History of the United States (1700 – 2025)
Colonial Era (1700–1775)
By 1700, thirteen British colonies stretched along North America’s Atlantic coast. A mercantile economy, the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and conflicts with Native peoples shaped colonial life. The First Great Awakening (1730s-40s) fostered a shared “American” identity, while Britain’s victory over France in the French and Indian War (1754-63) saddled London with debt. To pay for defense, Parliament imposed new taxes, provoking colonial cries of “no taxation without representation.” Events such as the Boston Massacre (1770) and Boston Tea Party (1773) pushed the colonies and crown toward open conflict.

The American Revolution (1775–1783)
Fighting erupted at Lexington and Concord in April 1775. The Second Continental Congress appointed George Washington commander of the Continental Army, and on 4 July 1776 it adopted the Declaration of Independence. Key victories at Saratoga (1777) brought France into the war on the American side; Yorktown (1781) forced Britain’s surrender, and the Treaty of Paris (1783) recognized U.S. independence and generous western borders to the Mississippi River.

The New Nation & Early Republic (1783–1800)
The weak Articles of Confederation gave way to the U.S. Constitution (drafted 1787, ratified 1788), creating a stronger federal structure with checks & balances. George Washington became the first president; the Bill of Rights was added in 1791. Rival political visions emerged between Federalists (Hamilton) and Democratic-Republicans (Jefferson), while the Supreme Court established judicial review in Marbury v. Madison (1803).

Expansion & Antebellum America (1800–1860)
The Louisiana Purchase (1803) doubled U.S. territory; the War of 1812 spurred nationalism; and “Manifest Destiny” drove settlers west. But each new territory reignited the slavery debate. Compromises (1820, 1850) and the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) failed to quench sectional tensions, further inflamed by the Dred Scott decision (1857) and John Brown’s raid (1859). Lincoln’s election in 1860 triggered Southern secession.

Civil War & Reconstruction (1861–1877)
The Civil War (1861-65) cost 600 000+ lives but preserved the Union and ended slavery (Emancipation Proclamation 1863; 13th Amendment 1865). The 14th and 15th Amendments granted citizenship and voting rights to Black Americans, yet Reconstruction’s end in 1877 and Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) ushered in Jim Crow segregation.

The Gilded Age & Industrialization (1877–1900)
Railroads, steel, oil, and electricity transformed the economy and made the U.S. a world industrial leader. Immigration soared, cities mushroomed, and labor unrest (Haymarket 1886, Pullman 1894) highlighted inequality. The 1898 Spanish-American War signaled America’s arrival as an imperial power, securing Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.

The Progressive Era & World War I (1900–1918)
Progressive reformers curbed monopolies, improved working conditions, expanded democracy (16th–19th Amendments), and launched conservation policies. The U.S. entered World War I in 1917, tipping the Allied victory but rejected the League of Nations, retreating to isolationism in the 1920s.

Roaring Twenties & Great Depression (1919–1939)
An exuberant consumer culture and mass media boom hid structural weaknesses; the 1929 crash triggered the Great Depression. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal (1933-39) used federal power for relief, recovery, and reform—creating Social Security, jobs programs, and financial regulation.

World War II (1939–1945)
After Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor (1941), the U.S. mobilized for global war, defeating the Axis in Europe (D-Day 1944) and the Pacific (atomic bombs on Hiroshima & Nagasaki 1945). Post-war, America helped found the United Nations and soon faced the Soviet Union in the Cold War.

The Cold War Era (1945–1991)
Containment, proxy wars (Korea, Vietnam), arms-race tensions, and domestic Red Scares defined the period. Meanwhile, the Civil Rights Movement won landmark legislation (1964 Civil Rights & 1965 Voting Rights Acts). The moon landing (1969) crowned U.S. technological prowess. Detente, Watergate, stagflation, and Reagan-era conservatism followed; the Cold War ended with the USSR’s collapse in 1991.

Post-Cold War & 1990s (1991–2000)
The U.S. led the 1991 Gulf War, oversaw a tech-driven economic boom, and confronted globalization (NAFTA). Domestic politics mixed prosperity with sharp partisanship (Clinton impeachment). NATO interventions in the Balkans signaled continued global engagement.

The 21st Century (2001–2025)
The 9/11 attacks launched the War on Terror (Afghanistan 2001-2021, Iraq 2003-2011). The 2008 financial crisis spurred the Great Recession; Barack Obama became the first Black president. Social milestones included the legalization of same-sex marriage (2015) and the largest racial-justice protests since the 1960s (2020). The COVID-19 pandemic (2020-22) tested public health and the economy, while political polarization deepened (Capitol attack 2021). As of 2025, America remains a leading democracy facing challenges in climate change, tech disruption, and great-power rivalry.

Timeline of Major Milestones (1700–2025)
Year / Span	Major Milestones
1754-1763	French & Indian War; Britain gains Canada but incurs heavy debts.
1775-1783	American Revolution; Declaration of Independence (1776); Treaty of Paris (1783).
1787-1789	U.S. Constitution drafted & ratified; Washington inaugurated; Bill of Rights (1791).
1803	Louisiana Purchase doubles U.S. territory; Marbury v. Madison establishes judicial review.
1861-1865	Civil War; Union preserved; slavery abolished (13th Amendment 1865).
1865-1877	Reconstruction; 14th (citizenship) & 15th (Black male suffrage) Amendments.
1898	Spanish-American War; U.S. gains overseas territories.
1917-1918	U.S. enters WW I; Allied victory; League of Nations rejected by Senate.
1929-1933	Great Depression begins; New Deal launched (1933).
1941-1945	U.S. in WWII; Axis defeated; United Nations founded.
1954-1965	Civil Rights breakthroughs (Brown, Civil & Voting Rights Acts).
1969	Apollo 11 Moon landing.
1974	Nixon resigns (Watergate).
1989-1991	Berlin Wall falls (1989); USSR dissolves (1991) – Cold War ends.
2001	September 11 terrorist attacks.
2008	Great Recession; Barack Obama elected.
2015	Supreme Court legalizes same-sex marriage.
2020-2022	COVID-19 pandemic; mass racial-justice protests; record stimulus.
2021	January 6 Capitol attack; U.S. ends war in Afghanistan.
2025	U.S. faces climate, tech, and great-power challenges while continuing democratic institutions.