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Period: 1492 to
Timeline
- The telegraph marked a new era in communication. Known for its speed, people finally had a means for quicker and easier communication (both sending and receiving) over long distances.
- The telegraph lacked quality in communication, which is why when Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876 that offered direct voice transmission, telegraphy was left behind, reserved mainly for specialty uses. Unrelated Historical Event: The Dominican Republic gains independence from Haiti.
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1532
Trans Atlantic Slave Trade
The three-way trade between the New World, Africa, and Europe. Raw goods and materials from the Americas were sent to mainland Europe whereupon being turned into finished products; they were used in trade with West-African kingdoms and warlords for slave labor procurement to be used in the Americas. It resulted in the first-ever interaction and intermingling between 3 distinct peoples from 3 different continents.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/6.asp -
The Founding of Jamestown
Established in 1607 and was sponsored by the joint-stock company Virginia Company of London. The investors had one goal in mind: to replicate the same success, the Spaniards found in South America by finding gold. But, unfortunately, there was no gold to be found, and instead, it was the growth of the tobacco trade industry that drove the local economy.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/2c.asp -
The Boston Massacre
In peaceful protests against the various British taxes, the British open-fired into the crowd of civilians leading to the death of Crispus Attucks. With the narrative being changed to a white man's death through Paul Revere's pamphlets, this incident started creating a sense of nationalism and unity amongst the 13 colonies. This directly would result in the escalation of the Revolution, eventually leading to the creation of the United States of America.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/9e.asp -
American Identity
Developing an American Identity is an idea that came about with the founding of the nation. It is an intricate process of deciphering what aspects make America what it is today and how those factors are rooted in early American history.
Learn more: https://www.colorado.edu/center/benson/western-civilization/summer-institute/summer-institute-essays/one-american-identity-two-distinct -
Legacy of the Declaration of independence
Call for social and racial justice. The everlasting phrase, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, THAT ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (Section 13a) asserts that all people are equal before the law; however, true equality at the time of its creation was limited to mostly white males.
Learn more: https://news.stanford.edu/declaration-independence-changed-time/ -
The American Revolution
Americans fighting against their British colonial overlords for control over the colonies. It set the stage for more progressive internal social changes to come in the future, such as woman's rights and slavery.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/11.asp
https://www.ushistory.org/us/12.asp -
Ratification of the US Constitution
A process by which each of the existing 13 colonies debated whether the constitution should be put into law. In order to be fully passed, 9 out of the 13 states had to accept it.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/16.asp -
Federalism
Implies the need for a strong central government. Learn more: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/americangovernment/chapter/introduction-3/ -
The Underground railroad
Operated at night by abolitionists who were “not content to wait for laws to change or for slavery to implode itself” (section 28.c) and moved slaves from the south to the north. Slaves would move from station to station, and these stations were essentially any safe place they could eat and rest in before continuing on with their journey. They were usually churches or houses.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/28c.asp -
War of 1812
America’s second war of Independence from its former colonial ruler, the British, and their Indian allies. The war ended with the Treaty of Ghent, which in effect hardly changed anything or justified the three years of war. Despite there being no decisive victory, this marked a crucial turning point in the history of the US as it called forth a national effort to pull Americans from distinct regions closer together.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/21.asp -
Nationalism
The process by which a country or even a group of people gather to place their own domestic interests at the forefront of their political issues in order to maintain their sovereignty as an independent nation. Learn more: https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/nationalism-1815 -
Early American Railroads
The development of the early American Railroads was one of the most crucial developments of the early 19th century, as in the coming years, railroads would come to connect the entire continent. With the emergence of the railroads, brand-new innovative infrastructures, such as bridges and other vehicular carriages, would be created in order to make the landscape more traversable.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/25b.asp -
South Carolina nullification
President Andrew Jackson stopped South Carolina from adopting a law that would enable the state to ignore the new federal law of a new high tariff on imports. This was a decisive moment, for if the law had passed, who knows what other federal laws states might try to nullify in their jurisdiction.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/24c.asp -
Manifest Destiny
The belief embodied by Americans during the 19th century where western expansion was seen as justifiable and the right thing to do as it had to be the will of God.
Learn more: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-ushistory/chapter/manifest-destiny/ -
The Mexican-American War
With President Polk’s infamous words, “American blood on American Soil!” the United States entered into a war with Mexico over the legality of Texas entering the Union. The outcome was that Mexico lost the war and surrendered the territories of New Mexico, Texas, and California to the Union.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/29d.asp -
Publishing of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s - Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Allowed the people of the North to become aware on a far more personal level of the horrors of slavery. The book was met with outrage in the South and was said to be filled with “distortions and overstatements” (section 28.d). The book centers around how slave families were separated by masters through sale and forced to cope with it. It also brings to light the worst in white masters by detailing what “moral atrocities” (section 28.d) they committed.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/28d.asp -
The Pottawatomie Creek Massacre
In response to the Sack of Lawrence, where a proslavery mob burned down the free state government, John Brown led a few individuals to Pottawatomie Creek, which was a pro-slave town. There John Brown and his men would brutally kill 5 victims to get revenge. This event would clearly show the North and the South where the battle lines were and sparked several outrages in the South as to how this could have happened.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/31d.asp -
The American Civil War
The American Civil War was the culmination of several decades of heated discussion about the legality and ethics of slavery. With the election of President Lincoln into the White House, 7 Southern states seceded from the Union as having an anti-slavery proponent like Lincoln in office was unacceptable. The war resulted in the victory for the North and led to the emancipation proclamation to be written into the constitution.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/33.asp -
Reconstruction
The period in time after the Civil War and following the consequences of the assassination of President Lincoln, America entered a period of uncertainty. Slaves had been set free, yet racism ran rampant. Concerns arose as to how the confederate states would be dealt with, and overall, no one really knew what incoming President Andrew Johnson would do to handle the situation.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/35.asp -
Impeachment of President Andrews
The impeachment of President John Andrews occurred as a result of Johnson outrightly opposing and trying to get rid of a Reconstruction act. This act was a clear abuse of power to many people, and in May 1868, Johnson barely escaped being impeached by one vote.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/35c.asp