APUSH Dates

1492

Columbus' ships arrive in the Americas, signaling the first sustained contact between the peoples of Europe and the Western Hemisphere

1607

Jamestown founded, signaling the beginning of British colonization of the Americas

1732

Georgia founded, signaling the end of British colonization of North America

1754

French and Indian War begins, signaling the height of rivalry between European powers for dominance in the Americas

1763

French and Indian War ends, signaling Britain's victory over the French and control of North America

1776

Declaration of Independence signed, signaling the colonies' break from Great Britain

1783

Treaty of Paris signed, officially ending the American Revolutionary War

1787

Constitutional Convention meets in Philadelphia, writing the framework of government still in use today.

1793

Proclamation of Neutrality issued, signaling a basic element of America's foreign policy for the next 150 years.

1800

Thomas Jefferson elected president, ushering in an era of Democratic-Republican ideals

1803

Louisiana Purchase acquired, doubling the size of the US

1812

The War of 1812 (also known as the "Second War for Independence") begins against the British

1815

The War of 1812 (also known as the "Second War for Independence") ends

1819

Panic of 1819 (first of many, happening approximately 20 years apart)

1820

Missouri Compromise signed, signaling unity and willingness to compromise between the North and South on the slavery issue

1823

Monroe Doctrine issued, signaling another basic element of America foreign policy

1828

Election of Andrew Jackson, signaling the democratization of American politics

1844

Election of James K. Polk, the "Manifest Destiny" President

1846

Mexican-American War begins, signaling America's willingness to go to war over control of North America

1848

Mexican-American War ends, with the US acquiring the land known as the "Mexican Cession" (including California) with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

1848

Seneca Falls Convention, the beginning of the movement for women's rights in the US

1850

Compromise of 1850 signed into law, signaling Northern and Southern willingness to preserve the Union one last time

1854

Kansas-Nebraska Act passed-Republican Party created due to outrage over the act and events of "Bleeding Kansas" begin

1861

Civil War begins, indicating that sectional tensions between the North and South have become irreconcilable.

1865

Civil War ends with Union victory

1877

Reconstruction ends, Redeemer Democrats take back control of the South

1890

Sherman Antitrust Act signed into law signaling a new concern in American life

1896

Election between William McKinley (Republican) and William Jennings Bryan (Democrat and Populist, major 3rd party)

1898

Spanish American War begins and ends, symbolizing America's embrace of a new foreign policy trend--imperialism

1914

World War I begins in Europe, but the US declares its neutrality

1917

US enters WWI, indicating that U.S. neutrality didn't last

1919

Treaty of Versailles signed, officially ending World War I.

1929

Stock Market crash/Great Depression begins, indicating that the "Roaring 20s" have come to an end and America's economy is in serious trouble

1932

Franklin Delano Roosevelt elected to the presidency, signaling a new approach to combating the Great Depression known as the New Deal

1939

WWII Begins in Europe and Asia

1941

US enters World War II, signaling that neutrality didn't last

1945

World War II ends, with the Allied Powers victorious over the Axis Powers

1945

The Cold War begins between the US and USSR

1954

Brown v. Board of Education decision ends legal school segregation, signaling the start of the modern Civil Rights Movement

1962

President Kennedy defuses the "Cuban Missile Crisis"

1964

Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which escalates US engagement in Vietnam

1964

Congress passed the Civil Rights Act, ending legal segregation and discrimination and symbolizing the most significant victory of the Civil Rights Movement.

1968

the "Tet Offensive" occurs, symbolizing America's struggles in Vietnam, plus literally everything else

1973

Paris Peace Accords are signed, ending US involvement in Vietnam

1980

Ronald Reagan elected to the presidency, signaling a shift from the liberal politics of the post-war era to a re-emergence of conservative social and economic policies.

1989

Berlin Wall falls, ushering in the end of the Cold War and beginning of the collapse of the Soviet Union

2001

The World Trade Center and Pentagon are attacked, indicating the emergence of a new threat for the 21st century terrorism.

1730's-1740's

First Great Awakening begins, signaling the first unifying event in the colonies

1830s

Peak of 2nd Great Awakening, which sparked numerous social reform movements

1676

Bacon's Rebellion

1730s-1740s

1st Great Awakening

1830s

2nd Great Awakening

2008

Election of Barack Obama