AP U.S. History Important Dates/ Events By jayrobertson 1492 Columbus makes First Contact with Americas https://www.history.com/topics/exploration/christopher-columbus Period: 1492 to 2030 U.S. History Turning Point Events 1607 Jamestown Founded https://www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/jamestown 1619 First African Slaves in America https://time.com/5653369/august-1619-jamestown-history/ 1754 Start of the French and Indian War https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/french-and-indian-war 1763 Treaty of Paris signed (Officially ending French and Indian War) https://history.state.gov/milestones/1750-1775/treaty-of-paris#:~:text=The%20Treaty%20of%20Paris%20of,to%20the%20British%20colonies%20there. 1776 Declaration of Independence is signed https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/on-this-day-the-declaration-of-independence-is-officially-signed 1781 Battle of Yorktown (Britain Surrenders) https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/siege-of-yorktown 1789 U.S. constitution is ratified https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/the-day-the-constitution-was-ratified 1800 Revolution of 1800 (Jefferson is elected President = Peaceful Transfer of Power) https://www.history.com/news/peaceful-transfer-power-adams-jefferson Feb 24, 1803 Marbury v Madison decision https://www.oyez.org/cases/1789-1850/5us137 Apr 30, 1803 Louisiana Purchase https://www.history.com/topics/19th-century/louisiana-purchase 1815 Battle of New Orleans (Treaty of Ghent) https://www.battlefields.org/learn/war-1812/battles/new-orleans 1820 Missouri Compromise https://www.history.com/topics/slavery/missouri-compromise 1820 Monroe Doctrine declared https://www.history.com/topics/slavery/missouri-compromise 1828 Era of Common Man Begins= Jackson is elected President https://library.fiveable.me/key-terms/apush/era-of-the-common-man 1846 War with Mexico https://library.fiveable.me/apush/unit-5/mexican-american-war/study-guide/NMqiBxahosm76SKTghut 1848 Seneca Falls Convention https://library.fiveable.me/key-terms/apush/seneca-falls-convention 1850 Compromise of 1850 https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/civil-war-era/sectional-tension-1850s/a/compromise-of-1850 Mar 20, 1854 Creation of the Republican Party https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/republican-party-founded May 30, 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act passed https://www.history.com/topics/19th-century/kansas-nebraska-act Nov 6, 1860 Lincoln is elected President https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/abraham-lincoln-elected-president Dec 20, 1860 South Carolina Secedes from the Union https://library.fiveable.me/key-terms/apush/south-carolinas-secession Apr 9, 1865 Confederacy Surrenders at Appomattox Courthouse https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/appomattox-court-house Dec 6, 1865 13th Amendment Ratified https://library.fiveable.me/key-terms/apush/thirteenth-amendment 1869 Transcontinental Railroad completed https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/transcontinental-railroad-completed 1877 Compromise of 1877 - Ends Reconstruction https://library.fiveable.me/key-terms/apush/compromise-of-1877 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/wounded-knee 1896 Plessy v Ferguson Decision https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/plessy-v-ferguson 1898 U.S.S. Maine explodes = Starts War with Spain https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-maine-explodes 1906 The Jungle Published https://library.fiveable.me/key-terms/apush/the-jungle 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Fire https://www.history.com/topics/early-20th-century-us/triangle-shirtwaist-fire May 21, 1919 19th Amendment ratified= Women’s right to vote https://my.lwv.org/california/north-santa-barbara-county/article/may-21-104-years-us-house-passed-19th-amendment#:~:text=Today%2C%20May%2021%2C%20marks%20the,margin%20of%20304%20to%2089. Jul 26, 1919 Red Summer https://www.history.com/news/red-summer-1919-riots-chicago-dc-great-migration 1929 Stock Market Crashed = Great Depression begins https://library.fiveable.me/key-terms/apush/stock-market-crash-of-1929 1933 FDR takes office = New Deal Begins https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/new-deal 1941 Japan bombs Pearl Harbor = U.S. enters WWII https://library.fiveable.me/key-terms/apush/japanese-attack-on-pearl-harbor 1945 WWII ends https://www.history.com/news/world-war-ii-end-events Sep 23, 1949 USSR has A-Bomb (1st Nuclear Test) Oct 1, 1949 Chinese Communist Revolution https://library.fiveable.me/key-terms/ap-world/chinese-communist-revolution 1954 Brown v Topeka Board of Education decision Brown v Topeka Board of Education Jul 2, 1964 Civil Rights Act passed https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-act Aug 7, 1964 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/gulf-of-tonkin-resolution-1 Jan 30, 1968 Tet Offensive https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/tet-offensive Apr 4, 1968 MLK assassinated https://library.fiveable.me/key-terms/apush/assassination-of-mlk Aug 28, 1968 Riots at Chicago Democratic National Convention https://www.history.com/topics/1960s/1968-democratic-convention Nov 5, 1968 Nixon elected President https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/richard-nixon-elected-president 1974 Nixon resigns from Presidency https://library.fiveable.me/key-terms/apush/richard-nixons-resignation 1980 Reagan elected President https://library.fiveable.me/apush/unit-9/reagan-conservatism/study-guide/bhzREq69MW1ktHbBP8hg Jan 17, 1991 Operation Desert Storm begins Dec 26, 1991 Cold War ends https://library.fiveable.me/apush/unit-9/end-cold-war/study-guide/jSK48CxJEPXM0bpeuKEg 2001 September 11th September 11th 2008 Obama elected President https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/barack-obama-elected-as-americas-first-black-president 2020 COVID-19 Epidemic in the U.S. https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/covid-19-pandemic