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Jun 12, 1215
Magna Carta
The first document to challenge the authority of the king, subjecting him to the rule of the law and protecting his people from feudal abuse. The document guaranteed freedom for the English Church, protection of the law for all free men and freedom from excessive fines and taxation. This document paved the way for the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights. -
French & Indian war
The French and Indian War, a colonial extension of the Seven Years War that ravaged Europe from 1756 to 1763, was the bloodiest American war in the 18th century. The war was the clash between the French and English over colonial territory and wealth. As a result of the war, the English colonists no longer needed the protection of the British against the French, and they became more independent from Britain. This war also resulted in higher taxes paid to Britain. -
Boston Massacre
The Massacre was the 1770, pre-Revolutionary incident growing out of the anger against the British troops sent to Boston to maintain order and to enforce the Townshend Acts. The troops, constantly tormented by irresponsible gangs, finally on Mar. 5, 1770, fired into a rioting crowd and killed five men: three on the spot, two of wounds later. The Massacre became a legendary event of the American rebellion against the British with many controversies and myths surrounding the true facts. -
Boston Tea Party
On the night of December 16, 1773, Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty boarded three ships in the Boston harbor and threw 342 chests of tea overboard. This resulted in the passage of the punitive Coercive Acts in 1774 and pushed the two sides closer to war. -
Declaration Of Independence
The Declaration of Independence declared the exact reasons the American colonies were fighting for their independence. The clearness of it left little doubt about the specific reasons that were stated in the body of the Declaration and why a revolutionary solution was unavoidable. It was written for King George III, and the American colonials. Mainly, that all men are created in the same manner and are entitled to the same rights, life, liberty and the pursuit of happeniss -
Louisiana Purchase
With the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the United States purchased approximately 828,000,000 square miles of territory from France, doubling the size of the young republic. What was known as Louisiana Territory stretched from the Mississippi River in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the west and from the Gulf of Mexico in the south to the Canadian border in the north. Part or all of 15 states were eventually created from that piece of land. -
Trail Of Tears 1830's
In 1838 and 1839, as part of Andrew Jackson's Indian removal policy, the Cherokee nation was forced to give up its lands east of the Mississippi River and to migrate to an area in present-day Oklahoma. The Cherokee people called this journey the "Trail of Tears," because of its devastating effects. The migrants faced hunger, disease, and exhaustion on the forced march. Over 4,000 out of 15,000 of the Cherokees died. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott was a slave. His owner took him outside the south and through states that did not allow slavery. These states had rules that any enslaved person brought into the state became free. Dred Scott sued to try to win his freedom. The Supreme Court ruled that Dred Scott, a negro, had no rights whatsoever. He was property, not a person or a citizen. He had no right to sue in federal court. Further, the court ruled that the federal government had no legal right to interfere. -
Civil War
The American Civil War was fought between southern and northern states of the United States. The southern states didn't want to be part of the United States any more and decided to make their own country. However, the northern states wanted to stay one country. The Civil War was the deadliest war in American history. Over 600,000 soldiers died in the war. The Civil War ended on April 9, 1865 when General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at the Appomattox Court House in Virginia. -
Gettysburg Address
Thursday afternoon, November 19, 1863, U,S. President Abraham Lincoln delivered the "Gettysburg Address." At the dedication ceremony for the Soldiers' National Cemetery, located at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, President Lincoln sought to remind fellow Americans about their obligation and responsibility to secure complete freedom unto all humanity. This was most definitely, President Abraham Lincoln's most remembered speech.
