APUSH timeline by decades (1760+)

Salutary Neglect

A period before 1760 when colonial policies were relaxed, leading to increased autonomy for the colonies.

Sugar Act

A 1764 law that imposed duties on sugar and molasses imported into the colonies.

Stamp Act

A 1765 law that required all legal documents, newspapers, and other papers to carry a tax stamp.

Townshend Acts

A series of laws passed in 1767 that imposed taxes on imports to the colonies.

Boston Massacre

A deadly confrontation in 1770 between British soldiers and a Boston mob.

Tea Act

A 1773 act that created a monopoly on tea sales involving the British East India Company.

Boston Tea Party

A protest in 1773 where colonists dumped tea into Boston Harbor in response to the Tea Act.

Intolerable Acts

A series of punitive laws passed in 1774 in response to the Boston Tea Party.

First Continental Congress

A meeting of delegates from twelve of the thirteen colonies in 1774 to organize colonial resistance.

Lexington and Concord

The first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War, occurring in April 1775.

Second Continental Congress

The assembly of delegates in 1775 that managed the colonial war effort and moved toward independence.

Olive Branch Petition

A final attempt by the colonists in 1775 to avoid war with Great Britain.

American Revolution

The conflict from 1775 to 1783 in which the colonies gained independence from Britain.

Thomas Paine, Common Sense

A pamphlet published in 1776 advocating independence from Great Britain.

Declaration of Independence

The document adopted on July 4, 1776, formally declaring the colonies' independence.

Articles of Confederation

The first constitution of the United States, ratified in 1781.

Shay’s Rebellion

A 1786 uprising led by farmers protesting economic injustices and lack of governmental support.

Northwest Ordinance

A law passed in 1787 to regulate the admission of new states to the Union.

Constitutional Convention

The 1787 meeting in Philadelphia where the Constitution was drafted.

Constitution ratified

The approval of the U.S. Constitution by the states in 1789.

French Revolution

The 1789 revolution in France that inspired many in America.

Washington became president

George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States in 1789.

First Bank of the US

The bank chartered in 1791 to facilitate the handling of the nation's financial affairs.

Whiskey Rebellion

A 1794 protest against the tax on whiskey, highlighting governmental authority.

Invention of cotton gin

A machine invented by Eli Whitney in 1793 that revolutionized the cotton industry.

Jefferson won presidential election

Thomas Jefferson was elected as the third President of the United States in 1800.

Second Great Awakening

A religious revival movement in the early 1800s that emphasized individual piety.

Expansion of universal white manhood suffrage

The early 19th-century movement to ensure voting rights for all white men.

Temperance Movement

A social movement against the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Napoleonic Wars in Europe

A series of conflicts from 1803 to 1815 involving Napoleon's French Empire.

Louisiana Purchase

The 1803 acquisition of territory from France that doubled the size of the United States.

Embargo Act

A law enacted in 1807 prohibiting American ships from trading in foreign ports.

Prohibition of international slave trade

The act that made it illegal to import slaves into the United States starting in 1808.

Congress enacted American System programs

Economic policies adopted to promote industry and infrastructure in the early 1800s.

Second Bank of the US

The national bank chartered in 1816 tasked with stabilizing the economy.

Missouri Compromise

A 1820 agreement to balance the power between slave and free states.

Monroe Doctrine

A U.S. foreign policy statement warning European powers against further colonization in the Americas.

Opening of first mill in Lowell

The establishment of a textile mill in Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1823, marking the start of the American Industrial Revolution.

Founding of Democratic Party

The political party formed in the early 1830s representing agrarian interests.

Erie Canal completed

A significant waterway finished in 1825 that improved trade in the northeastern U.S.

Market Revolution

The economic shift in the early 1800s that transformed commerce and production.

Andrew Jackson elected as president

The election of Andrew Jackson in 1828 as a symbol of the populist movement.

Indian Removal Act

An 1830 law that authorized the forcible removal of Native Americans from their land.

Founding of Whig Party

A political party founded in the 1830s in opposition to Jacksonian Democrats.

Texas Revolution

A rebellion in 1836 by Texas colonists against the Mexican government.

James K. Polk won presidential election

Polk won the presidency in 1844, leading to the expansion of U.S. territory.

Brigham Young becomes leader of Latter-day Saints

Young succeeded Joseph Smith as the leader of the Mormon faith after Smith's death.

Mexican-American War

A conflict from 1846 to 1848 arising from the U.S. annexation of Texas.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

The 1848 treaty that ended the Mexican-American War and ceded territory to the U.S.

Utopian Communities

Experimental societies founded in the 19th century aiming for social perfection.

Seneca Falls Convention

The first women's rights convention held in 1848 advocating for women's suffrage.

Free Soil Party

A political party formed in the 1840s that opposed the expansion of slavery into the territories.

Know Nothing Party popular

A political movement in the 1850s characterized by nativism and anti-immigrant sentiments.

Republican Party founded

A political party established in 1854 with an anti-slavery platform.

Kansas Nebraska Act

An 1854 law that allowed residents of Kansas and Nebraska to decide on the legality of slavery.

Dred Scott Decision

The 1857 Supreme Court case ruling that African Americans were not citizens.

Lincoln won presidential election

Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860, leading to the Civil War.

South Carolina first state to secede

South Carolina declared its secession from the Union in December 1860.

Confederate States of America formed

A coalition of southern states formed in 1861, opposing the Union.

Civil War

The conflict fought between the North and South from 1861 to 1865.

Emancipation Proclamation

The 1863 executive order freeing slaves in Confederate-held territory.

Reconstruction

The period after the Civil War focused on rebuilding the South and integrating freed slaves.

Completion of first Transcontinental Railroad

The linking of the East and West coasts by railroad in 1869, facilitating transportation.

Gilded Age

A late 19th-century period marked by rapid economic growth and social issues.

Social Gospel movement

A religious movement in the late 19th century advocating for social justice and reform.

Founding Rockefeller Oil

The establishment of the Standard Oil Company by John D. Rockefeller in the 1870s.

the New South

A term referring to the post-Civil War Southern economy and its changes.

Conviction of Boss Tweed

The legal proceedings and eventual conviction of the Tammany Hall leader in the 1870s.

Carlisle Indian Industrial School opened

The school founded in 1879 aimed at assimilating Indigenous children into American culture.

first references to Social Darwinism

Emergence of the belief in the late 19th century that Darwin's theories applied to human society.

Jane Addams founded Hull House

An influential settlement house in Chicago established in 1889 for social reform.

Andrew Carnegie’s “The Gospel of Wealth”

An1889 essay advocating for the responsibility of philanthropy by wealthy individuals.

Progressive Era

A period of widespread social activism and political reform from the 1890s to 1920.

Wounded Knee Massacre

The 1890 killing of hundreds of Lakota Sioux by U.S. troops, marking the end of the Indian Wars.

Changes in immigration patterns

Shifts in immigration sources and demographics in the late 19th century.

Census Bureau declared the frontier closed

An 1890 declaration marking the end of the Western expansion era.

Founding People’s Party (Populist Party)

The establishment of a political party in 1891 aiming to represent the interests of farmers.

Founding Carnegie Steel

The establishment of a steel company by Andrew Carnegie, a leading figure in American industry.

Imperial Japan

The period of Japan's national strength expansion and colonialism in the late 19th century.

Plessy v. Ferguson

The 1896 Supreme Court decision upholding racial segregation under the 'separate but equal' doctrine.

Spanish American War

A conflict in 1898 between the U.S. and Spain leading to U.S. territorial gains.

Philippine-American War

An armed conflict between the U.S. and Filipino revolutionaries from 1899 to 1902.

McKinley assassinated; TR became president

The assassination of President McKinley in 1901 led to Theodore Roosevelt taking office.

Great Migration

The movement of African Americans from the rural South to urban areas in the North during the early 20th century.

Woodrow Wilson won presidential election

Wilson was elected president in 1912, promoting progressive reforms.

Panama Canal completed

The construction of the canal was completed in 1914, significantly impacting trade.

World War I

The global conflict from 1914 to 1918 involving major world powers.

US enters WWI; Russian Revolution

The U.S. joined the war in 1917, around the time of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia.

Red Scare

The post-World War I fear of communism and radical leftist ideologies in the U.S.

Red Summer

The summer of 1919 marked by extensive race riots and violence in numerous cities.

19th Amendment

The amendment ratified in 1920 granting women the right to vote.

Roaring Twenties/Jazz Age

The 1920s, characterized by cultural dynamism and economic prosperity.

Founding of USSR

The establishment of the Soviet Union in 1922 following the Russian Revolution.

Johnson-Reed Act

The 1924 law that established national origins quotas for immigration.

Great Depression begins

The economic downturn that started in 1929 and lasted throughout the 1930s.

FDR won presidential election

Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president in 1932 during the Great Depression.

Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany

Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor in 1933, establishing a dictatorship.

World War II

The global conflict from 1939 to 1945 involving most of the world's nations.

Pearl Harbor

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, leading to U.S. entry into WWII.

Internment of Japanese Americans

Forced relocation and incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII.