COMPLETE FOREVER DATES

Columbus’ first voyage

Columbus set sail from Spain to find an all-water trade route to Asia

Spanish Domination

1492-1607

Jamestown

First permanent British settlement.

Mayflower Compact

Established a basic form of self-government and pledged the signers to abide by the laws and decisions made by the majority. (1620)

King Philip’s War (Metacom's war)

Native Americans’ effort to avoid recognizing English authority and stop English settlement on their native lands (1675)

Bacon's Rebellion

Angry poor farmers/indentured servants attacked Indians and then Governer Berkley for not stopping Indians from raiding (1676)

Pueblo Revolt

Revolution against Spanish religious, economic, and political institutions forced upon the Pueblos. (1680)

Salem Witch Trials

Series of hearings and prosecutions of women accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts. (1692)

Proclamation Line of 1763

Prohibited American colonists from settling on lands acquired from the French following the French and Indian War.

Seven Years’ War

War between France and Great Britain that started as a fight over North American land claims. (1754-1763)

Stamp Act

Imposed a tax on all printed materials (1765)

Boston Massacre

Confrontation between the angry colonists and the British troops. (1770)

Boston Tea Party

A group of artisans and laborers disguised as Indians dumped tea into Boston harbor in protest of the Tea Act. (1773)

Revolutionary War

The war for independence of the thirteen colonies from Great Britain. (1775-1783)

Declaration of Independence

A document declaring independence from British rule. (1776)

Treaty of Paris of 1783

Recognized U.S. independence/ended Revolutionary War and granted the U.S. significant western territory. (1783)

Shays Rebellion

Uprising in Massachusetts in opposition to high taxes and harsh economic conditions. (1786)

Constitutional Convention

The meeting of state delegates called to revise the Articles of Confederation. (1787)

Washington’s Election

First presidential election. (1788)

Bill of Rights

Consists of the first ten Constitutional Amendments, guarantees certain natural rights to American citizens. 1791

XYZ Affair

A diplomatic incident between French and United States diplomats that resulted in a limited, undeclared war known as the Quasi-War. (1798)

Alien & Sedition Acts

Made it more difficult for immigrants to become citizens, allowed the president greater power in deporting or imprisoning non-citizens, and constricted free speech by making it illegal to utter or print false statements about the government. (1798)

Jefferson's Election

Marks the end of Federalist control of American politics. (1800)

Market Revolution

Industrial and transportation revolutions, the change from subsistence farming to large-scale cash farming, regional specialization, immigration, western-movement, and growth of cities. (1800-1850)

Louisiana Purchase

Deal between the US and France, where the U.S. acquired lots of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million. (1803)

War of 1812

A war between the U.S. and Great Britain caused by American outrage over the impressment of American sailors by the British, the British seizure of American ships, and British aid to the Indians attacking the Americans on the western frontier. (1812-1815)

Era of Good Feelings

Rising nationalism after victory in the War of 1812, and the end of the Federalist Party. (1816-1824)

Missouri Compromise

An agreement between Northern and Southern states about which western territories could be admitted into the Union as slave states. (1820)

Monroe Doctrine

Warns European nations that the United States would not tolerate further colonization. (1823)

Sectionalism

Loyalty or support of a particular region or section of the nation, rather than the United States as a whole. (1820s)

Jackson's Election

Reintroduced the two-party system. 1828

Indian Removal Act

Authorized the president to grant lands west of the Mississippi in exchange for Indian lands within existing state borders. (1830)

Nat Turner's Rebellion

Slave revolt in Virginia. Led to a new wave of oppressive legislation toward enslaved people. (1831)

Nullification Crisis

Political dispute between the Federal Government and the government of South Carolina over tariffs that were designed to protect manufacturers in the Northern states who were competing with British manufacturers. (1832)

Manifest Destiny

God given right to expand from sea to shining sea. (1830-1850)

Battle for the Alamo

Led to the annexation of Texas by the United States and the Mexican-American War.(1836)

Trail of Tears

Forced removal of american indians to reservation territories. (1831-1850)

Annexation of Texas

Incorporation of the Republic of Texas into the United States, under the presidency of James K. Polk. (1845)

Mexican-American War

Conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848, sparked by the annexation of Texas and a dispute over the border between Texas and Mexico. The war ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which granted the United States a significant amount of territory, including California and New Mexico. (1845-1848)

Seneca Falls Convention

A meeting of early women's rights activists. Discussed the social, civil, and religious rights of women and drafted the Declaration of Sentiments, which was modeled after the Declaration of Independence and called for women's right to vote, among other things. Key event in the early women's rights movement in the United States. (1848)

Fugitive Slave Law

Passed by Congress in 1850 that required citizens to aid in the capture and return of runaway slaves. Highly controversial and sparked intense debate and resistance from abolitionists and opponents of slavery. (1850)

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It publicized the evils of slavery, and strengthened abolition. (1852)

Bleeding Kansas/Kansas-Nebraska Act

Overturned the Missouri Compromise and allowed territories to decide for themselves whether or not they would allow slavery. Series of pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces engaging in a series of violent clashes throughout Kansas. (1854)

Dred Scott Case

Supreme Court ruled that since Scott was property, he was not a citizen and could not sue in federal courts. (1857)

Lincoln’s Election

1860

Civil War

War within the US between the Union states (wanted to end slavery) and the Confederacy (wanted to keep slavery) over the issue of slavery. (1861-1865)

Homestead Act

Awarded families land (live and improve the land) if they had never borne arms against the US gov, it accelerated westward expansion. (1862)

Purchase of Alaska

US bought Alaska territory from russia, gold was also discovered there (westward expansion). (1867)

Compromise of 1877

Compromise between Republicans and southern Democrats that resulted in the election of Rutherford B. Hayes. Southern Democrats agreed to support Hayes in the disputed election in exchange for his promise to end Reconstruction. (1877)

Reconstruction

The process of reuniting the US post civil war, and the goal of Reconstruction was to rebuild the South and bring it back into the Union while also ensuring the rights of newly freed black people.

**Gilded Age**

A time of industrialization, urbanization, and economic growth, but also a time of inequality and corruption. Extreme wealth gaps (rich flaunted their $$$ - consumption) and (poor suffered non-livable wages). (1870-1800)

**Little Bighorn**

Lieutenant custer and his men fought native americans, because the US gov was removing native people from their lands and the native americans won. (1876)

**Haymarket Square Riot**

Knights of labor met in haymarket square to celebrate may labor day and protest for an 8 hr work day. A bomb went off (unaffiliated w/ the knights of labor) and people blamed labor unions (they saw them as violent and radical). (1886)

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**Dawes Act**

Passed by congress to split up reservations and give land to individual native american families. Many native americans lost their land to white people and their traditional practices were lost because of the forced adoption of white culture. (1887)

**Wounded Knee**

US army cavalry attacked indigenous people at wounded knee creek. They killed 250 sioux people and ended the Indian Wars. (1890)

**Sherman Antitrust Act**

It aimed to bust trusts, prevent monopolies from dominating industries, and promote competitiveness in business. It prohibited any contract, combination, or conspiracy in restraint of trade or commerce among the several states or with foreign nations. (1890)

**Populism**

Focused on needs of common folk (__farmers__, workers, immigrants), they called for gov regulation of large corps, and free coinage of silver. (1890s)

**Segregation**

Enforced separation of groups based on race in public spaces, activities, and institutions. Mostly in southern states. Justified by the false belief that different races were unequal and needed to be separated to prevent conflict. (1890s)

**Imperialism**

Expansion of one country's political, economic, and military influence over another country.

**Social Darwinism**

Belief that some societies were more evolved/advanced than others, and therefore, they had the right to dominate/exploit less developed societies (justified imperialism and colonialism). (1890s)

**Pullman Strike**

The Pullman company (they made railway cars) cut wages of its workers during the panic of 1893, and when union workers came to argue they were fired. Then the workers went on strike but were eventually jailed because their strike hindered federal railways. (1894)

**“Cross of Gold” speech**

Speech by William Jennings Bryan at the 1896 Democratic National Convention. He advocated for the unlimited coinage of silver as a way to combat the economic troubles facing farmers and workers at the time. (1896)

***Plessy v. Ferguson***

“Separate but equal” → as long as facilities were equal, they could be racially segregated. Plessy bought a train ticket in the white car, but was forced to move to the colored car (he was ⅞ white and ⅛ black), he violated Louisiana's Separate Car Act. (1896)

World’s Columbian Exposition

World fair to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus arriving in the americas. Showcased the progress and achievements of the US and the world since Columbus’s arrival. Agriculture, including the crops and animals (from the columbian exchange), and economic, social, and political changes (from the exchange). (1893)

Annexation of Hawaii

The US annexed Hawaii so they could have a strategic location for refueling its navy and for economic opportunities (the sugar industry). (1898)

Spanish American War

The Spanish-American War was fought because of American interest in gaining territory and influence, as well as a desire to help the Cuban people gain independence from spain. (1898)

Yellow Journalism

Published stories which exaggerated the atrocities committed by the Spanish against the Cubans (ignited US support for acquiring cuba). (1898)

Progressive Era

Progressives believed in government intervention to solve societal problems, they also wanted to expose corruption in society. Ex. power of big business, economic uncertainty, violent conflicts between labor groups and their employers, political machines' control over urban residents (boss tweed), Jim Crow segregation in the South, women's right to vote, and the problem of alcohol. (1900–1920)

Wright Brothers

They flew the world's first successful motor-operated airplane. They sold their design to the US military and by WWI aircrafts were crucial in military strategy. (1903)

US enters WWI

The US was initially neutral in WWI, but ultimately, the US entry tipped the balance of the war in favor of the **Allies**. Caused by sinking of american ships in unrestricted submarine warfare by Germany, and the zimmerman telegram. (1917)

19th amendment

white women gained the right to vote (1920)

Red Scare

A period of intense anti-communist sentiment,  intense fear and paranoia about the spread of communism in the US. Led to government crackdowns, and many people were falsely accused of being communists = jailed. (1920s)

Prohibition

People thought the ban of alcohol would improve society and reduce corruption. 18th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, which banned the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol in the United States. Eventually repealed (1933), bc people didn’t respect the law. (1920s)

Stock Market Crash

Marked the start of the great depression, it was caused by risky investment behavior like buying on margin or speculation, people also bought stocks w/borrowed money → market crashed and they were left in severe debt. (1929)

Bonus Army March

Protest by military WWI veterans who demanded early payment of a bonus promised to them by the gov bc of dire economic conditions (great depression). (1932)

WWII starts in Europe

Started when germany invaded poland, which cause GB and france to declare war on germany. (1939)

Attack on Pearl Harbor

Japanese launch a surprise attack on the US naval base at pearl harbor, which cause the US to enter WWII. (1941)

D Day

Major invasion of nazi occupied france by allied forces (allies won). (1944)

Atomic Bomb dropped

Truman made the decision to drop an atomic bomb (part of the Manhattan project) on Hiroshima, JP, then a second bomb on Nagasaki, JP → ended WW2. (1945)

Cold War

A state of political and military tension between the United States and the Soviet Union. Characterized by proxy wars, espionage, nuclear arms race, and ideological differences between capitalism and communism. (1945-1991)

Truman Doctrine

Aimed at containing Soviet influence and supporting countries threatened by communism. (1947)

Korean War

War between North Korea (supported by China and the Soviet Union) and South Korea (supported by the United States and other UN member states). The war ended in a stalemate, with the creation of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and no official peace treaty. (1950-1953)

McCarthyism

A political movement in the US during the 1950s that aimed to root out communist sympathizers. Led by Senator Joseph McCarthy and had a lot of baseless accusations, blacklisting, and intimidation tactics. (1950s)

Brown v. Board of Education

Declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional. Overturned Plessy v. Ferguson's "separate but equal" doctrine. Led to desegregation of schools across the US. (1954)

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Civil rights protest against racial segregation in the public transportation system of Montgomery, Alabama. African Americans refused to ride the buses, which lasted for 381 days, until the Supreme Court declared segregation unconstitutional. (1955)

Sputnik

First artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, was launched into orbit by the Soviet Union, marking the beginning of the Space Age. (1957)

Cuban Missile Crisis

Brought the US and Soviet Union to the brink of nuclear war. US discovered Soviet missiles in Cuba, leading to a tense 13-day standoff. JFK demanded removal of missiles and imposed a naval blockade. Eventually, the USSR agreed to remove missiles in exchange for a US promise not to invade Cuba. (1962)

March on Washington

Civil and economic rights of African Americans. Famous for Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. (1963)

JFK assassinated

1963

Civil Rights Act

Outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in public places and employment. It also ended racial segregation in schools and other public facilities. (1964)

Tet Offensive

North Vietnamese launched a surprise attack on multiple cities and military bases in South Vietnam, causing a turning point in public opinion and leading to increased anti-war protests in the United States. (1968)

Moon landing

United States' Apollo 11 mission successfully landed two astronauts, Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, on the moon's surface. (1969)

Watergate break

The political scandal involving the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate complex. Led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon and exposed widespread corruption in the government. (1972)

Roe v. Wade

Legalized abortion in the United States. It established a woman's right to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction. (1973)

Iranian hostage crisis

Iranian militants seized the US embassy in Tehran and held 52 American hostages for 444 days. (1979)

Reagan elected

Marked a shift towards conservative policies and a more aggressive foreign policy approach. (1980)

Cold War ends

The Berlin Wall was torn down and Eastern Europe became democratic. (1989)

Persian Gulf War

The invasion of Kuwait led to a United Nations Security Council embargo and sanctions on Iraq and a U.S.-led coalition air and ground war. (1991)

Contract with America

The Republican plan in the 1994 election, calling for welfare reform, congressional term limits, and a balanced-budget amendment. (1994)

Oklahoma City Bombing

Domestic terrorist truck bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. (1995)