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The Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first major military campaigns of the American Revolutionary War. They resulted in an American victory and an outpouring militia support for the anti-British cause. -
The Winter at Valley Forge
The winter of 1777-78 was not the coldest nor the worst winter experienced during the war, but regular freezing and thawing, plus intermittent snowfall and rain, coupled with shortages of provisions, clothing, and shoes, made living conditions extremely difficult. -
Benedict Arnold turns traitor
Benedict Arnold betrayed the Continental Army to the British when he made secret overtures to British headquarters in May 1779. -
The Battle of Cowpens
The Battle of Cowpens was a military engagement during the American Revolutionary War fought on January 17, 1781, near the town of Cowpens, South Carolina. -
The USS Constitution defeats the HMS Guerriere
USS Constitution vs HMS Guerriere was a battle between an American and British ship during the War of 1812, about 400 miles southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia. -
The Battle of Baltimore
A sea/land battle was fought where American forces repulsed sea and land invasions off the port city of Baltimore, Maryland. The combatants first met at the Battle of North Point. -
The Battle of New Orleans
8,392 British soldiers attacked 5,359 Americans with disastrous results—2,037 Redcoat casualties in comparison to a mere 71 for Jackson's army. The dream of a British victory died at Chalmette. -
The Election of Andrew Jackson
Jackson decisively won the election, carrying 55.5% of the popular vote and 178 electoral votes, to Adams' 83. The election marked the rise of Jacksonian Democracy and the transition from the First Party System to the Second Party System. -
The Battle of the Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo was a pivotal event and military engagement in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Antonio de Béxar. -
Mexico loses California, New Mexico, and Arizona
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which brought an official end to the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), was signed on February 2, 1848, at Guadalupe Hidalgo, a city north of the capital where the Mexican government had fled with the advance of U.S. forces. -
Abraham Lincoln Elected President
Lincoln took office following the 1860 presidential election. He won the popular vote in a field of four candidates. Almost all of Lincoln's votes came from the Northern United States. -
South Carolina secedes from the United States
The South Carolina Declaration of Secession also known as the Declaration of the Immediate Causes Induce and Justify the Secession of South Carolina from the Federal Union. -
The First Battle of Bull Run
The First Battle of Bull Run, also called the Battle of First Manassas by Confederate forces, was the first major battle of the American Civil War. -
The Battle of Gettysburg
This was a three-day battle in the American Civil War fought between Union and Confederate forces between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. -
The Treaty at Appomattox Courthouse
The Battle of Appomattox Court House, fought in Appomattox County, Virginia, on April 9, 1865, was one of the last and most consequential battles of the American Civil War. -
The sinking of the USS Maine
It was sent to Havana in January 1898 to protect American interests during the long-standing revolt of the Cubans against the Spanish government. In the evening of 15 February 1898, Maine sank when her forward gunpowder magazines exploded. -
Battle of the Philippines (Spanish American War, not World War II)
Just two days before the U.S. Senate ratified the treaty, fighting broke out between American forces and Filipino nationalists led by Emilio Aguinaldo who sought independence rather than a change in colonial rulers. -
The Adoption of the Star Spangled Banner as the National Anthem
The Senate passed the bill on March 3, 1931. President Herbert Hoover signed the bill on March 4, 1931, officially adopting "The Star-Spangled Banner" as the national anthem of the United States of America.