US/VA Stuart Timeline

Jamestown

Apr 1, 1607

Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement. In the early years of Jamestown many people did not survive because of the harsh winters and lack of food.

House of Burgesses

Jul 30, 1619

The House of Burgesses was the first elected assembly in the New World. It still operates today as the General Assembly.

Start of Slavery

Sep 16, 1619

Slavery started in 1619 and graudually grew. At the start of slavery they weren't used as much but by 1700 most labor needs were filled by slaves.

Mayflower Compact

Nov 11, 1620

This was a document where the Puritans agreed to obey laws created for the general good. They pledged their loyalty to God and then the King.

French & Indian War

May 24, 1754

In this war the English and the American colonists fought against France and the Indians. The reason for this war was both countries wanted the land west of the Appalachians.

Treaty of Paris

Feb 10, 1763

This treaty was the ending of the war, which Britan won. Since Britan won they gained the land that was being fought for.

Proclamation of 1763

Oct 7, 1763

This prohibited colonists from settling west of the Appalachians. This action angered the colonists that wanted to move out there.

Boston Massacre

Mar 5, 1770

British troops fired into a mob of anti-british demonstrators. When doing so they killed five colonists which made the colonies furious.

Stamp Act

Nov 1, 1770

This placed a tax on legal documents for the colonies. This angered the colonists and they said England shouldn't put taxes on the colonies because they had no representation in Parliament.

Boston Tea Party

Dec 16, 1773

Since Britan decided to put restrictions on tea the colonists decided to do something about it. They boarded tea ships in Boston dressed up as Indians and threw the tea into the water.

1st Continental Congress

Sep 5, 1774

This was the first meeting of representatives from all 13 colonies except Georgia. It issued a statement of colonial rights and urged colonies to form militias.

Lexington and Concord

Apr 19, 1775

This battle occured in Massachusetts. It started because the British attacked a colonial weapons stockpile.

2nd Continental Congress

May 10, 1775

This meeting created the contenintal congress which George Washington was the general of. It also issued the Olive Branch which was the final peace offering, it was rejected.

Declaration of Independence

Jul 4, 1776

It was issued by the Continental Congress and written by Thomas Jefferson. This document officially seperated the colonies from England.

Yorktown

Oct 19, 1781

This was the last battle of the Revolutionary War. Americans and French surrounded Cornwallis and his troops forcing him to surrender.

The Treaty of Paris

Sep 3, 1783

England acknowledged American independence. Also this set the United States boundaries which were the Atlantic Ocean to Mississippi River.

Articles of Confederation

Oct 3, 1783

This made the newly independent states into one country, the United States. However, because they didn't want to be like Britan they established a weak national government.

Critical Period

Dec 27, 1783

This was the period of time that the US was under the Articles, it lasted until 1789. There were some success and some problems during the Critical Period.

Land Ordinance of 1785

May 20, 1785

This was one of the success of the Critical Period. It established a plan for surveying the western lands.

Annapolis Convention

Sep 14, 1786

This called to settle disputes among states over commerce. Only five states showed up.

Constitutional Convention

May 25, 1787

This meeting was held to fix some of the problems of the Articles of Confederation. George Washington and James Madison were the leaders of this meeting.

The Great Compromise

Jul 10, 1787

This created a two-house Congress. The Senate which gives each state two votes, and the House of Representatives which gives each state votes based on size.

Northwest Ordinance 1787

Jul 13, 1787

This was another success of the Critical Period. It provided the process for the creation and admission of new states.

3/5ths Compromise

Aug 23, 1787

Slaves counted as 3/5ths of a person when determining a states representaion. This placated southern states.

Shay's Rebellion

Aug 29, 1787

This was one of the problems of the Critical Period. This was debt ridden farmers in Massachusetts rebel due to high taxes.

Washingston's Presidency

Apr 30, 1789

Washington was the first president. Many major events occured when Washington was president.

Judiciary Acts of 1789

Sep 24, 1789

These set up the court system. There were three executive departments, department of state, treasury and war.

Bill of Rights Signed

Dec 15, 1791

The Bill of Rights was written by James Madison. They are the first ten ammendments and dealt with rights and beliefs.

Cotton Gin

Jul 5, 1794

The cotton gin was made by Eli Whitney. It made cotton-growing very profitable.

Adam's Presidency

Mar 4, 1797

John Adams won over Thomas Jefferson. The Alien and Sedition acts and the undeclared war with France were two major events of his presidency.

Reservation System

Jan 6, 1800

Indians were forced off their lands onto smaller reservations.

Jefferson's Presidency

Mar 4, 1801

This was the first peaceful transfer of power from one party to another. The Louisianna Purchase was a major event of his presidency.

Marbury v. Madison

Feb 24, 1803

This case brought about judicial review. Marshall declared a law unconstitutional.

Louisiana Purchase

Jul 4, 1803

Jefferson bought this land from France. It doubled the size of the United States.

War of 1812

Jun 18, 1812

The two major causes of this war were British inteference with American shipping and the British aid to the Indians in the West. The United States wins.

McCulloch v.Maryland

Mar 6, 1819

This established implied powers. Showed the court could mediate between states and the federal government.

Gibbons v. Ogden

Aug 28, 1819

This confirmed the courts power to regulate commerce. The court turned down a steamboat monopoly.

Misouri Compromise

Feb 20, 1820

This divided the Lousiana Purchase at 36,30. North of the line was free and south of the line were slaves.

Age of the Common Man

Dec 8, 1820

This is the time when more people got involved in the electoral process and democracy expanded. Aristocrats could no longer make all the decisions.

Monroe Doctrine

Dec 2, 1823

This was written by president Monroe and it warned Europe against many things like future colonization in the Americas. It cemented the US's policy of isolationism towards Europe until WW1.

Jackson's Presidency

Mar 4, 1829

Jackson appealed to the common man not just the wealthy. He also created the Spoils System.

Indian Removal Act of 1830

May 28, 1830

This forced all indians east of the Mississippi River to move to Indian Territory. The Trail of Tears was where Cherokees were forced west, many of them died on this journey.

Battle of the Alamo

Feb 23, 1836

Mexican general Santa Anna attacked with superior forces. They fought until their last man died.

Battle of San Jacinto

Apr 21, 1836

This was when Texans won independence. It established the Republic of Texas.

US Annexes Texas

May 8, 1845

This was when the US admitted the Republic of Texas into the Union. Texas became the 28th state.

Mexican War

Apr 25, 1846

President James K. Polk urged the war. We wanted the southwest but Mexico wouldn't sell.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Mar 20, 1852

This was a book that was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe and it revealed the evils of slavery.

Dred Scot Case

Mar 6, 1857

This case established the fact that slaves were not citizens and did not have rights.

Election of 1860

Nov 6, 1860

The main issue of this election was slavery and Abraham Lincoln a republican won.

Battle of Fort Sumter

Apr 12, 1861

This was the first battle of the Civil War. The Confederates fired on Union ships that were there to resupply Fort Sumter.

Homestead Act

May 20, 1862

This gave people land out in the west but they had to go out there and live on it and take care of it.

Battle of Antietam

Sep 17, 1862

In this battle Lee went North. The Confederate ended up losing this battle because of this.

Emancipation Proclamation

Jan 1, 1863

This freed the slaves in the rebelling states. This also caused a new aim for the war.

Battle of Gettysburg

Jul 1, 1863

This battle was the turning point of the Civil War. Lee and his troops had to retreat.

Battle of Vicksburg

Jul 16, 1863

The Union wins this battle and it cuts the Confederates in half.

Gettysburg Address

Nov 19, 1863

This was a speech given by President Lincoln dedicating a cemetery to the people that died for our country. It is one of the best known speeches in history.

Appomattox Court House

Apr 9, 1865

Lee surrendered here. He urged the southerners to accept the surrender and unite as Americans.

Reconstruction

Apr 10, 1865

This was the process of restoring the southern states to the union and determining the place of African Americans.

Lincoln's assassination

Apr 15, 1865

He was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth shortly after the end of the Civil War.

13th amendment

Dec 6, 1865

This amendment abolished slavery.

Election of 1867

Jan 15, 1867

They came to an agreement that Rutherford B. Hayes would be president but that military occupation in the south would end

Reconstruction Act of 1867

Mar 2, 1867

This put the South under military occupation.

14th amendment

Jul 9, 1868

This gave citizenship to african ameicans and said states couldn't deny equal rights to any Americans.

15th amendment

Feb 3, 1870

This gave voting rights to african americans.

New Immigrants

Jan 31, 1871

These people were the new people migrating to America, they were from southern and eastern Europe.

Jim Crow Laws

Jan 14, 1877

This established seperate facilities for blacks and whites.

Knights of Labor

Jan 31, 1880

This was one of the unions during the labor movement. The founder was Uriah Stevens.

Chinese Exclusion Act

May 6, 1882

This was an act passed to try to keep more Chinese people from coming to America.

Haymarket Square

May 4, 1884

This was a protest in Chicago, a bomb was thrown at the police line and then shots were fired into the crowd.

Old Immigrants

Feb 27, 1885

These were the people who had been in America for a while and they usually didn't like the "new immigrants" that were coming over.

Dawes Act

Mar 22, 1887

The goal of this was to Americanize the Indians.

Sherman Anti-Trust act

Jul 2, 1890

The goal of this was to outlaw trusts. It wasn't successful.

Homestead Strike

Jun 30, 1892

It was at the Carnegie Street Plant and it ended up being a major gun battle.

American railway union

Jun 20, 1893

This was a union of railroad workers, it was an Industrial union meaning it had skilled and unskilled workers.

Pullman Strike

Apr 9, 1894

This was a nationwide railroad boycott and the federal government ended it.

plessy v. ferguson

Apr 28, 1896

said that seperate but equal did not violate the constitution.

Spanish American War

Apr 25, 1898

Went to war because US had business and strategic interest in Cuba and USS Maine exploded ouside Cuba. Yellow Journalists blame Cuba.

Treaty of Paris 1898

Dec 10, 1898

US annexed Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines and Cuba became free.

Susan B Anthony

Jan 31, 1900

She was a strong leader of the women's suffrage movement.

Progressive Movement

Mar 28, 1900

This used the government to institute reforms to fix the problems caused by industrialization.

Boxer Rebellion

Sep 1, 1901

Goal was to remove foreign influence and it failed.

Open Door Policy

Feb 24, 1902

This gave all nations equal trading rights in China. The goal was to end US/European competition.

Platt Amendment

Jun 12, 1902

US had the right to intervene in Cuban affairs.

Roosevelt Corollary

Jan 27, 1904

Roosevelt added to the Monroe Doctrine reminding Europe not to interfere. Said US wold use force if needed.

Great Migration

Jan 1, 1910

Period from 1910-30s when African Americans moved from rural areas to cities.

16th amendment

Feb 3, 1913

Said the congress had the power to tax on income.

17th amendment

Apr 8, 1913

Voters get to elect Senators now.

WW1

Jul 28, 1914

War broke out in Eurpoe. It was Britan, France and Russica against Germany and Austria-Hungary.

Panama Canal

Aug 15, 1914

Panama gave the US the right to build a canal. It connected the atlantic and pacific.

Federal Trade Commision Act

Sep 26, 1914

It creates FTC and investigates business practices.

Clayton Anti-Trust Act

Oct 15, 1914

This act was adding on to the Sherman Anti-trust act. It outlawed price fixing.

US enters war

Apr 1, 1917

German submarines were headed towards Britan and the Zimmerman telegram were the set offs for the US entering the war.

14 points

Jan 8, 1918

This was Wilsons peace plan, he wanted to elimante causes of war.

Treaty of Versailles

Jun 28, 1919

This was the punishment of Germany, national boundaries were re-drawn, and the league of nations was created.

18th Amendment

Jan 17, 1920

This banned alcohol.

Harlem Renaissance

Feb 13, 1920

Explosion of black cultural life.

19th Amendment

Aug 18, 1920

Women gained the right to vote.

Immigrants Restriction Act

Jul 14, 1921

This put a quota on how many immigrants could come from each country.

Scopes Trial

Jul 25, 1925

John Scopes was tried for teaching evolution. This trial sparked a national debate over this subject.

Hoover

Mar 4, 1928

President elected right before the great depression and was blamed for it.

Great Depression

Jan 1, 1929

This was a time of severe economic hardship in the US from 1929-1941.

Black Tuesday

Oct 29, 1929

The crash of the stock market.

Dust Bowl

Mar 18, 1930

Terrible drought on the Great Plains.

CIO

Mar 31, 1930

This was a new union.

FDR

Mar 4, 1932

Elected in 1932. He crushed Hoover.

New Deal

Apr 27, 1933

This was promised by FDR and the hope was to help ease the pain of the great depression a little.

FDIC

Jun 16, 1933

This ensured and regulated banks.

Wagner Act

Jul 5, 1935

Protected the workers rights to join unions and collective bargaining.

Social Security Act

Aug 14, 1935

This provides safeguards for workers. For example disability and unemployment compensation.

Fair Labor Standards Act

Jun 18, 1938

Set maximum hours on working and set minimum wage.

Non-Aggresion Pact

May 7, 1939

Stalin and Hitler agree not to attack eachother.

war in Europe begins

Sep 4, 1939

Germany invaded Poland so France and Britan declared war on Germany to stop German expansion.

Germany invades Russia

Jun 30, 1941

Germany turned on Russia and invaded them.

Pearl Harbor

Dec 7, 1941

Japan attacked Pearl Harbor a US naval base. Thousands died.

US declares war

Dec 8, 1941

We declare war on Japan and Germany joins against the US

Selective Service Act WWII

Dec 22, 1941

Drafted ten million men into the military.

Miracle of Midway

Jun 7, 1942

US navy beat the larger Japanese force, ended threat to Hawaii.

Korematsu v US

Feb 7, 1944

Supreme court allowed internment camps.

D-Day

Jun 6, 1944

Led by Eisenhower, the allies landed in german occupied france.

Battle of the Bulge

Dec 16, 1944

This was a German counter offense. The allies recovered.

V-E day

May 8, 1945

Germany surrendered.

Hiroshima A bomb

Aug 6, 1945

US bombed hiroshima. First and only use of nuclear weapons.

Nagasaki a bomb

Aug 9, 1945

US used an atomic bomb on Nagasaki

Division of Germany

Oct 11, 1945

East Germany became communists and West Germany were democratic.

Nuremburg Trials

Nov 20, 1945

Trials of Nazis for war crimes in the Holocaust. There were many convictions.

Cold War

Nov 30, 1945

Uneasy peace after WWII. Rivalry between Soviet Union and US.

Marshall Plan

Apr 1, 1948

US provided financial aid to European countries to rebuild their economies.

Berlin Airlift

Jun 24, 1948

The Soviets blockaded Berlin so the US flew in supplies.

Communist take over China

Feb 14, 1949

China is taken over and is now communist.

NATO

Apr 4, 1949

Alliance among US and western Europe countries.

Korean War

Jun 25, 1950

North Korea invaded South Korea. Korea politically divided.

Eisenhower

Jan 20, 1952

President postwar.

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

Jun 15, 1953

Spies that were put to death for giving the Soviets atomic secrets.

Warsaw pact

May 15, 1955

Alliance among Soviet Union and eastern european countries.

Sputnik

Oct 4, 1957

Soviets launched Sputnik into space.

JFK

Jan 20, 1960

President who was assassinated, America loved him.

U2 incident

May 1, 1960

Francis Powers was shot down while spying over the Soviet Union.

Berlin Wall

Aug 16, 1961

Wall built that split Berlin into East and West Berlin.

Cuban Missile Crisis

May 13, 1962

Soviets stationed nuclear weapons in Cuba. JFK demanded they be removed.

JFK assassination

Nov 22, 1963

Assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. It shook Americas confidence.