20 must‑know APUSH dates

1491

Pre‑Columbian Americas

• Native American societies were diverse and well‑developed before Europeans arrived.

1492

Columbus Reaches the Americas

• Starts European exploration and long‑term colonization

1607

Jamestown Founded

• First permanent English settlement; struggled but survived due to tobacco.

1619

House of Burgesses / First Africans in Virginia

• First representative government and beginning of African slavery in English colonies

1754–1763

French and Indian War

• Britain wins land but goes into debt, leading to taxes on colonies.

1763

Proclamation of ____

• British ban colonial settlement west of Appalachians; angers colonists.

1776

Declaration of Independence

• Colonies officially break away from Britain, stating Enlightenment ideals.

1781

Articles of Confederation Ratified

• First U.S. government; very weak national power.

1787

Constitutional Convention

• Creates the U.S. Constitution with stronger federal government.

1791

Bill of Rights Ratified

• Adds first 10 amendments protecting individual freedoms

1803

Louisiana Purchase

• Doubles the size of the U.S.; boosts westward expansion

1820

Missouri Compromise

• Balances slave and free states to reduce sectional conflict.

1830

Indian Removal Act

• Forces Native Americans west; leads to Trail of Tears.

1848

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

• Ends Mexican‑American War; U.S. gains Southwest land.

1861-1865

Civil War

• Conflict over slavery and union; Union victory preserves the nation.

1863

Emancipation Proclamation

• Frees enslaved people in Confederate states; shifts war goals.

1865-1877

Reconstruction

• Federal effort to rebuild South and protect freed African Americans.

1898

Spanish‑American War

• U.S. becomes an imperial power with overseas territories.

1929

Stock Market Crash

• Triggers the Great Depression and economic hardship.

1941

Pearl Harbor
U.S. enters World War II after Japanese attack.