date civi us
1492
Columbus discovered America
1607
the first succesful English colony was founded at Jamestown in Virginia
1619
slavery started in America
1620
the Pilgrim Fathers arrived on the Mayflower and settled at Plymouth, Massachussetts
1775
beginning of the American War of Independence
1776
the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson was adopted by Congress on July 4th
1783
the Treaty of Paris recognized the independence of the USA
1788
George Washington was elected as the first president of the USA
1789
the American Constitution went into effect
1803
Napoleon sold Louisiana to the USA
1808
the importation of slaves was banned
1848
beginning of the Gold Rush
1857
the Dred Scott decision
1860
Abraham Lincoln was elected president
1861
11 states announced they were an independent nation, the Confederate States of America
1863
the Emancipation Proclamation
July: the battle of Gettysburg, a major victory for the North
November: the Gettysburg address (Abraham Lincoln) at the military cemetery
1865
- Richmond was defeated by the North
- General Lee, the commander of the Soutern army, surrended at Appomattox
- Lincoln was assassinated
- end of the Civil War
- slavery was abolished by the 13th Amendment to the Constitution
1892
Ellis Island opened its doors
1896
Plessy v. Ferguson: "the separate but equal decision" (legalization of racial segregation)
1920
19th Amendment ratified (women's suffrage)
1929
the Great Depression
1932
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected president. He promised a "New Deal for America"
1954
Ellis Island closed its doors
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka: desegregation of schools
1963
Martin Luther King Junior led the Civil Rights March in Washington DC
1968
The My Lai massacre in Vietnam
Richard Nixon elected president
1973
the last American soldiers left Vietnam
Roe v. Wade (legalization of abortion)
1974
Nixon's resignation after the Watergate affair
1981-1989
Ronald Reagan (Republican) president of the USA
1989-1993
George HW Bush (Republican) president of the USA
1993-2001
Bill Clinton (Democrat) president of the USA
2001-2008
George W. Bush (Republican) president of the USA
September 2001
bomb attacks against the World Trade Center
October 2001
USA Patriot Act
August 2005
Hurricane Katrina strikes the US Gulf Coast
November 2008
Barack Obama - a democrat - won the presidential election
March 2010
Obama signed the healthcare reform, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare)
November 2016
Donald Trump elected President of the USA
January 2017
an executive order is signed by Donald Trump who decides on the building of a 731-mile-long border wall
February 2017
Trump advocates his "America First" policy in his State of Union Address
June 2017
Trump announces America's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement
September 2017
the travel ban denies access to the USA to people from eight countries, including North Korea and Venezuela. This decision was upheld by the Supreme Court and is still in force today
November 2020
Joe Biden elected the 46th President of the USA
January 6, 2021
Capitol riots: After Congress met to certify the election of President-elect Joe Biden, rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol building and breached security to get in.
President Donald Trump was impeached by the House because of his statements on the day of the riots.
June 2022
the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, thus ending the right to abortion dating back to 1973
January 2024
Trump launched the first rally of his presidential campaign