Timeline of major events and periods


Major wars & events general timeline

  • Causes and effects of wars helps us to understand broader US History
  • Wars are also useful for a timeline reference
    • i.e., if you know that the Civil War occurred 1861-1865
      • then if you see an event or person associated with a date, for example, of 1858
      • then you will know that that event or person may be understood in terms of the coming Civil War

US Wars timeline

Dates Major Wars
1754-1763 French-Indian War

1775-1781

Revolutionary War
1812-1815 War of 1812
1846-48 Mexican-American War

1861-65

U.S. Civil War

1898 Spanish-American war

1917-18

WWI (Europe)

1941-45

WWII (Europe & Asia)

1946-1989

Cold War (US v. USSR)
1950-1953 Korean War

1959-1965

Vietnam: U.S. intervention
1965-1972 Vietnam: U.S. ground & aerial (airplanes) war
1990-91 Gulf War
2002-2021 Afghanistan War

2002-2021

Iraq War

Major wars timeline with associate events & minor wars

Dates Major Wars Dates Other Events & Minor Wars
18th Century (1700s)
1754-1763 French-Indian War 1763-1783 American Revolution

1775-1781

Revolutionary War 1789 US Constitution adopted
19th Century (1800s)
1846-48 Mexican-American War 1812-1815 War of 1812

expansion of Slavery

1861-65

U.S. Civil War

1850 "Compromise of 1850"
1865-1877 Reconstruction period
1898 Spanish-American War 1867-1890s "Indian" or "Frontier" wars

"Battle of Little Bighorn," 1876

20th Century (1900s)

1917-18

WWI (Europe)

1941-45

WWII (Europe & Asia) 1930s Great Depression
1940s-1960s Civil Rights Movement

1946-1989

Cold War (US v. USSR) 1950-1953 Korean War
1962 Cuban Missile Crisis

1965-1972

Vietnam: U.S. ground & aeriel war 1959-1965 Vietnam War: US intervention
1990-1991 Gulf War 1991 Soviet Union dissolved
21st Century (2000s)

2002-2021

Afghanistan War 2003-2011 Iraq War/ "War on Terror"

Major periods of US History

  • "periods" are eras (or times) that have a some commonality
  • that we can look upon to understand and define an era
    • no single period is completely distinct from any other
    • but organizing US History into "periods" makes it more understandable

Major events timeline by century

Century Period/s Major Events
17th Century (1600s) Colonial
  • early English colonies in Virginia & Massachusetts
  • colonial population growth via immigration and high birth rate
  • expansion of religious tolerance
18th Century (1700s) Late Colonia/ (1700s-1760s)

Revolutionary (1760s-1780s Early Republic (1790s)

  • westward expansion of English settlements, into and across Appalachian Mts
  • French-Indian War (1754-1763)
  • expansion of slavery in South, esp. for tobacco planting
  • Revolutionary period & war
  • new Republic under the US Constitution & introduction of Bill of RIghts
19th Century (1800s) Antebellum

Civil War & Reconstruction

Industrialization

  • western expansion, esp. Louisiana Purchase, Mexican-American War
  • slave-based cotton economy & North-South division over slavery
  • Civil War & Reconstruction
  • European and East Asian immigration
  • Industrialization and railroads
20th Century (1900s) American ImperialismWorld Wars & Cold Ear

American Century

  • U.S. involvement in overseas Wars
  • WWII & subsequent Cold War w/ the USSR
  • Collapse of USSR & American gobal dominance
21st Century (2000s) Sept. 11 & War on TerrorGlobalism
  • American cultural and economic dominance
  • Wars on Terror / Patriot Act
  • Rise of global economy and China

Major economic crises timeline

Economic Crises
Century Period/s Event Causes/ Notes
19th Antebellum

Jacksonian Period

19th Gilded Age
20th Progressive Era Panic of 1907
  • in late 1906, the stock market reacted poorly to the 1906 Hepburn Act, which
  • Stock market crash (down 50%) during a recession due to a failed Trust company (investment firm) and a subsequent bank failure due to bad loans based upon a coal/iron company stock
  • JP Morgan Co. intervened and led other investors to back the banks with credit and cash
  • When the coal/iron company stock crashed, US Steel (owned in part by JP Morgan) took over the company, which covered the bad loans and market price loss
    • it was significant because the T. Roosevelt administration gave tacit approval (by not objecting to it) of the takeover, even though it extended the U.S. Steel monopoly
    • marks the distinction for T.R. between "good trusts" (US Steel) and "bad trusts" (Standard Oil)
  • the Panic of 1907 led to calls to reform that nation's money supply, leading to the 1913 establishment of the Federal Reserve
20th
20th

Major periods timeline (by date range)

Dates Period
1609-1763 Early Colonial
1763-1775 American Revolution
1775-1783 Revolutionary War & American Independence
1783-1789 Articles of Confederation
1789-1820 Early Republic
1820s-1861 "Antebellum" ("before the war")
1861-1877 Civil War & Reconstruction
1877-1917 Industrialization, Segregation, Immigration, Imperialism & Progressive Era
1917-1945 WWI, 1920s, Great Depression & WWII
1945-1991 Cold War period & "American Century"
1991-today Modern Globalism

Major periods timeline w/ notes & details

Dates Period BIG IDEAS
1609-1763 Early Colonial
  • earliest colonization =
    • Jamestown, Virginia
    • Plymouth, Massachusetts
  • 13 colonies are established under British rule
1763-1775 American Revolution
  • British government cracks down on colonies with
    • taxes & regulations
    • British army & British-appointed judges and governors
  • American colonists protest and agitate for rights and self-government
1775-1783 Revolutionary War

Independence

  • in the 1776 Declaration of Independence, the 13 colonies declare themselves independent of British rule
  • 13 colonies organize loose "confederation" to fight British
  • Americans win the war and become fully independent of Britain
  • each colony now becomes an independent state
1783-1789 Articles of Confederation
  • the 13 states form the United States of America under the "Articles of Confederation"
    • "confederation = a loose union of independent states
  • start to organize the new territories & lands taken from the British
    • between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River
  • each state largely governs itself and as a consequence, there are
    • conflicting laws
    • conflicting currencies
    • no organization or war debts
    • generally ineffective national government
  • in 1787 representatives of the 13 states gather in Philadelphia to create a new government
    • called the "Constitutional Convention
    • it is sent to the states for "adoption" (agreement of each state to join)
1789-1820 Early Republic
  • 1789 the new government is established under the U.S. Constitution
  • the Constitution establishes many powers for the new "federal" government
  • George Washington becomes the 1st President
    • he establishes its legitimacy (accepted by the people) and authority (power)
  • political parties (political affiliations) arise as different states and "factions" (like-minded people) arise
  • there is great animosity (hatred) and division between the parties
  • 1800 election is contentious (disputed) and divisive
    • still, the outcome is accepted and Thomas Jefferson becomes President
    • the election is called the "Revolution of 1800" because
      • despite bitterness and division, power was peacefully transferred from presidents Adams to Jefferson
  • subsequently. the American people develop a sense of national unity and pride
1820s-1861 Antebellum ("before the war")
  • the early- to mid- 1800s mark periods of economic, population & territorial growth
  • it is also a period of extensive expansion of slavery across the South ("cotton economy")
  • the U.S. expands its territory across the entire continent following the 1846 Mexican-American War
    • the U.S. seizes from Mexico western territories (modern New Mexico, Arizona, California and parts of other states)
  • the expansion of the U.S. leads to division and political conflict over the spread of slavery
  • deals in Congress to manage the issues of slavery and other economic and tax issues
    • leads to "sectional" division between "the North" and "the South"
1861-1877 Civil War

Reconstruction

  • with election of the northerner, Abe Lincoln, southern states "secede" (separate themselves from) the Union of states
    • "Union" = the joining of states under the United States Constitution
    • southern states create a new government, "The Confederate States of America"
  • 1861-65, "Civil War" between "the Union" (North) and "the Confederacy" (South)
  • the Union wins and commences a program of "Reconstruction" of the Union =
    • re-uniting the southern states with the Union
    • abolishing slavery and protecting the rights of the freed slaves
  • "Reconstruction" in the South required occupation of southern states by northern "Union" armies
    • the disputed presidential election of 1876 leads to a deal to decide the election in favor of a Republican
    • in exchange for removal of U.S. troops from the South
    • with removal of those troops, Reconstruction ends
1877-1917 Industrialization

Segregation Immigration

Imperialism

Progressive Era

  • following the Civil War, northern states "industrialize"
    • railroads are built across the country, connecting trade and markets across the continent
    • steel and other factories grow in size and create huge demand for labor (workers)
  • after 1877, southern states enact "segregation" laws to limit the rights of blacks (former slaves)
  • millions of immigrants come to the US from Europe and Asia (Japan and China)
    • looking for jobs in the factories, railroads and for cheap land
    • with the immigration populations of major cities explode
    • which causes problems with sanitation, living & working conditions, health care, etc.
  • in 1898, the U.S. engages in its first truly "imperialistic" war
    • by attacking Spanish colonies of Cuba, Puerto Rico and Philippines
    • the U.S. for the first time goes to war outside of the continental United States
    • thus, it is called "imperialism" for trying to impose rule of one country on another country that is somewhere else
  • from the 1890s-1917, many "reform" (looking for change) movements arise, especially
    • to "clean" the cities and provide better living and working conditions for the poor
    • to "clean" politics from corruption and entrenched (deeply situated) powers
    • to regulate and control big companies and their economic power
1917-1945 WWI

1920s

Great Depression

WWII

  • in 1917, the US enters a major war in Europe, which is now calle "World War I"
    • it is the first American military involvement in Europe
  • into the 1920s, the US economy grew tremendously
    • called the "Roaring Twenties"
    • new consumer products (autos, telephones, radios) and business investments
    • in Oct, 1929, the New York stock exchange collapsed ("Crash of '29")
    • an economic depression followed
  • Great Depression, 1929-1941
    • period of economic decline and disruption (bank failures, job loss, etc.)
    • the 1933-35 "New Deal" attempted to fix the Depression
      • it provided "relief" (help) to people with jobs and pay
      • but it did not resolve the economic decline
  • during the 1930s Japan and Germany invaded other countries
  • Dec 7, 1941, Japan bombed a U.S. Naval base, Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii (middle of Pacific Ocean)
    • subsequently the U.S. went to war against Japan in Asia and Germany in North Africa and Europe
  • the U.S. "mobilized" (put to common effort) the entire population, including
    • millions of soldiers sent to the War
    • women working in factories and other jobs in place of the men
    • Americans of all races joined the war effort
  • the U.S. and its allies defeated German and Japan in 1945
1945-1991 Cold War

"American Century"

  • following WWII, the United States dominated the world economically and politically
    • thus the 20th Century is called the "American Century"
  • however, the Soviet Union (communist Russia), which fought the Germans in conjunction with the Americans
    • occupied eastern Europe and placed those countries under communist rule
  • the US and its "Western" (non-communist) allies opposed Soviet expansion
    • politically, by helping non-communist countries and opposing communist ideas ("ideology")
    • militarily by supplying countries with arms, direct American military presence, and direct military wars
      • 1950-1954: Korean War
      • 1959-1975: Vietnam War
      • the U.S. did not directly fight against the Soviets in these wars
      • instead the U.S. fought the Soviet communist allies in those countries
  • the US and Soviets both built extensive nuclear weapons
    • so each side had the power to blow up the other
    • this kept peace between them because if one attacked the other it would get blown up by nuclear reprisal (fighting back)
  • in 1989, the Soviet Union broke apart due to its poor economy, political corruption
    • which were the result of the communist system
1991-today Modern globalism
  • after the collapse of the Soviet Union, all nations were more free to trade and invest in each other
  • China, especially, embraced the new conditions and opened itself as a manufacturing base
    • other countries also experienced rapid economic growth
  • however, wars, disease, famines, persist into the world of today, including
    • US involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq wars
    • civil wars in Africa, Myanmar, eastern Europe
    • political instability across the Mideast

Revolution Period

American Revolution Period general timeline

1754-1763 French-Indian War
1763-83 American Revolution
1774-1789 Continental Congress & the Articles of Confederation
1775-83 American Revolutionary War
1776 Declaration of Independence
1781 English surrender to American forces under Washington
1783 Treaty of Paris officially ends American Revolutionary War
1787-1789 Constitutional Convention and adoption of the US Constitution
1791 Adoption of the US Constitution

American Revolution Period timeline w/ details

1754-1763 French-Indian War BIG IDEAS:
  • caused by westward expansion of colonists into French territory west of the Appalachian Mts
  • Britain (England) defeated France and seized all of Canada and lands east of the Mississippi
1763-83 American Revolution BIG IDEAS:
  • after French-Indian War, England
    • imposed new taxes on the colonists
    • imposed rules and restrictions on trade
    • prohibited the colonists from settling in the new lands west of the Appalachian Mts ("Indian Territory)
  • the colonists begin to protest
  • key events of the American Revolution
    • 1765: Stamp Act, tax and regulations imposed by Britain
      • a series of other taxes were imposed, such as the "Tea Act"
      • as well as a law to force Americans to house ("Quartering Act") British soldiers
      • and appointments of colonial governors by the King and not from colonial vote
    • 1770: Boston Massacre, British soldiers shoot into crowd of protesters
    • 1773: Boston Tea Party, protest against trade restrictions
      • and British response with the "Intolerable Acts" and blockade of Boston harbor
    • 1775: "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine, argues against monarchy (king)
    • 1776: Declaration of Independence, colonies declare independence from England
1774-1789 Continental Congress & the Articles of Confederation BIG IDEAS:
  • a "congress" is a meeting of representatives from different places
  • the "Continental Congress" is the organization of the 13 Colonies that joined together for common cause to oppose British rule
  • the Continental Congress started after the British passed the "Intolerable Acts" and blockaded Boston harbor in response to the Boston Tea Party
  • there were three periods: First Continental Congress (1774), Second Continental Congress (1774-1781) and the First and Second Congresses of (1774–1781) and the Congress of the Confederation (1781–1789)
  • the Articles of Confederation (1781-1789) were a set of agreements between the 13 states to organize and guide their cooperation
    • the Articles were approved in 1777, but only approved by all states in 1781
    • the Articles did not create a strong national government
    • they proved incapable of resolving many difficulties and disagreements
1775-83 American Revolutionary War BIG IDEAS:
  • in 1775 fighting started between colonial "militia" (private soldiers) and British soldiers in Massachusetts
1776 Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, representatives of the 13 colonies signed the "Declaration of Independence" which "declared" (stated as fact) that the colonies were now independent from Britain
1781-1783 End of Revolutionary War BIG IDEAS
  • in 1781 British forces surrender to the Americans under Washington at Yorktown, Virginia
  • in 1783 the Treaty of Paris officially ends the American Revolutionary War
    • in the Treaty, Britian yielded all lands between the 13 colonies and the Mississippi River
    • which greatly expands the size of the new nation
1787-1789 Constitutional Convention and adoption of the US Constitution BIG IDEAS
  • at the end of the Revolutionary War in 1781, the Continental Congress reorganized in order to form a new, independent nation
    • they called it the "United States of America"
      • it was a loose "confederation" of the states in order to make common decisions, such as the signing of the peace treaty with Great Britain in 1783 that officially ended the Revolutionary War
      • it was called the "Congress of the Confederation
1791 Adoption of the US Constitution BIG IDEAS
  • as the new country developed from 1783-1789, many problems arose, such as
    • lack of common (or uniform), national currency (money)
    • lack of common laws
    • lack of ability for the national government to pay its debts due to inability to tax
    • lack of general organization and standardization (rules) for relations between the states
  • George Washington recognized these deficiencies and called for a convention (gathering) of states at Annapolis, Maryland in 1786
    • the assembly at Annapolis didn't achieve much, but decided upon calling for another convention the next year at Philadelphia
    • the 1787 Constitutional Convention met at Philadelphia and proposed a new form of government among the states
      • called the US Constitution
      • it was proposed to the states, which debated it and voted for or against
      • by 1788, enough states had agreed upon adopting the new Constitution, so the government was set to open in 1791