American History Timeline

Front 1

c.12,000 B.C.

Back 1

North American Indian cultures flourish.

Front 2

A.D. 1000

Back 2

Norse seaman Leif Ericsson lands in Newfoundland, which he calls Vinland.

Front 3

12 October, 1492

Back 3

Christopher Columbus,

financed by Spain, makes the first of four voyages to the New World. He lands in the Bahamas.

12 October, 1492

Front 4

1513

Back 4

Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon lands on the coast of Florida.

1513

Front 5

1565

Back 5

Saint Augustine, Florida,

settled by the Spanish, becomes the first permanent European colony in North America.

1565

Front 6

14 May (o.s.), 1607

Back 6

Jamestown,

the first permanent English settlement in America, is established by the London Company in southeast Virginia.

14 May (o.s.), 1607

Front 7

1619, 30 July (o.s.)

Back 7

The House of Burgesses, the first representative assembly in America, meets for the first time in Virginia.

30 July (o.s.),1619

The first African slaves are brought to America (summer).

1619

Front 8

11 December (o.s.), 1620

Back 8

The Plymouth Colony

in Massachusetts is established by the Pilgrims from England.

11 December (o.s.), 1620

Before disembarking from their ship, the Mayflower, 41 male passengers sign the Mayflower Compact, an agreement that forms the basis of the colony's government.

1620

Front 9

1650

Back 9

Colonial population is estimated at 50,400.

Front 10

September 1664

Back 10

The English seize New Amsterdam (city and colony) from the Dutch and rename it New York.

September 1664

Front 11

1752

Back 11

Britain and the British colonies switch from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. (2nd September)

1752

Front 12

1754-1763

Back 12

French and Indian War:

The final conflict in the ongoing struggle between the British and French for control of the eastern North America. The British win a decisive victory over the French on the Plains of Quebec (13th Sept, 1759) and, by the Treaty of Paris (signed 10th February, 1763), formally gain control of Canada and all the French possessions east of the Mississippi.

1754-1763

1754-1763

Front 13

5 March, 1770

Back 13

The Boston Massacre:

British troops fire into a mob, killing five men and leading to intense public protests.

5 March, 1770

Front 14

16 December, 1773

Back 14

Boston Tea Party:

A group of colonial patriots disguised as Mohawk Indians board three ships in Boston harbour and dump more than 300 crates of tea overboard as a protest to the British tea tax.

16 December, 1773

Front 15

5 Sept - 26 October, 1774

Back 15

First Continental Congress:

meets in Philadelphia, with 56 delegates representing every colony except Georgia.

Delegates include: Patrick Henry, George Washington and Samuel Adams.

5 Sept - 26 October, 1774

Front 16

1775-1783

Back 16

The American Revolution 1775-1783:

The war of independence fought between Great Britain and the 13 British colonies on the eastern seaboard of North America.

1775-1783

Front 17

19 April, 1775

Back 17

The Battles of Lexington and Concord 19 April, 1775

in Massachusetts fought between the British Army and colonial minutemen mark the beginning of the American Revolution.

19 April, 1775

Front 18

19 Dec, 1777– 19 June, 1778

Back 18

The battle-weary and destitute Continental Army of George Washington spends a brutally cold winter and the following spring at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

19 Dec, 1777– 19 June, 1778

Front 19

19 October, 1781

Back 19

The Siege of Yorktown, Virginia (19 October, 1781):

The British general Charles Cornwallis surrenders to George Washington.

19 October, 1781

Front 20

3 September, 1783

Back 20

Treaty of Paris:

Britain formally acknowledges American independence in the Treaty of Paris of 1783, signed by King George III of Great Britain and representatives of the United States of America, bringing the American Revolution to a close.

3 September, 1783

Front 21

4 July 1776

Back 21

Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, 4 July 1776.

Front 22

1777

Back 22

14 June, 1777 - The Continental Congress approves the first official flag of the United States.

15 November, 1777 - The Continental Congress adopts the Articles of Confederation, the first US Constitution (May-Sept).

Front 23

15 November, 1777

Back 23

The Continental Congress adopts the Articles of Confederation, the first US Constitution (May-Sept).

15 November, 1777