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Oct 12, 1492
Columbus lands in the Americas
- Christopher Columbus set sail from Spain on an attempted trip to East Asia.
- Columbus underestimated the size of the world and thought that East Asia would be right where the Americas were.
- On August 3rd he would set sail for "East Asia" .
- On October 12th Columbus landed where he intended, but realized something was off and he would soon realize that he had discovered a new land. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/columbus-lands-in-south-america
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Jamestown
-Jamestown was founded by English colonists in the year 1607 and is located in Virginia.
-It was the first permanent English colony and was discovered 13 years before the pilgrims landed in Plymouth, MA.
-A new form of climate change, and a lack of food and water led to disease and death amongst many of the colonists.
-Jamestown remained the centerpiece of Virginia until 1699 when
the government moved to Williamsburg.
https://www.historyisfun.org/jamestown-settlement/history-jamestown/ -
THE START OF SLAVERY (#1)
-Slavery in America started in 1619.
-A Dutch ship brought 20 African slaves ashore in the British colony of Jamestown, Virginia.
-This is important because it sparked the slave epidemic which later became Americas number one regret. http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/slavery -
Pilgrims Land
-The Mayflower landed in New England on November 11th, 1620.
-The trip took 66 days on the water.
-The ship intended to settle near the Hudson River, but dangerous winds led them to Cape Cod.
-In Cape Cod most of the adult men signed a document that we call the Mayflower Compact.
-The Mayflower Compact laid out the government foundation for the new community.
-They later settled in Plymouth, MA on December 16th, 1620.
https://www.plimoth.org/learn/just-kids/homework-help/who-were-pilgrims -
FIRST COLONY TO LEGALIZE SLAVERY (#2)
-Massachusetts becomes the first colony to legalize slavery.
-This is done through the passage of the Body of Liberties.
-This is important because at the time Massachusetts held a large amount of the colonial population and since they legalized it, it led to other colonies doing the same which started a domino effect until slavery became common life in America. http://www.masshist.org/teaching-history/loc-slavery/essay.php?entry_id=504 -
THE VIRGINIA SLAVE CODES (#3)
-The Virginia Slave Code codifies a new slave status.
-It defines all slaves as real estate, acquits masters who kill slaves during punishment, forbids slaves and free colored peoples from physically assaulting white persons, and denies slaves the right to bear arms or move abroad without written permission.
-This is important because it gave masters the freedom to be harsher to their slaves which later leads to rebellions from slaves. https://sharondraper.com/timeline.pdf -
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ANTHONY BENEZET (#5)
-Anthony Benezet was a Quaker teacher, writer and the first known abolitionist.
-He set up evening classes for poor black children, which he ran from his own home.
-Benezet became an avid opponent of slavery.
-He felt it contradicted Christianity and lessened a person's humanity.
-Anthony Benezet is very important because he was the first person to give the slaves a voice and later led to many more abolitionists and colonies starting to abolish slavery. http://abolition.e2bn.org/people_27.html -
THE NEGRO ACT (#4)
-The act went on to ensure that slaves were prohibited from growing their own food, learning to read, earning money, assembling in groups, using loud musical instruments, wearing nice clothes, killing a “whiter person,” and especially not inciting or attempting to incite an insurrection.
-This act is important because it added to the slaves anger which will later lead to violent rebellions. https://legallegacy.wordpress.com/2015/05/10/may-10-1740-south-carolina-enacts-the-negro-act-of-1740/ -
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French and Indian War
-The French and Indian war also known as the Seven Years War lasted from 1756 to 1763.
-France’s expansion into the Ohio River valley brought great conflict with the British colonies which led to the war.
-In July of 1758, the British won their first victory at Louisbourg.
-With the fall of Montreal in September 1760, the French lost the last of Canada.
-In 1763 the British colonies received Canada and Florida from the peace conference.
http://www.history.com/topics/french-and-indian-war -
The Stamp Act
-The Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament on March 22, 1765.
-The new tax was imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used.
-The Stamp Act was viewed as a direct attempt by England to raise money in the colonies without the approval of the colonial legislatures which angered the colonists.
-The Stamp Act sparked great tension between the British and the Colonists. http://www.history.org/history/teaching/tchcrsta.cfm -
Townshend Acts
-The Townshend Acts imposed duties on glass, lead, paints, paper and tea imported into the colonies.
-Americans viewed the taxation as an abuse of power,
-This resulted in a passage of agreements to limit imports from Britain.
-Parliament repealed all the Townshend duties except the tax on tea. http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/townshend-acts -
The Boston Massacre
-The Boston Massacre occurred on March 5th, 1770.
-A group of British soldiers came to support a sentry who was being pressed by a crowd and then let loose shots on the crowd.
-Three people were killed immediately and two died later from their wounds.
-The Boston Massacre is remembered as a key event in convincing the colonial public to the Patriot cause. http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/boston-massacre -
Lexington and Concord
-The Battles of Lexington and Concord, kicked off the American Revolutionary War.
-Tensions had been building between the American colonies and the British authorities.
-The outnumbered militiamen had just been ordered by their commander to disperse when a shot rang out.
-8 militiamen lay dead and 9 were wounded, while only 1 Redcoat was injured.
-News of the battle quickly spread leading to a full on war. http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/battles-of-lexington-and-concord -
Declaration of Independence
-On July 4, 1776, 56 delegates officially signed the Declaration of Independence, declaring themselves a new nation, known as the United States of America.
-The main purpose of the document was to announce the colonies separation from England.
-The document consists of 5 parts: the introduction, the preamble, the indictment of King George III, the denunciation of the British Government, and the conclusion. https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-declaration-of-independence-summary-analysis.html -
VERMONT ABOLISHES SLAVERY (#6)
-The 1777 constitution entitles Vermont to claim to be the first U.S. state to have abolished slavery.
-With the Abolishment of slavery in Vermont it led to other colonies following in their foot steps.
-This is important because it gave hope to slaves that they could be free all around the company which really sparked their passion towards freedom which led to strikes and rebellions against masters. http://slavenorth.com/vermont.htm -
Constitutional Convention
-The Constitutional Convention was set to address the problems of the weak central government that existed under the Articles of Confederation.
-The Constitutional Convention created a model of government that relied upon a series of checks and balances by dividing federal authority between the Legislative, the Judicial, and the Executive branches of government.
-Each branch had it's own jobs resulting in balanced power.
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1784-1800/convention-and-ratification -
FUGUTIVE SLAVE ACT (#7)
-The Fugitive Slave Act authorized local governments to seize and return escaped slaves to their owners and imposed penalties on anyone who aided in their flight.
-The law imposed a $500 penalty on anyone who helped harbor or conceal escaped slaves.
-This is important because just as slaves started getting momentum towards freedom the Fugitive Slave Act made them completely trapped which added to their anger... future rebellion??? http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/fugitive-slave-acts -
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NAT TURNER REBELLION (#8)
-Nat Turner leads a two-day uprising against whites, killing about 60. -Militiamen crush the revolt then spend two months searching for Turner, who is eventually caught and hanged.
-Enraged Southerners impose harsher restrictions on their slaves.
-Northerners view Turner as a Hero.
-This was extremely important because it finally negatively effected whites and showed the potential conflicts that could uprise from slavery (civil war). https://sharondraper.com/timeline.pdf -
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Jefferson Presidency
-Thomas Jefferson is elected as the third president of the United States.
-He was also an author of the Declaration of Independence.
-During his two terms in office, the U.S. purchased the Louisiana Territory and the Lewis and Clark expedition discovered a new acquisition.
-After not running for a third term and leaving office, he retired to his Virginia plantation, and helped found the University of Virginia.
http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/thomas-jefferson -
Louisiana Purchase
-The United States acquired the Louisiana Territory, some 828,000 square miles of land from the French.
-The claim of the Louisiana Territory for the price of less than three cents an acre was Jefferson’s most notable achievements as president.
-Westward american expansion into the new lands began immediately.
-9 years after the Louisiana Purchase agreement, the first state from the purchase was admitted into the Union as the 18th U.S. state.
http://www.history.com/topics/louisiana-purchase -
Missouri Compromise
-In an effort to sustain a balance of power in Congress between slave states and free states, the Missouri Compromise was passed in 1820 admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state.
-The act prohibited slavey in all states north of Kentucky, Virginia, and Maryland.
Those three states and all the states below would be known as slave states.
-Three years later the Missouri Compromise was declared unconstitutional.
https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/Missouri.html -
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Jackson Presidency
-Andrew Jackson was elected as the nations 7th president.
-Jackson became the leader of the new Democratic Party.
- Jackson earned credit for preserving the Union in its greatest moment of crisis to that date.
-Jackson was a big supporter in states rights and slavery extensions.
-A new party was also formed during Jackson's time known as the Whig party.
-The wig party were "anti-jacksonists" which means they were against his views.
http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/andrew-jackson -
Indian Removal Act
-The Indian Removal Act was signed by President Andrew Jackson on May 28, 1830.
-The act gave the president the right to grant unsettled lands west of the Mississippi in exchange for Indian lands within existing state borders.
-Many Indian tribes resisted and tried to fight the act.
Approximately 4,000 Cherokees died on a forced march, which became known as the "Trail of Tears."
https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/Indian.html -
UNCLE TOM'S CABIN (#9)
-Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a novel which showed the dark reality of slavery.
-The novel is regarded as one of the major causes of the Civil War. ---The novel was written in 1852 by American author Harriet Beecher
-She was known as the "little lady who started a war."
-This was very important because more people starting feeling sympathy towards slaves and more people felt abolition was necessary which ultimately led to the Civil War. http://www.historynet.com/uncle-toms-cabin -
Dredd Scott vs. Sanford
-The Dredd Scott vs. Sanford case was brought into court by Dredd Scott who was a slave who lived with his owner in a free state.
-Scott argued that his time spent in these locations entitled him to emancipation.
- Ultimately the judge disagreed with Dredd Scott's argument.
-The court found that no black, free or slave, could claim U.S. citizenship
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/dred-scott-case -
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Lincoln Presidency
-Abraham Lincoln became the United States 16th President in 1861.
-Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1st, 1863.
-The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free."
-He built the Republican Party into a strong national organization.
-Lincoln won re-election in 1864.
-On April 14, 1865, Lincoln was assassinated. https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/abraham-lincoln/ -
Attack on Fort Sumter
-Fort Sumter is most famous for being the site of the first shots of the Civil War.
-Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard bombarded Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861.
-After a 34-hour exchange of artillery fire, Anderson and 86 soldiers surrendered the fort on April 13.
-After the battle Confederate troops gained control of Fort Sumter for about four years. http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/fort-sumter -
Emancipation Proclamation
-Lincoln issued a preliminary proclamation first in order to warn the rebellious states.
-The Emancipation Proclamation was an order issued on January 1, 1863, by Lincoln freeing slaves in all portions of the United States not then under Union control.
-The Emancipation Proclamation was only intended for the states that were rebellious to the abolishment of slavery.
-The Proclamation led the way to abolition in the US. https://www.civilwar.org/learn/articles/10-facts-emancipation-proclamation -
Surrender at Appomattox
-At the battle of Appomattox Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army to Union General Ulysses S. Grant.
-The resulting Battle of Appomattox Court House, which lasted only a few hours, effectively brought the four-year Civil War to an end. http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/appomattox-court-house -
Lincoln Assassination
-President Lincoln was fatally shot by actor John Wilkes Booth.
-As Lincoln was paralyzed in his seat, Booth leapt onto the stage and escaped through the back door.
- A doctor in the audience examine the paralyzed president and then he was carried across the street to Petersen's Boarding House, where he died early the next morning on April 15th. http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/civil/jb_civil_lincoln_1.html -
Thirteenth Amendment Ratified
-The 13th amendment to the United States Constitution provides that "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."
-The amendment was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864.
-The House passed it on January 31,1865.
-The necessary number of states ratified it by December 6, 1865. https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=40 -
THE END OF SLAVERY IN AMERICA (#10)
-Emancipation Proclamation, President Abraham Lincoln decrees that all slaves in Rebel territory are free on Jan 1, 1863.
-Slavery Abolished, the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution outlaws slavery.
-Civil war ends in May of 1865.
-The end of slavery was so important that a whole civil war was fought over it and that was proven once the civil war ended a couple of months after the abolishment of slavery.
-Slavery was Americas biggest regret. https://sharondraper.com/timeline.pdf -
United States Purchases Alaska
-The United States reached an agreement to purchase Alaska from Russia for a price of $7.2 million.
-This purchase ended Russia’s presence in North America and ensured U.S. access to the Pacific northern rim.
-Alaska became the gateway to the Klondike gold fields.
-The strategic importance of Alaska was finally recognized in World War II.
-Alaska officially became a state on January 3, 1959. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1866-1898/alaska-purchase -
The Fourteenth Amendment
-The 14th Amendment guaranteed African Americans citizenship and all its privileges.
-The amendment resolved pre-Civil War questions of African American citizenship by stating that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States…are citizens of the United States and of the state in which they reside.”
-The amendment also granted all citizens the “equal protection of the laws.” http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/14th-amendment-adopted -
Chinese Exclusion Act
-In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed by Congress and signed by President Chester A. Arthur.
-This act provided an absolute 10-year moratorium on Chinese labor immigration
-The 1882 exclusion act also placed new requirements on Chinese who had already entered the country.
-If they left the United States, they had to obtain certifications to re-enter the United States. https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=47 -
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
-The Sherman Anti-Trust Act was the first Federal act that outlawed monopolistic business practices.
-The Sherman Antitrust Act was based on the constitutional power of Congress to regulate interstate commerce.
-Anything “in the form of trust or otherwise that was in restraint of trade or commerce among the several states, or with foreign nations” was now declared illegal.
-Performing these actions led to a $5,000 fine and a year in jail. https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=51 -
Plessy v Ferguson
-The Plessy v Ferguson case started from an incident in1892 where an African-American train passenger named Homer Plessy refused to sit in a car for blacks.
-The Supreme Court ruled that a state law that “implies merely a legal distinction” between whites and blacks did not conflict with the 13th and 14th Amendments.
-Therefore Plessy had no right to do what he did because his state laws forbid it. http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/plessy-v-ferguson -
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Spanish American War
-The Spanish-American War was a conflict between the United States and Spain that ended Spanish colonial rule in the Americas.
-After the sinking of the battleship USS Maine the United States became more involved with the Spanish affairs.
-Spain declared war on the U.S. on April 24th, followed by a U.S. declaration of war on the 25th.
-The war resulted in the United States claiming Cuba, Guam and Puerto Rico, and the Philippines ($20,000,000). http://www.history.com/topics/spanish-american-war -
Annexation of Hawaii
-America's annexation of Hawaii in 1898 extended U.S. territory into the Pacific.
-For most of the 1800s, leaders in Washington were concerned that Hawaii might become part of a European nation's empire.
-The planters believed that a coup and annexation by the United States would remove the threat of a devastating tariff on their sugar which also spurred them to action.
-Hawaii officially became a state in 1959. -
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T. Roosevelt Presidency
-The young Republican politician Theodore Roosevelt became the 26th president on September 1901, after the assassination of William McKinley.
-Due to his strong efforts to break up industrial combinations under the Sherman Antitrust Act "Teddy" became known as the "trust buster".
-Roosevelt won a Nobel Peace Prize for his negotiations to end the Russo-Japanese War and spearheaded the beginning of construction on the Panama Canal. http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/theodore-roosevelt -
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Harlem Renaissance
-The Harlem Renaissance was the development in Harlem, New York City as a black cultural change began to form.
-The period is considered a golden age in African American culture, music (specifically jazz), stage performance and art.
-The end of Harlem’s outbreak began with the stock market crash of 1929.
-There is no specific dates for the time period, but it's estimated to have lasted from the 1910's to the mid 30's.
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/harlem-renaissance -
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Wilson Presidency
-Woodrow Wilson was elected as the 28th U.S. president and led the U.S. through World War I.
-Wilson was a very strong advocate for democracy and world peace. -Wilson is often ranked by historians as one of the nation’s greatest presidents.
-Wilson wanted to keep the U.S. neutral during WWI.
-However, Congress declared the U.S. to war in 1917.
-After the war, he helped construct a peace treaty and a plan for the League of Nations. http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/woodrow-wilson -
World War 1 Start
-Before WW1, defense alliances existed between the major European countries which triggered many of the other European nations.
-WW1 started when Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated on June 28, 1914.
-After the assassination, Austria-Hungary threatened war on Serbia and a month after the Archduke’s assassination Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia with the backing of Germany.
-After the war Wilson helped the League of Nations. https://kidskonnect.com/history/ww1-start/ -
Panama Canal
-The United States began to build a canal across a 50-mile stretch of the Panama isthmus in 1904.
-The project was helped immensely due to the elimination of disease carrying mosquitoes.
-The Panama Canal officially opened on August 15, 1914, although the planned grand ceremony was downgraded due to the outbreak of WWI. http://www.history.com/topics/panama-canal -
World War 1 End
-Due to Germany's lack of manpower, supplies and being faced with invasion, they signed an armistice agreement with the Allies meaning Germany had surrendered.
-The First World War left nine million soldiers dead and 21 million wounded.
-In addition, at least five million civilians died from disease, starvation, or exposure.
-WWI was known as the “war to end all wars” because of it's great destruction it caused. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/world-war-i-ends -
Eighteenth Amendment
-Prohibition movements reached its apex in 1920 when Congress ratified the 18th Amendment, prohibiting the manufacture, transportation and sale of intoxicating liquors.
-Prohibition was very difficult to enforce and failed to have the intended effect of eliminating crime and other social problems that the movements promised.
- In 1933, Congress ratified the 21st Amendment, which repealed Prohibition. http://www.history.com/topics/18th-and-21st-amendments -
Treaty of Versailles
-W I officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.
-The treaties 15 parts and 440 articles reassigned German boundaries and assigned liability for reparations.
-Germany agreed to pay reparations under the Dawes Plan and the Young Plan.
-However, those plans were cancelled in 1932, and Hitler’s rise to power and subsequent actions rendered debate to the remaining terms of the treaty. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/treaty-of-versailles -
Nineteenth Amendment
-The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted American women the right to vote (women suffrage).
-There were many movements for woman suffrage and many women were put in jail or force fed.
-Alice Paul was arguably the biggest activist and she dedicated her life to securing equal rights for all women and endured tons of pain and hate for doing so.
-Women finally emerged victorious with the passage of the 19th Amendment. http://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/19th-amendment -
Gitlow v New York
-The case arose in November 1919 when Benjamin Gitlow and Alan Larkin, were arrested by New York City police officers for criminal anarchy, an offense under New York state law.
- Gitlow argued that no violent action was precipitated by the article.
-The court upheld Gitlow’s conviction, but the ruling expanded free speech protections for individuals. https://www.britannica.com/event/Gitlow-v-New-York -
Stock Market Crash
-Stock prices began to decline in September and early October 1929, and on October 18 the fall began and panic set in.
-On October 24th, a record 12,894,650 shares were traded.
-Billions of dollars were lost and stock tickers ran way behind because the machinery could not handle the gigantic volume of trading.
-Prices continued to drop as the US went into the Great Depression
-By 1932 stocks were worth only about 20% of their value in 1929. http://www.history.com/topics/1929-stock-market-crash
