All Important dates of AP U.S. History -- dates apart from event name & its descriptio

1492

Columbus’ Arrival in the New World (Started European exploration and colonization of the Americas)

1587

England’s First Attempt to Settle in North America (Roanoke Colony, known as the “Lost Colony”)

1588

English Defeat Spanish Armada (End of Spain’s dominance over the seas)

1607

Jamestown (First permanent English settlement in America, funded by the Virginia Company)

1620

Mayflower Arrival in Plymouth (Pilgrims settle, founding a key early colony)

1649

Toleration Act (Religious freedom for Christians in Maryland, step toward religious tolerance)

1688

Glorious Revolution (King James II overthrown, William and Mary take the throne)

1692

Salem Witch Trials (Mass hysteria leads to the execution of several women accused of witchcraft)

1754-1763

Seven Years’ War (US vs. France over land and power in North America, Britain wins)

1763

Proclamation of 1763 (Colonists can’t settle beyond the Appalachian Mountains, angering them)

1765

Stamp Act (First direct tax on American colonists, sparks "No Taxation Without Representation")

1770

Boston Massacre (British soldiers kill five colonists, fueling anti-British sentiment)

1773

Boston Tea Party (Protest against tea tax, leads to harsh British punishments)

1775

Lexington & Concord (First battles of the American Revolution)

1776

Declaration of Independence (Colonies declare independence from Britain)

1777

Battle of Saratoga (Major American victory, convinces France to ally with the US)

1781

Battle of Yorktown (End of the Revolutionary War, British surrender)

1783

Treaty of Paris (Britain formally recognizes US independence)

1787

Constitutional Convention (Creation of the US Constitution)

1789

Washington’s Election (George Washington becomes first president)

1791

Bill of Rights Added (First ten amendments to protect individual freedoms)

1800

Jefferson’s Election (First peaceful transfer of power between parties in the US)

1803

Louisiana Purchase (US buys large territory from France, doubling its size)

1812-1815

War of 1812 (US vs. Britain over trade issues, no clear winner but US gains respect)

1815

Battle of New Orleans (Andrew Jackson’s victory, boosts US morale)

1820

Missouri Compromise (Divides the country over slavery, Missouri as a slave state)

1823

Monroe Doctrine (Warns Europe to stay out of the Western Hemisphere)

1828

Jackson’s Election (Rise of Jacksonian democracy, universal white male suffrage)

1830

Indian Removal Act (Forced relocation of Native Americans to the west)

1845

Annexation of Texas (US adds Texas as a state, causing tensions with Mexico)

1846-1848

Mexican-American War (US gains vast territory from Mexico after victory)

1848

Seneca Falls Convention (First women's rights convention in the US)

1850

Fugitive Slave Law (Required return of escaped slaves, angered Northern states)

1852

Uncle Tom’s Cabin Published (Anti-slavery novel that increased abolitionist sentiment)

1854

Bleeding Kansas (Violence erupts over whether Kansas will be free or slave)

1860

Lincoln’s Election (Led to Southern states seceding, starting the Civil War)

1861-1865

Civil War (North vs. South, mainly over slavery, ends with Union victory)

1863

Emancipation Proclamation (Freed slaves in the Confederacy)

1865

Lincoln Assassinated (President Lincoln is killed shortly after the Civil War ends)

1877

Compromise of 1877 (Ends Reconstruction, removes federal troops from the South)

1887

Dawes Act (Divides Native American land, aiming to force assimilation)

1890

Wounded Knee (Massacre of Native Americans, marks the end of major resistance)

1896

Plessy v. Ferguson (Supreme Court decision that legalizes racial segregation with "separate but equal" doctrine)

1898

Spanish-American War (US defeats Spain, gaining territories like Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines)

1877

Compromise of 1877 (Ends Reconstruction, removes federal troops from the South)

1887

Dawes Act (Divides Native American land, aiming to force assimilation)

1890

Wounded Knee (Massacre of Native Americans, marks the end of major resistance)

1896

Plessy v. Ferguson (Supreme Court decision that legalizes racial segregation with "separate but equal" doctrine)

1898

Spanish-American War (US defeats Spain, gaining territories like Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines)

1914-1918

World War I (Global conflict; US enters in 1917, helping lead to Allied victory)

1919

Treaty of Versailles (Ends WWI, sets harsh terms for Germany, lays groundwork for WWII)

1920

19th Amendment (Grants women the right to vote)

1929

Stock Market Crash (Leads to the Great Depression)

1933

New Deal (FDR's programs to address the Great Depression)

1941

Pearl Harbor (Japanese attack on US naval base, leads to US entry into World War II)

1941-1945

World War II (Global conflict; US fights alongside Allies against Axis powers)

1944

D-Day (Allied invasion of Normandy, pivotal turning point in WWII)

1945

End of World War II (Germany surrenders in May; Japan surrenders in September after the US drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki)

1947

Marshall Plan (US provides economic aid to rebuild Europe after WWII, fighting communism)

1950-1953

Korean War (North Korea, backed by China and the Soviet Union, fights South Korea, supported by the US)

1954

Brown v. Board of Education (Supreme Court ruling that segregated schools are unconstitutional)

1964

Civil Rights Act (Outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin)

1965

Voting Rights Act (Protects voting rights of African Americans in the South)

1968

Tet Offensive (Major attack by North Vietnam that turns public opinion against the Vietnam War)

1969

Moon Landing (Neil Armstrong becomes the first human to walk on the Moon, symbolizing US space dominance)

1973

Roe v. Wade (Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion in the first trimester)

1974

Watergate Scandal (Led to President Nixon’s resignation amid a political cover-up)

1980

Election of Ronald Reagan (Marks the rise of conservatism in US politics)

1991

End of the Cold War (Soviet Union collapses, ending the US-Soviet rivalry)

1994

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (Creates a trade bloc between the US, Canada, and Mexico)

2001

9/11 Attacks (Terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, leading to the War on Terror)

2008

Great Recession (Worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, sparked by a housing market crash)

2016

Election of Donald Trump (Marks a shift to populism in US politics, with policies focused on immigration and trade)

2020

COVID-19 Pandemic (Global health crisis that severely impacts the US economy, health system, and daily life)