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Bacon's Rebellion
The Bacon Rebelion, lead by Nathaniel Bacon, was the result of years of conflict between Virginians and local Indian tribes. Starting after the Susquehannock War, Bacon and likeminded colonists wanted to displace Indians further in favor of the white man. Berkeley, the Governer, had loyalists while Bacon lead the Rebels. Bacon died about a year into the fighting, leading to a slow decline of rebellious activity. -
Invention of the Steam Engine
The steam engine, invented by James Watt, revolutionized transportation, manufacturing, and agriculture during and after the industrial revolution. Harnessing the power of steam to generate motion, the steam engine allowed the development of steam-powered trains, ships, and factories. This accelerated the speed and efficiency of transport and allowed for non-water powered factories. -
Proclamation of 1763
Following the end of the French and Indian War, the land aquired by England in the peace treaty was desired by colonists. The Crown decreed the Appalachian Moutains the boundary to settling the Americas. It also required that all colonist that were settled beyond the mountains returned east, but the rules were widely discarded. -
End of Salutary Neglect
Before the French and Indian War, Britain didn't really care what the colonies did as long as they made a lot of money. Once the war ended, Britain levied heavier taxes on the colonies and increased the amount of suveilance by the crown and military. This ended a general era of peace in the American Colonies and resulted in increased resentment against the crown, eventually leading to the revolution. -
Boston Massacre
As tensions rose in the colonies over the end of salutory neglect, many began instigating British soldiers. In Boston, soldiers were positioned outside of the customs house, where colonists began to throw snowballs, later becoming rocks. As the mild fighting grew worse, one of the soldiers fired into the crowd and killed 5 people. These were the first people to be killed during the revolution and was used as a speaking point to bring people to the cause. -
Common Sense Released
Thomas Paine, a writer in Boston wrote Common Sense in modern language, and published it as a rallying cry to the revolutionary cause. The book outsold the bible and brought countless into the war. Paine later donated all proceeds from the book to the Army as well as joining it, using his writing skills to keep up morale throughout the war. -
Boston Tea Party
A heavy tea taxes were set on the American Colonies as tensions rose. The Sons of Liberty organized a protest, dressing up as Native Americans and boarding a ship full of imported tea in broad daylight, throwing it overboard. MIllions of dollars in tax and commercial revenue were tossed overboard. The British Government responded harshly, creating more incentives for revolution. -
Battle of Concord and Lexington
As tensions rose after the Boston Tea Party, colonists began to stockpile weapons in Concord. British soldiers marched to the town in hopes of taking the stock and stop in Lexington to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock. Paul Revere and other messengers alerted men in the towns of the British advance, where they were able to arm and retreat to safety. As a standoff gathered, one side fired a shot, beginning the American Revolution. -
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Revolutionary War
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Olive Branch Petitition
As the Second Continental Congress fought over how to deal with the growing resentment of the crown in America, many wanted to declare war, but some hoped for a peaceful option. Radicals sent the Olive Branch Petition as a sign of peace and hope, asking for representation and change in the colonies, when the crown denied, the Declaration of Independence was drafted. -
Declaration of Independence
After the Olive Branch Petition failed, the Second Continetal Congress tasked young Thomas Jefferson to draft the Declaration of Independence. He writes the founding document of America, citing the Social Contract and Hobbes' philosophial work in provocative statement to the crown. -
Battle of Seratoga
The Battle of Seratoga was the turning point of the American Revolution. The British attempted to attack the Americans from both directions, but not knowing the land, one of the British armies got stuck in swampland. American troops are able to surround the first British Army and capture them, aquiring all of their firepower and supplies. -
Second Continental Congress
As the revolutionary ideas ramped up in the colonies, the second Continental Congress was formed to organize resources. The Congress had to do many things, including diplomatic ordeals, creating currency, levying taxes, and creating an army. It is here that they elect George Washington as the leader of the United States Army. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris officially ended the Revolutionary War, creating the United States of America. The treaty granted all land south of the great lakes to the country, but kept Canada. This was the first time a small uprising had won and created a new country, which would eventually inspire nations around the world. -
Shay's Rebellion
Shay's Rebellion began as Shay, a former revolutionary soldier, had his farm basically foreclosed on. He gathered a group that marched through Massachussetts, taking over courthouses. Rich men in Boston eventually had to hire a private army to stop the revolt, but the rebellion highlighted the faults in the Articles of Confederation, leading to an effort to draft new founding documents. -
Whiskey Rebellion
The government levied a tax on whiskey, but was heavily favored towards the rich, charging them far less for mass-produced whiskey. Penslyvania farmers refused to pay the whiskey tax until the American army enforced it. Like Shay's Rebellion, this tested the strength of the new US Constitution, and the protestors were dispersed quickly without bloodshed. -
Establishment of the First National Bank
As debates went on over the establishment of both a capitol and national bank, Anti-federalists and Federalists negotiated the opening of a national bank through the creation of Washington DC. The bank allowed for more investment into the country as a whole and standardized American currency. The bank helped centralize the government and economy as well as grow the country after the war. -
Invention of the Cotton Gin
Invented by Eli Whittney, the cotton Gin sperated seeds from cotton fiber easily, a previously time consuming process. The invention allowed for greater production of cotton and cotton plantations boomed in the south. The invention also increased the use of slave labor, something that was previously on decline. -
Pinckey's Treaty
People who lived on the west side of the Appalachias were cut off from trade due to the french's claim over the Mississippi. Pickney was sent to the Spanish government, where he aquired 25 years of use for both the river and New Orleans. This increased the west's ability to trade but never permanently fixed the issue. -
Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
Henry Clay and Thomas Jefferson used the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions to attempt to surpass the newly passed Alien and Sedition act. They used state courts to deem the act unconstitutional, but by arguing that states could overturn federal laws, the resolutions implied the federal government to be dissolved. It was therefore voted down and deemed unconstitutional itself, and led to the federalist's fall from power. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
The Alien and Sedition Acts consisted of 3 separate Acts, the Naturalizatio Act, which increased the amount of time needed to aquire a citizenship from 5 to 20 years. The Alien Act allowed the president to deport any immigrant they deemed fit as a form of silencing political dissent, and the Sedition Act, which made newspapers that printed anything criticizing the government illegal. These understandably caused an uproar and basically ruined Adams even more than before politically. -
Marbury v. Madison Descision
Before Adams was replaced as president, he changed a majority of government offices, leaving Marshall to miss sending a commission before Jefferso was sworn in. Marbury sued Madion and the court case was probably the founding of the present day supreme court. The court ruled that the supreme court held the right to review laws and interpret them based on the constitution. This new form of Judicial review created the modern day supreme court. -
Lewis and Clark Expedition
President Jefferson sent the Lewis and Clark Expedition to explore the newly aquired Louisiana purchase and beyond until they reached the Pacific. The expedition mapped the new territory and began peaceful trade with native they met. They reached the Pacific but failed to find a water route from the Pacific to connect the coasts. (But Jefferson got a pet praire dog) -
Embargo of 1807
As Britain and France were at war again, Jefferson hoped to maintain good trading routes with both countries and remain neutral in the war. Both countries refused and Jefferson decided to instead block all trade between Europe and America. This heavily impacted the American economy but also forced it to industrialize and produce more manufactured goods to accomodate for the lost goods from Europe. -
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The War of 1812
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Battle of Thames
The battle of the Thames was one of the most important battles against native Americans during the war of 1812. British and Native forces were defeated in Canada and Tehcumsah was killed in battle, leading to the end of organized resistance by natives at the time. After this battle the army also decided to kill everyone who followed Tecumseh and Tenkwatawa so. yay? -
Invention of the Lowell System
In Lowell Massachussetts, textile factories were widespread. The factories hired young women to work and produce goods, while also allowing the women to take home a profit. This changed the way women were seen in society, as they could somewhat provide for themselves before marriage. -
Burning of Washington D.C.
Two years into the War of 1812, the British army invaded the states by land, infiltrating DC. The city surrendered and nearly all government builds were burned, including the white house. Dolly Madison famously saved documents and portraits from the white house before they were burnt. -
Battle of New Orleans
After the War of 1812 was technically already over, but as word still spread, Troops in the south had still not heard. Andrew Jackson used anybody he could and dug trenches as the british neared. He lined up soldiers with the best shooters at the front, speedrunning the reloading process as the British tried to invade. 2000 British troops were killed, and now Andrew Jackson is a war hero. -
Election of 1824
The Election of 1824 was highly contested, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, and Crawford were all running. Jackson won the popular vote with Adams second, but nobody won the electoral vote. The vote therefore went to the House of Representatives, where Clay was speaker. Clay dropped out of the race and Crawford dies, but Adams and Clay meet privately and Clay endorsed Adams, leading him to win the presidency. -
Tariff of Abominations
In 1828, the south and north were very different in relations to their economy. The north wanted tariffs put in place to raise the price of foreign goods and make American goods more popular. The south, on the other hand, knew this would make the economy suffer, leading to a sharp political battle that doomed Adams' reelection campaign. -
Rise of Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism rose during the second great awakening, the movement was both cultural and based on ideals. The movement was somewhat inspired by the romantisist era in Europe, and included ideas of nature, individuality, spirituality, and hating the government. The idea was not hugely popular but American literature at the time was dominated by transcendentalist writers. -
Battle of the Alamo
During the territorial conflict of the Mexican-American War, the President, Polk, sent a small group of troops and rebels into disputed territory. American soldiers are greatly outnumbered and fight to the last man. Though the battle was a loss for the Americans, it became a rallying cry for the invasion of Mexico and expansion of the west. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
After American troops capture nearly all of Mexico, including their capital city, a treaty is divised. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the fighting of the Mexican-American war, while also granting America last swaths of land on the west coast. They took all of modern-day Texas, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. This treaty created a bi-coastal America and specifically broadened the land ownership in the western territories. -
Seneca Falls Convention
As the suffrage, abolition, and temperance movements grew during the second great awakening, many called for greater women's rights. The Seneca Falls Convention called for various movements of sexual equality in voting, finances, and liberty while also fighting for other marginalized groups. Elizabeth Cady Stanton organized the event, writing the Declaration of rights and sentiments. -
Compromise of 1850
After the failure of the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850 was put in place. The law called for states to be entered into the union in pairs, with California entering as a free state. The compromise also abolished slavery in DC, a historic and monumental achievement as the first territory in the US to outlaw slavery. In return for this, the south was allowed to capture escaped slaves in the north under sidespread fugitive slave laws that returned many to slavery, sometimes unfairly. -
Bleeding Kansas Election
As voting to create Kanas as either a slave or free state commenced, Ruffians from the missouri boarder captured the vote of the city of Lawrence for Pro-Slavery. This caused Kanas to be admitted to the union as a slave state, but abolitionists called foul play, creating their own government. Fights commence politically and John Brown shows up and shoots people in Lawrence. -
Dred Scot Case
Dred Scot v. Sanford was an influential ruling in 1857 that determined the status of millions of slaves in the United States. The ruling declared that slaves were not free if they traveled to a free state, basically legalizing slavery in the northern states and disintegrating the border between slave and free states. This ruling also declared slaves to not be citizens, only raising tensions between free and slave states. -
Raid on Harper's Ferry
After the events at Bleeding Kansas, John Brown surfaced in Harpers Ferry with fellow supporters (And a beard). He planned to attack the armoury located in the town and use the weapons to free slaves in Virginia. When his group attempted to break in, Brown is kept in the armoury and General Robert E Lee was called in to remove them, ending in a union victory against the rebels. -
Attack on Fort Sumter
As the first battle of the United States Civil War, the Attack on Fort Sumter was caused by southern soldiers. Union troops were stationed in the fort even as South Carolina was seceded from the union. The Union attempts to supply the fort but is blocked, and the fort eventually falls to the Confederacy, starting the war. -
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The American Civil War
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Pacific Railway Act
Early in Lincoln's term, he signs the Pacific Railway Act to build the transcontinental railroad. The act contracted two companies, Union Pacific and Central Pacific to build from opposing ends of the frontier. To incentivize speed in the construction of the railway, the companies were paid with both money and land on either side of the railway, giving them great economic opportunity as towns began to spring up alongside the newly constructed railroad. -
Battle of Vicksburg
Lasting for a month, the siege on Vicksburg, a town by the Mississippi River was lead by Ulysses S Grant. Vicksburg was the final town needed to take the Mississippi back, and Grant captured both the state capitol and pushed confederate forces in to the city of Vicksburg. After a month of siege, the confederates surrendered and the anaconda plan was completed, capturing 30,000 confederates and securing the use of the Mississippi River for the Union. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
In an effort to end the war, General Sherman was sent to March through the south and wage total war. His men would raid farms and plantations, burn the land, steal food, and terrorize the people in the territory. The army was split into two and eventually landed in Savanah Georgia after burning and intimidating thousands of Confederate citizens. -
Sand Creek Massacre
As Cheyenne and Arapahoe Native Americans camped near Sand Creek, a Colorado militia attacked the tribe unprovoked. The militia killed an estimated 230 people, mainly women, the elderly, and children as the men were mostly out hunting. The unprovoked attack caused increases in both Native American activism and violence between troops and tribes. -
Sharecropping Begins
After the end of the Civil War, many plantation owners were left with vast swaths of land and no workers, while former slaves and poor whites needed a job and hoped to create a better life for themselves. Plantation owners exploited this need to overcharge families for tools and a portion of their plantation, where a portion of the produced crop would be given to the land owner to pay off debts. This system trapped many in a cycle of debt as they could not leave without paying off their debt. -
Founding of the KKK
As reformation began, many white people in the south decided to turn to violence against individuals instead of the government. They would burn crosses, Lynch people, and intimidate freedmen and republicans to stop them from voting or voicing opinion. This would later be founded as the KKK, who centered around redemption of the white race against the newly freed black families. -
Civil Rights Act of 1866
The Civil Rights Act of 1866 allows newly freed african Americans citizenship and attempted to enforce protections against southern laws that battled reformation. This act was later turned into the 14th amendment, which also classified all people born in the United States as citizens. -
Johnson Impeached
After President Johnson, the former Vice President under Lincoln before his assassination, removed radical republicans from his cabinet against the orders of Congress, an impeachment vote was cast in the house. He was impeached in the house but not the Senate, which, although it did not remove him from office, rendered him effectively powerless as the president. -
Election of 1876
In an election between Hayes and Tilden, two new candidates for president, Tilden seemingly won 100% of the popular vote in the south. Republicans recognized some form of obstruction and creates a panel of 5 democrats, 5 republicans, and 5 supreme court justices to decide the election. They vote in Hayes as president but end militarily enforced reformation in the south as collateral. -
Dawes Severalty Act
The Dawes Severalty Act was constructed to remove reservations from native's hands. The act allowed for any Indian to take 160 acres if they participate in agriculture, and after a certain percentage of indians take the land, their reservation is disbanded and the land open to white settlers. This act was meant to forcibly weaken and assimilate the native American people. -
Plessy v. Ferguson descision
Plessy V. Ferguson was decided in 1896, ruling 7 to 1. The ruling ordered 'seperate but equal' accomodations in public spaces was constitutional according to the 14th amendment, segregating spaces between black and white people with things including water fountains, train cars, and busses. -
Lone Wolf v. Hitchcock Descision
This ruling was brought to court through an illegal use of Indian land and a violation between the KIowas and United States government. In an 8 to 1 Descision, it was ruled that Congress had the right to ignore treaty obligations between native American tribes and the government, disregarding the tribes autonomy.