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Period: 16,000 BCE to
Beginnings to Exploration
1775-1783 -
1400 BCE
Olmecs Civilization
The mysterious Olmec civilization prospered in Pre-Classical (Formative) Mesoamerica from 1200 BCE to 400 BCE and is generally considered the forerunner of all subsequent Mesoamerican cultures such as the Maya and Aztecs. Centred in the Gulf of Mexico (now the states of Veracruz and Tabasco) their influence and trade activity spread from 1200 BCE, even reaching as far south as present-day Nicaragua. -
753 BCE
Romes Conquest of Europe
The history of Rome cannot be mentioned without its military history over the roughly thirteen centuries that the Roman state existed. The Roman Empire conquered all of what now is considered Western Europe. Conquered by the Roman military and established the Roman way of life. The main countries conquered were England, France, Greece, the Middle East and the North African coastal region. -
500 BCE
Maya Civilization
The Maya civilization were very good in agriculture, pottery, hieroglyph writing, mathematics, and calendar-making. The Maya are well known for their own hieroglyphics scripts, mathematics system, and astronomical system. Mayan's will later advance human sacrifice from the the Olmec. The Maya civilization also used the cast system as a social system. Early Mayans were farmers and more advanced than other societies. -
476
The Dark Ages
The Dark ages, referring to the middle ages, which then follows the decline of the roman empire. This time can be referred by light vs darkness in which darkness and light are contrasted with both early and later periods. the term is followed by negative connotations. further accomplishments throughout history led to the dark ages being categorized to the 5th-10th century. -
Oct 1, 1347
The Black Death
The Black Death arrived in Europe by sea in October 1347 when 12 Genoese trading ships docked at the Sicilian port of Messina after a long journey through the Black Sea. The people who gathered on the docks to greet the ships were met with a horrifying surprise: Most of the sailors aboard the ships were dead, and those who were still alive were gravely ill. They were overcome with fever, unable to keep food down and delirious from pain. -
Oct 31, 1451
Christopher Colombus
Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer, navigator, and colonizer. He was born on October, 1451 in the Republic of Genoa, Italy. Columbus made four trips across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain: in 1492, 1493, 1498, and 1502. He was determined to find a direct water route west from Europe to Asia, he never did, however, he discovered the "New World" where millions of people already lived there. His discovery marked the beginning of centuries of transatlantic conquest and colonization. -
Feb 26, 1492
Colombian Exchange
The Columbian Exchange was the widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, and ideas between the Americas and the Old World in the 15th and 16th centuries, related to European colonization and trade after Christopher Columbus's 1492 voyage. Invasive species, including communicable diseases, were a byproduct of the Exchange. The changes in agriculture significantly altered and changed global populations. -
Jun 7, 1494
Treaty of Tordesillas
The Treaty of Tordesillas re-established the line 370 leagues (1,770 km) west of the Cape Verde Islands. It was evident that little exploration had taken place at the time the treaty was signed because Spain was granted a much larger portion of land. Portugal was only given possession of Brazil. -
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English Colonial Societies
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Colonial America To 1763
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Jamestown Colonization
On May 14, 1607, a group of roughly 100 members of a joint venture called the Virginia Company founded the first permanent English settlement in North America on the banks of the James River. Famine, disease and conflict with local Native American tribes in the first two years brought Jamestown to the brink of failure before the arrival of a new group of settlers and supplies in 1610. Tobacco became Virginia’s first profitable export. -
The Headright system Instituted
The headright system was originally created in 1618 in Jamestown, Virginia. It was used as a way to attract new settlers to the region and address the labor shortage. With the emergence of tobacco farming, a large supply of workers was needed. New settlers who paid their way to Virginia received 50 acres of land. -
Plymouth Colonization
Plymouth Colony (sometimes New Plymouth) was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 to 1691. The first settlement of the Plymouth Colony was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. The settlement served as the capital of the colony and developed as the modern town of Plymouth, Massachusetts. At its height, Plymouth Colony occupied most of the southeastern portion of the modern state of Massachusetts. -
Mayflower Compact Signed
The Mayflower Compact was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. It was written by the male passengers of the Mayflower, consisting of separatist Congregationalists who called themselves "Saints", and adventurers and tradesmen, most of whom were referred to by the Separatists as "Strangers". The Mayflower Compact was signed aboard ship on November 11, 1620 by the Pilgrims. Signing the covenant were 41 of the ship's 101 passengers -
Quakers Colonization
In 1681, King Charles II granted William Penn, a Quaker, a charter for the area that was to become Pennsylvania. Penn guaranteed the settlers of his colony freedom of religion. Some of these early Quaker ministers were women. They based their message on the religious belief that "Christ has come to teach his people himself", stressing the importance of a direct relationship with God through Jesus Christ, and a direct religious belief in the universal priesthood of all believers -
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, was the overthrow of King James II of England (James VII of Scotland) by a union of English Parliamentarians with William III, Dutch fleet and army led to his ascension to the throne as William III of England jointly with his wife, Mary II, James's daughter, after Prince of Orange. William's successful invasion of England with a the Declaration of Right, leading to the Bill of Rights 1689. -
English Bill of Rights Signed
The English Bill of Rights, is an Act of the Parliament of England that deals with constitutional matters and sets out certain basic civil rights. It is a restatement in statutory form of the Declaration of Right presented by the Convention Parliament to William III and Mary II in February 1689, inviting them to become joint sovereigns of England. The Bill of Rights lays down limits on the powers of the monarch and sets out the rights of Parliament. -
French and Indian War Begins
The French and Indian War lasted from 1756 to 1763 thus forming a chapter in the imperial struggle between Britain and France. in the early 1750's, Frances expansion into Ohio river valley repeatedly brought it into conflict with the claims of the British colonies, especially Virginia. the tide however was turned in 1757, because William Pitt, their current leader, saw the colonial conflicts as the key to beginning to build a vast British empire. -
Jonathan Edwards Death
Best known as an american revivalist preacher, philosopher, and congregationalist protestant theologian. he held onto the reformed theologian. distinguished himself and his followers from other congregationalist and renamed themselves "new lights" as opposed to the "old lights." throughout the centuries, Edwards is regarded as one of Americas most important and original philosophical theologians. -
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The American Industrial Revolution
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The Revolutionary War 1763-1783
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Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre occurred on March 5, 1770. A squad of British soldiers, come to support a sentry who was being pressed by a heckling, snowballing crowd, let loose a volley of shots. Three persons were killed immediately and two died later of their wounds; among the victims was Crispus Attucks, a man of black or Indian parentage. The British officer in charge, Capt. Thomas Preston, was arrested for manslaughter, along with eight of his men; all were later acquitted. -
Boston Tea Party
While consignees in Charleston, New York, and Philadelphia rejected tea shipments, merchants in Boston refused to concede to Patriot pressure. 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. -
Concord and Lexington
The Battles of Lexington and Concord, kicked off the American Revolutionary War . Tensions had been building for many years between residents of the 13 American colonies and the British authorities, particularly in Massachusetts. On the night of April 18, 1775, hundreds of British troops marched from Boston to nearby Concord in order to seize an arms cache. Paul Revere and other riders sounded the alarm, and colonial militiamen began mobilizing to intercept the Redcoat column -
Common Sense
Common Sense[1] is a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1775–76 advocating independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies. Written in clear and persuasive prose, Paine marshaled moral and political arguments to encourage common people in the Colonies to fight for egalitarian government. It was published anonymously on January 10, 1776, at the beginning of the American Revolution, and became an immediate sensation. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Second Continental Congress, states the reasons the British colonies of North America sought independence in July of 1776. The King interfered with the colonists' right to self-government and for a fair judicial system. -
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Constitution
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Massachusetts Constitution
The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the fundamental governing document of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, one of the 50 individual state governments that make up the United States of America. ... Voters approved the document on June 15, 1780. -
Articles of Confederation Ratification
The Articles of Confederation was the first written constitution of the United States. Stemming from wartime urgency, its progress was slowed by fears of central authority and extensive land claims by states before was it was ratified on March 1, 1781. Under these articles, the states remained sovereign and independent, with Congress serving as the last resort on appeal of disputes. Congress was also given the authority to make treaties and alliances, maintain armed forces and coin money. -
The Battle of Yorktown
The Siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown, ending on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virginia, was a decisive victory by a combined force of American Continental Army troops led by General George Washington and French Army troops led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by British peer and Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis. The culmination of the Yorktown campaign, the siege proved to be the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War. -
Treaty of Paris of 1783
The Treaty of Paris of 1783, negotiated between the United States and Great Britain, ended the revolutionary war and recognized American independence. The Continental Congress named a five-member commission to negotiate a treaty–John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, and Henry Laurens. -
Enlightenment
Image result for 1enlightenment in 18th century
European politics, philosophy, science and communications were radically reoriented during the course of the “long 18th century” (1685-1815) as part of a movement referred to by its participants as the Age of Reason, or simply the Enlightenment. -
Shay's Rebellion
Shays' Rebellion was an armed uprising in Massachusetts (mostly in and around Springfield) during 1786 and 1787. Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays led four thousand rebels (called Shaysites) in an uprising against perceived economic and civil rights injustices. In 1787, the rebels marched on the United States' Armory at Springfield in an unsuccessful attempt to seize its weaponry and overthrow the government. -
Northwest Ordinance Passed
The Northwest Ordinance proposed that three to five new states be created from the Northwest Territory. Instead of adopting the legal constructs of an existing state, each territory would have an appointed governor and council. When the population reached 5,000, the residents could elect their own assembly, although the governor would retain absolute veto power. When 60,000 settlers resided in a territory, they could draft a constitution and petition for full statehood. -
The Great Compromise Ratification
The Great Compromise was an agreement that both large and small states reached during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that in part defined the legislative structure and representation that each state would have under the United States Constitution. It retained the bicameral legislature , along with proportional representation of the states in the lower house, but required the upper house to be weighted equally between the states. State would all have two representatives in the upper house. -
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New Republic
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John Jay wrote "The Federalist"
Jay did not attend the Constitutional Convention but joined Hamilton and Madison in aggressively arguing in favor of the creation of a new and more powerful, centralized but balanced system of government. Writing under the shared pseudonym of "Publius," they articulated this vision in The Federalist Papers, a series of eighty-five articles written to persuade New York state convention members to ratify the proposed Constitution of the United States. -
Stephen F. Austin Born
Moses Austin, father of Stephen F. Austin, would receive and empresario grant from Spain to settle Texas. After Moses Austin died Stephen would gain recognition of the empresario grant and convinced numerous settlers to move to Texas. He would bring 300 American families into Texas. Settlers would not be happy with Mexican government which Austin would try to stop but action against Mexico would escalate into the Texas Revolution. Known as "Father of Texas" and founder of Texas. -
Cotton Gin Invention
In 1794, U.S.-born inventor Eli Whitney (1765-1825) patented the cotton gin, a machine that revolutionized the production of cotton by greatly speeding up the process of removing seeds from cotton fiber. By the mid-19th century, cotton had become America’s leading export. Despite its success, the gin made little money for Whitney due to patent-infringement issues.\ -
Jay's Treaty Effective
Tensions between the countries remained at an all time high after the revolutionary war. Representatives of the United States and Great Britain signed Jay's Treaty. which was used for settling the outstanding issues between the two countries. The treaty was therefore proved to be unpopular within the Americans but did accomplish the main goal of keeping the peace between the two countries. -
XYZ Affair
The XYZ Affair was a political and diplomatic episode in 1797-1798, early in the administration of John Adams, involving a confrontation between the United States and Republican France that led to an undeclared war called the Quasi-War. The name derives from the substitution of the letters X, Y and Z for the names of French diplomats Hottinguer (X), Bellamy (Y), and Hauteval (Z) in documents released by the Adams administration. This is significant because it showed that America wasn't a joke. -
Revolutionary Virtue
Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people," John Adams famously announced in 1798. "It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." He was paraphrasing a line he'd written in 1776 — "The only foundation of a free Constitution, is pure Virtue" — when the new nation was but a dangerous dream. Three years later, cousin Sam observed, "If Virtue & Knowledge are diffused among the People, they will never be enslaved" -
The Second Great Awakening
The Second Great Awakening was a Christian renewal movement that swept through towns in upstate New York and through the frontier regions of Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and South Carolina. Charles Finney was one of the most important leaders of this movement. It caused a new interest in religion to spread to New England and the South and it renewed religious faith throughout America. Finney taught new converts to prove their faith by good deeds. -
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The Age of Jefferson
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Nativism Problems
Nativist is a political party that favored people that are born in the US then immigrants. Nativists blamed the immigrants for the problem in America and so they don't want immigrants coming to the US but their political party will disappear around 1860.Nativism is favoritism toward native-born Americans, caused immigrants issues with jobs and adapting to the new culture and language. -
Louisiana Purchase
In 1803, the United States purchased approximately 828,000,000 square miles of territory from France, thereby doubling the size of America. 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 the land deal, which is considered one of the most important achievements of Jefferson’s presidency. -
Marbury vs Madison
In Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court announced for the first time, that a court may declare an act of Congress void if it is inconsistent with the Constitution. Marbury had been appointed a justice of the peace for the D.C in the final hours of the Adams administration. When Madison, Jefferson’s secretary of state, refused to deliver Marbury’s commission, Marbury, joined by three other similarly situated appointees, petitioned for a writ of mandamus compelling delivery of the commissions. -
Lewis and Clark Expedition
President Thomas Jefferson commissioned the expedition shortly after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 to explore and to map the newly acquired territory, to find a practical route across the western half of the continent, and to establish an American presence in this territory before Britain and other European powers tried to claim it. -
Duel between Burr and Hamilton
Hamilton campaigned against Burr, in which Burr’s character was savagely attacked by Hamilton and others, and after the election he resolved to restore his reputation by challenging Hamilton to a duel, or an “affair of honor,” as they were known.on July 11, 1804, the enemies met at 7 a.m. at the dueling grounds near Weehawken, New Jersey. It was the same spot where Hamilton’s son had died defending his father’s honor in 1801. Burr ends up killing Hamilton and becoming an outlaw -
Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee served as a military officer in the US Army of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. Lee would gain command of the Army of Northern Virginia, which he would lead for the rest of the war. In the spring of 1863, Lee invaded the North, only to be defeated at the Battle of Gettysburg. With Confederate defeat near certainty, Lee would continue fighting until he surrendered at the Appomattox Courthouse. Lee remains a revered figure of South America. -
War of 1812
In the War of 1812, the United States took on the greatest naval power in the world, Great Britain, in a conflict that would have an immense impact on the young country’s future. Causes of the war included British attempts to restrict U.S. trade, the Royal Navy’s impressment of American seamen and America’s desire to expand its territory. -
Henry Thoreau Birth
Henry Thoreau was an American poet, abolitionist, naturist, and a leading transcendentalist. He was an abolitionist who would deliver lectures that attacked the Fugitive Slave law. In his early years he followed Transcendentalism, a loose idealist philosophy advocated by Emerson, Fuller, and Alcott. They held ideals that spiritual state transcends the physical and could achieve that from intuition. Thoreau and fellow Transcendentalist were an inspiration for Charles Ives. -
Hartford Convention
The Hartford Convention was a series of meetings from December 15, 1814 – January 5, 1815, in Hartford, Connecticut, United States, in which the New England Federalist Party met to discuss their grievances concerning the ongoing War of 1812 and the political problems arising from the federal government's increasing power. The convention discussed removing the three-fifths compromise which gave slave states more power in Congress. -
Panic of 1819
The Panic of 1819 was the first major economic crisis in the United States that consisted of foreclosures, bank failures, unemployment, and decrease in agriculture and manufacturing. After banks were not able to give metallic currency when given their own bank notes, state-chartered banks began to foreclose on farms and business properties. Popular hatred towards the banking and business enterprise and belief that government economic policy was flawed. America would not recover till 1821. -
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Cultural Changes
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Temperance Movement
In America, alcohol consumption was not a rare thing to see and was actually very common among most men. A group called the American Temperance Society would be formed and would have over one million members. An early temperance movement would be during the American Revolution with farmers forming an association to ban whiskey distilling. During this movement, people would be encouraged to hold back or give up alcohol consumption. Men would be abusive toward women and children while intoxicated. -
Ulysses Grant
Ulysses Grant was leader of the victorious Union army during the American Civil War and was the 18th US president. During the Civil War, Grant gained control over all of the US armies. After the war he became a national hero, and the Republicans nominated him for president in 1868. One main goal for Grant’s administration was Reconstruction, and he worked to gain peace between the North and South while trying to protect the rights of newly freed black slaves. -
The Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine is the best known U.S. policy toward the Western Hemisphere. Buried in a routine annual message delivered to Congress by President James Monroe in December 1823, the doctrine warns European nations that the United States would not tolerate further colonization or puppet monarchs in Latin America. -
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Age of Jackson
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Election of 1824
In the United States presidential election of 1824, John Quincy Adams was elected President on February 9, 1825, after the election was decided by the House of Representatives. The previous few years had seen a one-party government in the United States, as the Federalist Party had dissolved, leaving only the Democratic-Republican Party. In this election, the Democratic-Republican Party splintered as four separate candidates sought the presidency. -
Election of 1828
The Presidential Election of 1828 between Andrew Jackson and incumbent, President John Quincy Adams was the one of most personally contentious election in the history of the United States.Andrew Jackson based his campaign on attacking John Quincy Adams who won the Election of 1824 because of the "corrupt bargain. -
Rachel Jackson's Death
As the campaign continued, Rachel's condition worsened. She reputedly told a friend “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God than live in that palace in Washington.”
Just after Jackson won the presidential election, Rachel’s final downturn in her illness began. She died on December 22, 1828. Her death devastated Andrew. Even though her maladies began as early as 1825, Jackson always blamed his political enemies for her death. -
Jackson's Inauguration Party
Jackson's Inauguration party was so big that the courageous, battle-tested President Jackson fled the scene (out a back door or through a window) as a huge crowd drank heavily, destroyed furniture and china, and even ground cheese into the carpets with their boots on the White House carpet. Only the promise of more free liquor drew the rabble out of the executive mansion. -
Revivalism
Revivalism in a Christian context generally refers to a specific period of spiritual renewal or increased interest in the life of the Church. Revivals are viewed as restoration of the church itself to a very passionate relationship with God after a period of moral decline. Many non-believers would convert to Christianity and would be viewed as having positive moral effects. Revivals of Christianity would be inspired by missionary works of monks from the Protestant Reformation. -
Webster-Haynes Debate
Hayne began the debate in this chamber on January 19, 1830. He contended that states, not the federal government, should control their lands and that states should have the right to set aside certain federal laws if they wished. Daniel Webster of Massachusetts, the Senate's leading orator, responded by challenging the South's apparent willingness to subvert the Union for regional economic gain. -
Native American Trail of Tears
Between 1830 and 1850 , 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. -
Abolitionist Movement
The movement before and during the American Civil War to end slavery in the US would be known as Abolitionism. During the Enlightenment period, slavery would be criticized since it would be violating the human rights. During and after the American Revolution, slavery would slowly begin to be abolished. The abolitionist movement would grow in the North. The US criminalized the international slave trade and would make slavery unconstitutional because of the American Civil War. -
Kentucky Resolutions taken even further
Madison hoped that other states would register their opposition to the Alien and Sedition Acts as beyond the powers given to Congress. The Kentucky Resolutions, authored by Jefferson, went further than Madison's Virginia Resolution and asserted that states had the power to nullify unconstitutional federal laws. -
Telegraph Invention
The telegraph which was developed by Samuel Morse and other inventors would revolutionize long-distance communication. The telegraph would also be used in unison withe Morse's code which be created along with the telegraph. Morse's code would be a series of dots and dashes that would represent letters and the telegraph would transmit these messages across telegraph lines. It would also help revolutionize war communication. The telegraph would later be replaced by the telephone. -
David Crockett
David Crockett was a American folk hero, soldier, and a politician. When he was a member of the US House of Representatives, he represented Tennessee and also served in the Texas Revolution. He grew up in Tennessee where he got known for hunting and telling story and people called him the King of the Wild Frontier. During the Texas Revolution, he was killed at the Battle of the Alamo. -
Invention of the Steel Plow
John Deere invented the steel plow in 1837 when the Middle-West was being settled. The soil was different than that of the East and wood plows kept breaking. Where was it created or discovered ? He invented it in Grand Detour, Illinois where he had settled. -
Panic of 1837
Martin Van Buren was better at acquiring presidential power than using it for himself. Van Buren was elected president in 1836, but he saw financial problems beginning even before he entered the White House. He inherited Andrew Jackson's financial policies, which contributed to what came to be known as the Panic of 1837. It turned out to be the worst economic depression that the young nation had yet known. -
Atlantic Slave Trade
involves the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people. the slave trade used mainly the triangular slave trade along with and its middle passage which existed from the 16th to the 19th century. the Portuguese were originally the first to use the slave trade. towards 1526, they completed their first full voyage to Brazil, leaving several other European countries following them. -
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Westward Expansion
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Joseph Smith Death
Joseph Smith was the founder of Mormonism and an American religious leader. In 1831, Smith would move west with his followers hoping to establish a place of independence for the Mormons. Smith would claim to have seen visions in which he would see God, Jesus, and an Angel who would point him to golden plates. He would publish a book called Book of Mormon that would translate these golden plates to English. Smith would be jailed and killed when a mob stormed the jailhouse. -
Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny was the belief that it was God's plan that the US should go west and extend their lands from the east coast to the west coast. It would be O'Sullivan who would claim that it was our destiny to spread across the continent for the future people. It was originally a Democratic issue but Republicans would support it. The concept would be accepted by those desiring new territories. It would become America's "manifest destiny" to extend its continents boundaries. -
Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso would propose and American law to ban slavery in the territory acquired from the Mexican War. Conflict over the Wilmot Proviso would lead to the American Civil War. David Wilmot would be the on to introduce the proviso to the United States House of Representatives. James K Polk would want $2 million as a part of a bill to negotiate terms. The proviso would pass the house but would not pass the Senate and was introduced later for the same thing to happen again. -
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Sectionalism
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Beginning of California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush would be one of the greatest mass migrations in America. The discovery of gold nuggets in Sacramento Valley would start the Gold Rush. News would spread about the discovery and thousands of gold miners would travel to California in search of a new life. Even Chinese people would come to America to try and start a new life. Around 100,000 people would come to California and about $2 million worth of gold would be extracted during this time. -
Compromise of 1850
Senator Henry Clay introduced a series of resolutions on January 29, 1850, in an attempt to seek a compromise and avert a crisis between North and South. As part of the Compromise of 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act was amended and the slave trade in Washington, D.C., was abolished. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Law or Fugitive Slave Act was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern slave-holding interests and the North. The Act was one of the most controversial elements of the 1850 compromise and heightened Northern fears of a "slave power conspiracy". It required that all escaped slaves were, upon capture, to be returned to their masters and that officials and citizens of free states had to cooperate in this law. -
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The Civil War
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The Battle of Bull Run
The First Battle of Bull Run, also known as the Battle of First Manassas, was fought on July 21, 1861 in Prince William County, Virginia, just north of the city of Manassas and about 25 miles west-southwest of Washington, D.C.The Battle of Bull Run was fought in 1861 in Virginia and was the first major battle of the Civil War. 30,000 troops (Army of the Potomac) of the Union will march South. The battle led to a humiliating defeat for the Union, which caused the Union forces to flee to D.C. -
Trent Affair
On November 8, 1861, the USS San Jacinto, commanded by Union Captain Charles Wilkes, intercepted the British mail packet RMS Trent and removed, as contraband of war, two Confederate diplomats - James Murray Mason and John Slidell. The envoys were bound for Britain and France to press the Confederacy's case for diplomatic recognition and to lobby for possible financial and military support. The United States closed the incident by releasing the diplomats. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation, or Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863. It changed the federal legal status of more than 3 million enslaved people in the designated areas of the South from slave to free. As soon as a slave escaped the control of the Confederate government, by running away or through advances of federal troops, the slave became legally free. -
The Battle Of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg, fought from July 1 to July 3, 1863, is considered the most important engagement of the American Civil War. After a great victory over Union forces at Chancellorsville, General Robert E. Lee marched his Army of Northern Virginia into Pennsylvania in late June 1863. -
Wade-Davis Bill Proposal
A more stringent plan was proposed by Senator Benjamin F. Wade and Representative Henry Winter Davis in February 1864. The Wade-Davis Bill required that 50 percent of a state's white males take a loyalty oath to be readmitted to the Union. In addition, states were required to give blacks the right to vote. -
Election of 1864
United States presidential election of 1864, American presidential election held on Nov. 8, 1864, in which Republican Pres. Abraham Lincoln defeated Democrat George B. McClellan. As the election occurred during the American Civil War, it was contested only by the states that had not seceded from the Union. -
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Reconstruction
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Appomattox Courthouse
On April 9, 1865 General Robert E. Lee surrendered his 28,000 troops to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox, Virginia. This signaled the start of the end of the American Civil War. In early 1865, the Union Army began marching through the state of Virginia, pushing back the Confederate forces. -
Lincoln's Assassination
Abraham Lincoln attends the play, "American Cousin" at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. 5 days after Appomattox Courthouse. During the play, John Wilkes Booth shoots Lincoln, which causes Abraham Lincoln to die the next day. Funeral procession attracts millions on the railroad tracks en route to Illinois. -
13th Amendment Ratification.
The 13th Amendment to the Constitution declared that "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." Formally abolishing slavery in the United States, the 13th Amendment was passed by the Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified by the states on December 6, 1865 -
Black Codes
In the United States, the Black Codes were laws passed by Democrat-controlled Southern states in 1865 and 1866, and ended in 1877 because of the Reconstruction after the Civil War. -
Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
On February 24, 1868 three days after Johnson's dismissal of Stanton, the House of Representatives voted 126 to 47 in favor of a resolution to impeach the President for high crimes and misdemeanors. One week later, the House adopted eleven articles of impeachment against the President. -
Election of 1868
Election between Republican Ulysses S. Gran and Democrat Horatio Seymour in 1868. The election showed whites in North & South were racist, and that the black vote became very important. Blacks were intimidated by violence to keep from voting -
15th Amendment Ratification
The 15th Amendment to the Constitution granted African American men the right to vote by declaring that the "right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." It also stated that the Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. -
Nullification Crisis
The Nullification Crisis was a United States sectional political crisis in 1832-33, during the presidency of Andrew Jackson, which involved a confrontation between South Carolina and the federal government. South Carolina is affected and Southern agriculture is hurt. -
14th Amendment Ratification
The 14th Amendment stated all persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
