American History Honors Timeline by Julianna Marrero _ Student - GreenLevelHS

Columbus "Discovers" the New World (October 12, 1492)

jbmarrero — 2025-08-27 20:26:27 UTC

He first landed in the Americas when his expedition reached an island he named San Salvador. He was not the first person to reach the Americas, but this marked the beginning of European exploration and colonization. This also led to the transatlantic slave trade and the loss of life among natives due to disease and violence.

Conquest of Tenochtitlan (May 26, 1521)

jbmarrero — 2025-08-27 20:34:45 UTC

This was the destruction of the Aztec capital by Cortés and Spanish forces. It resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands and the collapse of the Aztec Empire. It marked the beginning of Spanish rule and the founding of Mexico City on the former Aztec capital.

Roanoke Settlement (1587)

jbmarrero — 2025-08-28 15:45:53 UTC

An attempted permanent colony in North America by the British. They were led by John White, who went back to England after a lack of supplies, but when he returned, the colony was abandoned.

King Philip’s War (1675–1678)

jbmarrero — 2025-08-28 16:39:23 UTC

One of the deadliest conflicts in US history, fought between the Native Americans and English colonists in New England. It led to the enslavement of many natives and opened more land for English settlement. King Philip is a short name for the Native American king at the time.

Bacon's Rebellion (1676-1677)

jbmarrero — 2025-08-28 16:40:12 UTC

An uprising in Colonial Virginia led by Nathanial Bacon against Governor William Berkeley. This was fueled by economics, taxes, and conflicts with Native Americans. It solidified racial hierarchy and shifted culture towards African slavery.

Declaration of Independence (1776)

jbmarrero — 2025-09-11 21:21:18 UTC

The Declaration of Independence was signed on August 2, 1776, in Philadelphia. The delegates were formally declaring their independence from Britain.

Shay's Rebellion (1786-1787)

jbmarrero — 2025-09-11 21:23:10 UTC

This was a popular uprising by farmers in western Massachusetts between August 1786 and February 1787. They were protesting high taxes and economic hardships following the revolution. This highlighted the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

French and Indian War- 7 Years War (1754-1763)

jbmarrero — 2025-09-11 21:24:10 UTC

The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a conflict in North America between Great Britain and France, along with their Native American allies, and the first global war. The main location where conflict occurred was the Ohio River Valley. The war also led to massive debt for Britain and increased tensions with its American colonists, ultimately contributing to the American Revolution

Boston Tea Party (1773)

jbmarrero — 2025-09-11 21:25:13 UTC

The Boston Tea Party happened at Boston Harbor on December 16, 1773. American colonists protested "taxation without representation"

Constitutional Convention (1787)

jbmarrero — 2025-09-11 21:26:28 UTC

Delegates met to address the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and produced the United States Constitution.

Washington's Farewell Address (Published 1796)

jbmarrero — 2025-09-11 21:28:16 UTC

The address was a foundational document that provided precedent for limiting the presidency to two terms and remains an influential guide for maintaining American stability.

The First Continental Congress (1774)

jbmarrero — 2025-09-11 21:29:24 UTC

The first Continental Congress met to discuss and coordinate a unified response to the British government after the Boston Tea Party.

Louisiana Purchase (1803)

jbmarrero — 2025-09-25 16:10:28 UTC

A 1803 land acquisition by the US from France that doubled the nation's size. Acquiring territory west of the Mississippi for $15 million.

Missouri Compromise (1820)

jbmarrero — 2025-09-25 16:12:14 UTC

A US law that temporarily settled the issue of slavery in new territories by admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state. It aimed to balance power between slave and free states in Congress.

White House Burned (1814)

jbmarrero — 2025-09-25 16:18:59 UTC

The burning of Washington DC by British forces during the War of 1812. British troops occupied the American capital and set fire to government buildings, including the White House and the Capitol.

War of 1812 (1812-1815)

jbmarrero — 2025-09-25 16:22:37 UTC

An inconsequential conflict fought between the US and Great Britain due to British impressment of American sailors and interference with US trade, as well as a US desire to expand into Canadian territory. It concluded with the Treaty of Ghent, which returned the two countries to their pre-war status.

Seneca Falls Convention (1848)

jbmarrero — 2025-09-25 16:24:44 UTC

The first women's rights convention in the US was held on July 19-20, 1848, in Seneca Falls, New York. It aimed to discuss women's social, civil, and religious conditions and produced the Declaration of Sentiments, outlining grievances and demanding rights.

Market Revolution (1815-1860)

jbmarrero — 2025-09-25 16:27:44 UTC

A period of profound economic change in the US. A shift from a subsistence economy to one focused on commercial production and sale, driven by advancements in manufacturing, transportation, and communication.

Mexican-American War (1846-1848)

jbmarrero — 2025-10-17 16:01:58 UTC

A conflict fought between the US and Mexico over the US annexation of Texas and westward expansion. Resulted in a decisive American victory and the US acquired california, Nevada, utah, and parts of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming.

Dred Scott Decision 1857

jbmarrero — 2025-10-17 16:03:24 UTC

Ruled that people of African descent were not and could not be citizens of the US, declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, and stated that Congress could not prohibit slavery in US territories.

Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

jbmarrero — 2025-10-17 16:05:06 UTC

An executive order issued by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War that declared slaves in rebellious Confederate states were free. It allowed black men to enlist in the Union Army and Navy.

Appomattox Court House (April 9, 1865)

jbmarrero — 2025-10-17 16:06:33 UTC

The small community in Virginia where the American Civil War ended. Robert E Lee surrendered his army to the Union.

Lincoln Assassinated (April 14, 1865)

jbmarrero — 2025-10-17 16:10:23 UTC

Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth while attending a play in Washington DC.

Reconstruction (1865-1877)

jbmarrero — 2025-10-17 16:11:45 UTC

The period following the Civil War focused on rebuilding the nation, especially the South, and determining the status of newly freed African Americans.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

jbmarrero — 2025-11-03 15:26:33 UTC

Supreme Court case that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine. The court's ruling stated that as long as the separate facilities were equal, segregation was not a violation of civil rights.

Haymarket Riot of 1886

jbmarrero — 2025-11-03 15:28:53 UTC

A protest that began in Chicago's Haymarket Square, where a rally for the eight-hour workday was taking place. It escalated to violence when an unknown person threw a bomb at the police, who then responded with gunfire.

Homestead Strike of 1892

jbmarrero — 2025-11-03 15:32:39 UTC

A violent labor conflict at the Carnegie Steel plant where striking workers clashed with guards over wage cuts and the company's attempt to break the union. It became a pivotal and bloody event in US labor history, and ultimately led to the defeat of the union at the plant.

Pullman Strike of 1894

jbmarrero — 2025-11-03 15:34:49 UTC

A nationwide railroad strike and boycott in 1894 that began after the Pullman Palace Car Company cut wages. Led by the American Railway Union, the strike disrupted rail traffic across much of the US and led to violence.

"The Jungle" is written (1906)

jbmarrero — 2025-11-03 15:37:04 UTC

Upton Sinclair's 1906 novel that exposed the horrific working conditions and unsanitary practices in Chicago's meatpacking industry. The public was outraged by the details of food contamination, and the book became a powerful symbol of muckraking journalism.

USS Maine Destroyed (1898)

jbmarrero — 2025-11-20 15:25:16 UTC

Destroyed by an explosion in Havana Harbor, which killed 268 sailors and precipitated the Spanish-American War.

Spanish-American War (1898)

jbmarrero — 2025-11-20 15:27:00 UTC

A conflict between the United States and Spain that resulted in the US gaining territories from Spain's last colonial empire, including Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, nd the Philippines. It concluded with the Treaty of Paris.

Boxer Rebellion (1899)

jbmarrero — 2025-11-20 15:28:09 UTC

Anti-foreign and anti-colonial uprising in China from 1899 to 1901, led by a nationalist Chinese secret society called the "Boxers". It was a violent campaign to eliminate foreign influence and control in China.

Sinking of the Lusitania (1915)

jbmarrero — 2025-11-20 15:29:21 UTC

The German U-boat attack on the British luxury liner on May 7, 1915, during World War I. It resulted in the deaths of 1,198 people, including 128 Americans, and significantly shifted U.S. public opinion against Germany

WWI (1914)

jbmarrero — 2025-11-20 15:30:56 UTC

Also known as the Great War. A global conflict that lasted from 1914 to 1918. It resulted in millions of casualties due to unprecedented levels of industrial warfare, and it significantly reshaped the political and social landscape of Europe and the world.

Roaring 20's (1920s)

jbmarrero — 2025-11-20 15:32:37 UTC

Decade of dramatic social, economic, and cultural change in the US during the 1920s. It was defined by a booming economy that fueled mass consumerism, arts, culture, and freedoms for women.

Great Depression (1929)

jbmarrero — 2025-11-20 15:33:50 UTC

Severe, worldwide economic downturn that lasted from 1929 until the late 1930s, marked by mass unemployment, deflation, and a dramatic decline in economic output.

New Deal (1933)

jbmarrero — 2025-11-20 15:35:21 UTC

A series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by Roosevelt in the US between 1933 and 1938 in response to the great depression.

WWII (1939)

jbmarrero — 2025-11-20 15:41:50 UTC

The bloodiest conflict in human history. It split the world's nations into two opposing military alliances.

Murder of Emmett Till (1955)

jbmarrero — 2025-12-15 17:07:03 UTC

the brutal 1955 lynching of a 14-year-old Black Chicago boy in Mississippi, after a white woman falsely accused him of offending her

Greensboro Sit-Ins (1960)

jbmarrero — 2025-12-15 17:08:04 UTC

a pivotal, nonviolent protest starting February 1, 1960, where four Black college freshmen sat at a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, NC, were denied service, and stayed until closing, sparking a massive student-led movement against racial segregation in public spaces

March on Washington (1963)

jbmarrero — 2025-12-15 17:09:17 UTC

a massive 1963 civil rights demonstration in D.C., uniting over 250,000 people to demand racial equality, economic justice, fair employment, and voting rights

Assassination of JFK (1963)

jbmarrero — 2025-12-15 17:10:58 UTC

The car turned off Main Street at Dealey Plaza around 12:30 p.m. As it was passing the Texas School Book Depository, gunfire suddenly reverberated in the plaza. Bullets struck the president's neck and head and he slumped over toward Mrs. Kennedy. The governor was shot in his back.

Assassination of MLK Junior (1968)

jbmarrero — 2025-12-15 17:12:03 UTC

Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, shot on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel while supporting a sanitation workers' strike; his murder by James Earl Ray sparked national mourning and riots but also spurred civil rights legislation

Civil Rights Act/ Fair Housing Act (1968)

jbmarrero — 2025-12-15 17:13:49 UTC

This landmark legislation banned discrimination in housing based on race, religion, or national origin, marking a significant step in civil rights.

US Withdraws from Vietnam (1973)

jbmarrero — 2025-12-15 17:14:55 UTC

The U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam culminated with the signing of the Paris Peace Accords in January 1973, leading to the departure of the last combat troops by March 29, 1973

Watergate Scandal (1972-1974)

jbmarrero — 2025-12-15 17:16:03 UTC

The Watergate scandal was a major political crisis in the US (1972-1974) that began with a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate complex and escalated due to President Richard Nixon's administration's extensive cover-up, involving illegal wiretapping, obstruction of justice, and abuse of power, ultimately leading to Nixon's resignation

Iran-Contra Affair (1981-1986)

jbmarrero — 2026-01-09 16:57:03 UTC

A political scandal in the US that centered on arms trafficking to Iran, facilitated by senior officials of the Ronald Reagan administration.

NAFTA (1994)

jbmarrero — 2026-01-09 16:58:21 UTC

North American Free Trade Agreement. A pact made between the US, Canada, and Mexico, creating a free-trade zone by eliminating tariffs and barriers, boosting trade, but also causing job shifts.

Clinton Impeachment (1998)

jbmarrero — 2026-01-09 17:00:01 UTC

The House of Representatives voted to impeach President Clinton on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice related to his affair with Monica Lewinsky.

Bush v Gore (2000)

jbmarrero — 2026-01-09 17:01:57 UTC

A landmark SCOTUS case that settled the dispute over the Florida vote count in the presidential election, making George Bush the winner. The decision ruled the existing recount methods unconstitutional.

War on Terror (2001)

jbmarrero — 2026-01-09 17:04:01 UTC

An international, American-led military campaign launched following the 9/11 terrorist attacks to dismantle terrorist networks through military, financial, and diplomatic efforts.

The Patriot Act (2001)

jbmarrero — 2026-01-09 17:05:36 UTC

A US law passed after 9/11 to enhance national security by expanding law enforcement surveillance and investigatory powers.