American History (1492-1890)

Africans arrive on a Dutch merchant ship and are treated as indentured servants. After a certain amount of years, they were freed and received land.

Puritans come to America to create a perfect "Utopian" society. John Winthrop explains that theirs will be a, "City upon a hill."

Anne Hutchinson is banned from the Puritan colony for her teaching that people can interpret the bible for themselves.

William Penn receives a charter in the Americas which he later uses to start Pennsylvania. This colony was founded on Quaker values and had very good relations with native Americans.

The Salem Witch Trials are based on the testimony of a few Salem girls who accused a slave as practicing witchcraft. Things got out of hand from there, and in the end 19 people have been killed, and 150 people imprisoned. http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/f3/cc/1343231416_6799_1.jpg?itok=gfCOIjIZ

This was an era in which the belief that the world was governed by chance was replaced with the idea of a mathematical world.

This time period was a time period in which the religious fervor was higher than normal. This was brought about in great part by traveling preachers who held revival meetings.

In 1750, there were 200,000 slaves in Southern Colonies. Compared to the 13,000 of 1690, that becomes a very large number.

The rivalry between France and Britain manifests itself in this war. This begins with the fighting at Fort Necessity. George Washington is involved, fighting with the British. http://www.nebraskastudies.org/0300/media/0301_011601.jpg

William Pitt, a politician, reinvigorates the British army and puts the expenses of Britain in place.

George Greenville is appointed as Prime Minister and attempts to balance the British budget. Many costs have been incurred in the fight for America and Britain wants their money back. A rift opens between British and American people.

This proclamation forbids any settlement west of the Appalachians. The British government does this because of the violence from native americans.

This officially ends the French and Indian War. Britain gains all French land except for a few islands off the east coast of North America.

The sugar act is enacted and enrages the colonies. This act halved taxes on molasses in hopes that the colonists would stop smuggling it. It also placed more taxes on other imports and tightened the courts about smugglers.

The stamp act rules that all paper must be stamped for it to be legally binding. Also it raised taxes on all paper products in America.

These acts created indirect taxes on many imports including tea. It brought outrage from the colonists and well organized resistance was set up. This also brought the idea of, "No taxation without Representation." http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/Images/joinordie.gif

Colonists are harassing British soldiers who fire into the mob and kill five. The colonial media instantly calls this a massacre, saying the British fired on innocent civilians.

Colonists, disguised as indians, dumped approximately 18,000 pounds of tea into Boston harbor to protest new taxes levied on tea. http://www.earlyamerica.com/review/2005_winter_spring/images/teaparty4.jpg

These acts placed Boston under martial law, shut down Boston harbor until the rebels paid for the ruined goods, and included the Quartering act which allowed British soldiers to stay in civilians homes.

Colonials remember the words, "don't fire 'till you see the whites of their eyes!" The British win a Pyrrhic victory.

The first main battle of the Revolutionary War. The British marched to Lexington and Concord to find rebel arms. Rebels are routed at Lexington, but then continue to fire at British as they are marching. British take many casualties.

This petition is sent by the Second Continental Congress to King George III and sued for peace, but with many changes. He rejected the petition and sent British ships to blockade the American coast. http://www.revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com/images/king-george-iii-august-23-proclamation-1.jpg

This group attempts to reconcile with Great Brtain, and then leads the United States to be a new country, free of British rule.

The American troops, lead by General George Washington are outnumbered outgunned and less trained than their British counterparts. They retreat with many casualties.

This declaration was created by Jefferson and embodied the feeling of the new colonies as they separated themselves from Britain. It listed grievances and then exclaimed absolute independence from Britain.

United States issues a declaration of neutrality concerning the war in Europe between Britain and France.

The Bank of The United States is established on Hamilton's idea. This entity would issue paper money and handle taxes and other government funds.

The British, gathered at Yorktown are surrounded by troops on land and the French fleet on the ocean. General Cornwallis surrenders and the British troops lay down their arms. This effectively ends the Revolutionary war in favor of the new United States of America. http://lh5.ggpht.com/_NNt36Ka-d1A/TQKBKBIm9QI/AAAAAAAAAEk/Qou5ZXG-0rc/s400/Surrender%20of%20Cornwalis.jpg

This treaty confirms the independence of the United States of America from Great Britain and sets the boundaries of the new nation.

This ordinance established a plan for surveying land. This was important because of the rich land especially around the Ohio River.

This ordinance created steps for coming into statehood. These steps, however, seemed to ignore native american land claims.

This rebellion was instigated because farmer's felt that they were being cheated into paying too many taxes by the government. Many, like Daniel Shays faced Debtor's Prison.

George Washington is elected as President of The United States of America. He was the first and only president to be unanimously elected. http://www.mountvernon.org/sites/mountvernon.org/files/images/GW_Stuart-CT-6437.jpg

The Constitution was finally ratified by Rhode Island. All other states ratified it in 1789 or before. The government became a reality in 1789.

The Bill of rights is ratified by the required three fourths majority. The first ten amendments to the constitution are considered to be The Bill of Rights.

This election was the first between two political parties. The vote was barely in Adam's favor and, because of the constitution, Pinckney became vice president. http://www.sonofthesouth.net/revolutionary-war/patriots/john-adams.jpg

The Alien and Sedition Acts were highly controversial acts which were debatable as unconstitutional. These were pushed by the Federalists and vehemently argued against by anti-federalists.

George Washington passes away after getting a very severe cold. http://www-tc.pbs.org/prod-media/newshour/photos/2011/07/04/death-bed_blog_main_horizontal.jpg

Jefferson wins presidential election against John Adams. There is a bitter race in which the first "mud-slinging" occurs.

The Louisiana Territory is purchased by the U.S. government for 15 million dollars. This is debatable as unconstitutional but is done anyway. http://classroom.monticello.org/assets/620x/00000196.jpg

Although this was not a matter of Judicial Review, it set a precedent for Judicial Review. This is the review of a certain act that has happened by judicial sources to find if it is legal or not.

Lewis and Clark depart on an expedition to survey the newly acquired Louisiana Territory.

This treaty ended the war of 1812 between the United States and Britain.

Spain is unable to maintain its influence in North America and cedes Florida to the United States.

This Compromise set a boundary in Missouri where slavery was legal and where it was not. This was later ruled as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Textile mills open in Lowell and employ mostly women to work for them. The women are treated very poorly wage wise.

The Erie canal is built to unify the South and the North sections of America. It linked the Atlantic Ocean to The Great Lakes.

Sojourner Truth is freed from slavery. She continues to head back to the South to help other slaves escape to freedom.

Jackson wins by portraying himself as the people's man. He portrays his opponent as an intellectual. This is very influential in the evolution of politics today. http://www.nndb.com/people/654/000026576/ajackson.jpg

At this time, women make up nine-tenths of the work force in the mill business. These women were generally under the age of 30.

David Walker published this pamphlet which advised black people to fight for their freedom.

This act essentially forced Indians to move west, away from their ancestral homelands.

This paper, written by William Lloyd Garrison, was to free slaves. That was its sole purpose for being created.

Nat Turner leads a slave rebellion which is unsuccessful. He hoped to have others join him but his hope was not realized.

Eight hundred people participate in this strike against low wages and bad conditions. However, the Mill refuses to be swayed and most go back to work for the lower wage.

The Whig party is formed and begins to prosper to a degree.

Texans push military forces out of an old mission called the Alamo. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna then comes and kills all rebels in the fort. This becomes a battle cry, "Remember the Alamo!" http://www.andrews.edu/~rwright/Oldwww/Alamo/alamo.gif

John Deere invents the steel plow which allows people to be able to farm their plots of land more efficiently. Previously, wood plows had been used, but steel made it much more efficient.

In 1837, Samuel Morse invents the telegraph. This invention allows for communication across long distances almost instantaneously.

During this event, the Cherokee people were forced to move from their homeland. Many people died en route.

Americans believe in the idea that it is their "Manifest Destiny" (apparent god-given future) to spread across North America. This term is given by John O'Sullivan in an article that he wrote.

The war with Mexico begins over the border between the U.S. and Mexico.

In 1848, James Marshall finds gold by chance in California on Sutter's Mill. Word of this finding travels fast and starts the Gold Rush.

The Seneca Falls Convention was a convention that was created for the purpose of furthering women's rights. Only women were invited to come and men were actually asked to specifically not come.

This treaty ends the War with Mexico and gives the U.S. the land that it was fighting for. The U.S. also pays $15 million for the Southwest area of what now makes up the U.S. http://neveryetmelted.com/wp-images/TreatyofGuadalupe.jpg

These people left anything they were doing to go and find gold in California. They included people from the U.S. but also from Europe, Asia and South America.

Sojourner Truth speaks at a women's rights convention and is hissed and booed at. However, she delivers her, "Ain't I a woman?" speech.

The Treaty of Fort Laramie promised natives all of the great plains, however was frequently broached by the U.S. Government and later totally invalidated by other treaties.

The Gadsden Purchase buys more land from Mexico at a price of $10 million. http://www.rogerogreen.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Gadsden_Purchase-300x195.png

This act created Popular Sovereignty for each state that wanted to join the Union. This means that each state could vote if they wanted slavery to be legal in their state or not.

In this case, the court rules that slaves have no right and are only property. It also ruled that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional and that to say that slavery was illegal in any part of the country was unconstitutional. http://www-tc.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/images/4dred10m.jpg

In this event, John Brown attempted to seize a federal arsenal. He was doing this to use these arms to fight against slavery, but was stopped by federal forces.

Abraham Lincoln wins the Presidential election and becomes president of the United States. http://a4.files.saymedia-content.com/image/upload/c_fill,g_face,h_300,q_80,w_300/MTIwNjA4NjMzODg2NTc0MDky.jpg

Fort Sumter is taken by the confederates. This is the first confrontation of the Civil War. Lincoln tells his people to not fire the first shot, but to let the confederates begin the war.

The Confederate States of America are formed. These are made up of southern states that have ceded from the Union. Southern states seceded because they believed that they had lost their voice in U.S. government.

This First Battle Of Bull Run was a confederate victory and shook the Union awake to realize that this was not going to be a simply short war.

This was and still is the bloodiest day in American History. This battle occurred at Antietam and was a standoff with no technical victor.

This was a naval battle in which two ironclads fought against each other. It was a draw and signaled the end of the era of wooden warships. http://www.pdxcoinclub.org/gallery/OurLittleMonitor/Monitor_Merrimack_Battle.jpg

The battle of Shiloh was considered a draw, and was very costly for both sides. Again, it demonstrated the brutality of war.

The Emancipation freed all slaves that were not now under Union control and changed the meaning of the war from a war over states' rights to one over the issue of slavery. http://www.civilwar.org/education/contests-quizzes/quizzes/kids-emancipation-proclamation-quiz/images/ep-doc.jpg

This three day battle incurred incredible losses on both sides of the conflict. However, after this battle, the South never again invaded the North. This battle is often seen as the turning point of the war.

Lincoln, although not the main speaker at this occasion, was asked to give a few words about what happened at Gettysburg. He gave the Gettysburg Address which is still looked at today. In this address he stated that the United States is, instead of the accepted are that was used by people of this time.

Sherman's March to the Sea was a practice in total war. This is the use of any tactic to destroy the enemy including destroying civilian targets. This was a brutal march that helped to end the Civil War.

Here was the location of the Confederate surrender to Ulysses S. Grant. Lincoln desired the terms to be very generous and so, the confederate forces were offered very lenient terms, and where allowed to go home and be with their families.

These were codes that took many rights away from black people in the Southern United States. Although these people had been freed from slavery, they were now placed in economic slavery, often working for the same masters that they were once slaves to.

This occurred 5 days after the surrender of the confederacy. John Wilkes Booth, a southern sympathizer, shot and killed President Lincoln while he was at a theater. Booth died with the words, "Tell my mother I died for my country. I did what I though was best. Useless... Useless." http://www.abrahamlincolnsclassroom.org/img/assassinationnewsletter.jpg

This was a time period in which the United States tried to reconstruct itself and rebuild after the Civil War.

Most Black Codes have been repealed and now Blacks have most of the same rights as Whites do, even in the South.

The Ku Klux Klan is started in Tennessee. This group is a terror group, devoted to reclaiming white supremacy.

This amendment to the Constitution declared that no person, black or white, could be denied the right to vote.

In this battle, Custer was outflanked and his 7th cavalry was totally destroyed by Chief Sitting Bull and his warriors. http://www.americaslibrary.gov/assets/jb/recon/jb_recon_custer_1_m.jpg

Custer's cavalry rounded up about 350 Sioux and gathered them in a camp called Wounded Knee. After demanding the weapons of the natives, a shot was fired, and over 300 natives, including women and children were slaughtered.