PRE-COLONIAL AMERICA

1000
 Norse seaman Leif Ericsson lands in Newfoundland, which he calls Vinland.
1492
 Christopher Columbus, financed by Spain, makes the first of four voyages to the New World. He lands in
the Bahamas.
1513
 Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León lands on the coast of Florida.
1565
 Saint Augustine, Florida, settled by the Spanish, becomes the first permanent European colony in North
America

COLONIAL AMERICA
1607
 Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in America, is established by the London Company in
southeast Virginia.
1619.
 The House of Burgesses, the first representative assembly in America, meets for the first time in Virginia.
The first African slaves are brought to Jamestown.
1620
 The Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts is established by Pilgrims from England.
 the Mayflower Compact, an agreement that forms the basis of the colony's government.
1664
 English seize New Amsterdam (city and colony) from the Dutch and rename it New York.
1754 –1763
 French and Indian War: Final conflict in the ongoing struggle between the British and French for control of
eastern North America. The British win a decisive victory over the French
 With the Treaty of Paris, the British formally gain control of Canada and all the French possessions east of
the Mississippi.
1770
 Boston Massacre: British troops fire into a mob, killing five men and leading to intense public protests.
1773
 Boston Tea Party: Group of colonial patriots disguised as Mohawk Indians board three ships in Boston
harbor and dump more than 300 crates of tea overboard as a protest against the British tea tax.
1774
 First Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia, with 56 delegates representing every colony except
Georgia
1775 –1783
 American Revolution: War of independence fought between Great Britain and the 13 British colonies on the
eastern seaboard of North America. Battles of Lexington and Concord, Mass., between the British Army and
colonial minutemen, mark the beginning of the war.
1781
 British general Charles Cornwallis surrenders to Gen. George Washington at Yorktown, Va.
1783
 Great Britain formally acknowledges American independence in the Treaty of Paris, which officially brings
the war to a close.
1776
July 4
 Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia.
1777
 Continental Congress approves the first official flag of the United States.
 Continental Congress adopts the Articles of Confederation, the first U.S. constitution.
1789
  U.S. Constitution goes into effect, having been ratified by nine states.
 Washington is inaugurated as president at Federal Hall in New York City. 1790
1791
 First ten amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, are ratified.
1793
 Washington's second inauguration is held in Philadelphia.
 Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin – mass production - greatly increases the demand for slave labor.
1797
 John Adams is inaugurated as the second president in Philadelphia.

A NEW NATION
1800
 The U.S. capital is moved from Philadelphia to Washington, DC.
1801
 Thomas Jefferson is inaugurated as the third president in Washington, DC.
1803
Treaty signed May 2
 Louisiana Purchase: United States agrees to pay France for the Louisiana Territory, which extends west
from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. As a result, the U.S. nearly doubles in size.
1804
May 14
 Lewis and Clark set out from St. Louis, Mo., on expedition to explore the West and find a route to the
Pacific Ocean.
1805
 Jefferson's second inauguration.
1809
 James Madison is inaugurated as the fourth president.
1812 –1814
 War of 1812: U.S. declares war on Britain over British interference with American maritime shipping and
westward expansion.
 Madison's second inauguration.
 British capture Washington, DC, and set fire to White House and Capitol.
 Treaty of Ghent is signed, officially ending the war.
1817
 James Monroe is inaugurated as the fifth president.

1819
 Spain agrees to cede Florida to the United States.
1820
 Missouri Compromise: In an effort to maintain the balance between free and slave states, Maine (formerly
part of Massachusetts) is admitted as a free state so that Missouri can be admitted as a slave state; except for
Missouri, slavery is prohibited in the Louisiana Purchase lands north of latitude 36°30'.
1821
 Monroe's second inauguration.
1823
 Monroe Doctrine: In his annual address to Congress, President Monroe declares that the American
continents are henceforth off-limits for further colonization by European powers.
1825
 John Quincy Adams is inaugurated as the sixth president.
1829
 Andrew Jackson is inaugurated as seventh president.
1830
  President Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act, which authorizes the forced removal of Native Americans
living in the eastern part of the country to lands west of the Mississippi River.
 By the late 1830s the Jackson administration has relocated nearly 50,000 Native Americans.
1833
 Jackson's second inauguration.
1836
March 1
 Texas declares its independence from Mexico.
February 24 – March 6
 Texan defenders of the Alamo are all killed during siege by the Mexican Army.
April 21
 Texans defeat Mexicans at San Jacinto
1837
March 4
 Martin Van Buren is inaugurated as the eighth president.
1838
 More than 15,000 Cherokee Indians are forced to march from Georgia to Indian Territory in present-day
Oklahoma. Approximately 4,000 die from starvation and disease along the “Trail of Tears.”
1841
 William Henry Harrison is inaugurated as the ninth president.
 He dies one month later and is succeeded in office by his vice president, John Tyler.
1845
 U.S. annexes Texas by joint resolution of Congress
 James Polk is inaugurated as the 11th president
 The term “manifest destiny” appears for the first time. It expresses the belief held by many white Americans
that the United States is destined to expand across the continent.
1846 –1848
May 13, 1846
 Mexican War: U.S. declares war on Mexico in effort to gain California and other territory in Southwest.
Feb. 2, 1848
 War concludes with signing of Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
 Mexico recognizes Rio Grande as new boundary with Texas and, for $15 million, agrees to cede territory
comprising present-day California, Nevada, Utah, most of New Mexico and Arizona, and parts of Colorado
and Wyoming.
1848
 Gold is discovered at Sutter's Mill in California. The gold rush reaches its height the following year.
1849
 Zachary Taylor is inaugurated as the 12th president.

CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION (1850-1899)

1853
 Franklin Pierce is inaugurated as the 14th president.
1857
 James Buchanan is inaugurated as the 15th president.
1860
 Abraham Lincoln is elected president.
December 20
 South Carolina secedes from the Union.
1861
January
 Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana secede.
February 8
 Confederate States of America is established.
February 9
 Jefferson Davis is elected president of the Confederacy.
March 2
 Texas secedes.
March 2
 Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated as the 16th president.
1861 –1865
 Civil War: Conflict between the North (the Union) and the South (the Confederacy) over the expansion of
slavery into western states.
April 12, 1861
 Confederates attack Ft. Sumter in Charleston, S.C., marking the start of the war.
April–June
 Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee secede.
Jan. 1, 1863
 Emancipation Proclamation is issued, freeing slaves in the Confederate states.
July 1–3
 Battle of Gettysburg is fought.
Nov. 19
 President Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address.
March, 1865
 Lincoln's second inauguration.
 Gen. Ulysses S. Grant captures Richmond, Va., the capital of the Confederacy.
 Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrenders to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Va.
1863
 Homestead Act becomes law, allowing settlers to claim land (160 acres) after they have lived on it for five
years.
1865
 Lincoln is assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in Washington, DC, and is succeeded by his vice president,
Andrew Johnson.
 Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, prohibiting slavery.
1867
 U.S. acquires Alaska from Russia
1868
 Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, defining citizenship.
1869
 Ulysses S. Grant is inaugurated as the 18th president.
 Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads are joined at Promontory, Utah, creating first transcontinental
railroad.
1870
 Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, giving blacks the right to vote.
1873
 Grant's second inauguration.
1876
 Lt. Col. George A. Custer's regiment is wiped out by Sioux Indians under Sitting Bull at the Little Big Horn
River, Mont.
1877
 Rutherford B. Hayes is inaugurated as the 19th president.
1881
 James A. Garfield is inaugurated as the 20th president.
1885
 Grover Cleveland is inaugurated as the 22nd president.
1886
 Statue of Liberty is dedicated.
  American Federation of Labor is organized.
1889
 Benjamin Harrison is inaugurated as the 23rd president.
1892
 Ellis Island becomes chief immigration station of the U.S.
1893
 Grover Cleveland is inaugurated a second time, as the 24th president. He is the only president to serve two
nonconsecutive terms.
1897
 William McKinley is inaugurated as the 25th president.
1898
Feb. 15
 Spanish-American War: USS Maine is blown up in Havana harbour.
April 25
 This prompts U.S. to declare war on Spain.
Dec. 10
 Treaty of Paris is signed, ending the Spanish-American War.
 Spain gives up control of Cuba, which becomes an independent republic, and cedes Puerto Rico, Guam, and
(for $20 million) the Philippines to the U.S.
1898
 U.S. annexes Hawaii by an act of Congress.

PROGRESSIVE ERA & WORLD WARS (1900-1949)

1901
 McKinley's second inauguration.
September
 Theodore Roosevelt becames president.
1903
 U.S. acquires Panama Canal Zone.
1905
 Theodore Roosevelt's second inauguration.
1909
 William Howard Taft is inaugurated as the 27th president.
1913
 Woodrow Wilson is inaugurated as the 28th president.
1914 –1918
 World War I: U.S. enters World War I, declaring war on Germany (April 6, 1917) and Austria-Hungary
(Dec. 7, 1917) three years after conflict began in 1914.
Nov. 11, 1918
 Armistice ending World War I is signed.
1917
 Wilson's second inauguration.
1919
 League of Nations meets for the first time; U.S. is not represented.
 Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, prohibiting the manufacture, sale, and transportation
of liquor
 Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, granting women the right to vote.
 President Wilson suffers a stroke.
November 19
 Treaty of Versailles, outlining terms for peace at the end of World War I
1921
 Warren G. Harding is inaugurated as the 29th president.
1923
  Calvin Coolidge became president.
1925
 Coolidge's second inauguration.
1929
 Herbert Hoover is inaugurated as the 31st president.
October 29
 Stock market crash precipitates the Great Depression.
1931
 The Star-Spangled Banner is adopted as the national anthem.
1933
 Franklin Roosevelt is inaugurated as the 32nd president.
1937
 F. Roosevelt's second inauguration.
1939 –1945
 World War II: U.S. declares its neutrality in European conflict.
January , 1941
 F. Roosevelt's third inauguration. He is the first and only president elected to a third term.
December , 1941
 Japan attacks Hawaii, Guam, and the Philippines. – Pearl Harbour
 U.S. declares war on Japan.
 Germany and Italy declare war on the United States; U.S. reciprocates by declaring war on both countries.
1944
 Allies invade France on D-Day.
1945
 F. Roosevelt's fourth inauguration
 Harry Truman became president .
 U.S. drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima & Nagasaki, Japan.
 Japan agrees to unconditional surrender.
1945
 United Nations is established.
1948
 Congress passes foreign aid bill including the Marshall Plan, which provides for European postwar recovery.
 Soviets begin blockade of Berlin in the first major crisis of the cold war.
 In response, U.S. and Great Britain begin airlift of food and fuel to West Berlin.
1949
 Truman's second inauguration.
 North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO) is established.
 Soviets end blockade of Berlin (May 12), but airlift continues until Sept. 30.

MID-CENTURY & COLD WAR (1950-1999)

1950 –1953
 Korean War: Cold war conflict between Communist and non-Communist forces on Korean Peninsula.
 North Korean communists invade South Korea.
 President Truman, without the approval of Congress, commits American troops to battle.
 agreement is signed.
1950 –1975
May 1950
 Vietnam War: Prolonged conflict between Communist forces of North Vietnam, backed by China and the
USSR, and non-Communist forces of South Vietnam, backed by the United States. President Truman
authorizes $15 million in economic and military aid to the French, who are fighting to retain control of French
Indochina, including Vietnam. As part of the aid package, Truman also sends 35 military advisers.
February 1965
 U.S. planes begin bombing raids of North Vietnam.
March
 First U.S. combat troops arrive in South Vietnam.
April, 1975
 South Vietnamese government surrenders to North Vietnam
1952
 First hydrogen bomb is detonated by the U.S. on Eniwetok, an atoll in the Marshall Islands.
1953
 Dwight Eisenhower is inaugurated as the 34th president.
1957
 Eisenhower's second inauguration.
1958
 Explorer I, first American satellite, is launched.
1961
 John F. Kennedy is inaugurated as the 35th president.
May
 A mixed-race group of volunteers sponsored by the Committee on Racial Equality—the so-called Freedom
Riders—travel on buses through the South in order to protest racially segregated interstate bus facilities.
1962
 Cuban Missile Crisis: President Kennedy denounces Soviet Union for secretly installing missile bases on
Cuba and initiates a naval blockade of the island.
1963
August
 Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivers his “I Have a Dream” speech before a crowd of 200,000 during the
civil rights march on Washington, DC.
November
 President Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, Tex. He is succeeded in office by his vice president, Lyndon B.
Johnson.
1964
 President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act.
1965
 L. Johnson's second inauguration.
March
 State troopers attack peaceful demonstrators led by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., as they try to cross
bridge in Selma, Ala.
 In six days of rioting in Watts, a black section of Los Angeles, 35 people are killed and 883 injured.
1968
 Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., is assassinated in Memphis, Tenn.

1969
 Richard Nixon is inaugurated as the 37th president.
May
 U.S. and Soviet Union sign strategic arms control agreement known as SALT I.
June
 Five men, all employees of Nixon's reelection campaign, are caught breaking into rival Democratic
headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington, DC.
1973
 Nixon's second inauguration.
1974
 Nixon resigns; he is succeeded in office by his vice president, Gerald Ford.
1977
 Jimmy Carter is inaugurated as the 39th president.
1979
 U.S. establishes diplomatic ties with mainland China for the first time since Communist takeover in 1949.
1981
 Ronald Reagan is inaugurated as the 40th president.
March
 President Reagan is shot in the chest by John Hinckley, Jr.
1985
 Reagan's second inauguration.
1987
 In a speech in Berlin, President Reagan challenges Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall”
and open Eastern Europe to political and economic reform.
December 8
 Reagan and Gorbachev sign INF treaty, the first arms-control agreement to reduce the superpowers' nuclear
weapons.
1989
 George H. W. Bush is inaugurated as the 41st president.
1992
 Following the breakup of the Soviet Union in Dec. 1991, President Bush and Russian president Boris
Yeltsin meet at Camp David and formally declare an end to the cold war.