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Aug 1, 1492
Christopher Columbus (1451 - 1506)
Christopher Columbus born of Genoa, Italy had great ambitions for exploration. He was determined to find a better trade root to get to the West Indies. Columbus was finally able to get support from Queen Isabella from Spain to finance his exploration.Columbus reached the island that today we call the Bahamas; he thought he had reached an island off of Asia. He was important because his achievements gave Europeans interest to follow for more discoveries. -
Jan 1, 1540
New World Crops
With findings of a new continent comes along new crops and resources. The Indians introduced the New Americans (consisting of Europeans) to corn, squash and many other things. The Europeans brought all these new items back to Europe. On the other hand The Europeans introduced items such as sugar and bananas. They not only swapped crops but always animals and diseases. The new crops world crops were important because it has head to what types of food we eat today. -
Jamestown - 1607
Due to the English defeat over the Spanish in 1588 leads to the interest of the English colonizing the New World quickly. James I issued the charter for the London Company to set sail for Virginia. In 1607 they reached the coast with only 104 out of 144 surviving the journey. They sailed up the Chesapeake Bay and into the river and settled on the peninsula that we know as Jamestown. The settlement of Jamestown was important because it was the first English settlement. -
"The Headright System" - 1618
The “Headright System” started in 1618 as an attempt to solve the labor issues due to the rapid increase of the tobacco economy. This lead the Virginia Company to grant people land for their labor. Each new settler would receive fifty acres of land; so a family of 4 that could work would receive two hundred acres. The importance of The “Headright System” was that it encouraged families to come to America instead of just one or maybe two. -
Birth of American Slavery
American Slavery began in 1619 with the Dutch bringing a ship of 20 or so Negroes to the New World. The colonist saw the Negroes as their servants that would help them for a period of time and then they would free them. Even though colonists were happier using the Englishmen as labor this was the beginning of enslavement. By the 1670s is where you see slavery at its full blossom. The birth of American Slavery is very important because it leads slavery and mistreating of Negros in the colonies. -
Plymouth Plantation
The Puritan Separatist of England whom called themselves The “Pilgrims” set sail for Virginia in 1620 on the Mayflower. They didn’t land in Virginia, they ended up in what we know was Cape Cod. They set up shop in Plymouth which was outside of London Company’s territory which meant that they didn’t have to follow their rules. The settlement of Plymouth is important because it was where the natives and the colonists first work together to survive. -
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The Enlightenment - 17th Century
The Enlightenment started in Europe and then America began to borrow ideas. This produced many great thinkers. “The Enlightenment was a product of scientific and intellectual discoveries”. (83) This helped people look at themselves for guidance instead of looking to God. America had many great men come from The Enlightenment such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson and Franklin helped write the Constitution. -
Establishment of Pennsylvania
Charles II had a debt with William Penn’s father. To settle this debt Charles II gave the territory between New York and Maryland to William Penn and the King named the territory after Penn’s father Pennsylvania. William Penn was a Quaker which led to Pennsylvania becoming a Quaker colony. The establishment of PA was also important because it was a colony that got along with the Indians and didn't just take away their land; they paid for land that they might have wanted from the natives. -
The Great Awakening - 1730s
The Great Awakening was the first American Revival. The revival appealed to women and sons who did not stand to inherit much land. The revivals wanted people to break away from the constraints of their past and be able to start new. They wanted everyone to have a new beginning with God. People were broken into groups New Lights and Old Lights. The New lights were all about the fresh start; they saw education was the means for furthering religion. -
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Seven Years War
The Seven Years' War, also known as the French and Indian War in America, was a battle for dominance in the New World. The war began in the late 1750s. The British were fighting the other powers present on the North American continent, which were the French and the Indians. The war finally ended in the early 1760s when the British made the final victory over the French and the Indians. This was the deciding factor of who gained the supreme power over the North American continent. -
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Stamp Act
The Stamp Act of 1765 was in a series of acts set forth by the British. This particular act taxed all printed items in the colonies. This included newspapers, wills, deeds, licenses, and many more. The colonists were not pleased with this taxation, but couldn't do anything about it, until the Virginia House of Burgesses got Americans to fight back. It was important because it showed that Americans wanted to take action against the English and their taxations. -
Andrew Jackson - (March 15, 1767 - June 8, 1845)
Andrew Jackson was the seventh president of the United States and is seen as a very important president. He was the founder of the Democratic Party and was a man that hadn’t grown up from wealth but just an average man that made himself out of pretty much nothing. He was the first president that had a campaign when he ran for presidency. He wanted everyone to have the chance to vote instead of just the wealth land owning white men. -
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The American Revolution
The start of the American Revolution occurred at the Battle of Lexington and Concord in 1775. This was a fight between the colonies and Britain, and later with the assistance of France. The first phase of the war occurred in the New England region of the colonies.The war finally ended in 1781 at Yorktown. This was when the British general had to surrender because he was surrounded by troops both on land and sea. The colonies had won the revolution it gave the colonists their freedom. -
Lexington and Concord
The battles that occurred at Lexington and Concord started when the British, who were stationed in Boston, hearing word that there was an excess supply of gunpowder in Concord.In Lexington several minutemen waited for the troops arrival to stop their approach to Concord. The British advanced to Concord after the victory over the minutemen. It was important because it was the first shots of the American Revolution. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a step forward for the colonists to rid themselves of British control. The Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to compose the declaration. The main writer of the document was Thomas Jefferson. The formal declaration was composed on July 2, 1776. On July 4, 1776 the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence. This was the start of the colonies gaining their independence from Britain's control. -
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Shays' Rebellion
Shays' rebellion was a riot led by Daniel Shays. Shays had a set of demands he wanted issued such as, paper currency, tax relief, suspension on debts, and no imprisonment for not paying debt. In late 1786 Shays and his folloers went to Springfield, Massachusetts to capture weapons. The state militia was sent out in early 1787 to stop the riot that Shays was causing. It was important because it caused the United States to realized the needed for a national governement to make laws. -
The Constitution of 1787
The Constitution was written mostly by James Madison. It was created to establish a national government with power being diverse. The Constitution did leave some important powers to the state. This was so the national government wouldn’t have all the sovereignty. To avoid tyranny the Constitution established that all types of power would “check” each other. This prevented one group of having too much power. -
The Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments of the Constitution are known as The Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights is a document that many state delegates agreed that the rights of the citizens needed to be enforced. It was first drafted by the first Congress in early 1789. On September 25, 1789 Congress approved twelve amendments. Nine of these amendments were rights that limited the government to not violate certain rights given to the people. -
Jay's Treaty
Jay’s treaty began in 1794 when the British navy began capturing American ships that were in trade with the French West Indies. John Jay, who at the time was chief justice of the Supreme Court, was appointed to go to England and negotiate with them. Jay was told to demand that the British forces still in the United States to leave. He was also told to get compensation for the assault of the American ships from the British. -
Marbury v. Madison
Marbury v. Madison was a very important judicial decision in the history of the courts. In this very important event it declared a congressional act unconstitutional. When Jefferson had become president the last night of Adam’s in office he made his “midnight appointments” which were to appoint people to certain jobs within congress so that Federalist still had majority control. William Marbury was named justice of the peace in the District of Columbia during Adam’s “midnight appointments”. -
The Louisiana Purchase
In April 30, 1803 Livingston and Monroe had signed the deal with Napoleon of France for the purchase of the Louisiana Territory. Jefferson had purchased the Louisiana Territory for 15 million and also included in certain exclusive commercial privileges within New Orleans. Jefferson accepted the Louisiana Territory into the union and this was going to allow exploration and more territory to trade with. The purchase of Louisiana Territory was important because it connect us with the west. -
Madison's Non-Intercourse Act
Just before Madison took office Congress passed the Non-Intercourse Act which put a stop to Jefferson’s Embargo; which had stopped American ships from leaving the US to export any goods. This Act reopened trade with all nations except for Great Britain and France. Then in 1811 the Act had expired and the Macon’s Bill No. 2 was authorized it allowed trade with France as long as they didn’t cause violent acts against neutral ships. Britain still be stubborn didn’t agree. -
Second Bank of the United States
Due to the War of 1812 it made Congress come to the realization for the need for another national bank. At this time many state banks had issued massive quantities of banknotes but no one knew what their real worth was. This made it so that the national banks could have so control of how much the state banks were issuing since they couldn’t stop the state banks from issuing notes. If a bank didn’t follow the guidelines they would have been forced out of business. -
The Panic of 1819
The Panic of 1819 was the first time in history that the United States had experienced a depression. Due to the land growth in the West this had caused rise in farm goods. The farmers were experiencing how prices for goods but also having high demand for foreign demand. Land prices had begun to skyrocket and it was harder to get credit from government to support these costs. This had caused the banks to get a tighter grip on loans which lead to many foreclosures. -
The Missouri Compromise
When Missouri wanted to become part of the Union in 1819 they had already been a slave state. They want to start doing away with slavery so they introduced the Tallmadge Amendment that wouldn’t allow the introduction of anymore slaves into Missouri and that little by little they would do away with the current slaves. Since this didn’t go over well at the same time Maine had applied to become part of the union put as a free state not allowing slavery. -
American Literature - 1820
Southern writers such as Edgar Allen Poe, Nathaniel Beverly Tucker, and Johnson J. Hooper revolutionized literature in the time of the early to mid 1800s. These novilist and poets were darker and vulgar compared to any other literature arts of this time. The writers from the New England area wrote more about their own self-fulfillment, therory and liberation philosophy. -
Railroads - 1825
The railroads started of slowly in the 1820s only having less than 50 miles of railways. As pioneers of the railroad pushed on with their visions of interconnecting cities, they continued to expand for freight and personal use. The rails expaned and grew cities faster than anyone would have ever imagined.Congress began granting federal land to develop railroads. They played a major role in the Civil War (1861-1865) by moving troops and supplies to battle. -
Trails of Tears (1830 - 1838)
The Trails of Tears brought upon by Andrew Jackson was important because being a man that supposedly was a friend to the Indians he turned his back to them. Jackson wanted the land that the Indians were on so he had decided to move them to the West. Between 1830 to 1838 they had forced the Indians to move to Indian Territory which was designated in what we know call Oklahoma. Many Indians had not survived the travels; there were only allowed to bring with them what they had on. -
Nat Turner - 1831 (1800 - 1831)
There were numerous premeditated rebellions in the early 1800s but some had information leak that alerted the local militia to show their presence and stop any resistance. In 1831 Nat Turner a well known Baptist preacher organize and lead a rebellion from house to house kiling men, women, and children. The revolt had a tremendous effect on life after the fact. Free slaves were targeted for prosecution because whites felt they inspired slaves to revolt against their masters. -
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The Panic of 1837
The Panic of 1837 was different from the Panic of 1819 because there was a boom which was good but then it went down hill. Between 1835 – 1837 this were looking great, “canals and railroads were very active, prices were rising, credit was plentiful, and land business was booming” (Brinkley 230). Looking at it you would think everything was good. But the panic was a financial one. All of the payments that were received for public land the government would only accept what was backed up by gold or -
Industrial Factories - 1840
The American Industrial Revolution included many different inventions as well as new techniques for manufacturing and business. Before and at the beginning of the revolution the Household system was consistently used. However, as the revolution progressed workers and their machinery moved from individual homes into one large building. This movement is what began the idea of the factory system. The revolution came at an opportune time, because people were starting to get more adventurous. -
Feminism - 1840
During the 1820s and the 1830s women began to question their involvement in social and legal rights. Sisters Sarah and Angelina Grimke were among the first to step out along with Susan B. Anthony Dorothea Dix and Harriet Breecher Stowe. In upstate New York, the stirring of feminism developed alongside and in conjunction with abolitionism, agnosticism, and the temperance movement. This was a continued to be fought through the 1920s where women were given the right to vote. -
Medical Science - 1844
Medical science had a hard time advancing in the nineteeth century due to the absence of interest from the most talented doctors. Most of the advancements came from small time practitioners that mostly relied on old time folk medicine to experiment. I believe the most important advancement was the vaccination against small pox by Edward Jenner. -
The Mexican War - (January 13, 1846 - February 2, 1848)
The United States was interested in paying the Mexicans for disputed land. They gave an offer of $30 million to the Mexicans for this land, but the Mexicans refused. Since they refused, the United States decided to fight them for the disputed land. On January 13, 1846 the president at the time, Polk, sent General Taylor’s army from their position at the Nueces River to the Rio Grande River. The war had begun for the land. Unfortunately, to Polk’s surprise and dismay victory did not come as quick -
Cotton - 1849
If it wasn't for short-staple cotton the south may have been forced into nonagricultural ideas to keep up with the economic boom of the north. Short-staple cotton was cheaper and easier to grow but was harder to process. Eli Whitney solved this with the invention of the cotton gin. Cotton helped to boost the economy with its high demand. unfortunately it lead to increasing slavery and other problems. -
Urbanization - 1850
Immigration soared between 1840 and 1860 for example Philadelphia grew from 220k to 565k. During this influx the agricultural economy grew in the west and a large trade was established in cities such as Buffalo and Detroit. Which consisted of waterways to utilize as ports for faster transportation. The majority of the immigrants consisted of Irish and German. Immigration was important to America's growth because with increasingly important to the U.S. economy as workers, taxpayers. -
Aristocracy - 1850
The southern slave owning whites grew very wealthy extremely fast mostly due to cash crops and called themselves the "planters". They would compare their lifestyle to the old aristocrats of England and Europe as far as wealth and power. The planter aristocracy heavily affected the government. The dominance of aristocracy in the south widened the gap between the rich and poor because the artistocrats made all the decisions in their favor in government. -
The Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was established to help resolve the issues of new states becoming states and how slavery would play a role. There were many disputes over if the new states would allow slavery or not. The Compromise was composed and it stated: California would be a free state, the formation of territorial governments in the rest of the territories from Mexico that allowed slavery, abolition of slave trade in Washington D.C., and more effective fugitive slave trade. -
Dred Scott
Dred Scott was a slave to an owner that lived in Missouri, where slavery was allowed. Then Scott’s owner moved to an anti-slavery state, Illinois, bringing Scott along. Scott decided to sue for his freedom. The case eventually ends up in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled, on March 6, 1857, that Scott did not have rights because he was not a citizen, he was property. This was an important because it was a bad decision the Court made. -
First Battle of Bull Run
The first battle of the Union and the Confederate took place in July 1861 called the First Battle of Bull Run. General Irvin McDowell had to do what Abraham Lincoln ordered him to, which was to beat the Confederates for Richmond. During the search for the Confederates, McDowell complained about how his 35,000 soldiers are stopping to pick berries and drink water too much. Both sides planned to attack the other’s left flank with the majority of their armies. -
Naval Wareface
Naval warfare was another major point of the Civil War. This side of the war is often left out. The North had a vast fleet of ninety vessels. More than half of the ships were wooden combat ships. The North’s biggest ship was the Merrimac, a 3500-ton and 40-gun ship (Ironclads). The South successfully sunk the Merrimac. The Monitor was the North’s first iron clad. Its main features were its revolving turret, the low free board, and the projecting overhang. -
The Battle of Gettysburg
The battle at Gettysburg is considered by many to be the turning point for the civil war. It started on July 1, 1963. One of the results of the battle is the Northerners shut down the Southerners last major invasion of the North. The Northerners destroyed their offensive strategy and basically made them fight a defensive war now. The South just couldn’t keep up with the North’s industrial power. The Union had about 82,000 men and the Confederate had about 75,000 men. -
The Death of Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was thought of being the best president that the United States had seen. His death came shockingly on the night of April 14, 1865. He was with his wife at the Ford’s Theater in Washington. A man by the name John Wilkes Booth that was a big southern supporter shot Lincoln in the back of the head. It was thought of being a conspiracy since there were plans of killing Vice President Andrew Johnson. -
The Fourteenth Amendment
In April of 1866 the Joint Committee of Reconstruction proposed the fourteenth amendment that gave rights to African Americans. It was approved by Congress and sent off to the states stating “Everyone born in the United States, and everyone naturalized, was automatically a citizen and entitled to all the “privileges and immunities” guaranteed by the Constitution, including equal protection of the laws by both the state and national governments” (Brinkley 377). -
Klu Klux Klan (1870 - 1872)
The Klu Klux Klan was a group of whites that were not happy with the Reconstruction government of the south and thought blacks should not have the same rights as them. This group used violence against the blacks and would frighten them. Within these acts employers wouldn’t hire the blacks or give them credit in stores or even rent them land to live. Due to these Acts this lead The Republican Congress to act on it by drawing up the Enforcement Acts of 1870 and 1871.
