1492
New World Discovered
Beginning of the Columbian Exchange (Global Interconnectedness)
1607
Founding of Jamestown
First Successful English Colony
Introduction of Slavery to North America
Huge Tobacco Farms
1620
Pilgrims Arrive
Mayflower Compact: First Democratic Document in North America
Religious Colonies
1730s-1740s
The First Great Awakening
First Widespread Unifying Movement
Religious Revival
Salvation Through Good Deeds
1754-1763
French and Indian War
Demoralized Against the British
France kicked off of North America
1763
Proclamation of 1763
End of Salutary Neglect
1773
The Boston Tea Party
First Organized Rebellion Against British
1775
Battle of Lexington and Concord
First Official Battle of the Revolution
July 4th, 1776
The Declaration of Independence
Defined "Inalienable Rights" that the British had denied
1777
Battle of Saratoga
Causes France to join the Revolutionary War
1781
Battle of Yorktown
Surrender of British General Cornwallis
"End" of the Revolutionary War
1783
Treaty of Paris
Official Independence from British
U.S. Recognized as Sovereign
1786
Shay's Rebellion
Emphasized the Need for a Stronger Central Government
1789
Constitutional Convention
Founding of a New Government
1791
Bill of Rights Created
Antifederalists Appeased
Protect the Rights of the People
1798
Alien and Sedition Acts
Expansion and Abuse of Federal Powers
1800
Revolution of 1800
Jefferson Elected as President
Peaceful Transfer of Power from One Party to Another
1803
Louisiana Purchase
Doubles the Size of the U.S.
1803
Marbury Vs. Madison
Established the Principle of Judicial Review
Gave the Supreme Court the Right to Declare Legislative and Executive Acts Unconstitutional
1812-1815
The War of 1812
Stalemate Peace
The "Second War for Independence"
Established a Northern Boundary with Canada
1820
Missouri Compromise
Missouri Admitted as a Slave State
Maine Added as a Free State
Mason Dixion Line Divides the North and South
1820s-1830s
The Second Great Awakening
New American Religion (Mormonism)
Inspired Social Reforms that Shaped American Culture
1823
Monroe's Doctrine
Separates America from Europe's Conflicts
Defined American Power Internationally
1830
Indian Removal Act
Jackson Breaks Promise Towards the Natives
Major Overstep of Executive Power
1830s-1850s
Manifest Destiny
Massive Westward Expansion
1848
Seneca Falls Convention
Women's Rights Convention for Suffrage
'We hold these truths to be self evident that all men and women are created equal"
Societal Changes
1848
Gold Rush Begins
Single largest westward expansion -Allows California to have enough population to become a state
1832
Nat Turner's Rebellion
Major violent slave uprising
1836
-Battle of the Alamo -America support of Texas Annexation, despite it being a failure
1848
-Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo -Ended Mexican-American War -Mexican cession
1850
-Compromise of 1850 -Fugitive Slave Act -Blew up North and South tensions
1854
-Bleeding Kansas -Precursor to Civil War -First violence between the North and South
1857
-Scott V. Sandford -First time government takes a stance on slavery
1861-1865
Civil War
Bloodiest American war
Broken and Reunified
Emancipation Proclamation
1862
Battle of Antietam
Allows the Emancipation Proclamation to be released
Made it an abolitionist war
1863
Battle of Gettysburg
Turning point in the Civil War
South is now on the defensive
Turning point of sectionalism to nationalism
April 15, 1865
Lincoln’s Assassination
1st presidential assassination
Johnson becomes president
1865
13th Amendment
Abolishes slavery - except as punishment for a crime
1868
14th Amendment
Defines citizenship and protects citizens’ civil rights
1870
15th Amendment
Universal male suffrage
1877
Compromise of 1877
Ends Reconstruction
1886
Haymarket Square Riot
Major workers’ rights riot
Led to violence and was considered a setback for the organized labor movement
1887
Dawes Act
Authorized president to break of reservation land
Further destroyed Native Americans’ way of life
1890
Sherman Antitrust Act
Banned businesses from colluding or merging to form monopolies
Some of the first legislation passed to limit big business
1890
Massacre at Wounded Knee
Lakota men, women, and children slaughtered
Marked the end of Native resistance to the encroachment of white settlers
1894
Pullman Strike
Resistance against big business
Ended by the federal government because it interfered with mail delivery
1896
Plessy V. Ferguson
Upheld “separate but equal” ideology between whites and people of color
1898
Spanish-American War
America asserts itself as an imperialist world power
Annexation of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Philippines
1906
Meat Inspection Act/Pure Food & Drug Act
Made food more reliably safe
Progressive movement (for the people, not the businesses)
1909
NAACP Founded (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)
Actively worked to end segregation and Jim Crow laws
Gave a voice to colored people
1917
United States Enters World War I
U.S becomes the global power by the end of the war
Rise in innovation and technology
1919
18th Amendment (Prohibition)
Success of progressive movement
Women had influence over the government
Summer of 1919
Red Summer
Steep rise in racial violence and tensions
Whites push back against Black rights
1919-1920
First Red Scare
Fear of socialism, anarchy, foreign immigration, etc.
1920
19th Amendment
Gave women the right to vote across the nation
1920s
Harlem Renaissance
Cultural Revolution for African Americans
First culture not based in slavery
Jazz
1925
Scopes Trial
Major trial over evolution being taught in schools
Challenged fundamentalism
Emphasized the clash between fundamentalists and modernists
1929
Black Tuesday
Huge stock market collapse
One of the first steps leading to the Great Depression
1929-1939
Great Depression
Worst economic downturn in history
Weakens global economy
Starts New Deal legislation
25% unemployment in the United States
1932
Bonus Army
Veterans from WWI gather to demand compensation before the depression drains the treasury
Decreases Hoover’s popularity, increases FDR’s
1934
Start of the Dust Bowl
Caused a mass migration out of the Great Plains to California
Increased unemployment
Spawned the Farm Security Administration as part of the New Deal
1939-1945
World War II
Changed American society and manufacturing
Post-war baby boom changes demographics
Start of Cold War tensions
June 6, 1944
D-Day
Largest amphibious front in history
Start of the push-back and defeat of the Axis powers
1945
Drop atomic bombs
Nuclear weapons race started
First use of nuclear weaponry on humans
Contributed to the end of WWII in the Pacific
1947
Truman Doctrine
Established that the U.S. would protect democratic nations from soviet/authoritarian forces through economic, political, and military assistance
Part of “containment” theory of communism
1948
Marshall Plan
Major example of U.S. acting on Truman Doctrine
Provided markets and stable trading partners for American goods
Extension of bipartisanship
1950
McCarthyism
Political suppression of left-wing ideologies in the United States
Part of the “Second Red Scare”
Spread fear of communism gained support for Cold War in America
1950-1953
Korean War
Containment policy
Major proxy war during Cold War
1954
Brown vs. Board of Education
End of legalized segregation in public schools
Overruled “separate but equal” Plessy v. Ferguson
Unanimous court decision
1955
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Helped establish goal of integration
Non-violent protest (civil disobedience)
1955-1975
Vietnam War
Ultimately a loss for the United States
Major example of U.S. involvement in foreign governments
Caused distrust of government within U.S.
1957
Sputnik launched - Start of the Space Race
New era of the Cold War focused on technological advancement
Realization for America that the USSR was more advanced than previously assumed
First man-made object in space
1961
Gideon vs. Wainwright
Requires that criminal defendents be given legal counsel regardless of wealth
Civil rights for impoverished population
1962
Engel vs. Vitale
Reaffirmed separation of church and state by banning mandatory prayer in public schools
1962
Cuban Missile Crisis
Peak point in Cold War when USSR and US came closest to nuclear conflict
1963
March on Washington
250k protested racial discrimination and demanded civil rights legislation
Massive peaceful protest, “I Have a Dream” speech
1963
John F. Kennedy is assassinated
Largely televised, which was unique from past assassinations
End of optimism for the nation’s future
Lyndon B. Johnson takes office
1964
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Massive piece of civil rights legislation
Prohibited discrimination in public accommodations
Hastened end of Jim Crow
1965
Voting Rights Act (Selma)
Outlawed discriminatory voting practices
Enforced 15th amendment
1965
Assassination of Malcolm X
Assassination of major civil rights figure
Not treated as importantly as the assassintation of MLK JR.
1968
Democratic National Convention in Chicago
Youth and minorities became largely involved in voting
68% of citizens voted
1968
Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated
Prompted outbreaks of racial violence
Fasttracked equal housing bill
Angered black Americans
1968
Bobby Kennedy assassinated
Prompted start of protection of presidential candidates from Secret Service agents
Assassination of presidential nominee
Second Democratic candidate ultimately lost election
1968
Tet offensive
Weakening of public support of Vietnam
U.S. suffers heavy losses to advancing Viet Cong
1969
Woodstock
Major counterculture art fair
Escape for Americans, encouragement of peace and anti-war messages
1969
Moon landing
America ends the space race
First humans to step foot on the moon
1970
Kent State massacre
First student killed in anti-war gathering (Jeffery Miller)
Deepend distrust of government as the National Guard killed the students
1972
Watergate Scandal
Led to Nixon’s resignation
Deepened distrust of government
Many cabinet members also convicted of crimes
1973
Roe v. Wade
Decriminalized abortion
Right to privacy
Major victory for women’s rights
1979
Iranian Hostage Crisis
Decreased support of Jimmy Carter
Unsuccessful rescue mission
1981
Outbreak of the AIDS pandemic
Major health crisis in the United States
Accelerated fear of homosexuality
1981
Sandra Day O’Connor becomes 1st female Justice
Became the deciding vote in many important civil rights and environmental protection Supreme Court cases
Victory for women
1989
Berlin Wall comes down
First step towards German reunification
Weakened East Germany and eastern Europe, led to dissolution of USSR
1991
Soviet Union disbands
End of the Cold War
Democracy somewhat restored to eastern Europe
1991
Operation Desert Storm
Kuwait liberated
Massively successful U.S. military move
First use of modern technology in warfare (cell phones, space equipment, etc.)
1995
Oklahoma City Bombing
Largest domestic terrorist attack in United States
1998
President Clinton impeached
2nd impeached president
Weakened Democratic party for upcoming election
Lying under oath and obstruction of justice
1999
Columbine High School massacre
First major school shooting
Started a chain reaction and rise of school shooters for the name of fame
Spawned new security measures in school
2001
September 11th terrorist attacks in the U.S.
Changed relations with Islam and severely worsened them
Took away many rights we never get back w/ Patriot Act
Start of military invasion of middle east and search for Osama bin Laden
2008
Election of President Obama
First African American president
Was a far left swing so it caused the likelihood of a far right swing to counter that