AP History Review

1. AP History Review 1588 – defeat of Spanish Armada enables England to secure the Atlantic for travel by Englanders. 1607 – Jamestown founded by a joint-stock company looking to make a profit for investors through the return of New World riches. 1619 – Slaves introduced by the Dutch and House of Burgesses developed for colonial rule.

2. AP History Review 1620 – Mayflower brings first group of religious dissidents to New World. Mayflower Compact allows each male member on board an equal vote regardless of socio-economic status and colonists agree to abide by majority rule. 1643 – New England Confederation is a joint military and economic alliance formed by colonists banding together for a common purpose for the first time. 1660-1663 – Navigation Acts ensure that colonial economy is subjugated by England.

3. AP History Review 1675-1676 – King Phillip’s War leads to the lasting defeat of Native Americans along the eastern seaboard of New England. It’s the first large scale military action in the colonies. 1676 – Bacon’s Rebellion of former indentured servants leads to an increased use of Black slave labor. 1686 – Dominion of New England formed by King James after abolishing the confederation and streamlining British control over colonies.

4. AP History Review 1688 – Glorious Revolution of William and Mary leads to an English Bill of Rights. 1692 – Salem Witch Trials gives an example of religion run amok and many began to shy away from Puritan church. 1701 – French establish settlement at Fort Detroit. 1734 – John Peter Zenger is acquitted of libel charges brought by Governor of New York establishing jury nullification.

5. AP History Review 1754-1763 – French and Indian War fought over control of the Ohio River Valley. Colonial militia are treated as second-class by British military leading to resentment between colonists and Britain. 1763 – Pontiac’s Rebellion and counterattack by Paxton Boys leads to the Proclamation of 1763 further causing resentment by colonial settlers. 1764 – Sugar Act passed ensure that colonists pay their fair share of the costs of the French and Indian War and for the continued presence of British soldiers as colonial protection.

6. AP History Review 1765 – Stamp Act (first direct tax on the colonists) is passed leading to colonial opposition which includes: Boycotts, demonstrations, and the Stamp Act Congress which claims taxation without representation is a violation of a British citizen’s rights. 1766 – Parliament repeals Stamp Act but passes Declaratory Act. 1767 – Parliament passes the Townshend Acts to offset costs of administering and protecting the colonies.

7. AP History Review 1770 – Boston Massacre occurs and soldiers are successfully defended by John Adams. Townshend Acts are also repealed except for tax on tea. 1773 – Committees of Correspondence formed amongst the colonies to report on British activity. 1773 – Gov. Hutchinson orders Boston Harbor closed until the costs of all of the tea dumped into Boston harbor is repaid

8. AP History Review 1774 – The Coercive Acts are passed. The acts include: a Port Bill Act closing ports for trade until taxes are paid; an Administration of Justice Act which holds that English Courts will govern royal agents and military of any wrongdoing; and the Quebec Act which recognizes French Catholics and their territorial claims into MA, CT, and VA. 1774 – Colonists respond by calling for First Continental Congress which Declares and Resolves not to abide by these “intolerable” acts and authorizes the formation of local militias.

9. AP History Review 1775 – Upon hearing the news, British General Gage is ordered to destroy the colonial weapons depot at Concord. They are met by 70 militia who refuse to yield the road at Lexington and shots are fired. 1775 – Second Continental Congress adopts Olive Branch Petition following a minor victory at Breed’s (Bunker) Hill. 1776 – Thomas Paine’s Common Sense is published establishing that the colonies are larger in size and population and should be a free and independent nation.

10. AP History Review 1776 – Richard Henry Lee proposes Second Continental Congress adopt a Declaration of Independence. The Declaration is written under the Committee of Five with Jefferson doing most of the writing and his dearest friend John Adams doing most of the editing. The majority of the Declaration reflects the ideology of British political philosopher John Locke.

11. AP History Review 1776 – At the same time as the Declaration, John Dickinson is charged with writing a document establishing the first form of government should the colonials prove victorious (Articles of Confederation). 1776 – Washington gets his badly needed victory by surprising the Hessians celebrating Xmas at Trenton.

12. AP History Review 1777 – Gen Horatio Gates and Gen. Benedict Arnold win a significant victory at Saratoga bringing a much needed formal alliance with the French. 1779 – After the British fire on French ships, France’s ally Spain declares war on Britain. Britain also declares war on the Dutch who had been trading with the Americans forcing Britain to fight the American Revolution on a global front.

13. AP History Review 1781 – The British surrender at Yorktown. Fighting and infighting will continue for a year but eventually a formal agreement will be signed. 1784 – The Treaty of Paris is ratified by Congress. The treaty recognizes America’s independence; establishes boundaries; fishing rights of New Englanders off the Grand Banks; restitution for both sides; free and unlimited navigation of the Mississippi River; and freedom from persecution of loyalists within the confederated states.

14. AP History Review 1786-1787 – Shay’s rebellion results over Massachusetts farmers boiling over money issues and the growing number of farm foreclosures. 1787 – sensing growing tensions between the poor and the property classes, the property classes use their influence to convince the Continental Congress to call for a convention to address deficiencies in the Articles of Confederation. 1787 – Constitution Convention meets in Philadelphia.

15. AP History Review 1787 – The Northwest Ordinance establishes criteria for statehood, including min. population, a written constitution and bans slavery in the Northwest Territory. 1788 – Ratification battle between the Federalists led by Madison and Hamilton and the Anti-federalists led by Jefferson and Patrick Henry. 1789 – Congress passes a Bill of Rights to be ratified by the various states.

16. AP History Review 1798 – Federalists pass the Alien and Sedition Acts designed to silence their critics the Jeffersonian-Republicans. 1798 – Jefferson (Kentucky) and Madison (Virginia) write resolutions arguing for nullification of the federally ordained Alien and Sedition Acts.

17. AP History Review 1800-1801 – Thanks in part to Jefferson’s nemesis, Hamilton, the House elects Jefferson on the 36th ballot after he is tied with Burr in the Electoral College. 1803 – Napoleon sells the Louisiana territory to the U.S. in order to finance his campaigns in Europe and elsewhere. Jefferson struggles with the purchase due to his strict construction attitude towards the Constitution.

18. AP History Review 1807 – Jefferson enacts an embargo against Britain for its impressment policies and the Chesapeake incident is the final straw for Jefferson. The embargo is opposed by many and in the long run hurts the new U.S. whose economy is dependent on trade with England and France. The embargo does spur on American manufacturing as they are unable to acquire manufactured products from Europe.

19. AP History Review 1812 – Southerners and Westerners push for war with Britain. Many New Englanders support the British until British soldiers burn the nation’s capitol. Little is accomplished other than the fact that America emerges as a unified nation and feelings of sectionalism give way to feelings of nationalism. 1820 – The Missouri Compromise admits Missouri as a slave state and Maine (formerly a portion of Mass.) as a free state thus temporarily keeping the balance of power between slave and free states. The Compromise also bans slavery in the rest of the Louisiana Territory north of Missouri.

20. AP History Review 1824 – The Corrupt Bargain enables John Quincy Adams to win the presidency over Andrew Jackson. Henry Clay (developer of the American System) supports Adams and upon Adams election is named Secretary of State. 1828 – The wildly popular Andrew Jackson is elected without doubt. A man of the people, he throws a kegger on the White House lawn for his inauguration inviting everyone.

21. AP History Review 1828-1836 – Jackson is noteworthy for: the birth of the modern day Democratic party; killing the Bank of the United States (seen as an elitist institution); the tariff of abominations in which South Carolina threatens to leave the union; and the Indian Removal Act (Trail of Tears) ignoring the rulings of the Supreme Court in Cherokee Nation v. Georgia and Worcester V. Georgia.

22. AP History Review 1837 – The Panic (subsequently Depression) of 1837 starts when Jackson issues the Specie Circular demanding that land purchases be made only in specie (gold) and that paper currency not be accepted. It is intended to cut down on land speculation and along with Jackson’s terrible financial policies proves disastrous for Jackson’s successor Van Buren. 1846-1848 – War with Mexico ends with the Guadalupe-Hidalgo Treaty and large tracts of land ceded to the U.S. kicking off westward expansion and Manifest Destiny. The Wilmot Proviso declared that there would be no slavery in any territory acquired as a result of the war.

23. AP History Review 1850 – The Compromise of 1850 resolves several issues faced by Congress: California admitted as a free state; the border dispute between Texas and New Mexico was resolved with NM getting the land and Texas being absolved of $10M in federal debt; slave trade would be banned in DC but slavery would continue there; much more stringent Fugitive Slave law; and slavery in recently acquired territory would be determined by voters (effectively ending the Wilmot Proviso).

24. AP History Review 1854-1858 – Bleeding Kansas reveals the problem with Popular Sovereignty. Uncle Tom’s Cabin published in 1851 and Harriet Beecher Stowe’s brother, Henry Ward Beecher supplied abolitionists in Kansas with spring-loaded rifles known as Beecher’s bibles 1856 – Bessemer process for purifying steel invented by Henry Bessemer.

25. AP History Review 1857 – Dred Scott decision stuns the nation. The Supreme Court, tired of the infighting, attempts to settle the slavery issue once and for all by declaring: Slaves or descendants of slaves aren’t citizens and therefore have no standing in the court; Congress has no authority to remove a man’s property (slaves) without due process therefore the Compromise of 1820 is unconstitutional. The decision is rejoiced by southerners and denounced by northerners and prompts one Illinois lawyer to start taking up politics.

26. AP History Review 1858 – Lincoln-Douglas debates establishes the Freeport Doctrine. Douglas wins the Senate seat but his development of the Doctrine will cost him the presidency in 1860. 1859 – John Brown’s raid put down by Major Robert E. Lee. 1860 – Lincoln elected and South Carolina keeps promise of seccession.

27. AP History Review 1861-1865 – American Civil War. 1861 – Confederates fire on Ft. Sumter prompting Lincoln to issue a call for more men. The Confederates see this and issue their own call for more men. A week after Ft. Sumter, Virginia secedes taking with it a large amount of experienced soldiers including Lincoln’s first choice for command, Robert E. Lee.

28. AP History Review 1861 – Lincoln suspends habeas corpus and other constitutional rights in order to preserve the Union. His declaration of martial law keeps the all important border states with the Union. 1861 – Confederates route Union soldiers at Bull Run leading to overconfidence and mass desertion in the south and preparation and resolve in the north.

29. AP History Review 1862 – Lee, desperate to try to bring in the border states, attempts a show of strength in the border state of Maryland. Unfortunately, a careless officer drops a copy of Lee’s plans in the road where they are discovered by Union soldiers. Despite this Antietam is militarily a draw, the bloodiest single day of the Civil War, and an encouragement that the Border states will stay even when Lincoln issues his Emancipation Proclamation.

30. AP History Review 1863 – Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation frees no slaves; causes massive amounts of desertion within Union ranks who will fight to preserve the union but NOT to free Negros; internationally it supports the morality of the Union cause and helps keep England and France at bay.

31. AP History Review 1863 – Lee, still desperate to bring in the border states and much needed foreign aid, looks for an opportunity to take an offensive measure and win a decisive victory in the North. The opportunity presents itself near Gettysburg, PA but after three days, Lee is forced to retreat and the Confederacy will be on the defensive from this point on. 1863 – A day after the defeat at Gettysburg, Grant wins a pivotal victory at Vicksburg opening up the Mississippi River to the Union and cutting off vital food supplies from Texas and Louisiana to the Confederacy.

32. AP History Review 1864 – A coalition of Republicans and War Democrats forms the National Unity Party getting Lincoln re-elected over the grievances of the Copperheads (Peace Democrats) and former Union general George McClellan. 1865 – Lee surrenders to Grant. 1865 – Lincoln’s assassination actually harms the South as Lincoln was much more amenable to forgiveness than the Radical Republicans in Congress.

33. AP History Review 1865 – 13th Amendment is ratified by the states officially abolishing slavery. 1866 – The Civil Rights Act of 1866 which: grants citizenship to former slaves (not Native Americans); provides for reapportionment in those states that deny blacks the right to vote; forbids the election of confederate leaders to Congress or national office; and invalidates any debts owed by the former Confederacy but validates the debts owed by the Union is cemented into the Constitution as the 14th Amendment.

34. AP History Review 1868 – Andrew Johnson impeached for violating the Tenure of Office Act. He is not convicted because there is little time left in his term; Congress doesn’t like the alternative; and many don’t like the precedent conviction might set. 1870 – 15th Amendment granting Black male suffrage is ratified. Women are upset as many of them fought for black rights believing they would ride in on those coattails

35. AP History Review 1877 – Reconstruction ends when the disputed election between Hayes and Samuel J. Tilden is resolved by the commitment to remove the troops from the South. 1880-1896 - Populist Party consisting primarily of farmers advocates unlimited coinage of silver and a change to the silver standard at a ratio of 16:1; government control of the railroads; direct election of senators (adopted in 17th Amendment); and a graduated income tax.

36. AP History Review 1898 – Battleship Maine sent to Cuba to protect American interests explodes in Havana Harbor. 1898 – Declaration of War against Spain and Teller Amendment passed acknowledging Cuba’s independence and promising no annexation by U.S. War ends after 8 months. 1899 – Philippine insurrection is put down when Emilio Aguinaldo is captured by U.S. forces.

37. AP History Review 1898 – Secretary of States John Hay successfully negotiates an Open Door Policy in China granting commercial access to China for all trading partners. 1901 – McKinley assassinated and Teddy Roosevelt becomes Progressive president. 1902 – Successfully wins anti-trust suit against Northern Securities.

38. AP History Review 1903 – Roosevelt recognizes the Republic of Panama after their secession from Colombia. A treaty is signed granting access to the U.S. for the purpose of building an isthmian canal. 1906 – After reading The Jungle, Roosevelt successfully pushes Congress to pass the Pure Food and Drug Act. 1908 – Roosevelt names his successor Taft and decides not to run for presidency.

39. AP History Review 1912 – Disappointed with the Taft administration, Roosevelt announces his candidacy for president. Republican Party selects Taft and Roosevelt is forced to run as a third party candidate. Wilson wins as Taft and Roosevelt steal votes from one another. 1914 – Wilson scores significant victories with the Federal Trade Commission and the labor friendly Clayton Anti-trust Act.

40. AP History Review 1917 – Zimmerman Telegram finally gets to Americans and they enter World War I. War ends within 6 months of American involvement (Americans have nothing to do with it –really) 1918 – Prohibition passes citing evidence of the growing political power of women. 1919 – 19th Amendment passed by Congress ratified in 1920 – women can now vote.

41. AP History Review 1919 – Treaty of Versailles is NOT ratified as Wilson and Henry Cabot Lodge fight it out in the Senate. Wilson appeals to the “boss” the American People. His nationwide tour ends in Wilson’s collapse and ultimately nothing accomplished. 1920-1929 – Strong post war economy leads many to overspend and overextend themselves credit wise.

42. AP History Review 1929 – Stock Market crashes bringing about the Great Depression. 1930-1932 – Hoovervilles, Bonus Army, etc. Unemployment rate in 1931 is 25% 1932 – Franklin D. Roosevelt elected. 1933 - New Deal Legislation passed within first 100 days includes: Bank Holiday; CCC; AAA; TVA; Federal Securities Act; and the Public Works Act

43. AP History Review 1933 – 21st Amendment passes repealing prohibition and allowing the government to tax liquor. 1934 – New Deal legislation includes: Farm Mortgage Refinancing Act; Securities Exchange Act (creating the SEC); Silver Purchase Act; and the NLRB. 1935 – Supreme Court, in the Schecter case, rules the National Industry Recovery Act (NIRA) is unconstitutional effectively ending several New Deal programs.

44. AP History Review 1936 – Supreme Court, in the case U.S. v. Butler, rules the Agricultural Adjustment Act unconstitutional prompting FDR to promote his court-packing plan. 1936 – FDR wins second term in landslide. 1937 – Japan fires on U.S. gunboat Panay protecting the interests of Standard Oil in China. FDR responds by transferring part of Atlantic fleet to Pacific and seizing Japanese assets in the U.S.

45. AP History Review 1939 – Britain and France declare war on Germany. FDR begins process of transferring the U.S. from a position of isolationism to internationalism. 1939 – FDR revises Neutrality Acts to include Cash and Carry Policy; Lend-Lease Act; destroyers for bases; and hemispheric defense zone.

46. AP History Review 1941 – Japan attacks Pearl Harbor. U.S. declares war on Japan and Germany declares war on U.S. U.S. agrees to go after Germany first under the ABC-1 Agreement. 1942 – Japan successfully captures Philippines from U.S. but suffers from victory disease and by the end of the year will suffer devastating naval losses. 1943 – a successful attack on Sicily will lead the Italians to abandon their German allies and declare war against them after Mussolini is executed.

47. AP History Review 1944 – D-Day Invasion is successful; Paris liberated; and Battle of Bulge victory depletes German forces allowing allies little resistance to Berlin. 1945 – Atomic warfare used against Japanese based on calculation over cost to allies and Japanese. 1946 – Germany divided into spheres of influence.

48. AP History Review 1947 – Truman initiates the Loyalty Review Board. Those charged were not allowed to confront their accusers and were dismissed. Many of those dismissed were Southeast Asian specialists which could have helped formulate a better policy in that part of the world. 1947 – Jackie Robinson breaks the color barrier playing in his first game for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

49. AP History Review 1948 – Berlin Airlift begins when Soviets blockade the city including the western controlled zones. 1949 – NATO established as a means of collective security against Soviet encroachment. 1950 – Korean conflict begins with U.S. and U.N. security forces. Russia boycotted the Security Council meeting allowing the U.S. supported measure to pass without a veto.

50. AP History Review 1950 – McCarthy hearings begin. McCarthy creates a “Red” scare by informing the American people he has a list of communists working within the federal government that includes Alger Hiss. 1951 – Twenty-second Amendment passes limiting the presidency to two terms. 1951 – Truman fires MacArthur for publicly criticizing the way things are being run in Korea.