Colonialism timeline
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Christopher Columbus Arrives at, and Names, Island of Hispaniola
The recorded history of Haiti began on December 5, 1492 when the European navigator Christopher Columbus happened upon a large island in the region... Read more
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Founding of Santo Domingo, First European Settlement in Western Hemisphere
Before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492, the Taíno people populated the island they called Quisqueya (mother of all lands) and Ayiti... Read more
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Signing of the Treaty of Ryswick
The Treaty of Ryswick or Ryswyck was signed on 20 September 1697 and named after Ryswick (now known as Rijswijk) in the Dutch Republic. The treaty... Read more
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Haitian Revolution Begins with Uprising by Slaves of Saint-Domingue
Guillaume Raynal attacked slavery in the 1780 edition of his history of European colonization. He also predicted a general slave revolt in the... Read more
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L'ouverture Promulgates the Haitian Constitution of 1801
The great hero of the Haitian Revolution and a man considered one of the great revolutionaries and generals in his own time throughout America and... Read more
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After Initially Fighting with France Against the Rebellion, Dessalines and Pétion Switch Sides and Fight for Haiti's Freedom
For a few months the island was quiet under Napoleonic rule. But when it became apparent that the French intended to re-establish slavery (because... Read more
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Assassination of Jean Jacques Dessalines
In January 1804, Dessalines, preferring Napoleon’s style rather than the more liberal yet vulnerable type of political government of the French... Read more
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Jean-Pierre Boyer Invades Dominican Republic and Succeeds in Uniting Island of Hispaniola
After promising protection to several Dominican frontier governors and securing their allegiance, Boyer invaded the Dominican Republic with a force... Read more
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Jean-Pierre Boyer Agrees to Payment of Crippling Financial Indemnities to France in Exchange for Haiti's Recognition as an Independent Country
Boyer was anxious to remove the threat of France and opened negotiations. An agreement was reached on July 11, 1825, when (with fourteen French... Read more
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Treaty of Paris is Signed, Ending the Spanish-American War
American and Spanish delegates met in Paris on October 1, 1898 to produce a treaty that would bring an end to the war after six months of... Read more
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Philippine-American War
The Philippine–American War, sometimes known as the Philippine War of Independence (1899–1902) was an armed military conflict between the... Read more
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Gandhi Suspends South African Struggle After Winning Passage of the Indian Relief Act
The treatment of Indians had reached pathetic limits. The prisons were too small to house the resisters. Mr Hult, a mine manager had flogged 300... Read more
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Gandhi Goes to Champaran to Investigate Conditions of Local Farmers
Bhumihar Brahmins in Champaran had earlier revolted against the conditions of indigo cultivation in 1914 (at Pipra) and 1916 (Turkaulia). Then... Read more
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British Government Passes the Rowlatt Act in Colonial India, Indefinitely Extending the Use of 'Emergency Measures'
The Rowlatt Act was a law passed by the British in colonial India in March 1919, indefinitely extending "emergency measures" (of the Defence of... Read more
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Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (Hindi: जलियांवाला बाग़ हत्याकांड جلیانوالہ باغ Jallianwala Bāġa Hatyākāṇḍ), alternatively known as the Amritsar... Read more
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Gandhi is Given Exclusive Authority Over the Indian National Congress
In December 1921, Gandhi was invested with executive authority on behalf of the Indian National Congress. Under his leadership, the Congress was... Read more
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Nationalist Mob Sets Fire to a Police Station in Chauri Chaura Incident, Prompting Mahatma Gandhi to Call Off the Non-Cooperation Movement
On February 4, 1922, around 2,000 protesters gathered for picketing of the liquor shop at the local market in Chauri Chaura. Sensing the trouble,... Read more
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Gandhi is Arrested by the British Government on Charges of Inciting Violence at Chauri Chaura
The Government seized the opportunity for which it was waiting. On the evening of March 10, 1922, Gandhi was arrested in his ashram. The trial was... Read more
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Gandhi is Released from Prison After Serving Only Two Years of a Six-Year Sentence Following Surgery for Appendicitis
In February, after he had served only two years in jail, Gandhi, after an operation for appendicitis, was released. He did not, as his faithful... Read more
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Gandhi Begins Twenty-One Day Fast in an Attempt to Reconcile Hindus and Muslims
In September 1924, Gandhi went on a twenty-one day fast to "purify" himself and " to recover the power to react on the people." The fast had a... Read more
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Gandhi Founds the All-India Spinners' Association
During the next three years, while national politics were dominated by communal issues and controversies in legislatures, Gandhi retired from the... Read more
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Indian National Congress Raises the Tricolor Flag of India
In December 1928, Congress held in Calcutta, Mohandas Gandhi proposed a resolution that called for the British to grant dominion status to India... Read more
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Declaration of the Independence of India
The Declaration of the Independence of India was promulgated by the Indian National Congress on January 26, 1930, resolving the Congress and Indian... Read more
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Mahatma Gandhi Embarks on the Salt Satyagraha
The Salt Satyagraha was a campaign of nonviolent protest against the British salt tax in colonial India which began with the Salt March to Dandi on... Read more
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Mahatma Gandhi Arrives at Dandi, Gujarat, Concluding the Salt March
On March 12, 1930, Gandhi and 78 male satyagrahis set out on foot for the coastal village of Dandi, Gujarat, 390 kilometres (240 mi) from their... Read more