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Oct 10, 1492
Columbus
Christopher Columbus, an Italian in the service of Spain, reaches the Americas while in search of Asia, where the lure of gold, pearls, and spices awaited. He founds the first European settlement, Navidad, on the island of Hispaniola. -
Jamestown
The Virginia Company of London establishes the first permanent English colony at Jamestown, Virginia, under the leadership of John Smith. -
The Delcaration of Independence
Drafted by Thomas Jefferson, the Declarartion of Independence lists the American colonies grievances against King George III, and states their intention to declare their freedom from Britain's colonial rule. -
Northwest Ordinance
The Second Continental Congress passes an ordinance for the governing of the new territories of the United States, and lists a bill of rights guaranteed to all settlers in the territories. -
Constitution of the United States
Constitutional Convention meets in Philadelphia and signs the Constitution of the United States, outlining a national framework of government, which stands as a model of the art of compromise. -
George Washington
Leader of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, and the first President of the United States to be elected by unanimous approval of he Electoral College -
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin dies at his home in Philadelphia from pleurisy. He was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and the only one to sign the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris 1783, and the Constitution of the United States. -
Louisiana Purchase
The United States acquires the port of New Orleans and the Territory of Louisiana from France for the sum of $15 million. -
Annexation of Texas
The annexation of Texas and the subsequent War with Mexico the following year, were part of the American attitude of Manifest Destiny which helped to fuel western expansion of the United States. -
Presidential Election
Abraham Lincoln's election as president forced several Southern states to secede from the Union, prompting the War between the States less than six months later. -
American Civil War
The Civil War preserves the United States as one nation and ends the institution of slavery. -
The Reconstruction Amendments
The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constituion were passed during the Reconstruction period (1865-1870) mainly to protect the rights of the freed slaves after the Civil War. The 13th Amendment ended slavery; the 14th Amendment granted citizenship and equal rights; the 15th Amendment granted the right to vote to African American men. -
Battle of Appomattox Court House
A decisive Union victory leads to the surrender of the Army of northern Virginia. This was the final engagement battle of Confederate Army Gen. Robert E. Lee before he surrendered to the Union Army under Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. The signig of the surrender documents triggered a series of surrenders across the South, signaling the end of the Civil War.
