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Period: Jan 1, 1492 to
US History
Almost all events in history have importance, and they all impact the present. This timeline shows different events in United States' history that have impacted the present and helped create a rich history. -
Jamestown
Jamestown
The first permanent English settlement in America was established. 144 English men and boys were the first to arrive and establish the colony. Their first purpose was to generate wealth from the gold that was rumored to be located around there. Jamestown was founded by the Virginia company -
The House of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses
The first meeting of the House of Burgesses – the initial legislative congregation in the American colonies – was held. Elected representatives from each of the 13 colonies came together to make laws for the colonies and encourage English craftsmen to come and live in the Americas. The House of Burgesses was established by the Virginia Company. -
The Royal Proclamation of 1763
The Royal Proclamation of 1763A document called the Royal Proclamation of 1763 was issued by King George III. The purpose of this document was to help organize Great Britain’s new North American territory and to create good relations with the American Indians through tactics such as trade, settlement, and buying and selling land. This document was issued just after the French and Indian War, after Great Britain had gained land in America that used to belong to France. -
Independence
IndependenceThe American people wanted freedom from the British. They wanted to be free to have their own government and make their own laws. What they really wanted then, was independence: “not subject to control by others”. This idea of independence came about early on, from when settlers had just arrived, to where they finally broke free from the British and truly gained their independence – On July 4th, 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was signed. -
The Underground Railroad
The Underground RailroadAlthough the exact date is unknown, the Underground Railroad was said to have started in this year. The Underground Railroad was a system of stations that helped slaves to be freed as they traveled from the South up to the North. People who were against slavery would open up their homes (called “stations”) and allow slaves to stop and eat, rest, and prepare for the next part of their journey. There were many stations along the way, and the entire journey went through 14 states and into Canada. -
The First President
George WashingtonGeorge Washington was head of the military and top political leader of his time. He was popular, rich, and a great leader. On April 30th, 1789, he was drafted, the Electoral College voted (he received 100 percent of the votes) and became the first president of the United States. He proved to be a great administrator and judge, and was president for two terms. -
Eli Whitney and the Cotton Gin
The Cotton GinIn April of 1793, Eli Whitney had finished designing and constructing the cotton gin. The cotton gin was a machine that automatically separated the cotton seed from the cotton fiber. In previous years, people would have to work for 10 hours to produce a pound of cotton, when with this new machine they could produce thousands of pounds of cotton a day. The total amount of cotton being exported went up about 10 times what it had been before. -
Federalism
FederalismFederalism was started and formed in this year (exact date is unknown). Federalism, by definition is “the process by which the power in an organization (as in government) is distributed between a central authority and the constituent units.” Federalism maintains a strong central government, and federalists carefully tried to follow the constitution. Federalists had a new political plan for the United States, and they had the organization and funds to work it out. -
The Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana PurchaseThe Louisiana Purchase was over 600 million acres of land on the west side of the United States that was owned originally by the French and sold to America. This land helped America to double in size (at that time), and opened land for new settlement and living. -
The Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition A group of 50 American men set out on an expedition in the west, an area in America that had not previously been explored, since it was recently bought land. The main purpose for this expedition was to gather information about the Indians living in the west and to strengthen America’s claim on the western land. During their expedition, they met new people, saw new places, and came across dangerous animals! -
The Presidential Election of 1824
The Presidential Election of 1824A most interesting presidential election began on this date. All of the candidates were Democratic-Republicans, meaning that the Republican-Federalist political party had collapsed. Although Andrew Jackson received the most votes, another man, William Crawford, was chosen to be president. He ended up suffering a stroke and having to remove his name from the bid for presidency. In 1825, there was a contingent presidential election in which the 7th president of the United States was elected. -
The Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears The exact date is unknown, but around this time, Indians were beginning to be forced to move off of their land on account of Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Plan. Native Indians east of the Mississippi were forced to migrate to an area that is now Oklahoma. The journey there was named the “Trail of Tears”, because so many Indians died along the way from disease, hunger, and exhaustion. -
Manifest Destiny
Manifest DestinyThe exact date is unknown, but John Sullivan first made the exact term “manifest destiny” around this time, and this idea was first published in a July/August magazine in 1845. The idea of “manifest destiny” was just the belief that the United States was ‘destined’ to expand over to the west side of the continent. People began to travel and move west around this time, in order to help expand their country (some people felt obligated to) and to “civilize” the Indians in the west. -
The Beginning of the Gold Rush (In Cali)
Gold In California In January of 1848 (the exact date is unknown), a man by the name of James Marshall discovered a few flecks of gold in a stream in California. Word spread quickly that there was gold in California, and over 80,000 people migrated there in the next year. Some lucky people would become rich, while others gained nothing. -
Freedom
The Emancipation ProclamationAfrican-Americans were being treated horribly. They had been kidnapped from their lands, taken to a strange foreign land, and forced to work for rich, white Americans. What else could they want besides to be free and treated with equality? This idea of freedom had been around since they had been kidnapped, and finally, on September 22nd, 1862, the Emancipation Proclamation was issued and freedom was legally given to all slaves. -
Lincoln Assassinated
Lincoln AssassinatedAbraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865. Just five days before this, the Confederates had surrendered and the Civil War was over. Two days after the war ended, Lincoln made a speech at the white house in which he suggested America give more rights to African Americans. The murderer (John Wilkes Booth) was infuriated by this, and on that fateful Friday, he shot Lincoln in the head, during an evening performance at the Ford Theater. Lincoln died the next morning. -
President Impeachment
ImpeachmentThe idea of impeachment (which was created during this time) is charging of a public official with misconduct in office (www.wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn.com). A President is first charged by the house for "Treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors", and then the case goes before the Senate for a trial. The first president to be impeached was Andrew Johnson, the 17th President of the United States, and was impeached on February 24th, 1868. -
Ratification of the 15th Amendment
The 15th AmendmentThe 15th amendment states that all citizens have the right to vote in spite of nationality, skin color, or “previous condition of servitude” (whether they had been servants). This amendment was officially ratified on February 3rd, 1870. Although this amendment was ratified, many voting places still found ways to make it impossible for the Blacks to vote. It would take some time before people truly began to listen to the rights laid out in the 15th amendment. -
The Telephone was Invented
Invention of the TelephoneAlexander Graham Bell had started working on making the telephone around 1873. He experimented with many primitive sound receivers and transmitters, and finally found a way to transmit “vocal and other sounds telegraphically”. He had invented the telephone, and this day in history marks the first telephone call, in which Bell is famous for saying “Watson, come here! I want to see you!” -
The Battle of the Little Bighorn
The Battle of the Little BighornThe Army needed to get the Indians back on their reservations, so they sent three groups of men to go and fight the Indians. One of the leaders of the groups was Custer, who saw the Indians a ways off and decided to grab a group of about 40 men and go fight, ignoring orders to wait for the other men. Custer and his men were killed by the Indians who easily overtook them, a reason that this battle is also called “Custer’s Last Stand.”
