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New Orleans acted as a major port for things such as the transatlantic slave trade. It was also part of the French territory, which led to much French influence on that area in the future.

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Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in North America. It set up the Europeans for success in colonization, established in 1607 and was the start of European-American civilization.

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Charleston acted as a Dutch trading port, and profitable goods and crops would be sent back and forth. It was the southernmost point of the English colonies.

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Philadelphia was a key meeting place of the U.S. government and leaders. It served as a place where they could gather, specifically for the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention. It was one of the biggest shipbuilding ports and created easy access for inland farmers.

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New Amsterdam was the capital, trade, and commercial center of the Dutch West Indies Company. Its location was perfect for North Atlantic commerce and allowed for the growth of New York City and the United States. Used to challenge the British and French.

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Lexington Battle Green, Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA

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Lexington Battle Green, Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA

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Lexington Battle Green, Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA

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Marked the first military engagements between American colonial militias and British troops. Initiated open warfare, the start of the American Revolution.

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The Battle of Yorktown in 1781 was a defining part of the American Revolution, as it was the final battle. The surrender of the British.

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The Battles of Saratoga globalized the war, securing aid from France, and ended in American victory. This furthered the British forces to surrender and led to the end of the war.

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Saratoga, NY American revolution battles

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The Louisiana territory included land west of the Mississippi River, new territory for the Americans. Doubled the size of the country.

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The Missouri Compromise line set a boundary for where slavery was permitted and prohibited.

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Played a major role in westward expansion, "Gateway to the West" and the national debate over slavey permissions. Transportation and trade hub to the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers.

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In the Missouri Compromise, Maine was admitted as a free state, where there was no slavery. Maine played an important role in the balance of power between free and slave states, which highlighted sectional divisions in the country (polarizing groups).

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The location of a public works project that revolutionized transportation, spurring economic growth and facilitating Westward expansion during the 19th century.

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The war that occurred because of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Applied to the doctrine of popular sovereignty and led to a violent outbreak called "Bleeding Kansas".

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The slave states that bordered the free states and did not secede from the Union: Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri

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Location of the official start of the Civil War, a Confederate attack. Prompted 4 more states to secede.

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Battle of Gettysburg First Shot Marker, Chambersburg Road, Gettysburg, PA

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The turning point of the Civil War led to a Union victory. Later, the place of the Gettysburg address.

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The only successful violent overthrow of a legally elected state government in the U.S. during the post-Reconstruction era. Led to Jim Crow laws and ended black political power in the region.

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Golden Spike National Historical Park, Corinne, UT

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Completed the first transcontinental railroad, binding the continent together and facilitating Westward expansion/migration.

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Ellis Island, Ellis Island, New York, NY

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began the era of federally managed mass migration, serving as the primary gateway for over 12 million immigrants to America. Symbolized the "American dream."

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Brown Building, Washington Place, New York, NY

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An industrial disaster that killed 146 workers. Exposed the brutal, unsafe working conditions in sweatshops and acted as a catalyst for massive labor/safety reform.

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Location of a key U.S. naval base, particularly important during WWII because of the attack on Pearl Harbour that triggered U.S. entry into the war.

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Acquired from Spain in the 1898 Spanish-American War, and its annexation played a role in the Philippine-American War. Played a role in WWII as an American territory.

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Became a U.S. territory as a result of the Spanish-American War. Marked the rise of American imperialism.

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Contributed to the gold rush and the abundance of resources. This area was vulnerable during WWII due to its proximity to Asia, influencing American defense and war strategy.

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The surprise Japanese attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet was a direct trigger to the U.S. entry into WWII. Ended the national debate on isolationism.

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The site of the D-Day invasion (Operation Overlord) on June 6, 1944, during WWII. The victory was a major contributor to the Allied win against Germany.

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The target of the first atomic bomb used in warfare ("Little Boy") was by the United States. Effectively ended WWII and introduced nuclear warfare.

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The key symbolic and physical dividing line between democracy and communism in Europe. The location of the Berlin Wall.

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Location of the longest and most divisive conflict fought by the U.S. to stop the spread of communism (the Domino Theory). U.S. military involvement escalated severely but ultimately ended with a withdrawal in 1973.

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Cuba triggered the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. This event, when the Soviets placed nuclear missiles on the island, brought the U.S. and USSR to the brink of nuclear war, defining the era of Mutually Assured Destruction.

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The location of a brilliant and decisive amphibious landing that dramatically reversed the course of the Korean War.

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A key member of NATO on the Soviet Union's southern border, making it a critical strategic ally for U.S. Containment policy (the US secretly agreed to remove its aging Jupiter nuclear missiles from Turkey as part of the deal to end the Cuban Missile Crisis).

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Twin Towers, Greenwich Street, New York, NY

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On September 11, 2001, a series of coordinated terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center changed American lives and security forever. It also began the era of the war on terror.

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An extremist group that gained power in Afghanistan in the 1990s, supporting terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda. America launched an invasion in 2001 to try to remove them from power, lasting until 2021.

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Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp, Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Guantánamo, Cuba

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Established in 2002 at a U.S. naval base in Cuba, this facility was used to hold "unlawful enemy combatants" during the War on Terror. Many questioned the limits of executive power.

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Protocol Direct Marketing Inc, Avenue du Parc, Montreal, QC, Canada

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An important international treaty that was designed to protect the ozone layer by banning the production of harmful substances like CFC's. One of the most successful examples of American leadership in global environmental diplomacy

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An international treaty aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions to combat global warming. Caused tension between U.S. industrial interests and global climate initiatives.