-
The Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord, fought on April 19, 1775, kicked off the American Revolutionary War. -
The Winter at Valley Forge
The particularly severe winter of 1777-1778 proved to be a great trial for the American army, and of the 11,000 soldiers stationed at Valley Forge, hundreds died from disease. However, the suffering troops were held together by loyalty to the Patriot cause and to General Washington, who stayed with his men. -
Benedict Arnold turns traitor
Benedict Arnold was an early American hero of the Revolutionary War who later became one of the most infamous traitors in U.S. history after he switched sides and fought for the British. -
The Battle of Cowpens
In the American Revolution, brilliant American victory over a British force on the northern border of South Carolina that slowed Lord Cornwallis's campaign to invade North Carolina. British casualties were estimated at about 600, whereas the Americans lost only 72. -
The USS Constitution defeats the HMS
USS Constitution vs HMS Guerriere was an action between the two ships during the War of 1812, approximately 400 miles southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia. ... The Americans removed the crew and set Guerriere on fire before returning to Boston with news of the victory, which proved to be important for American morale. -
The Battle of Baltimore
The Battle of Baltimore was a combined land and naval battle fought between the United Kingdom and the United States during the War of 1812. During the later stages of the war, the British decided to launch an invasion of the Eastern seaboard of the United States, with the city of Baltimore being a target for capture. -
The Battle of New Orleans
On January 8, 1815, the United States achieved its greatest battlefield victory of the War of 1812 at New Orleans. The Battle of New Orleans thwarted a British effort to gain control of a critical American port and elevated Major General Andrew Jackson to national fame. -
The Election of Andrew Jackson
It was held from Friday, October 31 to Tuesday, December 2, 1828. It featured a re-match of the 1824 election, as President John Quincy Adams of the National Republican Party faced Andrew Jackson of the Democratic Party. -
The Battle of the Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo was fought between the Republic of Texas and Mexico from February 23, 1836 to March 6, 1836. It took place at a fort in San Antonio, Texas called the Alamo. The Mexicans won the battle, killing all of the Texan soldiers inside the fort.For Texans, the Battle of the Alamo became an enduring symbol of their heroic resistance to oppression and their struggle for independence, which they won later that year. -
Abraham Lincoln Elected President
The 1860 United States presidential election was the 19th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 6, 1860. In a four-way contest, the Republican Party ticket of Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin emerged triumphant. -
South Carolina secedes from the United States
General Assembly called for a "Convention of the People of South Carolina" to consider secession. When the ordinance was adopted on December 20, 1860, South Carolina became the first slave state in the south to declare that it had seceded from the United States. -
The First Battle of Bull Run
The First Battle of Bull Run, marked the first major land battle of the American Civil War. The engagement began when about 35,000 Union troops marched from the federal capital in Washington, D.C. to strike a Confederate force of 20,000 along a small river known as Bull Run. -
The Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg, fought in July 1863, was a Union victory that stopped Confederate General Robert E. Lee's second invasion of the North. More than 50,000 men fell as casualties during the 3-day battle, making it the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War. -
The Treaty at Appomattox Courthouse
The Battle of Appomattox Court House was fought on April 9, 1865, near the town of Appomattox Court House, Virginia, and led to Confederate General Robert E. Lee's surrender of his Army of Northern Virginia to Union General Ulysses S. Grant. -
The sinking of the USS Maine
Maine was sent to Havana Harbor to protect U.S. interests during the Cuban War of Independence. She exploded and sank on the evening of 15 February 1898, killing three-quarters of her crew. In 1898, a U.S. Navy board of inquiry ruled that the ship had been sunk by an external explosion from a mine. -
The Adoption of the Star Spangled Banner as the National Anthem
President Woodrow Wilson signed an executive order designating it “the national anthem of the United States.” In 1931—more than 100 years after it was composed—Congress passed a measure declaring “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the official national anthem.
