Random Maps That Tell Entire History Of United States (25 items)

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  (#6) The Transatlantic Slave Trade

  European countries tapped into resources throughout the Americas, notably establishing sugar plantations throughout the Caribbean and South America. With massive numbers of indigenous people wiped out by disease and conflict, the colonial powers began to bring in slaves from Africa to work the land.

  While slavery was a long-established institution in Africa, Europeans redefined the scope of the practice. First the Portuguese, then the Spanish, and later the Dutch, English, and French, sent a total of 10 to 12 million enslaved Africans to the Americas between the 16th and 19th centuries. The trip, known as the Middle Passage, was so brutal that roughly 2 million Africans perished in transit.

  Europeans established the so-called triangle trade, in which slaves from Africa were sent to New World plantations where they produced raw materials, which were transported to Europe to produce manufactured goods, which were then taken to Africa and exchanged for slaves. In the process, the economic and demographic dynamics of the African continent were forever altered. In North America, a relatively small number of slaves - estimated at about 388,000 -  were used to work on cotton and tobacco plantations. 
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  (#16) States That Seceded From The Union

  Lincoln's election triggered a mass exodus from the Union. When Lincoln gave his inaugural address in March 1861, he encouraged peace, speaking directly to the seven states that had already seceded from the United States. Lincoln stated, "We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection," hoping to avoid armed conflict.

  The previous month, a group of representatives from the former states - South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas - met to establish the Confederate States of America. They chose Jefferson Davis as their president, established a constitution, and formed a military. By May, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas had joined the Confederacy, as well. 
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  (#7) The French And Indian War

  Also known as the Seven Years' War, the French and Indian War again pitted Britain and France against each other. The closest thing to a global conflict the world had ever seen at that point, the war took place between 1756 to 1763. Britain and France brought in allies from both sides of the Atlantic, including indigenous groups in North America. 

  At the heart of the conflict in colonial North America was the Ohio River Valley. When French traders began to go further into lands Britain claimed as its own, it set off hostilities on both sides. The French and British alike targeted each other, as well as Native American trading partners and allies, with France making territorial gains during the first years of the conflict. By 1760, Britain's military and economic resources proved superior.

  Ultimately, France suffered defeat, ceding Canada and lands east of the Mississippi River to the British (absent New Orleans and its immediate surroundings, which went to Spain) in the Treaty of Paris of 1763. Spain, who had fought with the French, ceded Florida to Britain.

  The end result left Britain generally unopposed as a colonial presence, but the entire conflict sapped British finances. In response, Britain implemented a series of taxes on its colonies to try to pay off its debts, while generally tightening its grip on the colonies militarily - something that required still more money.
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  (#8) The American Revolution

  A conflict long in the making - brought on by what colonists saw as oppressive taxation, unfair trade regulations, and repressive legal oversight - the American Revolution officially began in 1775.

  While a series of rebellious acts, namely the Boston Tea Party, preceded formal denunciations of "taxation without representation" by the First Continental Congress in 1774, the colonies weren't ready to push for formal independence. It wasn't until June 1776 that the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, officially expressing their end goal. 

  The American Revolution spanned the 13 colonies, culminating with the surrender of the British at Yorktown in October 1781. Two years later, both sides signed the Treaty of Paris, bringing the conflict to an end.  
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  (#12) The Trail Of Tears

  An increasing population, the acquisition of new land, the fear of conflict, and a sense of superiority prompted the United States government to remove indigenous groups from their territory in the east, shifting them west of the Mississippi River. Members of the Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Seminole nations, among others, were forcibly and systematically driven or removed from their lands throughout the early 19th century. This was exacerbated by President Andrew Jackson signing the Indian Removal Act of 1830.

  By the late 1830s, the last groups of defiant Native Americans were collected by federal troops. Out of the 15,000 members of the Creek Nation who were forced to travel the so-called Trail of Tears in 1836, only 3,500 survived the journey to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma).

  In 1838, President Martin Van Buren sent 7,000 troops to march members of the Cherokee nation 1,200 miles. Plagued by disease, starvation, and abhorrent conditions, over 5,000 individuals perished en route. Collectively, tens of thousands of Native Americans were removed from their lands. 
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  (#1) Distribution Of Pre-Columbian Native People And Languages

  When European explorers landed in the Western Hemisphere, there were a plethora of groups inhabiting the region. Each tribe or clan had a distinct language and culture, often interacting with one another through trade and conflict alike. The extent to which Native American groups shared linguistic origins remains unclear, but interaction over time undoubtedly took place. At one time, there were roughly 400 individual tribal languages spoken in North America.

  Hunters, artisans, farmers, and city-dwellers lived in complex societies from coast to coast. The Aztecs, for example, held dominance over much of modern Mexico, while the Iroquois Confederacy, an intertribal alliance among indigenous tribes, was in place as early as the 12th century and included peoples throughout the northeastern part of the continent.

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