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1492
Discovery of America
In 1492, while searching for a trade route, Christopher Columbus discovered North and South America and scouted it out a bit before returning back. Once others were notified about this new continent, they were eventually intrigued and came over in hopes of finding new resources. In order to encourage people to come over, Great Britain even made laws and promised land to those who came over, beginning the colonization of America. -
1562
Triangular Trade
The triangular trade was made to benefit the world and consisted of three major parts. First, ships would arrive to Africa and trade items such as rum for slaves, then they would part for America and load sugar cane and other crops to be manufactured. The middle passage was the perilous slave trade part of the journey. In the middle passage, many slaves died along the way due to the poor treatment and care they received. -
Jamestown Established
Jamestown was the First Permanent English Settlement and had a very rough time with a death rate of about 80% due to unknown diseases and harsh winters. The headright system was eventually formed however, encouraging people to come to America and make a living for themselves. This eventually lead to the discovery of tobacco and the start of slavery in 1619 -
Pilgrims establish Plymouth
Pilgrims broke away from England in an attempt to break away from the Angelican church and have a fresh start. They eventually landed in Plymouth and were much more strict than the Puritans and put a lot of emphasis on education. They even required their members to sign a Mayflower compact. -
Puritans establish Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Puritans left England for the same reason, to have free religious practices, except they landed in Boston and established the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Unlike Pilgrims however, they wanted to remain angelican, just to purify the angelican church and their ways. Their leader and governor was John Winthrope, the giver of the "City on a Hill" speech. -
First Great Awakening
This time was mainly comprised of conflict between the 'Old Lights' and the 'New Lights'. Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield were some of the main preachers, Edwards preaching of sinners in the hands of an angry God and preached fear while Whitefield taught the opposite. This was the first step towards equality as they welcomed all people, regardless of gender or color. -
7yrs War
The seven years war was fought between France and Great Britain, ultimately resulting in France's loss and them being kicked out of North America. Great Britain didn't find the colonists to be very helpful however, therefore, they punished them and left troops in the Americas. Colonists thought they were very helpful in the war, proving how perception trumps reality. -
Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 was the biggest outcome after the 7 years war was the start of conflict between the colonists and Great Britain. Essentially, this Proclamation set a Proclamations line along the Appalachians and forbade anyone from expanding beyond them. This outraged the colonists as they wanted to expand westward, but the land was instead saved for Native Americans. -
'Shot heard around the world'
The shot heard round the world was the first shot, unknown what side it came from, that started the American Revolution. -
Second Continental Congress
In the Second Continental Congress, all 13 colonies sent delegates and met in Philadelphia about 1 month after Lexington and Concord. They tried to come to a peaceful decision, and sent the olive branch petition to King George III, but he completely rejects it. They ultimately decide to charge Thomas Jefferson and others to write a Declaration of Independence, officially declaring war with Great Britain. -
Saratoga
This battle ended up being a turning point in the war due to the British planning to have three armies meet up, but two fell behind and only one showed up. This results in Burgoyne, the army that did show up, being surrounded and captured by American forces. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation officially made us the United States of America, but it was made out of our fears and was flawed in many ways. It didn't give the government enough power and ultimately led to its downfall and reconstruction. -
Battle of Yorktown
The battle in Yorktown was lost by the British and ultimately the end of the war due to the lack of information by Cornwallis as he didn't know the French Navy was on their way. His original plan was to retreat to Yorktown, a heavily fortified city, to defeat Washington, but he ends up surrounded and surrenders his entire army instead. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was the official end to the American Revolution and granted all of the British lands between the Atlantic and Mississippi River. This was great for the newly made Americans and gave them room to expand as they had always wanted. -
Northwest Ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance was made in order to give room for new states/territories to be permitted to enter the United States. It also outlaws slavery in the Northwest as well as forcing cities to have public education, paving the way for the future. -
Washington asked to be President
Washington, our first president, did not go through an election ,but was selected to be the President. Everyone believed he could bridge the gap and was inaugurated April 30,1789 -
Hamilton's Financial Plan
Alexander Hamilton, Washington's Secretary of the treasury, came up with a plan and wanted to quickly pay off war debts to develop trust for trade. To do this, he made it a national debt, making some states angry as they had already payed of their debts and now had to pay off other states' debts. Washington ultimately signs off on it anyways and also raises money for the federal government. -
Whisky Rebellion
The whiskey Rebellion started due to taxes that harshly affected farmers and the whiskey tax pushed them over the edge. This was the ultimate test of the Constitution in which it succeeded and suppressed the rebellion, ultimately proving its effectiveness. -
XYZ Affair
In order to repair their relations with France, Adams sends three diplomats to France in an attempt to negotiate a treaty. The French however stopped them and demanded a bribe in order to negotiate. This was a slap in the face towards Americans and instead of war, Adams negotiated. -
Alien + Sedition Acts
Adams, in fear of losing the upcoming election, decided to enforce the Alien and Sedition Acts in order to try and keep himself in power by suppressing those who might vote against him. The Alien and Naturalization Acts essentially made life harder for immigrants, making it take longer for them to become citizens and harder to stay safe while the sedition act made it illegal for newspapers to criticize the president/Congress, offending the freedom of speech. -
Revolution of 1800
The Revolution of 1800 was what Thomas Jefferson referred to his election as due to how it was the first time in history that there was a complete change in political ideology. -
Jefferson's Dilemma
Jefferson's Dilemma was the result of Napoleon offering him the entire Louisiana territory, but Jefferson had problems because he believed it would be unconstitutional. This does however result in him choosing to purchase it because he believes it would be very beneficial towards America. -
Transportation Revolution
The transportation Revolution was ultimately a result of the Embargo because it helped people focus on developing transportation and other engineering projects. This revolutionized travel by developing the Steamboat, making it possible to go up stream and the railroad, making it so much easier and cheaper to travel across the US. -
Embargo of 1807
As Great Britain and France are at War once again, each of them want America to stop trading with the other, and that resulted in the Embargo of 1807. This essentially locked America out of trading with any foreign nations, but it did also however benefit the US as it encouraged industrialization. -
War of 1812
The British Navy had begun using impressment on sailors and cargo and the War of 1812 was America's retaliation to this action. This war was also a way of America attempt to show the Revolution wasn't just luck and that they were worthy of respect from the rest of the world. This war was a lot harder though as now they were less trained and had no Washington to lead them. -
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans happened after the war had already been ended, but the news hadn't yet reached the public. This was the battle that brought Andrew Jackson his hero status as he gathered a motley band of experienced soldiers and warriors and essentially mauled British forces. Many people saw Jackson as a war hero because right after this battle, the news arrived that the war was over and won, making them believe he won the war. -
2nd Great Awakening(1820-1840)
Unlike the first Great awakening, it w=focused a lot more on equality, expanding, yet exploiting, the roles and values of women. The church was also uplifted and seen as a means of 'perfecting society'. The three main social movements were in Temperance, Abolition of Slavery, and Women's Suffrage. -
Election of 1824
Originally, this consisted of Henry Clay, William H. Crawford, John Q. Adams(Son of John Adams), and Andrew Jackson. Andrew Jackson has the majority, but doesn't have over 50%. Ends up with only Jackson and Adams left and Clay and Adams meet privately, and in the next few days, Adams was declared president, creating the conspiracy of a corrupt bargain being struck. -
Election of 1828
With the Corrupt Bargain still in play, Jackson, seen and praised as a war hero and commoner, won the election by a landslide. His victory was accompanied by the immediate confirmation of the fear others had as he immediately threw a party in the white house and introduced the spoils system. -
Indian Removal Act
While Jackson is given the main blame for this, a majority of the people supported this decision, but the biggest disgrace in these Acts was how he essentially ignores the supreme court and goes by it his own way. This also results in a lot of violence and the Trail of Tears. -
Jackson's Bank War
In Jackson's eyes, the bank was his enemy, and because of this he swore to destroy it, starting by rejecting the recharter of the bank. To make sure the bank could never return, Jackson took all of the money out of the banks and deposited it into state banks, helping people purchase land and etc. This ultimately lead to a bankruptcy of America. -
Nullification Crisis(Tariff of Abominations)
The Tariff of Abominations had caused a lot of chaos in the south and they ultimately decided to threaten Nullification and eventually secession if the tax wasn't removed or fixed. Jackson tries to reason and lowers the tax, but the South is still defiant, Jackson sees this as treason however and threatens to use force. Henry Clay steps in to save the day however with his compromise bill to reduce the tax over time, ultimately satisfying the South. -
Texas Annexed
The idea of Texas as an independent nation was inevitable as soon as Mexico started inviting Americans into Texas. Once Texas declares independence and goes to war, America refuses to help Texas unless they are Annexed, as America doesn't want to get involved in conflict over two foreign nations. Texas ultimately agrees and America wins the war with Mexico, ending it with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. -
Compromise of 1850
The compromise of 1850 was ultimately the result of the Missouri Compromise in 1820, as a way to solve the problem of helping California join, as it was in the middle of the Missouri Compromise line. The compromise stated that California would be a free state and the slave trade would be abolished in DC, but Strict slave laws would be enacted in return. In the future, new territories would be governed by popular sovereignty. -
Bleeding Kansas
North and South disagree on whether Kansas should be a free or slave state, resulting in large amounts of conflict between Abolitionists and Pro Slavery Southerners. This ultimately results in the Potawanami Massacre lead by John Brown who has no mercy on their families. Many battles were fought in Kansas and South Carolina. -
Dred Scott Case
Having lived in a free state for years after being moved there by his owner, Dredd Scott decides to sue for his freedom. The court ruled against him and essentially stated "There are no Free States", causing and outrage in the North. -
Fort Sumter
The Souths attack on Fort Sumter was the start of the Civil war as Lincoln was supplying the fort but the south didn't trust him, and attacked the convoy sent instead. -
Battle at Bull Run
This was the first official battle of the war and was the US's way of test the confederates' defenses, ultimately leading in an underestimation and confederate victory. -
Pacific Railway Act
Signed by Lincoln, the Pacific Railway Act set forth the project to build a railway to connect the east to the west and unite the nation from coast to coast. This was set to be done by 1873 and he encouraged people to work hard by increasing pay. -
Homestead Act
This was a way of encouraging people to move west and inhabit and use new lands for agricultural purposes. This however created tension with Natives and lead to a lot of conflict between them. -
Battle at Antietnam
This was the single bloodiest day in American history and resulted in an inconclusive battle, but Lincoln considered it a victory and took this as and opportunity to give the Emancipation Proclamation. This battle was the result of McClellan and Lee's armies meeting and fighting, with the union facing more casualties, despite the numerical advantage. -
Battle at Vicksburg
This was a major Union victory by general Ulysses S. Grant that completed the Anaconda Plan, ultimately splitting the south in half, giving the North a major advantage from there onward. -
Gettysburg+Gett.Address
This battle resulted in a Union victory after Lee lead his army to invade the North resulting in a full scale assault on Culp's Hill and East Cemetery Hill. Lees forces eventually fled back into Virginia. This is also where Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address, addressing concerns and encouraging people to keep on fighting. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation technically didn't end slavery, but it granted that already conquered areas and others that rejoined the Union could keep their slaves, this was a way of saying Lincoln had tried everything to end this peacefully. If they chose to not return, they would conquer and free slaves along the way, in which was the decision it came down to. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
Sherman's March to the Sea was a relentless march from Atlanta to Savannah , Georgia in which he destroyed and ravaged any towns along the way. He claimed that he would "Make Georgia Howl". -
Lincolns 10% vs. Wade-Davis Bill
The Wade-Davis Bill was essentially a more strict version of Lincolns 10% plan as they believed that it was far too lenient on the south. This new bill required 50% of the state voters to declare loyalty, made it to where only non-confederates could vote and hold political offices, but Lincoln refuses, stating it was too harsh. -
Freedmen's Bureau
The Freedmen's Bureau was created to help the newly freed blacks as they now had to transition into a new life. They did this by helping them start schools, purchase lands, secure loans, etc. -
Lincoln's assassination and Johnson's Reconstruction
As Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkesbooth, Andrew Johnson took over as president and he became in charge of Reconstruction and hated the planter class, but decided to pass the 10% clause for returning to the union, a very similar plan to Lincolns. -
Sharecropping
With slavery being gone, former slaves needed a new form of work, and sharecropping solved this issue. Basically it was a new form of working and took advantage of them, making them pay 1/4 to 1/2 of their profits from the crops -
Congress Reconstruction
With the Congress now having a majority in radical republicans, they could now over rule Johnson's vetoes and they had all of the power. They use this to pass the Reconstruction Acts of 1867 and 14th and 15th amendments to try and make life easier and better for the newly freed blacks. -
Election of 1876
At this point in time, Democrats had begun to regain more power and most states could now vote again. This election was ultimately between the Dem. Tilden and Rep. Hayes, and like the corrupt bargain, it seemed like was a deal was made, with Hayes being elected and not being able to do much due to his negative reputation. -
Plessy v Ferguson
Won in a 7-1 vote saying that it was okay to segregate as long as they were equal, but most people and places used this to justify segregating all public places, including schools.