Key Events and Figures in U.S. history

Period 1

1491: Pre-Columbian societies thrive. 1607: Jamestown founded, beginning permanent English colonization.

Period 2

1607: Jamestown settlement begins colonial development. 1754: Start of the French and Indian War.

Period 3

1754: Colonial rivalry and British tensions begin. 1800: Jefferson's election signals peaceful transfer of power.

Period 4

1800: Republicanism rises under Jefferson. 1848: Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends Mexican-American War.

Period 5

1844: U.S. debates expansion and slavery intensify. 1877: Compromise ends Reconstruction.

Period 6

1865: Civil War ends, Reconstruction begins. 1898: Spanish-American War marks U.S. emergence as a global power.

Period 7

1890: Progressive reforms and industrial challenges grow. 1945: WWII ends; U.S. becomes world superpower.

Period 8

1945: Cold War begins post-WWII. 1980: Reagan elected, marking a conservative shift.

Period 9

1980: Reaganomics and New Right politics rise. Present: Globalization and social conflict shape modern U.S.

Bartolomé de Las Casas

Spanish priest who criticized the mistreatment of Native Americans under Spanish rule.

John Winthrop

Puritan leader who founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony; famous for calling it a "city upon a hill."

Benjamin Franklin

Enlightenment thinker, inventor, and diplomat who helped secure French support during the American Revolution.

Alexander Hamilton

First Secretary of the Treasury; advocated for a strong central government and the national bank.

Thomas Jefferson

Author of the Declaration of Independence; third president; promoted agrarian democracy.

Andrew Jackson

7th president; expanded suffrage to white men, opposed the national bank, and enforced the Indian Removal Act.

Frederick Douglass

Former enslaved man and leading abolitionist known for his speeches and autobiography.

Abraham Lincoln

16th president; led the Union during the Civil War and issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

Ulysses S. Grant

Union general who led the North to victory; served as president during Reconstruction.

Andrew Carnegie

Industrialist who led the steel industry and promoted the "Gospel of Wealth" philosophy.

Theodore Roosevelt

Progressive president who supported trust-busting, conservation, and the Square Deal.

Woodrow Wilson

President during WWI; proposed the League of Nations in his Fourteen Points.

Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR)

President during the Great Depression and WWII; implemented the New Deal.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Civil rights leader who advocated nonviolent protest; led the March on Washington and "I Have a Dream" speech.

Ronald Reagan

Conservative president who promoted tax cuts, deregulation, and a strong anti-communist foreign policy.

Mayflower Compact

1620 agreement by Pilgrims to form a self-governing colony based on majority rule.

Declaration of Independence (1776)

Formal statement written by Jefferson declaring the colonies' independence from Britain.

U.S. Constitution (1787)

Framework for the U.S. government establishing checks and balances, federalism, and separation of powers.

Monroe Doctrine (1823)

U.S. policy opposing European colonization in the Americas and asserting U.S. influence in the Western Hemisphere.

Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

Issued by Lincoln; declared all slaves in Confederate territory free.

14th Amendment (1868)

Granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to all people born or naturalized in the U.S.

Roosevelt Corollary (1904)

Extension of the Monroe Doctrine claiming the U.S. could intervene in Latin America to maintain stability.

Social Security Act (1935)

New Deal law creating pensions for the elderly and unemployment insurance.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Banned segregation and discrimination in public accommodations and employment.

PATRIOT Act (2001)

Law passed after 9/11 expanding surveillance powers to fight terrorism.

Mercantilism

Economic system where colonies provide raw materials to the mother country for manufacturing and profit.

Enlightenment

18th-century intellectual movement emphasizing reason, science, and individual rights.

Manifest Destiny

Belief that Americans were destined to expand westward across the continent.

Popular Sovereignty

Idea that people in a territory should vote to decide if slavery would be allowed.

Sharecropping

Post-Civil War system where landowners allowed tenants to farm land in exchange for a share of the crop, often leading to debt.

Progressive Era

Early 20th-century reform movement addressing issues like labor rights, women's suffrage, and government corruption.

Containment

Cold War strategy to prevent the spread of communism through alliances and support of anti-communist regimes.

Great Society

LBJ's domestic agenda to end poverty and racial injustice; expanded education, health care, and welfare.

Détente

Policy of easing Cold War tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the 1970s.

Globalization

The process of increased interconnectedness and interdependence among countries economically, politically, and culturally.

Pequot War (1636-1638)

Conflict between New England colonists and the Pequot tribe; resulted in near destruction of the Pequot.

Bacon's Rebellion (1676)

Rebellion of Virginia settlers led by Nathaniel Bacon against the colonial government over Native policy; exposed class tensions.

French and Indian War (1754-1763)

North American conflict in a larger imperial war between Britain and France; led to colonial discontent and British debt.

Revolutionary War (1775-1783)

War for independence from Britain; ended with the Treaty of Paris and U.S. sovereignty.

Shays' Rebellion (1786-1787)

Farmers in Massachusetts rebelled against economic injustices; highlighted the need for a stronger federal government.

Whiskey Rebellion (1794)

Uprising against federal whiskey tax; crushed by Washington, proving federal strength.

War of 1812 (1812-1815)

War with Britain over trade rights and impressment; ended in stalemate but boosted U.S. nationalism.

Mexican-American War (1846-1848)

Conflict over Texas and western territories; ended with U.S. gaining land in the Southwest via the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

Civil War (1861-1865)

War between the Union and Confederacy over slavery and states' rights; resulted in the preservation of the Union and abolition of slavery.

Spanish-American War (1898)

U.S. defeated Spain, gaining the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico; marked emergence as a world power.

World War I (1914-1918)

U.S. entered in 1917; war ended with Treaty of Versailles and Wilson's failed League of Nations proposal.

World War II (1939-1945)

Global war against Axis powers; U.S. entered after Pearl Harbor, ended with Allied victory and atomic bombings.

Korean War (1950-1953)

Cold War military conflict; U.S. defended South Korea from communist North Korea; ended in stalemate.

Vietnam War (1955-1975)

U.S. fought to stop communism in Southeast Asia; highly controversial and led to domestic unrest.

Gulf War (1990-1991)

U.S.-led coalition expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait; showcased U.S. military dominance.

War on Terror (2001-present)

Initiated after 9/11; includes wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and expansion of national security powers.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Established judicial review, allowing the Supreme Court to declare laws unconstitutional.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Confirmed federal supremacy and upheld the constitutionality of the national bank.

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

Strengthened federal control over interstate commerce.

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

Ruled that African Americans were not citizens and that Congress couldn't ban slavery in the territories.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Upheld racial segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine.

Schenck v. United States (1919)

Allowed limitations on free speech during wartime; established "clear and present danger" test.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Overturned Plessy; ruled that segregated public schools were unconstitutional.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Guaranteed the right to a lawyer for criminal defendants who cannot afford one.

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

Required police to inform suspects of their rights upon arrest ("Miranda rights").

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Legalized abortion nationwide based on a woman's right to privacy.

United States v. Nixon (1974)

Limited presidential power by requiring Nixon to turn over Watergate tapes; reinforced rule of law.

Bush v. Gore (2000)

Resolved the 2000 election by halting a Florida recount; effectively awarded presidency to George W. Bush.