APUSH REVIEW: CONTINUITY AND CHANGE IN AMERICAN HISTORY TIMELINES
Directions: To this point much of your study of American history has been chronological. Many AP questions require you to make
generalizations, note trends, and trace continuity and change over time. For this reason, creating timelines is a useful review strategy.
The key, of course, is not merely identifying an event to match the date, but to state its significance and its relationship to the theme
and to what came before and what follows. To make effective use of timelines, you must complete several tasks. First, identify the
event and its significance for each date on the timeline. Second, try to state at least one generalization or trend over time for each
mini-timeline. Finally, try to state a connection between events on one timeline and the timeline below it. This is important because it
helps you to start drawing connections between areas of American life. Here, the more, the better applies. Work cooperatively! It
eases the burden and makes greater insights possible.
GROUP 1
Colonial History Mini-Timeline
TREND OVER TIME:
1607
Jamestown founded
1619
Virginia House of Burgesses
1620
First African Americans in Virginia or Mayflower Compact
1636
Harvard founded
1647
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
1649
Massachusetts Education Law
1676
Bacon’s Rebellion
1735
Zenger Trial
1754
Beginning of the French and Indian War
1763
Treaty of Paris
American Revolution Mini-Timeline
TREND OVER TIME:
1763
Treaty of Paris
1765
Stamp Act
1767
Townshend Acts
1770
Boston Massacre
1773
Boston Tea Party
1775
Lexington and Concord
1776
Declaration of Independence
1777
Battle of Saratoga
1778
Alliance with France
1781
Surrender at Yorktown
1783
Treaty of Paris
Confederation to Constitution Mini-Timeline
Trend Over Time:
1781
Articles of Confederation put into effect
1783
Treaty of Paris
1786
Shays’ Rebellion
Connection between Colonial
History and American
Revolution:
Connection between American
Revolution and Confederation
to Constitution:
1787
Northwest Ordinance and Constitutional Convention
1789
Constitution into effect
1790
Rhode Island, the last of the original 13 states, ratified the constitution
1791
Bill of Rights ratified
National Period Mini-Timeline
Trend Over Time:
1789
Constitution into effect
1793
Proclamation of Neutrality
1797
Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions
1803
Louisiana Purchase and Marbury v. Madison
1807
Embargo Act
1812
War of 1812
1814
Treaty of Ghent
1820
Missouri Compromise
1823
Monroe Doctrine
1828
Tariff of Abominations
1832
Bank War and re-election of Andrew Jackson
Connection between
Confederation to Constitution
and the National Period:
GROUP 2
Sectionalism, Civil War, and Reconstruction Mini-Timeline
Trend Over Time:
1820
Missouri Compromise
1832
Tariff of 1832 and Nullification Crisis
1833
Tariff Compromise of 1833
1846
Wilmot Proviso
1849
California applies for statehood
1850
Compromise of 1850
1852
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
1854
Ostend Manifesto and Kansas-Nebraska Act
1857
Dred Scott decision
1858
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
1859
John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry
1860
Election of Lincoln
1861
Session of the South and Fort Sumter
1863
Emancipation Proclamation
1865
Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court house and assassination of Lincoln
1867
Impeachment of President Johnson
1877
Compromise of 1877