1756–1763: Seven Years’ War / French and Indian War – France controlled vast regions of North Ame
1763: Peace of Paris & Proclamation of 1763 – France ceded Canada and lands east of the Mississipp
1764–1765: New Taxes, Quartering and Navigation Acts – Duties on sugar, textiles, coffee; required c
1765: Stamp Act – Tax on legal documents and newspapers sparked colonial outrage: “No taxation wi
1766: Stamp Act Congress – Nine colonies met in New York to demand repeal; Parliament repealed th
1767: Townshend Acts – Duties on tea, glass, paint and paper reignited colonial resistance.
1770: Boston Massacre – British soldiers fired into a crowd, killing five; Paul Revere’s engraving fueled
1773: Boston Tea Party – Sons of Liberty dumped 342 crates of tea into Boston Harbor to protest the t
1774: Intolerable Acts & First Continental Congress – Britain closed Boston Harbor and limited Massac
April 1775: Battles of Lexington and Concord – British troops tried to seize colonial weapons; eight min
May 1775: Second Continental Congress & Siege of Boston – Congress created the Continental Army
January 1776: Common Sense published – Thomas Paine’s pamphlet argued for full independence fro
July 2 & 4, 1776: Declaration of Independence – Congress voted for independence; Jefferson’s text as
December 1776: The Crisis published – Paine’s essays bolstered morale during the war’s darkest day
1777–1783: Revolutionary War – After early defeats, the Patriot victory at Saratoga secured French su
March 1, 1781: Articles of Confederation effective – Established a weak federal government unable to
September 3, 1783: Treaty of Paris – Britain recognized U.S. independence and ceded territory to the
May■September 1787: Constitutional Convention – Delegates drafted a new U.S. Constitution under W
1787: Northwest Ordinance – Organized western lands, set up territorial government, and prohibited s
1788: George Washington elected first President – Chosen unanimously by the Electoral College.
March 4, 1789: Constitution goes into effect – Established executive, legislative, and judicial branches
1789: Samuel Slater’s mill in Rhode Island – Introduced textile machinery techniques from Britain, laun
1791: Bill of Rights ratified – The first ten amendments guaranteed speech, press, religion, trial by jury
1793: Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin – Mechanized cotton processing, boosting production and expanding s
1794: Whiskey Rebellion – Frontier farmers protested a whiskey tax; Washington led militia to suppres
1803: Marbury v. Madison – Established judicial review when the Supreme Court struck down part of t
1803: Louisiana Purchase – U.S. bought territory from France for $15■million, doubling national size.
1804–1806: Lewis & Clark Expedition – Mapped western lands, traded with Native tribes, and gathered
1806: Zebulon Pike Expedition – Explored the Southwest; Pike’s Peak bears his name.
1812–1814: War of 1812 – Conflict with Britain over trade disruptions and impressment; ended with the
January 1815: Battle of New Orleans – Jackson’s victory boosted national pride.
1820: Missouri Compromise – Admitted Missouri as a slave state and banned slavery north of its borde
1830s: Trail of Tears – Under the Indian Removal Act, Cherokee and other tribes were forced west; ab
1832: Oregon Settlement Encouraged – Promoted migration to solidify U.S. claims in the Pacific North
1836: Texas Independence – Sam Houston defeated Santa Anna; Texas became an independent repu
1844: Election of James K. Polk – Campaigned on Manifest Destiny and won Oregon and Texas issue
1845: Annexation of Texas – U.S. admitted Texas, sparking border disputes with Mexico.
1846–1848: Mexican–American War – Ended with U.S. victory and territorial gains under the Treaty of
1850: Fugitive Slave Act – Required escaped slaves to be returned and penalized aiders, spurring Nor
1854–1856: Kansas–Nebraska Act & Bleeding Kansas – Led to violent clashes over slavery by popula
1861–1865: American Civil War – Union prevailed over Confederacy after key battles and leadership.
September 1862: Emancipation Proclamation announced – Lincoln declared slaves in Confederate-he
1862–1863: Key Civil War Battles – New Orleans, Vicksburg, Gettysburg marked turning points.
