Movements

French and Indian War

• Who: British vs. French (with Native American allies).

• What: Conflict over North American territory (1754-1763).

• Why: Both nations wanted control of the Ohio River Valley.

• Impact: British victory led to debt, prompting taxes on colonies, sparking tensions that led to the American Revolution.

Stamp Act

• Who: British Parliament and American colonists.

• What: Tax on printed materials (1765).

• Why: Britain needed revenue to pay war debts.

• Impact: Unified colonial opposition, leading to protests and eventual repeal.

Tea Act

• Who: British government and American colonists.

• What: Tax on tea favoring the British East India Company (1773).

• Why: To save the company and assert British authority.

• Impact: Led to the Boston Tea Party, escalating tensions toward revolution.

Shays’ Rebellion

• Who: Farmers led by Daniel Shays.

• What: Armed uprising in Massachusetts (1786-1787).

• Why: Farmers protested taxes and debt.

• Impact: Exposed weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, leading to the Constitutional Convention.

Louisiana Purchase

• Who: U.S. (Jefferson) and France (Napoleon).

• What: U.S. bought Louisiana Territory for $15 million (1803).

• Why: Napoleon needed funds; Jefferson wanted land for expansion.

• Impact: Doubled U.S. size, fueling westward expansion.

Nullification Crisis

• Who: South Carolina vs. Federal Government (Jackson).

• What: SC tried to nullify federal tariffs (1832-1833).

• Why: Southern states opposed tariffs hurting their economy.

• Impact: Highlighted tensions over states’ rights and federal authority.

Battle of Vicksburg

• Who: Union (Grant) vs. Confederacy.

• What: Union siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi (1863).

• Why: To control the Mississippi River during the Civil War.

• Impact: Split the Confederacy, giving the Union a strategic victory.

Battle of Atlanta / Sherman’s March to the Sea

• Who: Union (Sherman) vs. Confederacy.

• What: Union capture of Atlanta and destructive march across Georgia (1864).

• Why: To destroy Southern infrastructure and morale.

• Impact: Hastened the South’s defeat in the Civil War.

Construction of the Transcontinental Railroad

• Who: U.S. government, laborers (including Chinese immigrants).

• What: Railroad connecting East and West (completed 1869).

• Why: To improve trade, travel, and national unity.

• Impact: Boosted economic growth and westward expansion.

Industrial Revolution

• Who: Entrepreneurs, inventors, and laborers.

• What: Shift from agrarian to industrial economies (late 18th–19th century).

• Why: Advances in technology, machinery, and production methods.

• Impact: Transformed economies, urbanized societies, and widened social inequalities.