TimelinePadlet by Alec Leahy _ Student - GreenLevelHS

Columbus Discovers the “New World” (1492)

ableahy — 2025-08-26 19:24:32 UTC

Christopher Columbus discovered America while trying to find an ocean route west, from Europe to Asia. He originally believed that America was Asia. This paved way for more contact between Europe and the Americas.

Conquest of Tenochtitlan (1521)

ableahy — 2025-08-26 19:27:55 UTC

A Spanish Conquestidor, with the help of rival indigenous civilizations, conquered the Aztec Empire, allowing Spain to take control of a large portion of Mesoamerica and begin building the colony of New Spain.

Roanoke Settlement (1585)

ableahy — 2025-08-26 19:31:51 UTC

Now called the lost colony, Roanoke was the first attempt at a permanent settlement in North America, specifically, North Carolina's cost. The residents of Roanoke mysteriously vanished, leaving no evidence behind other than a carving of the word, Croatoan in a tree.

King Philip’s War (1675-1676)

ableahy — 2025-08-26 19:34:39 UTC

Conflict between New England Colonists and Native American Tribes. Both sides took heavy damage, but it resulted in English Colonists exploring deeper into Native American land. Moreover, many indigenous people were killed or enslaved.

Bacon’s Rebellion (1676)

ableahy — 2025-08-26 19:38:32 UTC

Settlers in modern-day Virginia who were led by Nathaniel Bacon, went against Governer, William Berkeley because of his inability to deal with Native American attacks. The rebellion failed, but it was one of many instances where colonists revealed their discontent with English authority.

French and Indian War (1754–1763)

ableahy — 2025-09-08 14:36:36 UTC

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.

Boston Tea Party (1773)

ableahy — 2025-09-08 14:36:54 UTC

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.

First Continental Congress (1774)

ableahy — 2025-09-08 14:37:14 UTC

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

Declaration of Independence (1776)

ableahy — 2025-09-08 14:37:35 UTC

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."

Shay’s Rebellion (1786–1787)

ableahy — 2025-09-08 14:37:58 UTC

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.

Constitutional Convention (1787)

ableahy — 2025-09-08 14:38:25 UTC

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

Washington’s Farewell Address (1796)

ableahy — 2025-09-08 14:39:15 UTC

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

Louisiana Purchase (1803)

ableahy — 2025-09-24 14:02:01 UTC

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

War of 1812 (1812-1815)

ableahy — 2025-09-24 14:02:25 UTC

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.

White House Burned (1814)

ableahy — 2025-09-24 14:03:47 UTC

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

Missouri Compromise (1820)

ableahy — 2025-09-24 14:05:04 UTC

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

Market Revolution (1820-1840)

ableahy — 2025-09-24 14:05:58 UTC

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

Seneca Falls Convention (July 18th-19th 1848)

ableahy — 2025-09-24 14:08:06 UTC

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.

Mexican-American War (1846-1848)

ableahy — 2025-10-09 14:40:50 UTC

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

Dred Scott Decision (1857)

ableahy — 2025-10-09 14:42:30 UTC

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.

Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

ableahy — 2025-10-09 14:43:23 UTC

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.

Appomattox Court House (1865)

ableahy — 2025-10-09 14:43:57 UTC

Where the surrender of the Confederate Army under Robert E. Lee to Ulysses S. Grant took place on April 9, 1865.

Lincoln Assassination (1865)

ableahy — 2025-10-09 14:44:49 UTC

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

Reconstruction (1865–1877)

ableahy — 2025-10-09 14:45:13 UTC

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.

Haymarket Riot (1886)

ableahy — 2025-10-31 13:49:39 UTC

In the heart of Chicago, workers gathered to demand fair hours and better conditions. But when a bomb exploded during the protest, chaos erupted. The tragedy left deep scars and made many Americans wary of labor movements, even as workers continued to fight for their rights.

Homestead String (1892)

ableahy — 2025-10-31 13:50:11 UTC

At Carnegie’s steel plant in Pennsylvania, tensions boiled over when workers went on strike to protest wage cuts. Armed guards clashed with strikers in a violent showdown that ended with broken spirits and a major setback for organized labor.

Pullman Strike (1894)

ableahy — 2025-10-31 13:50:49 UTC

Railway workers, frustrated by wage cuts and high living costs in the company-owned town of Pullman, walked off the job. The strike spread nationwide, halting trains and mail. When federal troops stepped in, the conflict turned violent, showing just how far the government would go to protect big business.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

ableahy — 2025-10-31 13:51:10 UTC

When Homer Plessy, a Black man, sat in a “whites-only” train car, he was arrested — and his case went all the way to the Supreme Court. The ruling declared segregation legal as long as facilities were “separate but equal,” cementing racial divides for decades.

The Jungle Written (1906)

ableahy — 2025-10-31 13:52:22 UTC

Upton Sinclair wanted to shine a light on the struggles of immigrant workers, but readers were horrified by something else; the filthy conditions in meatpacking plants. His novel sparked public outrage and led to major reforms in food safety.

Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901)

ableahy — 2025-11-19 14:49:18 UTC

An uprising in China directed against foreign influence. It was suppressed by an international force of some eighteen thousand soldiers, including Americans. It paved the way for the revolution of 1911, which led to the establishment of the Republic of China in 1912.

USS Maine Destroyed (1898)

ableahy — 2025-11-19 14:49:55 UTC

A U.S. battleship exploded and sank in Havana Harbor; 260 Americans died. Although it was later concluded that it was an internal explosion caused by a fire in the coal bunker, the sinking provided an excuse for those eager for war with Spain.

Spanish-American War (1898)

ableahy — 2025-11-19 14:50:10 UTC

War over the European control of Cuba. America won and gained Guam, Puerto Rico, Philippines, and an alliance with Cuba.

WWI (1914–1918; U.S. entry 1917)

ableahy — 2025-11-19 14:51:03 UTC

The first modern global war, started by the shooting of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The war is remembered for its violence and destruction, costing over 20 million lives and billions of dollars.

Sinking of the Lusitania (1915)

ableahy — 2025-11-19 14:51:21 UTC

A British passenger ship sunk by a German U-Boat during WWI. 128 Americans died. The sinking greatly turned American opinion against the Germans, helping the move towards entering the war.

Roaring 20s (1920s)

ableahy — 2025-11-19 14:51:50 UTC

One of the most significant decades in U.S. history because of the great changes that came about in American society, including the rise of consumerism, technology, and social and creative expression.

Great Depression (1929–1939)

ableahy — 2025-11-19 14:52:36 UTC

The economic crisis and period of low business activity in the U.S. and other countries, roughly beginning with the stock-market crash in 1929 and approximately ending with the start of the next war.

New Deal (1933–1939)

ableahy — 2025-11-19 14:53:46 UTC

President FDR's precursor of the modern welfare state. His programs were meant to combat economic depression and enacted a number of social insurance measures and used government spending to stimulate the economy.

WWII (1939–1945; U.S. entry 1941)

ableahy — 2025-11-19 14:54:08 UTC

The second modern global war, starting less than two decades after the last. A significant portion of the world was involved, divided into Axis and Allied powers.

Murder of Emmett Till (1955)

ableahy — 2025-12-15 14:47:20 UTC

A 14-year-old African American, was brutally murdered in Mississippi for allegedly whistling at a white woman, an event that played a significant role in the civil rights movement in the United States.

Greensboro Sit Ins (1960)

ableahy — 2025-12-15 14:47:41 UTC

A series of nonviolent protests initiated by African American college students at a Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, challenging racial segregation and inspiring similar actions across the Southern United States.

March on Washington (1963)

ableahy — 2025-12-15 14:48:05 UTC

Over 200,000 participants, including Martin Luther King Jr., gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., advocating for equal rights and economic opportunities for African Americans.

Assassination of JFK (1963)

ableahy — 2025-12-15 14:48:26 UTC

Assassinated on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas, when he was shot and killed while riding in a motorcade, sparking a wave of investigations and conspiracy theories.

Assassination of MLK Jr. (1968)

ableahy — 2025-12-15 14:48:54 UTC

Assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, when he was fatally shot on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, an event that had a profound impact on the civil rights movement.

Civil Rights Act of 1968

ableahy — 2025-12-15 14:49:15 UTC

Enacted to address housing discrimination by prohibiting the refusal to sell or rent a dwelling to any person based on race, color, religion, or national origin, aiming to ensure equal housing opportunities for all.

USA withdraws from Vietnam (1973)

ableahy — 2025-12-15 14:49:36 UTC

Marked the end of direct American involvement in the Vietnam War, following the signing of the Paris Peace Accords. South Vietnam would later lose the war and Vietnam is communist to the day.

Watergate Scandal (1974)

ableahy — 2025-12-15 14:49:53 UTC

Involving the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate office complex, leading to revelations of widespread abuses of power and subsequent resignation of President Richard Nixon.

Iran‑Contra Affair

ableahy — 2026-01-08 14:45:37 UTC

a political scandal in the 1980s involving the covert sale of weapons to Iran by the U.S. government to fund Nicaraguan Contra rebels, leading to Congressional investigations and convictions.

NAFTA

ableahy — 2026-01-08 14:45:55 UTC

a trade agreement signed in 1994 between the United States, Canada, and Mexico, aiming to eliminate barriers to trade and investment and promote economic cooperation in North America.

Clinton impeachment

ableahy — 2026-01-08 14:46:22 UTC

centered on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice related to his extramarital affair.

Bush v. Gore

ableahy — 2026-01-08 14:46:44 UTC

War on terror

ableahy — 2026-01-08 14:47:08 UTC

a global military and political campaign initiated by the United States in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, aimed at combating terrorism and its sponsors around the world.

The Patriot act

ableahy — 2026-01-08 14:47:28 UTC

a U.S. law passed in response to the 9/11 attacks, granting expanded surveillance and law enforcement powers to the government in the name of national security and counterterrorism efforts.