1607-1754: Colonization, Conflict, and the Growth of Colonial America
1607: Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America, is founded.
1620: The Pilgrims establish Plymouth Colony, a Puritan settlement in present-day Massachusetts.
1634: The Maryland Toleration Act grants religious freedom to all Christians, establishing a precedent for religious pluralism in the colonies.
1636: The Pequot War, a conflict between English settlers and the Pequot tribe, results in the deaths of thousands of Pequot and the near-annihilation of the tribe.
1643: The New England Confederation, an alliance of English colonies in New England, is formed to promote common defense and trade.
1654-1676: King Philip’s War, a conflict between English settlers and Native American tribes in New England, results in the deaths of thousands and the displacement of many Native American tribes.
1689: The Glorious Revolution in England deposes King James II and brings William of Orange to the throne. This has a significant impact on the colonies, as it strengthens the ties between England and the American colonies.
1691: The Massachusetts Bay Colony establishes the first public school system in the colonies.
1732: George Washington is born in Virginia.
1733: The Georgia Colony is founded as a haven for debtors and those imprisoned for religious dissent.
1754: The outbreak of the French and Indian War marks the beginning of a global conflict between France and Great Britain, which will have a profound impact on the colonies.
1754-1783: Revolution and Independence
1763: The Treaty of Paris ends the French and Indian War and grants Great Britain control over vast territories in North America.
1765: The Stamp Act, a tax imposed on all printed materials in the colonies, is met with widespread resistance and leads to the formation of protest groups like the Sons of Liberty.
1770: The Boston Massacre occurs when British soldiers fire on a crowd of protesters, killing five people.
1773: The Boston Tea Party, a protest against the Tea Act, leads to the Intolerable Acts, a series of punitive measures imposed by Great Britain on the colonies.
1774: The First Continental Congress is held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to coordinate resistance to British policies.
1775: The Battles of Lexington and Concord mark the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War.
1776: The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson, is adopted by the Continental Congress.
1777: The Battle of Saratoga is a major American victory that convinces France to enter the war on the side of the United States.
1781: The Battle of Yorktown is a decisive American victory that leads to the surrender of British General Cornwallis.
1783: The Treaty of Paris ends the American Revolutionary War and recognizes the independence of the United States.
1783-1815: The Early Republic and the War of 1812
1787: The Constitutional Convention is held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to draft the Constitution of the United States.
1789: George Washington is inaugurated as the first President of the United States.
1791: The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution, is ratified.
1803: The United States purchases the Louisiana Territory from France, doubling the size of the country.
1807: The Chesapeake-Leopard Affair, in which a British warship attacks an American frigate, leads to increased tensions between the United States and Great Britain.
1812: The War of 1812 begins, primarily over issues of trade and impressment of American sailors into the British Navy.
1814: The British burn Washington, D.C.
1815: The Treaty of Ghent ends the War of 1812 without resolving any of the major issues that led to the conflict.
1815-1848: Expansion and Reform
1819: The Adams-Onís Treaty settles boundary disputes between the United States and Spain, giving the United States control over Florida.
1820: The Missouri Compromise prohibits slavery in the Louisiana Territory north of 36°30′ latitude, but allows it to continue in the southern territories.
1823: President James Monroe issues the Monroe Doctrine, which warns European powers against intervening in the Americas.
1830: The Indian Removal Act is passed, authorizing the federal government to remove Native American tribes from their lands in the eastern United States and resettle them in the West.
1835: The Texas Revolution begins, as Texan colonists rebel against Mexican rule.
1836: The Battle of the Alamo is a famous Texan victory, but the Texans are eventually defeated at the Battle of Goliad.
1845: Texas is annexed by the United States.
1846: The Mexican-American War begins.
1848: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the Mexican-American War and gives the United States control over the present-day states of California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming.
1848-1877: Civil War and Reconstruction
1850: The Compromise of 1850 is passed, which includes the admission of California as a free state, the establishment of the Utah and New Mexico territories, and a new Fugitive Slave Law.
1854: The Kansas-Nebraska Act repeals the Missouri Compromise and allows for the possibility of slavery in all of the Louisiana Territory.
1857: The Dred Scott v. Sandford Supreme Court decision rules that African Americans are not citizens and cannot sue in federal court.
1859: John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, is an unsuccessful attempt to start a slave rebellion.
1861: The American Civil War begins with the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter.
1862: The Emancipation Proclamation is issued by President Abraham Lincoln, freeing slaves in Confederate-held territory.
1863: The Battle of Gettysburg is a major Union victory that turns the tide of the war.
1865: General Robert E. Lee surrenders to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, ending the Civil War.
1865: President Lincoln is assassinated by John Wilkes Booth.
1865-1877: The Reconstruction Era, a period of political and social upheaval in the South, during which African Americans gain citizenship and voting rights but face widespread discrimination and violence.
1877: The Compromise of 1877 ends Reconstruction and marks the return of white supremacy in the South.
1877-1914: Industrialization and Imperialism
1876: Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone.
1877: The Great Railroad Strike is the first major labor strike in the United States.
1883: The Civil Service Act is passed, creating a merit-based system for hiring federal employees.
1890: The Sherman Antitrust Act is passed, prohibiting the formation of monopolies.
1893: The World’s Columbian Exposition is held in Chicago, Illinois, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the Americas.
1898: The Spanish-American War is fought between the United States and Spain over the issue of Cuba’s independence.
1898: The Treaty of Paris ends the Spanish-American War and gives the United States control over the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam.
1900: Hawaii is annexed by the United States.
1901: President Theodore Roosevelt’s “Square Deal” program promotes economic regulation, conservation of natural resources, and labor reform.
1903: The Panama Canal is begun by the United States.
1914: World War I begins in Europe.
1914-1945: World Wars and the Great Depression
1917: The United States enters World War I on the side of the Allied Powers.
1918: The Armistice of 11 November ends World War I.
1919: The Treaty of Versailles is signed, ending the war and establishing the League of Nations.
1920: The 19th Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, granting women the right to vote.
1929: The stock market crashes, marking the beginning of the Great Depression.
1932: Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected President and launches the New Deal, a series of programs designed to alleviate the effects of the Great Depression.
