Native Americans and Age of Discovery

Native Americans

• Pueblo people lived in the Southwest, were peaceful farmers, and lived in stone houses.
• Apache were nomadic hunters and warriors, living in teepees in the Southwest.
• Sioux were nomadic hunters and warriors of the Great Plains, dependent on the buffalo.
• Iroquois were farmers, hunters, and warriors of the Northeast, living in longhouses.

Age of Discovery

• Leif Erickson (Vikings) arrived in North America (Vinland).
• Treaty of Tordesillas (1494): Spain and Portugal divided newly discovered lands.
• Treaty of Saragossa (1529): Further delineation of newly discovered lands.
• St. Augustine (1565): Oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the US, located in Florida.
• New Amsterdam: Established by the Dutch, later becoming New York City; Henry Hudson explored the region.
• Black Legend: European stories about the Spanish mistreatment of Native Americans.
• Roanoke: First English colony, nicknamed the "Lost Colony," attempts at colonization failed.
• Key Spanish Explorers/Colonies: Mexico, Florida, and Southwest territories
• Key French Explorers/Colonies: Canada and parts of Midwest (Mississippi River)
• Key English Explorers/Colonies: Lands along Atlantic Coast
• Key Dutch Explorers/Colonies: New York
• Christopher Columbus's 1492 voyage initiated European colonization of the New World. He mistakenly thought he reached Asia.

Colonial Era

• Virginia Company (1607): Established Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas.
• Jamestown hardships: famine, disease, and conflict with Native Americans
• Indentured Servants: Temporary slaves from England to work for colonists. Later replaced with African slaves.
• Plymouth (1620): Founded by the Pilgrims.
• Pilgrims: English religious separatists who sought freedom from the Church of England.
• Plymouth Compact: Pilgrims' agreement to establish self-governance.
• Quakers: Religious group known for religious freedom, pacifism, and social justice, settling in Pennsylvania and other colonies; William Penn.
• Wilderness Road and Cumberland Gap/Daniel Boone: Key westward route.
• Salem Witch Trials (1692): Massachusetts period of mass hysteria; accusations of witchcraft and executions.
• Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire: Established as colonies by dissenters or those wanting more separation of church and state

Middle Colonies

• New York: Dutch settlement, renamed by the English, key area for trade.
• Pennsylvania: Proprietary colony founded by William Penn, known for religious freedom and the Society of Friends (Quakers).

Southern Colonies

• Maryland (1634): Proprietary colony, originally intended to be a Catholic haven.
• Carolinas (1663): Honoring King Charles II; developed a prosperous agricultural economy.
• Georgia (1733): The last English colony; a buffer against Spanish Florida.

18th Century

• French and Indian War, leading to the American Revolution.
• Triangle Trade: Trade network involving Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
• Declaration of Independence (1776): Declaration by the colonists to break free from England.
• The American Revolution: the United States' break away from England.
• Articles of Confederation: Initial Governmental framework for the country.
• Constitution of the United States: A framework for the country.
• Treaty of Paris (1783): Ended the Revolutionary War, and recognized American independence.

Western Expansion

• Northwest Ordinance: Organized western territories (Ohio River); prohibited slavery north of the Ohio river.
• Louisiana Purchase (1803): Vast land acquisition doubling the size of the US; purchase from France.
• Lewis and Clark Expedition: Exploration of the newly acquired Louisiana Territory.

Building a Nation

• Missouri Compromise (1820): Admitted Missouri as a slave state, Maine as a free state to maintain balance in Congress; avoided war in the short term.
• Texas Annexation (1845): Leading to tension with Mexico; caused the Mexican-American War.
• Mexican-American War (1846-1848): U.S. gained significant western territories (California, Arizona, etc.)
• Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848): Ended the Mexican-American War; transferred Mexican territories.
• Manifest Destiny: The belief that the U.S. was destined to expand across North America.
• Oregon Trail/Oregon Treaty: Key route for westward settlers.
• California Gold Rush (1848): Massive migration to California following the discovery of gold; boosted the economy.
• Indian Removal Act (1830): Forced relocation of Native American tribes to the west; Trail of Tears.

Slavery and Civil War

• Abolition movement: Movement to abolish slavery.
• Underground Railroad: Secret network to help enslaved people escape to freedom.
• Nat Turner's Rebellion (1831): violent slave revolt, heightened Southern fears.
• Compromise of 1850: Admitted California as a free state, but included a strict Fugitive Slave Act which fueled the conflict.
• Bleeding Kansas (1854-1859): Violent conflicts over slavery in Kansas Territory; disputes between pro- and anti-slavery supporters in the newly established territory—became a microcosm of the national debate over slavery.
• Dred Scott Decision (1857): Ruled that enslaved people weren't citizens; further inflamed tensions.
• John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry (1859): Attempt to incite a slave revolt; further polarized North and South; became a symbol for both abolitionists and slave owners.
• Abraham Lincoln's election (1860): Immediate trigger for Southern states to secede.
• Confederacy: Formed by Southern states that seceded; South Carolina was the first
• Civil War (1861-1865): The war between the Union (North) and the Confederacy (South) over slavery; significant human cost and societal changes in the U.S.
• Emancipation Proclamation (1863): Declared slaves in Confederate territory free.
• Battle of Gettysburg (1863): A major Union victory that turned the tide of the war.
• Appomattox Court House (1865): Site of Confederate surrender to the Union, thus ending the war.