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Period: Jan 1, 1492 to
Colonial America - 1877
An in depth time line from the arrival of Europeans in North America through colonization and United States independence. This timeline will showcase main events from early American History. -
House of Burgesses
House of Burgesses House of Burgesses: the lower house of the colonial Virginia legislature. In 1619, Governor George Yeardey arrived in Virginia from England to create a new legislative assembly in the colonies. This was the first legislative assembly in the New World. This paved the way for future legislative assemblies and government. -
Arrival of the Mayflower
The Mayflower The Mayflower: the ship in which the Pilgrims sailed from Southampton to the New World in 1620 In 1620, English settlers arrived in North America to escape religious prosecution in England. With their newfound religious freedom in North America, they decided to stay and colonize the land to live in. This began more and more individuals from England coming to the colonies to live and build lives. -
Revolutionary War
The American Revolution Revolutionary War: The war for American independence from Britain. The Revolutionary War was a way of the colonies achieving their independence to become their own nation. Although it is commonly believed the colonists overcame the large British Army, it is unfortunately not so true. The colonists had the French to aid in the battles and the British would not send many troops over due to other international problems. -
Declaration of Indepedence
Declaration of Independence Declaration of Independence: 1.a document declaring the US to be independent of the British Crown, signed by the congressional representatives of the Thirteen Colonies, including Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams, and ratified on July 4, 1776 The Declaration of Independence was intended to mark the independence of the colonies from the British rule. This was one of the leading events to the war. -
Articles of Confederation
Articles of Confederation the original constitution of the US, ratified in 1781, which was replaced by the US Constitution in 1789. The Articles of Confederation were a precursor to the Constitution, and ultimately, a failure. Under the Articles of Confederation the states were merely "a league of friendship", meaning that they were all independent and very loosely based around a centralized government. There was no power to tax under this. -
Federalism
Federalists Federalism: the distribution of power in an organization (as a government) between a central authority and the constituent units The Federalists were the supporters of the Contistution. They wanted a decentralized form of government that would still be a democracy. The Federalist papers describe this government in which they are in favor of. -
Jeffersonian America
Jeffersonian America Jeffersonian: A follower of Thomas Jefferson or a proponent of his politics. The Jeffersonian era brought a new political movement catering to farmers and agriculture. This led to the purchase of more new land to be cultivated. -
Lewis and Clark Exploration
Exploration: Lewis and Clark exploration: the action of traveling in or through an unfamiliar area in order to learn about it. In May, 1804, Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark on an exploration of the Western side of the United States. On this exploration, they would see what was in the outlying land and document it as well. They found much about the northern and western portion of the United States. -
Abolition
Abolitionist Sentiment Grows abolition: the action or an act of abolishing a system, practice, or institution. The abolitionist movement began in the 1820s. It was mostly Northerners against the concept of slavery. They wanted slavery to end in the United States because it was so contradictory to the idea of the United States. They prided themselves on being the land of freedom yet kept so many as slaves. -
Andrew Jackson Becomes President
Andrew Jackson president: the head of the government in some countries Andrew Jackson became president in 1828, much to the people's delight. He had ran in the previous election and won the popular vote yet had not won the electoral vote. This time he won, though, and he accomplished much throughout office. He was the first president to pay off the national debt and often is referred to as one of the best presidents. -
Women's Rights
Women's Rights women's rights: rights that promote a position of legal and social equality of women with men. Women had been previously fighting for equality among males, but it had reached a movement during the early to mid 1800s. Not much was accomplished during this time period, but it would prove to be a precedent to more compelling movements in the future. -
Mexican American War
Mexican American War Mexican American War: A war fought between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. War broke out between America and Mexico in May 1846. The war happened while the United States was expanding westwards. The United States undoubtedly won, posessing more economic stability and larger military forces. -
Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny manifest destiny: the 19th-century doctrine or belief that the expansion of the US throughout the American continents was both justified and inevitable. The Americans in the mid nineteenth century sought to expand their country westwards and claim the entire continent for their own. The Lousiana Purchase was a start to this by Thomas Jefferson and the expedition of Lewis and Clark also added to this idea to expand westwards. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe - Uncle Tom's Cabin Uncle Tom's Cabin: (1852) A novel, first published serially, by Harriet Beecher Stowe; it paints a grim picture of life under slavery. The title character is a pious, passive slave, who is eventually beaten to death by the overseer Simon Legree. The novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin" made many Americans aware of the horrors of slavery and what it can do. This added influence to the abolition movement. -
The Kansas Nebraska Act
The Kansas Nebraska Act Kansas Nebraska Act: created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, opening new lands for settlement, and had the effect of repealing the Missouri Compromise of 1820 The Kansas Nebraska act allowed all territories to decide whether the new states would be slave states or not. It was one of the more prominent leading causes to the Civil War. -
The Civil War
The Civil War civil war: a war between citizens of the same country The Civil War began over many things, not just the issue of abolition and slavery. The general unhappiness with the south towards the North grew more and more until South Carolina and other states seceded in late 1860. Although many thought the war would not last, it lasted for four years until 1865. -
Legacy of the Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence and its Legacy Declaration of Independence: The Declaration of Independence is defined as the formal statement written by Thomas Jefferson declaring the freedom of the thirteen American colonies from Great Britain. An example of the Declaration of Independence was the document adopted at the Second Continental Congress on July 4th, 1776. The signing of the Declaration of Independence is still celebrated today. -
Reconstruction
Reconstruction reconstruction: a thing that has been rebuilt after being damaged or destroyed. Reconstruction began after the Civil War as an attempt to rebuild the south both functionally as well as politically. States were turned back into states of the United States rather than states of the Confederate States, and theywere able to choose their own laws, and most importantly their own laws regarding African Americans. -
American Identity
What is the American? American Identity: the culture of the United States as viewed by other nations. The American Identity includes influences from all countries. Many view the United States as a melting pot of immigrants. The country is seen as accepting of all cultures while at the same time being somewhat prejudiced towards those cultures. Nonetheless, the United States is renowned for being a melting pot. -
Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
A President Impeached formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity, the outcome of which, depending on the country, may include the removal of that official from office as well as criminal or civil punishment. In 1868, Andrew Johnson was tried for violating the Tenure of Office Act and disgracing Congress. He was found not guilty and remained in office until his term was finished.
