US History Timeline By Henry Mitchell 1 Oct 12, 1492 The Discovery of America by Columbus May 14, 1607 The Settlement of Jamestown 1754 The French and Indian War Dec 16, 1773 The Boston Tea Party Apr 19, 1775 The Battle of Lexington and Concord Jul 4, 1776 The Declaration of Independence Sep 28, 1781 The Battle of Yorktown 1787 The Constitutional Convention Mar 14, 1794 The invention of the cotton gin Jun 18, 1798 The Alien and Sedition Acts Apr 30, 1803 The Louisiana Purchase Jun 18, 1812 The War of 1812 Mar 6, 1820 The Missouri Compromise Nov 4, 1828 Andrew Jackson’s Election 1837 The invention of the telegraph Mar 17, 1837 The Panic of 1837 1838 The Trail of Tears Apr 25, 1846 The Mexican-American War 1850 The Compromise of 1850 Apr 12, 1861 The Firing on Fort Sumter Jan 1, 1863 The Emancipation Proclamation 1865 13th Amendment Apr 9, 1865 Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse Apr 14, 1865 Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination 1868 4th Amendment Feb 24, 1868 Andrew Johnson’s Impeachment 1870 15th Amendment 1876 Telephone 1879 Electric light Jan 2, 1882 The Organization of Standard Oil Trust 1892 Homestead Strike May 11, 1894 Pullman Strike Apr 21, 1898 The Spanish-American War Sep 14, 1901 Theodore Roosevelt becomes president 1903 Airplane