US history A timeline By Milo Amakasu Aug 12, 1490 Discovery of America by Columbus May 13, 1607 Settlement of Jamestown Period: 1754 to 1763 French and Indian War Dec 16, 1773 Boston Tea Party Apr 19, 1775 Battle of Lexington and Concord Jul 4, 1776 Declaration of Independence Sep 28, 1781 Battle of Yorktown May 25, 1787 Constitutional Convention Mar 14, 1794 Invention of the Cotton Gin Jun 18, 1798 Alien and Sedition acts 1803 Louisiana Purchase 1812 War of 1812 Mar 3, 1820 Missouri Compromise 1828 Andrew Jackson Election Period: 1831 to 1839 Trail of Tears 1837 Invention of the Telegraph 1837 Panic of 1837 Apr 25, 1846 Mexican-American War 1850 Compromise of 1850 Apr 12, 1861 Firing on Fort Sumter Jan 1, 1863 Emancipation Proclamation Apr 9, 1865 Surrender at Appomattax Court house Apr 14, 1865 Abraham Lincoln's Assassination Period: 1867 to 1870 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments Feb 24, 1868 Andrew Johnson's Impeachment 1876 Invention of the Telephone 1879 Invention of the Electric light 1882 Organization of the Standard Oil Trust Period: 1892 to 1894 Pullman and Homestead Strikes 1898 Spanish-American War Sep 14, 1901 Theodore Roosevelt becomes President 1903 Invention of the Airplane