Timeline of Major Events in US History between 1609 and 1865 - Research Paper Example

Timeline of Major Events in U.S history between 1609 and 1865 July 1619: Establishment of Virginia House of Burgesses Significance: The Virginia House of Burgesses marks its historic importance on account of fact that it was the first ever representative body that was formulated ever in the history of North American continent. It set the precedence for future legislative structure based machinery within the country. It remained in action for nearly a decade and was formally succeeded by Virginia House of Delegates which itself came into existence in the year 1776. The sole purpose behind formulation of such an entity was to accommodate the English representatives providing them with more accumulative and conducive environment to work in. it was initiated by the Virginia Company. Thomas Jefferson 1743- 1826: Thomas Jefferson is included among the list of Presidents of United States of America who played a vital role towards the constitution formation and obtaining the declaration of independence of United States of America. He was born in 1743 and he was an integral part of the American Revolution and overall process. Also he due to his innumerable achievements and contributions is listed among the few who are called the founding fathers of United States of America. He also remained the Secretary of State and further, remained the United States Minister to France. His other contributions in the professional capacity include his standing and duty performance as the Governor of Virginia. He remained the Vice President as well. French and Indian War of 1753: A decade long war that started in 1753 and lasted till 1764. It is important in the history of American nation on number of accounts. Firstly, it served as the foundation step towards the internal resentment against the English, secondly it was fought in the form of a proxy war between the English and the French who had their influence and presence in the region. Third was the fact that it set the grounds for the later on Seven Years War which was to be fought directly between the Great Britain and France. The warring territories engaged in this battle were Nova Scotia and parts of Virginia in the modern day United States. The final outcome came about in the form of victory towards the English. First Continental Congress of 1774: The first Continental Congress proceedings lasted between September and October of 1774. It was important on number of grounds. The first was the fact that nearly all the states sent over their representatives for the grand gathering with the mere exception of Georgia. The event was held in Philadelphia. It was significant on the account of fact that a platform was made where it was established that this platform would make efforts to overcome the obstacles faced in the true representative structure formation. It also undertook the considerations and responses with regard to the recent events such as “The passage of the Coercive Acts”. American Revolution 1765: Perhaps the most important event that unfolded between the two centuries was that of American Revolution. As the name implies it was a rebel and revolt against the previously existent Great British government where the colonies under it finally decided to take upon the extreme measures of raising in arms and sending out the English out of their land. The period of its duration was between 1765 and leading on to a span of over 18 years till 1783. A total of over one dozen colonies grouped together for the same unified purpose and the output came about in the form of establishment of United States of America. The reasons that led to it included number of unjust and unpopular taxes along with the Quebec Act and Intolerable Acts. Declaration of Independence 1776: Declaration of Independence came about in 1776. This came about in response to the American Revolution in which a whole set of one dozen states declared themselves as free and liberated from the influence and dominance of the British government and English Empire. The prime reason and declaration was to declare to the outside world that these states have gained independence from the British rule. This day is marked on the 4th of July and this day in modern times marks as the Independence day of United States of America. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were the key figures in this regard who played a vital role towards bringing up this motion and establishing an English free chain of American states. 1791 First Ten Amendments: The First Ten Amendments also known as the Bill of Rights were brought about in 1791. The aim was to bring about relative reforms and developments which would make the public life and safety a relatively open aspect with regard to human rights. These amendments came about in the year 1789 when the proposition was presented to establish a list of amendments which was at that time felt that the set of amendments would make the constitution more vibrant and pro public. The main proponent of these amendments was James Madison who brought about a set of amendments aimed at bringing about flexibility in the constitution. These were in action and practice for up till 1992. The Bill aimed at following the same pattern as previously followed by Bill of Rights of 1689. Mar bury Versus Madison case 1803: While other events were taking place in the political spectrum of United States of America in that era, the Mar bury versus Madison case gave a new constitutional, legal and judicial outlook to the American developing nation. During this, the court decided and determined that the government’s actions could be checked for and a case of suo motto could be undertaken against them. It was moved in by William Murbury. John Marshal gave a verdict which came about in the form of decision and announcement that the commission had no legal standing to it. Abraham Lincoln- 1809- 1865: Abraham Lincoln goes into the history of United States of America as the president who brought the country to a new level where he fought against the social, political and racial ills that the country was faced with. He died in harness and was assassinated. Out of many achievements that are attributed to Abraham Lincoln, the main aspect is that of declaration of the abolishing of the slave tradition. The American society finally found some solace through this. The Lincoln Tomb in United States in the present day serves as a monument that holds high value in the history of United States and its struggle against its initial days and unrest (Jones 2002,p.22). War of 1812: War of 1812 resulted in the direct confrontation of United States of America and Great Britain. The overall span of existence of this war were around thirty weeks. While the war was important on number of grounds, from military and strategy view point, the war did not auger into anything substantive and productive and by the end of the overall affair no country saw any gains or losses in terms of the grounds or lands lost or gained. The Great Britain despite its large number of allies and partners could not bring a defeat to the Americans which was a strong point from the view point of Americans. Monroe Doctrine 1823: Monroe Doctrine served its importance in the history of United States on the account of its effective foreign policy. It pertained to the European powers influence and interference in the regional neighborhood of Untied States of America. As a result of this the European Powers were restricted from engaging into anything such as interference based activities. It came into existence and action in 1823 and President James Monroe is noted as the center figure towards bringing about such an effective and desirable strategy of foreign policy. American Civil War of 1861-1865: Along with the mention of Abraham Lincoln, one most important and troublesome event was that of American Civil War. It lasted from between 1861 till 1865 and was bloody in its nature. A confederation of United States was formed by the South bloc. This came about in the wake of the appointment of Abraham Lincoln who had recently passed a move to thwart and cancel the slave tradition allowing the black some freedom and space for mutual existence. The overall outcome of this war resulted in the reconstruction era which lasted till the major part of twentieth century. Further, it enabled ending the rotten tradition of slavery from American society on official level. The previously established Confederacy as finally eradicated allowing for a more transparent mutual existence altogether. References: Jones, Howard. Abraham Lincoln and a New Birth of Freedom: The Union and Slavery in the Diplomacy of the Civil War. Univ of Nebraska Press, 2002. Read More