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Oct 12, 1492
Columbus Finds America
In August of 1492, Columbus left Spain to find a new route to India. The trip started out smoothly, but by the middle of October, his crew was near mutiny. After two months of travel, they landed in America. The natives greeted them and it was a good first meeting. -
13 Original Colonies
The original 13 colonies were established 1607-1733. The colonists originally came to the new world to have religious freedom. The first colonists were Puritians and later broke off into other sects. -
French and Indian War
Also known as the Seven Years' War, the French and Indian War began in 1754 and went through 1763. This war was a territory war over waterways. -
Boston Tea Party
The Tea Act was the "straw that broke the camels back" for many colonists. On Dec 16, 1773, men disquised as Indians dumped all the tea on British ships into the harbor in protest of the tax on tea and other items. -
Revolutionary War
The Revolutionary War begins with "The Shot Heard Around the World" on April 19, 1775 in Lexington, The events leading up to this war include taxes on sugar, the stamp act, the tea act, the quartering act and the Boston Tea Party. Colonists were tired of paying taxes and being bullied by the English Crown. -
Writing of the Constitution
The Constitution was writen in 1787 at the Philadelphia Convention. The attendees were there to amend the the Articles of Confederation and ended up writing a new constitution. -
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution of the 1800's saw the invention of the steamboat, locomotive, cottongin, telegraph, interchangeable parts, and the building of factories. All helped to move Amerian manufacturing forward. -
Lewis and Clark Expedition
In 1803, Thomas Jefferson made the Lousiana Purchase from France. He needed to know what was in this new land and also wanted to see if there was a North West Passage to the Pacific Ocean. Lewis and Clark set off with a group called the Corps of Discovery and traveled 8000 minles over 2 1/2 years. They reached the Pacific Ocean in November of 1805, never finding a North West Passage. They discovered 300 new species of plants and animals and were able to map the area, for future travel. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was passed in 1820 allowing Missouri to enter the union as a slave state, while Maine entered as a free state. Outlawed slavery in all Western territories north of the 36/30' north latitude line. This compromise helped to smooth over slavery tensions for a while. -
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas refers to a series of events that happened from 1854 through 1861. This was all about whether Kansas would allow slavery or not. This battle was key to escalating the start of the Civil War.