, once they reached the age of 25. -
John Quincy Adams was elected to president, even after Andrew Jackson won the most popular and electoral votes, but failed to receive the majority. -
The first major legislative act made by the US that respected the political rights of Native Americans. This act allowed for the trading of Natives' land for unsettled land in the west. -
A 13 day battle, fought for Texas' independence from Mexico, was fought by between 1800 and 6000 Mexicans, and a mere 200 Texans in the Alamo fort. The Texans lost nearly all of their troops, and the Mexicans lost between 600 and 1600 men. -
Not a railroad, and not underground, but a system meant to help slaves escape to freedom from the South to the North, or Canada. Harriet Tubman was one of the conductors of the railroad, and a freed slave herself. -
The belief that the US was meant to spread from coast to coast, and even beyond. It was meant to reassure anyone questioning the land claims in the west. -
Started over the annexation of Texas, and border claims between Texas and Mexico, it was fought for two years, until the US received territory extending from the Rio Grande to the Pacific. -
The rush of miners to California seeking gold. Caused by the find at Sutter's Mill in '48, it reached it's peak in '52. By 1853, there were over 250,000 miners. They came from every direction, risking disease and death to try their hand at gold. -
A measure proposed to settle issues on slavery, and to put off the separation of the Union. -
A novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, it was very popular due to it's abolitionist viewpoint and dramatizing of the slavery experience -
A small Civil War between pro- and anti-slavery advocates in the territory of Kansas over whether it would be a slave state or a free state. -
A Supreme Court case that decided a slave who had lived in a free state was not entitled to his freedom, and that African Americans could never be citizens of the US. -
A series of debates between Democratic Stephen A. Douglas and Republican Abraham Lincoln. These debates were largely over the issue of slavery. -
A fight between the seceded South Carolina and the Union over a disputed fort. The fort was occupied by the Union soldiers, and surrounded by Confederates. -
11 Southern states that seceded from the Union, creating a war that lasted 5 years. Their way of life (slavery) was largely threatened by the election of Abraham Lincoln, so they withdrew from his rule. -
Fought between the US and the new Confederate States. The Confederate states consisted of South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. -
An order made by President Lincoln that freed the slaves. Before this movement, the plan was to stop the extension of slavery into the western states. -
A speech made by Lincoln after the Battle of Gettysburg. It was a 272 word speech, and a poetic masterpiece. -
A major battle fought during the Civil War, near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and an extreme Southern defeat. Considered the turning point in the war. -
One of the final battles in the Civil War, and the point of surrender made by the Confederates. The surrender was organized between Union General Ulysses S. Grant and Confederate General Robert E. Lee.