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Jun 10, 1215
Magna Carta Signed
King John was forced to sign this document, which greatly reduced his power as a king and gave more rights to the people. The pope excommunicated him at first because he refused to sign it, but he eventually gave in. This document had great influence over America's Bill of Rights and Constitution. http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/magna-carta.htm -
Mayflower Compact Signed
This document was signed on board the Mayflower while it was anchored in Provincetown Harbor at the time. The purpose of it was to create a temporary government that bound all of the people that had sailed on the Mayflower to the colony until a better government could be put in place. http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/PrimarySources/MayflowerCompact.php -
Formation of the New England Confederation
The New England Confederation was a group of two commissioners from Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Haven, and Plymouth, who met to discuss issues at least once a year. Their job was to do things like fix quotas and regulate Indian affairs. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/411437/New-England-Confederation -
Albany Plan of Union Announced
Benjamin Franklin proposed the idea that the states should be united to help prevent war between them. The Albany Congress met several times in attempt to turn the idea into reality, and after many heated debates they came up with a plan. Many of the states, however, were hesitant to take part and the Albany Plan was rejected. http://www.teachamericanhistory.org/File/Join_or_Die_1.pdf -
The French and Indian War Begins
This was a war between the French and the British in America. The most well-known one was the battle led by George Washington in an attempt to capture Fort Duquense. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_and_Indian_War -
Fort Ticonderoga
This fort was built connecting New France to the colonies. It was built during the French and Indian war and used as a strategic fort throughout the war until the British took it over. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Ticonderoga -
Treaty of Paris
A.K.A. the Peace of Paris, this is the document that officially ended the French and Indian War. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Paris_(1763) -
The Royal Proclamation
After the French and Indian war was over, the monarchs back in Britain ruined the good mood by passing this proclamation. It stated that no colonists were to settle west of the Appalachian mountains. This greatly angered the colonists, who had worked hard and died to win that land. http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/proc63.htm -
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was put into place by Britain in an attempt to put more control on the colonies. It stated that many more foreign items were to be taxed than before, and the tax on molasses was to be heavily reinforced. This, as a result, damaged the colonies' rum industries because they had been buying the cheaper French molasses beforehand. http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/sugaract.htm -
Stamp Act
This act forced the colonists to pay a tax on every single paper good, from playing cards to legal documents. A stamp was administered on the paper to prove that the tax was paid. This act caused a huge riot within the colonies, and the tax collectors became afraid to do their jobs because of the harshness with which they were being treated. The colonists would hang them from flag poles. and they would also pour hot tar over them and stick feathers in it. -
Stamp Act Congress
When the colonists were in the midst of their outcry that we know as "no taxation without representation," what they called the "Stamp Act Congress" convened in Georgia, North Carolina. The Congress was thought of as going to be a faliure because 5 important states didn't send delegates. The congress wrote what they called the "Stamp Act Resolves," which was approved by almost all of the state legislatures. http://www.ushistory.org/us/10a.asp -
Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts originated from a British man by the name of Charles Townshend. His ideas were to tax the imported goods that were brought into america. The goal was to get money off the colonists. http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0849181.html -
Boston Massacre
This was a pivotal moment in US history. A massacre of inocent people occured when a group of colonists were harassing the British soldiers who were on guard. The harassment included throwing snowballs, chuncks of ice, and rocks at them. No one is completely certain whether or not the first shot was an accident, but it created mayhem in the streets of Boston. http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/massacre.htm -
Boston Tea Party
This rebellion occured in response to the British insistance on the outrageous tax they had inputed on the colonists' tea. They were forcing them to buy certain kinds of tea so they could make the most money. This angered the colonists a great deal, until one day they dressed up as Navaho indians and dumped 500,000 pounds of tea into the Boston Harbor. http://www.history.com/topics/boston-tea-party -
First Continental Congress
Congress met for the first time in Capenter's Hall located in Phiadelphia, which was also where the state's Congress met. Every state except Georgia sent delegates. Pennsylvania and New York were the only states there who wanted to work towards a solution with England rather than defy them outright. -
Patrick Henry "Give Me Liberty"
Patrick Henry gave a speech to the Congress in an attempt to convince people to raise a militia to fight agains the British, but his opponents thought that they should wait until the King replied to their latest request for reconciliation. This is the speech in which Henry says "Give me liberty, or give me death!" -
The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
On this fateful night, Paul Revere was sent by horseback to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams that the British were coming by sea to arrest them. This was a very famous event which we all know by Longfellow's portration of it in his poem. http://www.paulreverehouse.org/ride/real.html -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord
These two battles were the first official battles of the Revolutionary War. The British attempted to surprise the colonists, but with their very effective intelligence, they found out about it and rose to the occasion. The colonists came out at an advantage. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles_of_Lexington_and_Concord -
Second Continental Congress Meets
The Second Continental Congress met at the State House in Philadelphia. There were many more delegates than there were at the First Continental Congress. Some of the new delegates were Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, and John Hancock. http://www.kidport.com/reflib/usahistory/americanrevolution/secondcongress.htm -
Battle of Bunker Hill
This battle between the colonists and the British, though lost, gave hope to the colonists that they could actually win the war and made the British realize they were being given a run for their money. http://www.charlestownonline.net/bunkerhillbattle.htm -
Common Sense Published
Common sense was a pamphlet written by a man Thomas Paine. It was a document that outlined the reasons that the colonists should split away from the king. Paine wrote it in simple english so people without much education, i.e. the colonists, would be able to understand what it was saying. http://www.ushistory.org/paine/commonsense/ -
British Evacuate Boston
George Washington, with his stategically placed cannons and fortifications in Dorchester Heights managed to force the British to retreat. To distract the British from them building the fortifications, they had other colonist attack Boston. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/british-evacuate-boston -
Declaration of Independence is Announced
This was the official date, which we now celebrate every year with fireworks and festivities, that the Declaration of Independence was accepted and announced. This was a momentous occasion for the colonists, especially since they had been fighting for this for so long. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Declaration_of_Independence -
Washington Captures Trenton
After Washington's famous crossing of the Delaware on Christmas night, many battles over Trenton broke out between the colonists and the Hessians. After many small battles, the colonists came out victorious, helping boost the soldiers' morale. http://www.ushistory.org/washingtoncrossing/history/crossagain.htm -
British are Defeated at Saratoga
The colonists won the battle that concluded the American Revolution on this fateful day. General John Burgoyne had lost 86% of his forces and was forced to surrender. http://www.ushistory.org/us/11g.asp -
Articles of Confederation Signed
A document that loosly united all of the states and created a weak central government, Under this document, the state governments had more power than the central one, and this became a problem. It was soon understood that the need for a stronger central government was strong, and they in turn met to revise it. http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/articles.html -
Winter at Valley Forge
On December 19th, 1777 the continental army marched into Valley Forge in good spirits. This feeling did not last long. It was a long hard winter for them, and they had a scarcity of food. http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/battleswars16011800/p/valleyforge.htm -
Benedict Arnold Plans Found Out
Benedict Arnold was a general who was put in charge of West Point, which was considered a crucial place for both the Colonists and the British because when captured it could split the colonies in two. Arnold had been treated badly by Congress and lost patience. He offered to sell West Point to the British and systematically weakened it. He was caught when his spy was captured with his note with him, and he then fled to the British. http://www.historywiz.com/benedictarnold.htm -
Newburgh Conspiracy
This occured when the soldiers under Washington's command began resenting the congress for not treating them correctly and not giving them the things they deserved; like clothes, the correct salary and food. They got so fed up that they wrote an anonymous letter to Washington calling him to a meeting and threatenging to leave the government without an army. http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/newburgh/ -
Cornwallis Surrenders
Cornwallis was a British General most famous for his defeat at Yorktown that officially ended the Revolutionary War. He surrendered to the combined forces of the colonists and the French when they blocked he and his forces in at Yorktown. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/cornwallis-surrenders-at-yorktown -
Treaty of Paris Signed
The signing of this document officially marked the end of the war against Britain. Although the Revolutionary war had already been won at this point, there had been many skirmishes between the two countries since then, and this document was King George III's call for a cease-fire. http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/paris/ -
The Crisis was Published
The Crisis was another one of Thomas Paine's pamphlets published during the Revolutionary war. It was an inspiration for the soldiers and the people of the colonies; it gave them hope for victory. It was read more them than people watch the Super Bowl today. http://www.ushistory.org/paine/ -
Spain Closes the Mississippi River
This was a skirmish between America and Spain over territory. Spain took the Mississippi River in an atempt to cut off Mississippi Valley off from the rest of America and keep it from thriving the way it had been. They felt it was necessary to stop them from growing before they had taken all of that land. http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/America/United_States/_Topics/history/_Texts/WHISAF/5*.html#ref1 -
Land Ordinance of 1785
An ordinance that stated how they would go about dispersing the land in the west. Congress would appoint a surveyor from each state to go out and divide the land into six towns. http://www.in.gov/history/2478.htm -
Ordinance of Religious Freedom
A document written by Jefferson that stated that nobody should be forced to attend any specific church or any church at all, and that no one should be descriminated against because of their religion. http://www.in.gov/history/2478.htm -
Shay's Rebellion
A rebellion led by Daniel Shays, was an ex-military farmer who, like all the rest, was swamped in debt and struggling to hold on to his farm. Farmers for miles around were having their land taken and being thrown in jail because of their inability to pay their debts. He rallied all of those farmers and started a 6-month long rebellion against the government. http://www.ushistory.org/us/15a.asp -
Anapolis Convention
A convention held in Virginia to discuss the problems the country had been having, including their weak central government. The goal was to think of ways to make the union more powerful. http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0804110.html -
Constitutional Convention Opens
This was the meeting that represenatives from each state held with the goal of fixing the Articles of Confederation. It was in this meeting, which took a lot of work to schedule, when they finally figured out that the Articles of Confederation simply needed to be scratched and they needed to start over with something brand new for it to work out. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/convention1787.html -
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
A document that stated that the area northwest of Ohio was not only going to be settled but was going to become a part of the United States. That area had been off-limits beforehand. http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-009/ -
The Great Compromise is Agreed To
The Great Compromise was when Congress decided, since the representatives were so split on the matter, that each state would have a number of people in the House of Representatives that is proportional to it's population, and the number of people each state would have on the Senate would be equal. Each side of the argument had provided compelling arguments, so they decided to 'compromise,' thus giving this agreement it's name. -
Federalist Papers Appear
When these articles were written, there was little confidence that the newly created Constitution would ever be ratified, but they convinced the people of the pros involved with the new government plans and helped them see why they SHOULD ratify it. They are considered the most-respected documents on the Constitution that are alive today. http://www.garyrutledge.com/Documents/federalists_main.htm -
Anti-Federalist Articles Appear
Anti-Federalists were people who had the desire for a weak central government so the people themselves would have more power, theorhetically. They also thought that the State Legislatures should be more powerful because they would look out for the people more than the federal governments would. http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h374.html -
Delaware Ratifies the Constitution
Delaware was the first state to approve the Constitution, and once they had a chain reaction spread across the nation and other states began ratifying too. There were 30 delegates who were elected by the Delaware State to decide on whether or not to ratify this historical document. http://delawareday.delaware.gov/information/ratification.shtml -
Constitution Sent to States for Ratification
On this day, Delaware was the first state to ratify the constitution, and the rest of the state follwed close behind. This was a momentous occasion in America because it marked the Union of all 13 states under the Constitution, which helped bring them together as acountry. -
Massachusetts Ratifies the Constitution
Massachusetts was the sixth state to ratify the constitution, but they didn't do just that. A group of people had gotten together and wrote down a list of things that they wanted changed in the document, most concerning the rights of the people. http://www.usconstitution.net/rat_ma.html -
New Hampshire
New Hampshire was the ninth state to ratify the constitution, and was the last one necessary. After their vote, the Constitution was officially in effect. They also sent in a list of changes, like Massachusetts. http://www.usconstitution.net/rat_nh.html -
George Washington is Elected President
On this day, George Washington became the first president of the United States of America. This is a momentous occasion in our history. Washington was determined to do well as president in order to set a standard for future ones. -
Bill of Rights Sent to the States for Ratification
On this date, Congress sent 12 amendments to the state legislatures, though not all of them were passed. The first two were not ratified, leaving ten amendments to become our Bill of Rights. http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/billofrights.html -
John Paul Jones Defeats the Serapis
This was a memorable event because John Paul Jones and his crew plus some French war ships were able to defeat the Serapis, which was Britiain's strongest ship. This defeat was a major feat for the colonists. http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/navalbattles16001800/p/bonhomme.htm -
Bill of Rights is Ratified
This is a very important day in our history because it marks the beginning of a new age, where people aren't afriad to change the government or to stand up for what they believe in. The Bill of Rights is the document that gives all of us our constitutional rights today, and without them, we wouldn't be America. http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=13 -
Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions Written
The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions were a written protest passed by the Virginia and Kentucky legislatures. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison wrote the resolutions to protest against the Federalist Alien and Sedition Acts. More info -
Hartford Convention Meets During War of 1812
A meeting that was held to aknowledge the problems the United States faced after the war of 1812, and to propose new changes. Go here! -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was a document that was created in an effort to balance the number of slave vs. free slave states in Congress. The document declared Maine a free slave state and Missouri as a slave state. More Info -
Tariff of Abominations Passed
The Tariff of Abominations was a document that was passed by the House of Representatives. The goal of passing it was to protect the trading industry in New England and the West from becoming too competitive with foreign traders. John Calhoun then anonymously wrote an article to protest against it which he didn't admit to until a long time later. More Info -
South Carolina Tries to Nullify
Under President Andrew Jackson, the Tariffs of 1828 and 1832 were passed. Under the first Tariff, the South Carolina government was very unhappy with how it affected them, as in it didn't do enough for them. They met and declared the Tariff of 1828 unconstitutional and that it would not apply in South Carolina. In return, Jackson passed the Tariff of 1832, which was a sort of compromise. More Info -
Civil Rights Act Overturned (1883)
The Supreme Court decided that the Civil Rights Act did not follow the guidelines set down by the 14th and 15th ammendments and declared it unconstitutional. more info -
Abolition of Slavery Act
This was an act in the Parliamant of the UK that declared their goal of attempting to eradicate slavery from the rest of Europe. More INfo -
Texas Declares Independence from Mexico
The people from Mexican Texas were thuroughly angry with the Mexican government for not treating them well and not giving them enough freedoms, so the decided to rebel. The War was launched, and soon Texas was declared a free nation shortly before it joined the Union. More Info -
James Polk Elected President
James Polk was a not very well known Democrat who was elected to run for president. Since nobody really knew him, he was most definitely not expected to win the election, but he surprised everyone when he beat his opponent, Henry Clay. More Info -
Mexican War
The Mexican War was a war that broke out between America and Mexico when Texas was taken over and made a part of the U.S. The Mexicans were infuriated; they still considered Texas to be part of their property. More Info -
Wilmot Proviso
This Proviso was one that was suggested to Congress by Congressman David Wilmot. The document could've succeeded in ending slavery. The goal was for it to sucessfully restore peace with Mexico and ban slavery at the same time, but it was overruled. More Info -
Califonia Enters the Union
California was officially accepted as a state in America when the treaty was signed at the end of the Mexican War. The treaty gave America possesion of a great deal of land including California and states like New Mexico and Texas. More Info -
Fugitive Slave Act
This was part of a group of laws that is also known as the Compromise of 1850. It was a compromise between the North and the South over what they should do with the new territory. The agreement was that California could be admitted as a free state, but in return there were laws that forced people to turn in fugitive slaves. More Info -
Publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin
Is a novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe that told the depressing story of a black slave who died fighting for his freedom. Although it was published in book form on this date, it was first seen as a 40-week serial in June of 1851. more Info -
Formation of the Republican Party
The Republican Party was formed as a result of the Kansas-Nebraska act. Many furious people joined ranks and had within months won control of the House of Representatives, a new record. The Republican party consisted of people who were against slavery and people who were afraid of immigrants. More Info -
Kansas-Nebraska Act Passed
This act opened up the Kansas and Nebraska territories up for Popular Sovereignty. This act effectively canceled the Missouri Compromise and gave much more power to the southerners. More Info -
"Border Ruffians" Attack Lawrence
This was the date of the second Border Ruffian attack on Lawrence, and was the first successful one. They took it over and 'sacked' it, or completely burned and destroyed everything in the town. More Info -
Charles Sumner is Attacked
Charles Sumner was brutally attacked by Preston Brooks, a Congressman from South Carolina. Sumner had made a speech two days earlier that deeply offended all southerners and Preston Brooks personally, so he beat Sumner with a cane. It was three years before Sumner could again return to the senate. More Info -
Pottawatomie Creek
John Brown was a fierce abolitionist that caused a lot of trouble.
He marched into the town named Pottawatomie Creek with seven other men who were all heavily armed and stormed the houses of his enemies. They dragged the men and their families out into the street and hacked their heads off with broadswords. More Info -
Dred Scott Decision Announced
Dred Scott was a black slave who attempted to sue his master for keeping him as a slave in a free territory. Scott should've won his case, but after a long and tedious trial, the judge declared that blacks weren't citizens and shouldn't have the right to sue, so Scott lost the case, but went down in history for it. More Info -
Lecompton Constitution Passed
This Constitution was a pro-slavery document written amoung others as proposals to whether or not Kentucky should be a slave or free state when admitted to the union. Although this one won, it didn't last long because the only reason it won was because the voters were only given the choice between unlimited and limited slavery, so all of the freesoilers refused to vote. More Info -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
Was a series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas during the elections of 1858. Douglas was on the side for Popular Sovreignty, and Lincoln was pushing for the containment of slavery at least, if not the complete eradication. More Info -
Raid at Harpers Ferry
John Brown led a revolt where he and other men marched into the town called Harpers Ferry in Virginia and took a federal arsenal under their control. Soon, the federal army was there fighting agaginst them and they very quickly lost. Brown's motive was to start a massive slave revolt. More Info -
Democrats Split in 1860
The Democrats split into Northern and Southern because they disagreed on who should be their presidential candidate. The North wanted Douglas, but the South hated him because of his support of Popular Sovreignty. More Info -
The Constutional Union Party Forms
The Constitutional Union Party was formed when there was a breakdown between the north and south in the other parties. More Info -
Election of 1860
There was much turmoil over choosing who was to be the presedential candidates that year, specifically from the Democratic party. Nobody liked Stephen Douglas in the south becaues he supported Popular Sovreignty, so the North and South Demorcrats argued constantly over who should be president. More Info` -
Abraham Lincoln Announces Plans for Reconstruction
Lincoln's plan was to forgive anyone from the South for their actions if they pledged their loyalty to the Union and promised to follow the Union's laws pertaining to slavery. Part of his deal was when one tenth the number of voters from the election of 1860 had taken the oath, then that particular state could re-enter the Union legally and elect Congressmen. More Info -
Wade-Davis Bill Receives Pocket Veto
The Wade-Davis Bill was a proposition written by two radical republicans as a possible way to reconstruct the government. Their idea involved basing the reconstruciton around a stronger government, as to get a more republican system. More Info -
Lincoln Re-Elected as President
Lincoln was re-elected in a sweeping win over his opponent. The people of the US had begun trusting him. More Info -
Formation of the Freedman's Bureau
The Freedman's Bureau was established by a bill whose goal was to aid and protect the blacks who had so recently been given their freedom. More Info -
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln had gone to see a play with his wife and his close friend when actor John Wilkes Booth snuck into his box and shot him in the head. Booth then proceeded to jump down onto the stage, breaking his ankle, and telling the audience what he had just done. Booth would have gotten away if it weren't for his ankle, but it prevented him from running too far. More Info -
President Andrew Johnson Announces Plans for Reconstruction
Johnson's plans for Reconstruction were very weak. All of the land was returned to its previous southern white owners, and the southern states had to do very little in order to officially re-join the Union. More Info -
Ratification of the 13th Amendment
The Thirteenth Amendment officially banned slavery in the United States. More Info -
Ku Klux Klan Created
The Ku Klux Klan was formed by 6 former Confederate Soldiers with the goal of punishing any Republican, black or white, and people who supported the Civil Rights of the blacks. They would put burning crosses in their victims' yards, drag them out of their homes, and torture and sometimes murder them. More Info -
Black Codes created in Mississippi
The Black Codes were codes designed to restrict the negros' activities and to make sure they would always be no more than a labor class. More Info -
Civil Rights Act (1866) Enacted
The Civil Rights Act ensured the rights of all African Americans and said that if someone was to descriminate against them in a public area, they were to be heavily fined. More Info -
Reconstruction Acts Enacted
Plans for Reconstruction included the southern states to be split up into five military districts with Union generals leading each district rather than state officials, and they also had to ratify the 14th Ammendment before they were readmitted. More Info -
President Andrew Johnson Impeached
Andrew Johnson was impeached by the Radical Republicans in Congress who hated Johnson because they felt he wasn't being hard enough on the South. Johnson just barely avoided being kicked out of office, by one vote. More Info -
Ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment
The Fourteenth Amendment was the document that gave the freed black people their natural and political rights. It was the first really big step towards integrating black men into society. More Info -
Ulysses S. Grant Elected President
U.S. Grant, well known for his war efforts as a Union General, was elected as a Republican president, giving the radical republicans what they wanted in leadership. More info -
Ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment
"right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." more info -
Hiram Revels elected to Senate
Revels was born as a free black and he served in an African American regiment during the war. He was a church minister and a barber on his own time. He became the first black man to be elected to the US Senate. more info -
Ku Klux Klan Act Enacted
President Grant asked for this legislation to be written as a counter-attack on the degrading of African Americans in society. The act suspended the writ of habeus corpus for those terrorist groups that were attacking African Americans. more info -
Freedman's Bureau Abolished
The Freedman's Bureau was originally created to help the refugees that had run away from their former masters and needed help being introduced into the real world. It was criticized for promoting the Republican vote, so it was eventually disbanded. more info -
Civil Rights Act (1875) Passed
One of the biggest pieces of legislation that was passed after the Civil War, this act attempted to guarantee equality in public accomodations for both blacks and whites. more info -
"Jim Crow" Enters the American Cultural Language
The Jim Crow Laws were a set of descriminatory Laws set in the period between 1876 and 1965. They were instituted in states with the goal of keeping blacks and whites as separate as possible. <a href='"Jim Crow" Enters the American Cultural Language' >More Info</a> -
Last National Troops Leave South Carolina
Marking the official end to the reconstruction era, the National troops were discharged from their positions in the five southern districts. More Info -
Rutherford B. Hayes Elected President
Hayes was the president that suceeded U.S. Grant, and his election put an end to reconstruction and started the long period of healing it would take to get America back on thier feet. More Info -
Florida Requires Segregation in Places of Public Accommodation
Florida was the first state to requre Segregation in places of public accommodations, and eight other states had followed their lead by 1892. more info -
Case of Plessy v. Ferguson
"Plessy, acting on behalf of a committee that had been formed to challenge Jim Crow laws, intentionally broke the law in order to initiate a case." Plessy, upon losing his case, then appealed to the Supreme Court in order to bring attention to the issue. more info
