Key Events in Early American History: Civil War to Founding Fathers
Key Events in Early American History
- February 9, 1861: The Confederate States of America is formed with Jefferson Davis, a West Point graduate and former U.S. Army officer, as president.
- March 4, 1861: Abraham Lincoln is sworn in as the 16th President of the United States of America.
- April 12, 1861: Fort Sumter Attacked: At 4:30 a.m., Confederates under Gen. Pierre Beauregard open fire with 50 cannons upon Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. The Civil War begins.
- Mayflower Compact: This was the earliest attempt at self-government in the New World. The forty-one signers, in eight sentences, established a framework for governance.
- The First Thanksgiving: In the fall of 1621, with another winter approaching, the Pilgrims’ profound faith in God led Governor William Bradford to set aside a day for public Thanksgiving in gratitude for the blessings already received, which lasted three whole days.
- The Molasses Act of 1733: The Molasses Act helped the sugar plantation owners on the islands of the British West Indies. A tax was placed on the sugar and molasses that came from the islands. The law stated that traders in New England could only trade with the British Islands.
- California Gold Discovery: On January 24, 1848, an event occurred in Coloma that would radically impact the history of California and the Nation. James W. Marshall was building a sawmill for Captain John Sutter, using water from the South Fork of the American River. He noticed several flakes of metal in the tailrace water and recognized them to be gold. Though he tried to keep it a secret, the word spread quickly, and triggered the California Gold Rush of 1849.
Key Events Leading to the American Revolution
- Salem Witch Trials (1692-1693): The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings to prosecute people suspected of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts.
- Stamp Act: The tax stamps had to be put on 54 kinds of papers, including playing cards, newspapers, wills, and licenses. The payments had to be made in gold or silver. The colonists began to speak out against the new taxes, arguing that Parliament could not tax the American colonies since they had no representation in Parliament. The phrase stated by James Otis, a Boston lawyer, was “No taxation without representation.”
- Sons of Liberty: A club was formed called the Sons of Liberty. Their motto was “Join or Die.” The members broke into the homes of the tax collectors and beat them. They then burned the hated tax stamps.
- Boston Massacre: In 1770, the first real battle between the colonists and the British took place. The British soldiers got angry at a crowd of colonists who were throwing snowballs at them. The soldiers fired, killing five colonists and wounding many more. Later this event was called the Boston Massacre.
- The Boston Tea Party: In 1773, the British told the British East India Company it could send tea to America without paying the taxes. All other tea traders still had to pay a tax. The Americans refused to buy any tea and refused to unload the tea from the British ships in the American ports.
The Founding Fathers
The Founding Fathers were the men who instilled the first ideals into American Society. After successfully fighting the Revolutionary War, they signed the Declaration of Independence and drafted the Constitution of the United States.
Notable Founding Fathers:
John Adams – Thomas Jefferson – George Washington – Benjamin Franklin