US History - Important Events

1492

1607
first permanent British colony in North America

1619
first democratically elected legislative body in the British-American colonies

1620
written and signed by pilgrims arriving in New England - first framework of government in the North American colonies

1754-1793
fought between Great Britain and France over control of territories in Northeastern North America

1775-1783
North American colonists fought for independence from Great Britain

January 1776
written to convince colonists to declare independence from Great Britain because of their poor treatment

July 1776
13 colonies declared that they no longer wanted to be under British rule

1781
first attempt at a Constitution in the newly-created United States
*Created a weak central government*

1786-1787
uprising led by farmers in western Massachusetts, many of them Revolutionary War veterans, protesting the taxation policies of the eastern elites who controlled the state's government.
*Could not be put down by the weak government*

1788

1794
protest against the government's tax on whiskey by backcountry farmers
*was able to be put down by the new constitution, which made the central government much stronger*

1803
Purchased from France. Gave the U.S. the Mississippi River and New Orleans (both were valuable for trade and shipping) and also room to expand. Example of a loose interpretation of the Constitution.

1820
regulated the expansion of slavery - allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state and Maine to enter as a free state and outlawed slavery

1823
trying to keep Europe out of the Americas - declared that Europe should not interfere in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere and that any attempt at interference by a European power would be seen as a threat to the U.S.

1825
allowed east-west trading by connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean

1830
forced many Native American nations to move west of the Mississippi River

1846-1848
The war between the United States and Mexico in which the United States acquired one half of the Mexican territory.

1848
the first national women's rights convention at which the Declaration of Sentiments was written

1857
Supreme court case that determined that slaves were property not persons entitled to constitutional rights

1860
won the electoral college but did not win the popular vote. South Carolina was happy at the outcome of the election because now it had a reason to secede.

1861-1865
war between the North (Union) and South (Confederacy) over slavery and its expansion into new territories

1865-1877
the attempt to rebuild and reform the political, social, and economic systems of the South after the Civil War.

1865-1870
*determined how black Americans were treated under the law*
13 - Abolished slavery
14 - birthright citizenship, due process, equal protection under the law
15 - states cannot deny the right to vote because of race

1870s
Southern states pass laws which restrict black voting through poll taxes, literacy tests, and white primaries. They also create segregation in schools and public facilities.

1898
a conflict between the United States and Spain, in which the U.S. supported the Cubans' fight for independence
*turning point in history because it established the US as a global power*

1914-1918
MAIN Causes: Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism

1917
A telegram Germany sent to Mexico to convince Mexico to attack the U.S.

1917
Entered due to Germany's use of unrestricted submarine warfare & Zimmerman Telegram

1918
Legally prohibited (outlawed) the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol

1920
gave women the right to vote

1929-1939
Bank failures, stock market crash, mass unemployment

1933
repealed (got rid of) the 18th Amendment

1939 - 1945
Allies - US, GB, France, Soviet Union
Axis - Germany Japan Italy

1941
After Japan bombed the US naval base in Pearl Harbor

1947-1991
A conflict that was between the US and the Soviet Union. The nations never directly confronted each other on the battlefield but deadly threats went on for years.

1948
supplied food and fuel to citizens of west Berlin when the Russians closed off land access to Berlin

1950-1953
Conflict that began with communist North Korea's invasion of South Korea

1950s
The act of accusing people of disloyalty and communism - led by Senator Joseph McCarthy

1954
case that overturned Separate but Equal standard of discrimination in education - integrated schools

1955-1975
between the communist North Vietnam and non-communist South Vietnam - damaged the US economy and led to a loss of trust in the government

1964
banned racial discrimination in public accommodations, employment, housing, voting rights, etc

1964
gave U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson authorization, without a formal declaration of war by Congress, for the use of military force in Southeast Asia
*loose interpretation of the Constitution*

1970
National Guard troops fired at a group of students during an antiwar protest at Kent State University in Ohio, killing four people.

1973
legalized abortion on the basis of a woman's right to privacy (overturned in 2022)

1991
Communism collapsed in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe - marked the end of the Cold War

2001
attacks launched by radical Muslim terrorist group against symbols of American wealth and power; killed nearly 3,000 people

2001
Launched in response to the September 11th attacks, this war sought to capture Osama bin Laden and remove the Taliban as leaders of the country.

2003
War in which the US led an invasion of Iraq and overthrow of the government led by Saddam Hussein. The US claimed that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction but none were found.