Junior Docent School Program - Milwaukee Art Museum

Tour: American History Through Art and Selection Tour
Background
The United States of America is a very young nation compared to Europe or Asia. Early
history of North America is lost. Many American Indian tribes lived in North America. In
1607, the first permanent English settlement was established at Jamestown, Virginia.
The American History tour explores four time periods and highlights significant people
and events using the Museum‟s collection. The American History and Selection tour
is one and one-half hours in length.
Explorers, Colonies, and the Birth of a Nation (1492 – 1815)
Kingdoms in Europe wanted to expand and sent explorers in search of new land, trade,
and treasures. The North American continent was founded by explorers seeking a new
route to the Orient. The English were the first to attempt permanent colonies. In the
1600s, Europeans were living along the Atlantic coast, and soon this area would
become the United States.
Disagreements with the British government and the colonies in America grew serious in
the 1760s. The colonies wanted their independence that led to the Revolutionary War in
1775.
The new nation then formed a lasting federal government and drafted a constitution in
1787. Expansion soon followed.
1492 Christopher Columbus discovers the Americas
1565 The Spanish establish a settlement in St. Augustine, Florida
1607 Jamestown, Virginia is founded by the English
1609 Henry Hudson sails up the Hudson River for the Dutch East India Company
1619 The first blacks arrive in America as slaves
1620 The Pilgrims – seeking religious freedom – arrive at Plymouth, Massachusetts
1628-30 The Puritans – seeking religious freedom – establish the Massachusetts Bay Colony
1636 Harvard College is founded
1673 Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet travel the St. Lawrence River, through the
Great Lakes, and down the Mississippi
1754-63 The French and Indian War – a war over territory claimed by Britain and France
1773 The Boston Tea Party
1775-83 The American Revolution
1776 The Declaration of Independence is signed in Philadelphia
1787 The Northwest Territory is created and eventually will be divided into the states of Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin
1788 The Constitution of the United States becomes law
1789 George Washington is elected the first President of the U.S.
1791 The Bill of Rights is made law and becomes the first ten amendments to the Constitution
The Bank of the U.S. first chartered to run until 1811
1793 Eli Whitney invents the cotton gin
1801 John Marshall becomes Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
1803 President Thomas Jefferson buys the Louisiana Territory from France, doubling the size
of the nation
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JDSP – Docent Packet
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