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1607: Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement, is founded on the shores of the James River and was named after King James 1 of England. -
The relationship between the colonies and the British Government deteriorated over disagreements related to trade, taxes, and overall power and control. The colonies joined hands, and in 1776, under the leadership of George Washington, the colonies gained separation from Britain. -
13 British colonies grew along the East Coast of the United States and extended westward into the country. -
The American Civil War was a four-year war that was fought between 1861 and 1865 between the Northern states and the eleven Southern states. The Northern states were rapidly growing because of modernization and diversification with different industries, while the Southern states were mostly rural and dependent on slavery, which was illegal in the North. The conflict's central cause was this issue of slavery. -
In 1892, Ellis Island was opened as the Federal Immigration Station to process immigrants coming into the US through New York. Immigrants underwent medical and legal examinations here before being allowed into the country. It symbolized the beginning of a new era that shaped the demographics of the country in the years to come. -
President Woodrow Wilson went before the US Congress on April 2, 1917, to request a declaration of war against Germany. Germany’s unrestricted submarine warfare in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and its attempts to entice Mexico into an alliance against the United States, were the primary reasons for the US entry in WW1. -
The Great Depression was an economic downturn that began in 1929 and lasted until about 1939. Although it originated in the US, it was the longest and most severe depression experienced by the Western world. This led to a decline in industrial output and severe unemployment, and brought about many economic changes. -
The United States entered World War II on December 8, 1941, after Japan's surprise attack on the naval base at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Three days later, Germany and Italy, allied with Japan, declared war on the United States. America was now drawn into a global war. -
The U.S. landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, when astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the lunar surface as part of the Apollo 11 mission. -
On September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four airliners traveling from East Coast airports toward California. This was the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil in U.S. history.