-
Oct 12, 1492
Christopher Columbus lands in the Americas
-
Jamestown is selected for settlement
The first colonists from England decide to create a settlement in Jamestown, Virginia. -
The French and Indian War begins
A war between the British colonies and those of France which lasted form 1754 to 1763. -
The Boston Tea Party
-
The Battle of Lexington and Concord
-
Ratification of the Declaration of Independence
-
The British surrender at Yorktown
-
The Constitutional Convention of 1787 begins
The purpose of the Convention, which lasted from May 27 to September 17, was to amend the Articles of Confederation. -
Invention of the cotton gin
The cotton gin is invented by Eli Whitney. -
The Alien and Sedition Acts signed into law
-
The Louisiana Purchase
A land deal between the U.S. and France, in which the States gained approximately 827,000 square miles for $15,000. (it was a really good deal) -
The War of 1812 begins
-
The Missouri Compromise is passed
-
Andrew Jackson's election
-
The Panic of 1837
A financial crisis that began a major recession that lasted until the mid-1840s. -
The Trail of Tears
A series of forced relocations of thousands of Native Americans from their homelands to areas in the west that had been designated as "Indian Territory". -
First message sent by telegraph
Sent by inventor Samuel F.B. Morse on May 24, 1844, over an experimental line from Washington, D.C., to Baltimore, the message said: "What hath God wrought?" -
The Mexican-American War begins
An armed conflict which lasted from 1846 to 1848. -
The Compromise of 1850
The compromise of 1850 was a package of five separate bills to diffuse tension between the slave and free states. -
The firing on Fort Sumter
-
The issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation
-
The 13th Amendment passed
The 13th Amendment officially abolished slavery in the United States. -
Surrender at Appomattox Court House
The official end of the Civil War, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to the Union. -
The assassination of Abraham Lincoln
-
14th Amendment passed
The 14th Amendment granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S. -
Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
-
The 15th Amendment passed
The 15th amendment allowed people of all races to vote. -
Invention of the telephone
Alexander Graham Bell successfully tests and patents the telephone. -
Invention of the Electric Light Bulb
Thomas Edison patents the first electric light bulb. -
The organization of Standard Oil Trust
-
The Homestead Strike begins
An unsuccessful strike from June 30 to July 6 which resulted in a battle. -
The Pullman Strike begins
An unsuccessful strike by railroad workers from May 11 to July 20 1894. -
The Spanish-American War begins
The Spanish-American War lasted from April 21, 1898 to August 13, 1898. -
Theodore Roosevelt becomes President
Theodore Roosevelt became America's youngest president in history after the assassination of William McKinley. -
Invention of the airplane
The Wright brothers achieved the first successful powered, sustained, and controlled aircraft flight.
