APUSH Time Periods Major Events

 Period 1 1491–1607:

1491 Native American societies before European contact (varied cultures: agricultural, nomadic, etc.).

1492 Christopher Columbus's first voyage to the Americas.

1513 Juan Ponce de León’s exploration of Florida.
1585 The Roanoke Colony (first English attempt to settle in America, which mysteriously disappeared).

1607 Establishment of the Jamestown Colony (first permanent English colony in North America).

Period 2 1607–1754:

1607 Establishment of Jamestown Colony.

1620 Pilgrims establish Plymouth Colony.

1630s Great Migration—Puritans establish Massachusetts Bay Colony.

1651-1673 Navigation Acts passed to regulate colonial trade.

1675-1676 King Philip's War (conflict between Native Americans and New England settlers).

1730s-1740s The Great Awakening (religious revivalism).

1754 Beginning of the French and Indian War (start of conflict between Britain and France in North America).

Period 3 1754–1800:

1754–1763 French and Indian War (British victory, leading to territorial gains in North America).

1765 Stamp Act (first direct British tax on the colonies, leading to resistance).

1770 Boston Massacre (colonial protests lead to violence).

1773 Boston Tea Party (colonial protest against British tea tax).

1774 First Continental Congress (colonial unity in opposition to British policies).

1775–1783 American Revolution (colonial victory, independence from Britain).

1781 British surrender at Yorktown, end of major fighting in the Revolution.

1787 U.S. Constitution is drafted at the Philadelphia Convention.

1791 Bill of Rights added to the Constitution.

1800 The election of Thomas Jefferson (shift from Federalist to Democratic-Republican control).

Period 4 1800–1848:

1800 Election of Thomas Jefferson (peaceful transfer of power).

1803 Louisiana Purchase (doubled the size of the U.S.).

1812–1815 War of 1812 (U.S. vs. Britain, confirming U.S. independence).

1820 Missouri Compromise (dealt with the expansion of slavery).

1828 Election of Andrew Jackson (Jacksonian Democracy).

1830 Indian Removal Act (forced relocation of Native Americans).

1836 Texas Revolution (Texas gains independence from Mexico).

1846–1848 Mexican-American War (resulted in U.S. territorial gains, including California and Southwest).

Period 5 1844–1877:

1844 Election of James K. Polk (advocated for westward expansion).

1846–1848 Mexican-American War (U.S. acquisition of new territories).

1850 Compromise of 1850 (attempt to settle slavery-related issues).

1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act (created tensions leading to "Bleeding Kansas").

1861–1865 Civil War (North vs. South over slavery and Union).

1863 Emancipation Proclamation (freed slaves in the Confederacy).

1865 Assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

1865–1877 Reconstruction era (post-war rebuilding and the integration of Southern states into the Union).

1877 Compromise of 1877 (end of Reconstruction, withdrawal of federal troops from the South).

Period 6 1865–1898:

1865 End of the Civil War and beginning of Reconstruction.

1870s–1880s Industrial Revolution (growth of big businesses, railroads, and factories).

1876 Battle of Little Bighorn (Native American victory over U.S. forces).

1880s Rise of labor unions in response to industrialization.

1890 Closing of the Frontier (Frederick Jackson Turner’s frontier thesis).

1898 Spanish-American War (U.S. emerges as a world power, acquiring territories like Puerto Rico and the Philippines).

Period 7 1890–1945:

1890 Closing of the Frontier (U.S. Census Bureau declares the frontier closed).

1898 Spanish-American War (U.S. imperial expansion).

1914–1918 World War I (U.S. involvement and the Treaty of Versailles).

1920 Women's Suffrage (19th Amendment gives women the right to vote).

1929 Stock Market Crash (Great Depression begins).

1933 Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal (programs to combat the Great Depression).

1941–1945 U.S. involvement in World War II (turning the tide of war in favor of the Allies).

1945 End of World War II (U.S. emerges as a superpower).

Period 8 1945–1980:

1945 End of World War II (the U.S. emerges as a global superpower).

1947 Truman Doctrine (containment of communism).

1950–1953 Korean War (U.S. military involvement to stop communism).

1954 Brown v. Board of Education (ending segregation in schools).

1960s Civil Rights Movement (major progress on racial equality).

1964–1975 Vietnam War (U.S. involvement to stop the spread of communism).

1969 Apollo 11 Moon Landing (symbolizing U.S. technological superiority).

1973 Roe v. Wade (legalizing abortion).

1980 Election of Ronald Reagan (end of the era of liberal dominance, rise of conservative politics).