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Period: Jan 1, 1492 to
US History: Colonial America to 1877
This timeline is a collection of major events throughout United States History from 1492 to 1877. Each of these events is an important and defining point of American history. -
Colonialism
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Colonialism is the act of taking control of another region of the globe, separate from the location of one’s central government. This can take place through military conflict, treaty, or even just exploration and settlement. Colonialism in the terms of United States history is centered on the settlement aspect, as shown by the colonization of Plymouth and Jamestown. -
Settlement of Plymouth
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Plymouth was the second major colony created by English settlers in the New World, settled by Puritans that were searching for separation from the Church of England and finalized though the Mayflower Compact. The colony never became particularly large, but its settlement as a place of religious refuge set the stage for future immigrants. -
German Immigration to America
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Throughout the 1700s, huge numbers of Germans, both by nationality and ethnicity, began to immigrate across the Atlantic to the United States. Most of them belonged to Lutheran and Reformed Churches and were attracted to William Penn’s claims of religious freedom and monetary wealth. The Germans became known as the Pennsylvania Dutch, and have impacted the United States culture, especially around the Northeast, quite significantly. -
The American Identity
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The American Identity is more than just a religion or ethnicity or political view. It represents the sum total of all Americans that have lived and worked in and for America. Every single United States citizen adds to the American Identity a little at a time. It is an Identity based around personal freedoms and democracy, but also racism and exceptionalism. All of American history lies inside the American Identity. -
The Battle of Bemis Heights
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The second battle at Saratoga began with Gen. Gates’ growing American forces on Bemis Heights, and after repeated success, ended in them surrounding British Gen. Burgoyne’s small forces, and a British surrender. This battle is considered the turning point in the war, and is what convinced the French to assist the Revolutionaries. -
The Signing of the Treaty of Paris
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The Treaty of Paris marked the official end to the American Revolution. This Treaty caused Britain to officially recognize the United States of America as an independent nation. It also outlined the exact boundaries of the Nation, and essentially stripped Britain of all its land in the West. Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and John Adams spoke on behalf of America with Richard Oswarld, on behalf of Britain. -
Federalism
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Federalism in general is the scenario that any group of entities that act together politically have one central figure with more authority than all the individual entities. Federalism in United States history is the belief that a strong national government is necessary to keep the states from plummeting in to economic depression and political unrest. Federalists, in general, were supporters of the Constitution because of the increases in power in gave to the federal government. -
Ratification of the Constitution
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The Constitution, after conflict between Federalists and anti-Federalists, was ratified in 1788, completely changing the American political landscape. It gave the federal government more power, made sure that the people would vote for national leaders and removed many property restrictions for voting, created the three branches of the modern U.S. government, and reinvented Congress, but did not include a Bill of Rights, and made slavery harsher with the “Fugitive Clause” and “Three-Fifths Rule. -
Invention of the Cotton Gin
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The Cotton Gin was a simple invention designed to make the production of cotton simpler by automatically removing the seeds from it. But by inventing it, Eli Whitney made cotton a profitable crop that could be exported in huge amounts for huge profits. Of course that was powered by slavery. Slavery in the south suddenly became more economically justifiable for the whites, and was perpetuated horribly by that simple machine. -
Gabriel’s Rebellion
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Gabriel Prosser, a blacksmith and slave, organized a slave rebellion in the summer of 1800. Gabriel noticed the hypocrisy of the value of “liberty” in the United States and sought to fix it. Prosser planned to march into Richmond, Virginia with around 1000 slaves and burn the city, but was betrayed and captured. He, and 25 of his supporters were hanged. Slavery conditions were hardened in the South as slave owners became frightened of revolt. -
Jeffersonianism
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Thomas Jefferson, as the third president of the United States, initiated Jeffersonianism. Based off of Jefferson’s policies in office, this set of ideals emphasizes limited government and individual rights. Jeffersonianism is centralized around the idea that the will of the majority is the best option for a nation. Jefferson also felt the importance of manual labor, specifically farming. -
The Missouri Compromise Passes
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The Missouri Compromise, created by Henry Clay, was a bill passed for the purpose of diffusing tension between states in the Union. It admitted Missouri as a slave state, Maine as a free state, and said that all nations north of the southern Missouri border in the Louisiana Territory would be Free states. This compromise most likely postponed the Civil War, but did create a line that divided the Union, and perpetuated, if not allowed for, slavery in new states being admitted. -
Andrew Jackson’s Inauguration
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Andrew Jackson, the seventh President of the United States, ushered in an entire new era of presidencies. Jackson was the first president to come from modest upbringings, and emphasized the importance of the “common man” more than anything. He saw the importance of a strong union, but his presidency was controversial due to his hypocrisy, in terms of not allowing blacks and Native Americans the same rights as whites. -
Frederick Douglass Escapes Slavery
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On his third attempt at escaping from slavery, Douglass finally became free. He jumped on a train, and after days of travel, eventually made it to free Pennsylvania. This single event played a huge roll in the abolitionist movement in America. Douglass spoke out against injustice with such beautiful language and well-written books that he couldn’t be ignored. His speeches and accounts of slavery, both in America and the UK, inspired thousands to support abolitionists in their time of need. -
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
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The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo was signed at the close of the Mexican-American War. It was a monumental loss for Mexico, and a major victory for America, despite the loss of 13,000 soldiers. The Americans gained land for Texas, as well as the New Mexico territory and California. This opened up a huge portion of the continent for western expansion by Americans, and was also the location of a major gold rush within the next couple years. -
The Compromise of 1850
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The Compromise of 1850 acted as another bill to attempt to diffuse tension between the North and the South. California was admitted as Free, the slave trade, but not slaveholding, was outlawed in Washington D.C., Texas lost land that New Mexico gained, the New Mexico and Utah territories were allowed to by slaveholding, and a Fugitive Law was reenacted. Much like the Missouri Compromise, it delayed the war, but perpetuated slavery. -
Dred Scott vs. Sandford
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Dredd Scott was a slave who spent time in a free state and then returned to a slave state. He went to court for his freedom, and the case developed up to the Supreme Court. The final ruling was monumental: it stated that Scott could not claim freedom because of his time in a free state, that he was not a citizen because of the color of his skin and thus could not bring suit, and that Congress never could have prohibited slavery anywhere in America to begin with. -
Battle of Appomattox Court House
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The Battle of Appomattox Court House, and the subsequent treaty, marked the end of the American Civil War. It ended with a surrender by General Lee and the confederacy and the preservation of the Union. The terms of surrender offered by General Grant were relatively generous: allowing confederate soldiers to return home with no risk of being tried for treason. This event marks the true end to slavery in the United States. -
Radical Republicanism
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Radical Republicanism was a system of beliefs during the Reconstruction Era that was centered around punishing the South for its treason and emphasizing the demands of the Emancipation Proclamation (and the subsequent Amendments). Today, the “radicals” would be generally viewed as simply humane and fair, but in their time, their attempts at creating equal rights between whites and blacks were viewed as extreme. -
President Johnson is Impeached
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President Andrew Johnson was the first United States President to be impeached. Johnson was charged with disobeying the law by replacing the Secretary of State, but it can be assumed that the mostly Republican Congress just wanted to be rid of the Democratic President. He halted huge amounts of progress by vetoing nearly every bill that came before his, and thus stopped the Republicans from achieving their goals of equality. He was allowed to finish his term.
