APUSH Important Dates

1491

Refers to the years before Columbus' arrival, characterized by advanced civilizations among indigenous peoples like Cahokia and Pueblo.

1492

Marks Columbus's arrival in North America.

1607

Signifies the establishment of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement.

1619

Marks the establishment of the House of Burgesses, the first representative assembly, and the arrival of the first slave ship in the British colonies.

1620

Signifies the arrival of the Pilgrims on the Mayflower and the formation of Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts.

1630

Marks the arrival of the Puritans in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, led by John Winthrop.

1680

Signifies the Pueblo Revolt (Pope's Rebellion), where Pueblo Indians temporarily ousted the Spanish from present-day New Mexico.

1754-1763

Refers to the Seven Years War/French Indian War/Great War for Empire.

1776

Signifies the colonies declaring independence from Britain.

1775-1783

Marks the American Revolution.

1777-1789

Refers to the Articles of Confederation.

1787

Signifies the Constitutional Convention.

1789

Marks George Washington's inauguration as the first president of the US.

1800

Signifies Jefferson's election, marking the first peaceful transfer of power between political parties.

1803

Refers to the Louisiana Purchase.

1807

Marks the end of the importation of slavery as set by the Constitution and the intensification of the internal slave trade.

1820

Signifies the Missouri Compromise.

1828

Marks Andrew Jackson's election and the expansion of voting rights to all white men.

1833

Refers to the foundation of the Whig Party in the US.

1844

Signifies Polk's election.

1845

Marks the use of the term Manifest Destiny to describe expansion to the West.

1846-1848

Refers to the War with Mexico, resulting in the Mexican Cession.

1848

Signifies the Seneca Falls Convention and the Declaration of Sentiments.

1850

Marks the Compromise of 1850.

1857

Refers to the Dred Scott vs. Sanford decision.

1860

Signifies Lincoln's election as president and the secession of deep southern states.

1861-1865

Refers to the Civil War.

1869

Signifies the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad at Promontory Point.

1877

Marks the Compromise of 1877, settling the election of 1876 and ending Reconstruction.

1860s-1900

Refers to industrialization and a significant increase in immigration, particularly from eastern and southern Europe.

1890

Signifies the Battle of Wounded Knee, marking the end of armed Indian resistance.

1892

Refers to the formation of the Populist Party.

1896

Signifies the Plessy vs. Ferguson decision.

1898

Marks the Spanish-American War/War of 1898.

c.1900

Refers to the rise of the Progressive reform movement to counter the ills of industrialization, with Teddy Roosevelt becoming president.

1912

Signifies Woodrow Wilson's election as president.

1914-1918

Refers to World War I, with the US entering in 1917 and the beginning of the Great Migration.

1920

Signifies the passing of women's suffrage (19th amendment).

1929

Refers to the Stock Market crash and the beginning of the Great Depression.

1932

Signifies FDR's election and the beginning of New Deal legislation.

1939-1945

Refers to World War II, with the US entering after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

1945

Signifies the end of World War II, with the US and USSR becoming contrasting world powers and the beginning of the Cold War.

1950-1953

Refers to the Korean War.

1954

Signifies the Brown vs. Board of Education decision.

1955

Marks the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

1962

Refers to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

1963

Signifies MLK's March on Washington and Kennedy's assassination.

1964

Civil Rights Act passed

1965

Voting Rights Act passed

1964-1973

US involvement in Vietnam War

1980

Ronald Reagan elected, conservative ascendance

1989

Cold War ends with fall of the Berlin Wall, USSR dissolves in 1991

1991

First Gulf War

2001

Al Qaeda attacks US on September 11, War on Terror

2003

Troops to Iraq, demonstrates GW Bush's doctrine of "pre-emptive war"

2008

Obama elected president, first African American to hold office