United States · 1607–1991
US history timeline: 26 key dates
American history in 26 dates: the first permanent English colony at Jamestown in 1607, independence declared in 1776 and recognized in 1783, the Constitution of 1787, the Civil War (1861–1865) and the end of slavery, women's suffrage in 1920, the Depression and the Second World War, the civil rights laws of the 1950s and 1960s, the Moon in 1969 and the end of the Cold War in 1991.
May 1607
Jamestown is founded
About 104 English men and boys found England's first permanent colony in North America.
VirginiaNovember 1620
The Mayflower Compact
Passengers on the Mayflower sign an agreement to govern themselves before settling at Plymouth.
Off Cape Cod1763
The French and Indian War ends
The Treaty of Paris gives Britain France's lands east of the Mississippi.
Paris22 March 1765
The Stamp Act
Parliament taxes printed paper in the colonies, uniting them in protest; it is repealed the next year.
London16 December 1773
The Boston Tea Party
Colonists disguised as Native Americans dump East India Company tea into Boston Harbor.
Boston19 April 1775
Lexington and Concord
Militia and British regulars fight the first battles of the Revolution.
Massachusetts4 July 1776
The Declaration of Independence
The Continental Congress adopts the Declaration in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia3 September 1783
The Treaty of Paris
Britain formally recognizes the United States as an independent nation.
Paris17 September 1787
The Constitution is signed
Delegates sign the Constitution in Philadelphia; it takes effect once nine states ratify it in 1788.
Philadelphia30 April 1789
Washington takes office
George Washington is sworn in as the first president at Federal Hall in New York.
New York1803
The Louisiana Purchase
The United States buys about 828,000 square miles from France for $15 million.
Paris1820
The Missouri Compromise
Missouri enters as a slave state, and slavery is barred north of 36°30′ in the rest of the Louisiana Territory.
Washington, D.C.2 February 1848
The Mexican–American War ends
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo hands about half of Mexico's territory, including California, to the United States.
Mexico12 April 1861
The Civil War begins
Confederate guns open fire on the federal garrison at Fort Sumter.
Charleston, South Carolina1 January 1863
The Emancipation Proclamation
Lincoln declares enslaved people in the rebelling states free.
Washington, D.C.14 April 1865
Lincoln is shot
John Wilkes Booth shoots the president at Ford's Theatre, five days after Lee's surrender; Lincoln dies the next morning.
Washington, D.C.6 December 1865
The 13th Amendment
Ratification abolishes slavery throughout the United States.
United States10 May 1869
The transcontinental railroad
The last spike joins the Union Pacific and Central Pacific lines.
Promontory, Utah18 August 1920
Women win the vote
The 19th Amendment is ratified, guaranteeing women the right to vote.
United States29 October 1929
Black Tuesday
The stock market crashes, opening the way to the Great Depression.
New York4 March 1933
Roosevelt takes office
Franklin D. Roosevelt is inaugurated and launches the New Deal.
Washington, D.C.7 December 1941
Pearl Harbor
Japan's attack brings the United States into the Second World War.
Hawaii17 May 1954
Brown v. Board of Education
The Supreme Court rules unanimously that segregated public schools are unconstitutional.
Washington, D.C.2 July 1964
The Civil Rights Act
President Johnson signs a law banning discrimination in public places and employment.
Washington, D.C.20 July 1969
Apollo 11 lands on the Moon
Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to walk on the Moon.
The Moon25 December 1991
The Soviet Union dissolves
The Soviet flag comes down over the Kremlin, ending the Cold War.
MoscowColonial dates are given as in the cited sources; the English calendar of the time ran ten days behind ours.
For the stories behind the dates, read why the American colonies revolted, what caused the Civil War and what Rosa Parks actually did, or test yourself with 20 American history trivia questions.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most important dates in US history?
Most lists start with the Declaration of Independence (4 July 1776), the Constitution (signed 17 September 1787), the start of the Civil War (12 April 1861), the Emancipation Proclamation (1 January 1863) and the 13th Amendment (1865), and go on to women's suffrage (1920), Pearl Harbor (1941) and the Civil Rights Act (1964).
When did the United States become independent?
It declared independence on 4 July 1776. Britain formally recognized it in the Treaty of Paris, signed on 3 September 1783.
When did slavery end in the United States?
With the 13th Amendment, ratified on 6 December 1865. The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 had freed enslaved people only in the states then in rebellion.
Sources & further reading
Every fact and date on this page was checked against the sources below on October 13, 2026. Each link was opened and is live:
- National Park Service — A short history of Jamestown
- MayflowerHistory.com — The Mayflower Compact
- U.S. Office of the Historian — The French and Indian War
- Lilly Library, Indiana University — The Stamp Act
- U.S. Office of the Historian — Parliamentary taxation of the colonies
- National Park Service — April 19, 1775
- U.S. National Archives — Declaration of Independence
- U.S. National Archives — Treaty of Paris
- U.S. National Archives — Constitution of the United States
- National Park Service — Washington's inauguration at Federal Hall
- U.S. National Archives — Louisiana Purchase Treaty
- U.S. National Archives — Missouri Compromise
- U.S. National Archives — Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
- National Park Service — Fort Sumter
- U.S. National Archives — Emancipation Proclamation
- U.S. National Archives — 13th Amendment
- U.S. National Archives — Pacific Railway Act
- U.S. National Archives — 19th Amendment
- History.com — Stock market crashes
- History.com — FDR inaugurated
- U.S. National Archives — Brown v. Board of Education
- U.S. National Archives — Civil Rights Act
- NASA — July 20, 1969: one giant leap for mankind
- U.S. Office of the Historian — The collapse of the Soviet Union
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