US History: VHS Summer: November "Rachel" Wrede

US History: VHS Summer November "Rachel" Wrede

Period: 1492 to 1877

This timeline is about US history dating from 1492-1877. I hope you enjoy it!

The Middle Passage

1600

http://www.ushistory.org/us/6b.asp
Many African people were forced upon European slave ships, tightly crammed and greatly mistreated. They were brought to America to be sold into slavery. There were many who died along the journey.

The "Starving Time"

1609

http://www.ushistory.org/us/2c.asp
The Jamestown colony suffered immensely when they didn't spend much time farming (as they were told they needed to accumulate wealth or they would no longer be funded), with only 38 of the original 144 surviving. Many died of starvation, prompting John Smith to implement "Work or Starve".

Powhatan's Death

1618

http://www.ushistory.org/us/2e.asp
After a complex relationship of war and peace with the British, Cheif Powhatan's daughter Pocahontas was kidnapped and married off in England. When she died of disease, the powerful chief died in despair.

The House of Burgesses

1619

http://www.ushistory.org/us/2f.asp
The House of Burgesses was the first legislative assembly held in the colonies of America. This helped prompt other American colonists to want representation.

America's "Melting Pot"

1770

http://www.ushistory.org/us/7f.asp
America has so many different cultures and peoples, all coming together in hope of a better life. The idea of America being a "melting pot" has been around since the 1770s, and exists today.

The Declaration of Independence is Signed

Jul 4, 1776

http://www.ushistory.org/us/13a.asp
The legal document that announced the seceding of the thirteen colonies from the British empire. "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." is the most famous line from the Declaration of Independence.

Federalism

1780

http://www.ushistory.org/us/16a.asp
Federalism is the idea of a strong central government. Federalists supported the proposed Constitution and avoided the term "nationalists" due to the public's intense distrust of a very strong central government.

Hamilton's Financial Plan

1780

http://www.ushistory.org/us/18b.asp
After the Revolutionary War, the USA was in financial chaos. Alexander Hamilton proposed an idea consisting of a Bank of the United States, the government paying off state debts, and a mercantilist economic policy to benefit domestic merchants.

Shay's Rebellion

1786

http://www.ushistory.org/us/15a.asp
A huge economic crisis resulted in many farmers being imprisoned and property seized because they couldn't pay off their debts. People known as "Shaysites" followed Daniel Shays into the "first major armed rebellion" in America after the Revolutionary War.

Richard Allen's African Methodist Episcopal Church

1790

http://www.ushistory.org/us/13d.asp
When more African-Americans were becoming free, this new population of free blacks created public institutions, normally putting "African" in the name to project pride and the need for equality. One such institution was Richard Allen's African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Washington's Farewell Address

1796

http://www.ushistory.org/us/17d.asp
After George Washington's second term, Washington left the American people with a statement of his political philosophy in his Farewell Address. James Madison and Alexander Hamilton helped with the address.

The Louisiana Purchase

1803

http://www.ushistory.org/us/20c.asp
When Napoleon of France threatened to limit Americans' access to the Mississippi river, it scared Jefferson as this would greatly jeopardize American trading. However, Napoleon (in need of more money to support his militarising) sold the entire Louisiana territory (spanning from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains) to the US for only 15 million dollars.

"King Andrew" and the Whigs

1828

http://www.ushistory.org/us/24.asp
President Andrew Jackson's very authoritative presidential style led many to compare Jackson to a monarch. This was especially significant as America had escaped a monarchy previously, so this idea was important in people's minds.

The Trail of Tears

1835

http://www.ushistory.org/us/24f.asp
President Andrew Jackson violently forced over 20,000 Cherokee Native Americans out of their homes and ancestral land, making them walk westward into foreign lands. This was apart of Jackson's Indian Removal Act to make way for white settlers.

Manifest Destiny

1845

http://www.ushistory.org/us/29.asp
During the 19th century, Americans started believing that western expansion was justifiable and certain to occur. They believed that their god had given them this "destiny" to widen America's land "From Sea to Shining Sea".

Wilmot's Proviso

1846

http://www.ushistory.org/us/30a.asp
When land was added to the US after the Mexican-American war, David Wilmot proposed the Wilmot Proviso. This was legislation that said "neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall ever exist" in the new land.

The Emancipation Proclamation

Jan 1, 1863

http://www.ushistory.org/us/34a.asp
During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed that slaves within the confederate states would be "thenceforward and forever free." unless the states rejoined the Union on January 1, 1863. This changed the Civil War climate into one where ending slavery took center stage.

Radical Republicans

1866

http://www.ushistory.org/us/35.asp
After the Civil War, the Congressional Elections of 1866 brought an ideology of punishing the south to the forefront. These Radical Republicans passed the Military Reconstruction Acts in 1867 in attempts to dismantle the southern "way of life". This helped black people in the south, who could now vote and hold political office, which infuriated many white southerners.

America's First Presidential Impeachment

1868

http://www.ushistory.org/us/35c.asp
President Andrew Johnson was the first US president to be impeached. However, the Senate was one vote short of the necessary 2/3 majority, so he stayed in office.

The Creation of White Supremacy Hate-groups

1870

http://www.ushistory.org/us/35d.asp
As black Americans were freed, many white southerners saw their little worldviews crumbling around them and grew scared. Hate groups such as the violent Klu-Klux-Klan, Knights of the White Camelia, and the White Brotherhood emerged. These groups used violent measures such as murder and terror to try and convince themselves of their superiority. The Klu-Klux-Klan still harms people today.