U.S History A Timeline

  • 1492

    Columbus Discovers America

    Columbus Discovers America
    Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492. His original objective was to sail west until he reached Asia.
  • The Settlement of Jamestown

    The Settlement of Jamestown
    In 1607, 104 English men arrived in Jamestown, Virginia. This was the first permanent English settlement in North America.
  • The French and Indian War

    The French and Indian War
    The French and Indian War (1754 - 1763) was a conflict between British America and New France. Both sides were supported by their parent countries as well as Native Americans
  • The Boston Tea Party

    The Boston Tea Party
    On December 16, 1773 the Sons of Liberty destroyed a shipment of tea by throwing the boxes into the Boston Harbor.
  • The Battle of Lexington and Concord

    The Battle of Lexington and Concord
    In April of 1775, British troops were sent to confiscate colonial weapons when they were met with an armed and angry militia. This army defeats 700 British soldiers, sparking their confidence for the war ahead.
  • The Declaration of Independence

    The Declaration of Independence
    The Declaration of Independence is a statement that announced that the thirteen American Colonies were no longer under British rule. This resulted in the formation of a new nation, the United States of America.
  • The Battle of Yorktown

    The Battle of Yorktown
    The Battle of Yorktown was a decisive victory on combined American and French forces against British forces. This led to the surrender of Lord Cornwallis.
  • The Constitutional Convention

    The Constitutional Convention
    The Constitutional Convention took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from May 25 to September 17 of 1787. This resulted in the creation of the United States Constitution.
  • The Innvetion of the Cotton Gin

    The Innvetion of the Cotton Gin
    In 1794, Eli Whitney patented the cotton gin. This machine revolutionized the cotton business by speeding up the process of removing the seeds from the cotton fiber.
  • The Alien and Sedition Acts

    The Alien and Sedition Acts
    The Alien and Sedition Acts were four bills signed into law by John Adams in 1798. These laws made it harder for an immigrant to become a citizen, and allowed the President to deport dangerous illegal immigrants.
  • The Louisiana Purchase

    The Louisiana Purchase
    In 1803, the U.S paid $11,250,000 to France in exchange for the Louisiana territory that included fifteen present U.S states and parts of two Canadian Provence's. This became known as the Louisiana Purchase.
  • War of 1812

    War of 1812
    In 1812, the United States declared war on Britain. They did so because Britain refused to stop seizing American ships that traded with France - Brittan's enemy
  • The Missouri Comprimise

    The Missouri Comprimise
    On March 3, 1820 a bill was passed granting Missouri statehood as a slave state. However, slavery was to be prohibited in the rest of the Louisiana Purchase land. This is known as the Missouri compromise.
  • Andrew Jacksons Election

    Andrew Jacksons Election
    The eleventh quadrennial presidential election was from October 31st to December 2nd of 1828. It featured a rematch between John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson
  • Panic of 1837

    Panic of 1837
    The Panic of 1837 was a major financial crises in the United States that lasted until 1843. Prices and wages went down, and unemployment went up.
  • The Trail of Tears

    The Trail of Tears
    The Trail of Tears was a series of forced removals of Native Americans from their land in the southeastern United States from 1839-1850. The removal of these tribes paved the way for white settlement
  • Invention of the Telegraph

    Invention of the Telegraph
    IN 1844, Samuel Morse sent the first telegraph message, from Washington DC, to Baltimore, Maryland. A few years later, there was a telegraph line across the Atlantic ocean, revolutionizing long distance communication.
  • The Mexican - American War

    The Mexican - American War
    The Mexican-American war was an armed conflict between the United Mexican States and the United States of America.
  • The Comprimise of 1850

    The Comprimise of 1850
    In September of 1850, five separate bills were passed by congress, these bills defused a four year confrontation between slave and free states.
  • The Firing on Fort Sumter

    The Firing on Fort Sumter
    In April of 1861, the Confederate army fired upon Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. This ended in the surrender of the United States Army and started the Civil War
  • The Emancipation Proclimation

    The Emancipation Proclimation
    The Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order issued by Abraham Lincoln in January of 1863. This order changed the legal status of over 3 million slaves.
  • Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse

    Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse
    In April of 1865 near Appomattox Courthouse , Virginia, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant.
  • The 13th, 14th, and 15th Ammendments.

    The 13th, 14th, and 15th Ammendments.
    The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments are known as the Civil War amendments. They were designed to ensure the equality of recently released slaves.
  • Abraham Lincoln's Assassination

    Abraham Lincoln's Assassination
    On April 14 of 1865, John Wilkes Booth shot and killed Abraham Lincoln in Ford's Theatre. Union soldiers tracked him down and found him in a barn twelve days later.
  • Andrew Johnson's Impeachment

    Andrew Johnson's Impeachment
    In February of 1868 Andrew Johnson became the first president to be impeached. He was impeached because he had violated the Tenure of Office Act.
  • The Organization of Standard Oil Trust

    The Organization of Standard Oil Trust
    Established by John D. Rockefeller in 1870, the Standard Oil Trust was the largest oil refinery in the world.
  • The Pullman and Homestead Strikes

    The Pullman and Homestead Strikes
    The Pullman strike and Homestead strike both occurred in 1892. They were industrial lock outs, and two of the largest U.S labor disputes.
  • The Spanish-American War

    The Spanish-American War
    The Spanish-American War was fought between Spain and America from April to August of 1898
  • Theodore Roosevelt becomes president

    Theodore Roosevelt becomes president
    On September 14th, 1901 Theodore Roosevelt began his eight year presidential term. He was the 26th president of the United States, following the assassination of William McKinley.
  • The invention of the electric light, telephone, and airplane

    By 1903 the world had seen the electric light bulb, the telephone, and the first airplane; flown by the Wright brothers . The electric light bulb was patented by Thomas Edison in 1879. The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell, and patented in 1876.