Key Events in American History from 1491 to Present
Marks the beginning of European colonization and Columbian Exchange.
First permanent English settlement in North America.
Established a rudimentary form of democracy in Plymouth Colony.
Conflict between Britain and France in North America; led to British debt and taxation policies.
First direct tax on colonists; helped spark the American Revolution.
Colonial protest against British taxation; key moment in road to revolution.
Thirteen colonies formally declare independence from Britain.
First U.S. constitution, later replaced due to weaknesses.
Establishes federal government structure and powers.
First ten amendments guaranteeing civil liberties.
Doubled the size of the U.S.; purchased from France.
Conflict between U.S. and Britain over maritime issues and frontier tensions.
Balanced free and slave states; temporarily eased sectional tensions.
Authorized forced relocation of Native tribes; led to Trail of Tears.
Resulted in U.S. acquisition of Southwest territory.
Included the Fugitive Slave Act and admission of California as a free state.
Supreme Court rules African Americans cannot be citizens.
The Union and Confederacy go to war over slavery and states’ rights.
Freed slaves in Confederate territories.
Abolished slavery in the United States.
Federal troops withdrawn from the South; Reconstruction ends.
Marked the end of Native American armed resistance.
U.S. gains overseas territories including the Philippines and Puerto Rico.
America joins Allies against Central Powers.
Leads to the Great Depression, the worst economic downturn in U.S. history.
Prompts U.S. entry into World War II.
Global peacekeeping body established after WWII.
Supreme Court ends racial segregation in public schools.
Outlaws segregation and discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or origin.
Leads to the War on Terror and reshapes U.S. foreign and domestic policy.