Launched centuries of European exploration and colonization of the American continent.

The first English attempt at a permanent and stable English settlement in North America. It failed.

Destroyed the Aztec empire, and the Spanish began to consolidate control over what became the colony of New Spain.

War that pitted Native Americans against English settlers and their Indian allies. Paved the way for additional English settlements.

The first popular uprising in the American colonies. It was long viewed as an early revolt against English tyranny.

Part of the Seven Years' War in Europe. Britain and France fought for control of the Ohio Valley and Canada. The colonies fought under British commanders. Britain eventually won, and gained control of all of the remaining French possessions in Canada.

A group of colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians board three British tea ships and dump 342 chests of tea into the harbor in protest of the British Parliament's Tea Act of 1773.

A Philadelphia meeting that brought together representatives from each of the colonies, except Georgia, to discuss their response to the British "Intolerable Acts."

A resolution created by the Continental Congress, which broke all ties between colonists and the British, creating the idea in America that the colonies were now "states."

An uprising of rural, indebted farmers in western Massachusetts, against Boston creditors. It began in 1786 and lasted half a year, threatening the economic interests of the business elite and contributing to the demise of the Articles of Confederation.

A Philadelphia meeting that brought together representatives from each of the colonies, except Georgia, to discuss the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

Printed in newspapers, this was largely a warning against political parties and permanent foreign alliances.

A land deal between the United States and France, in which the U.S. acquired approximately 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million dollars

A war between the U.S. and Great Britain caused by American outrage over the impressment of American sailors by the British, the British seizure of American ships, and British aid to the Indians attacking the Americans on the western frontier.

General Robert Ross, a British force occupied Washington, D.C. and set fire to many public buildings following the American defeat at the Battle of Bladensburg

Americans moving away from self-sufficient agriculture to production of goods for sale

Congress admitted Maine as a free state in 1820 so that Missouri would become a slave state and prohibited slavery in the rest of the Louisiana Purchase territory north of 36 30, the southern boundary of Missouri

Women of all ages and even some men went to discuss the rights and conditions of women. There, they wrote the Declaration of Sentiments, which among other things, tried to get women the right to vote.

Sparked by a dispute over the annexation of Texas by the United States and a long-standing dispute over the southern border.

Since slaves are property of their masters, a slave is not automatically granted his freedom when his master moves him to a free state or territory.

Issued by Lincoln to free all of the slaves in the Confederate states. The slaves in border states loyal to the Union, however, remained enslaved; it only applied to Confederate states in rebellion.

Where the surrender of the Confederate Army under Robert E. Lee to Ulysses S. Grant

John Wilkes Booth shot this leader in the head at Ford's Theater, just days after the Civil War ended.

Period after the Civil War during which Northern political leaders created plans for the governance of the South and a procedure for former Southern states to rejoin the Union.

A labor protest rally in Chicago turned into a riot after someone threw a bomb at police. At least eight people died as a result of the violence that day. Despite a lack of evidence against them, eight radical labor activists were convicted in connection with the bombing.

A violent strike in Pittsburgh over a decision to cut wages by nearly 20%. This strike ended with the destruction of the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel workers, one of the largest unions at the time.

A nonviolent strike that brought down the railway system in most of the West over wages. President Cleveland shut it down because it was interfering with mail delivery.

U.S. Supreme Court decision supporting the legality of Jim Crow laws that permitted or required separate but equal facilities for blacks and whites.

A novel by Upton Sinclair that revealed gruesome details about the meatpacking industry in Chicago.

A conflict over European control of Cuba, resulting in American victory and the acquisition of Guam, Puerto Rico, Philippines, and an alliance with Cuba.

A British passenger ship sunk by a German U-Boat during WWI, causing 128 American deaths and shifting American sentiment towards entering the war.

An economic crisis marked by low business activity, beginning with the stock market crash in 1929 and lasting until the onset of WWII.

The sinking of a U.S. battleship in Havana Harbor, resulting in the deaths of 260 Americans. Though later determined to be caused by an internal explosion, it served as a pretext for war with Spain.

The first modern global war, sparked by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Remembered for its violence and destruction, costing over 20 million lives and billions of dollars.

President FDR's series of programs aimed at combating the Great Depression through social insurance measures and government spending to stimulate the economy.

An uprising in China against foreign influence, suppressed by an international force including Americans, leading to the establishment of the Republic of China in 1912.

A transformative decade in American society characterized by consumerism, technological advancements, and social and creative expression.

The second modern global war involving Axis and Allied powers, erupting less than two decades after WWI.