1587- Founding of the lost colony Roanoke
1607- Founding of Jamestown (Virginia Colony)-1st Permanent English Settlement
1619- House of Burgesses (1st representative government)
1620- Pilgrims founded Plymouth (Massachusetts)- Mayflower Compact (Democratic Government)
1623- New Hampshire Colony founded
1634- Maryland Colony founded
1635- Connecticut Colony founded (Established the first constitution with the Fundamental Orders)
1636- Rhode Island Colony founded
1638- Delaware Colony founded
1653- North Carolina Colony founded
1663- South Carolina Colony founded
1664- New Jersey Colony founded
1664- New York Colony founded
1682- Pennsylvania Colony founded
1730- Beginning of the Great Awakening in the colonies (Will last through the 1760s)
1732- Georgia Colony founded
1754-1763- French and Indian War (Seven Years War)
1763- Proclamation of 1763 passed
1764- Sugar Act passed
1765- Quartering and Stamp Acts passed
1767- Townshend Act passed
1770- Boston Massacre
1773- Boston Tea Party
1774- Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts)
1774-1775- First Continental Congress
1775- Lexington and Concord (The Shot Heard 'Round the World!)
1775- Battle of Bunker Hill ("Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!"-General Prescott)
1776- Second Continental Congress, Thomas Jefferson writes the Declaration of Independence, Congress sign on July 4th, 1776). The Articles of Confederation are written and adopted as the first constitution of the United States.
1777-1781- Articles of Confederation written.
1777- Battle of Trenton (Washington crosses the Delaware and surprises the Hessians)
1777- Battle of Saratoga (1st major victory for the Americans, convinces France to support them)
1777-1778- Winter at Valley Forge (Washington gets his soldiers through the winter and they leave a stronger fighting force)
1781- Battle of Camden (British destroy the Americans, General Gates is replaced by Nathanael Greene)
1781- Battle of Yorktown (British surrender)
1783- Treaty of Paris is signed (The war is over and the United States is free)
1787-Constitutional Convention. (Founding Fathers meet in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation. Instead they writhe the Constitution which becomes the "Law of the Land".)
1787- Shays' Rebellion (As the government tried to break up peaceful assembly of the farmers who protested against high liquor tax and unreasonable penalty for late payment of taxes, farmers revolted and fought the state government of Massachusetts.)
1788-Constitution is ratified.
1789- George Washington elected as the 1st President of the United States
1789- French Revolution
1791- The Bill of Rights is added to the Constitution (The first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution are added to protect civil rights.)
1793- George Washington elected as President for a second term.
1794- Whiskey Rebellion (Settlers in the west were upset over a tax levied on wheat (wheat used to make whiskey). They rebelled and George Washington sent 10,000 troops to stop the rebellion. His message: You rebel against the Federal Government, you will be stopped by the Federal Army.
1795-Pinckney's Treaty (Treaty between Spain and U.S. that gave the U.S. navigation rights along the Mississippi River.)
1797- John Adams (Federalist) takes office as the 2nd President of the United States
1800- Nations capital moved to Washington D.C.
1801- Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican) takes office as the 3rd President of the United States
1803- Marbury v. Madison Supreme Court Case (Established judicial review.)
1803- Louisiana Purchase
1807- Embargo Act took effect. (Banned trade with all foreign nations.)
1809- James Madison (Democratic-Republican) took office as the 4th President of the United States
1812- War of 1812 vs Britain
1814- Treaty of Ghent signed ending the War of 1812.
1817- James Monroe took office as the 5th President of the United States.
1819- Adams-Onis Treaty. (U.S. gains the territory of Florida.)
1819- McCulloch v. Maryland Supreme
Court case
1820- Missouri Compromise
1823- Monroe Doctrine
1825- John Quincy Adams takes office as the 6th President of the United States
1829- Andrew Jackson takes office as the 7th President of the United States.
1830- The Indian Removal Act was passed.
1831- Nat Turner's Rebellion.
1832-Nullification Crisis
1834- Whig Party is established.
1836- Battle of the Alamo (Texas Revolution)
1836- Texas declared independent from Mexico.
1836-Battle of San Jacinto.
1837- Martin Van Buren takes office as the 8th President of the United States.
1838- Trail of Tears
1841- William Henry Harrison takes office as the 9th President of the United States.
1841 (1 Month later)- President Harrison dies. John Tyler becomes the 10th President of the United States.
1845- Texas Annexation
1845- James Polk takes office as the 11th President of the United States.
1845- Manifest Destiny.
1846- Mexican-American War breaks out.
1846- Oregon Treaty
1846- Wilmot Proviso Proposed
1848- Gold discovered in California.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the Mexican American War.
1848- Seneca Falls Convention for Women's Rights
1849- Zachary Taylor takes office as the 12th President of the United States.
1850- President Taylor dies.Millard Fillmore becomes the 13th President of the United States.
1850- Compromise of 1850
1852- Uncle Tom's Cabin is published.
1853- Franklin Pierce takes office as the 14th President of the United States.
1853- Gadsen Purchase
1854- Kansas-Nebraska Act
1854- Republican Party is established.
1856- Senator Charles Sumner was attacked in the Senate.
1857- James Buchanan takes office as the 15th President of the United States.
1857- Dred Scott Supreme Court case.
1858- Lincoln-Douglas debates.
1859- John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry.
1860- Abraham Lincoln elected 16th President of the United States.
1860- South Carolina secedes from the Union.
1861- Mississippi secedes from the Union.
1861- Florida secedes from the Union.
1861- Alabama secedes from the Union.
1861- Georgia secedes from the Union.
1861- Louisiana secedes from the Union.
1861- Confederate States of America was set up.
1861- Jefferson Davis was elected President of the Confederate States of America.
1607- Founding of Jamestown (Virginia Colony)-1st Permanent English Settlement
1619- House of Burgesses (1st representative government)
1620- Pilgrims founded Plymouth (Massachusetts)- Mayflower Compact (Democratic Government)
1623- New Hampshire Colony founded
1634- Maryland Colony founded
1635- Connecticut Colony founded (Established the first constitution with the Fundamental Orders)
1636- Rhode Island Colony founded
1638- Delaware Colony founded
1653- North Carolina Colony founded
1663- South Carolina Colony founded
1664- New Jersey Colony founded
1664- New York Colony founded
1682- Pennsylvania Colony founded
1730- Beginning of the Great Awakening in the colonies (Will last through the 1760s)
1732- Georgia Colony founded
1754-1763- French and Indian War (Seven Years War)
1763- Proclamation of 1763 passed
1764- Sugar Act passed
1765- Quartering and Stamp Acts passed
1767- Townshend Act passed
1770- Boston Massacre
1773- Boston Tea Party
1774- Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts)
1774-1775- First Continental Congress
1775- Lexington and Concord (The Shot Heard 'Round the World!)
1775- Battle of Bunker Hill ("Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!"-General Prescott)
1776- Second Continental Congress, Thomas Jefferson writes the Declaration of Independence, Congress sign on July 4th, 1776). The Articles of Confederation are written and adopted as the first constitution of the United States.
1777-1781- Articles of Confederation written.
1777- Battle of Trenton (Washington crosses the Delaware and surprises the Hessians)
1777- Battle of Saratoga (1st major victory for the Americans, convinces France to support them)
1777-1778- Winter at Valley Forge (Washington gets his soldiers through the winter and they leave a stronger fighting force)
1781- Battle of Camden (British destroy the Americans, General Gates is replaced by Nathanael Greene)
1781- Battle of Yorktown (British surrender)
1783- Treaty of Paris is signed (The war is over and the United States is free)
1787-Constitutional Convention. (Founding Fathers meet in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation. Instead they writhe the Constitution which becomes the "Law of the Land".)
1787- Shays' Rebellion (As the government tried to break up peaceful assembly of the farmers who protested against high liquor tax and unreasonable penalty for late payment of taxes, farmers revolted and fought the state government of Massachusetts.)
1788-Constitution is ratified.
1789- George Washington elected as the 1st President of the United States
1789- French Revolution
1791- The Bill of Rights is added to the Constitution (The first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution are added to protect civil rights.)
1793- George Washington elected as President for a second term.
1794- Whiskey Rebellion (Settlers in the west were upset over a tax levied on wheat (wheat used to make whiskey). They rebelled and George Washington sent 10,000 troops to stop the rebellion. His message: You rebel against the Federal Government, you will be stopped by the Federal Army.
1795-Pinckney's Treaty (Treaty between Spain and U.S. that gave the U.S. navigation rights along the Mississippi River.)
1797- John Adams (Federalist) takes office as the 2nd President of the United States
1800- Nations capital moved to Washington D.C.
1801- Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican) takes office as the 3rd President of the United States
1803- Marbury v. Madison Supreme Court Case (Established judicial review.)
1803- Louisiana Purchase
1807- Embargo Act took effect. (Banned trade with all foreign nations.)
1809- James Madison (Democratic-Republican) took office as the 4th President of the United States
1812- War of 1812 vs Britain
1814- Treaty of Ghent signed ending the War of 1812.
1817- James Monroe took office as the 5th President of the United States.
1819- Adams-Onis Treaty. (U.S. gains the territory of Florida.)
1819- McCulloch v. Maryland Supreme
Court case
1820- Missouri Compromise
1823- Monroe Doctrine
1825- John Quincy Adams takes office as the 6th President of the United States
1829- Andrew Jackson takes office as the 7th President of the United States.
1830- The Indian Removal Act was passed.
1831- Nat Turner's Rebellion.
1832-Nullification Crisis
1834- Whig Party is established.
1836- Battle of the Alamo (Texas Revolution)
1836- Texas declared independent from Mexico.
1836-Battle of San Jacinto.
1837- Martin Van Buren takes office as the 8th President of the United States.
1838- Trail of Tears
1841- William Henry Harrison takes office as the 9th President of the United States.
1841 (1 Month later)- President Harrison dies. John Tyler becomes the 10th President of the United States.
1845- Texas Annexation
1845- James Polk takes office as the 11th President of the United States.
1845- Manifest Destiny.
1846- Mexican-American War breaks out.
1846- Oregon Treaty
1846- Wilmot Proviso Proposed
1848- Gold discovered in California.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the Mexican American War.
1848- Seneca Falls Convention for Women's Rights
1849- Zachary Taylor takes office as the 12th President of the United States.
1850- President Taylor dies.Millard Fillmore becomes the 13th President of the United States.
1850- Compromise of 1850
1852- Uncle Tom's Cabin is published.
1853- Franklin Pierce takes office as the 14th President of the United States.
1853- Gadsen Purchase
1854- Kansas-Nebraska Act
1854- Republican Party is established.
1856- Senator Charles Sumner was attacked in the Senate.
1857- James Buchanan takes office as the 15th President of the United States.
1857- Dred Scott Supreme Court case.
1858- Lincoln-Douglas debates.
1859- John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry.
1860- Abraham Lincoln elected 16th President of the United States.
1860- South Carolina secedes from the Union.
1861- Mississippi secedes from the Union.
1861- Florida secedes from the Union.
1861- Alabama secedes from the Union.
1861- Georgia secedes from the Union.
1861- Louisiana secedes from the Union.
1861- Confederate States of America was set up.
1861- Jefferson Davis was elected President of the Confederate States of America.
Photo used under Creative Commons from Ron Cogswell