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Declaration of Independence
Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia -
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Battle of Saratoga
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Battle of Valley Forge
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Battle of Yorktown
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Treaty of Paris
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Constitutional Convention to draft the Constitution
Constitutional Convention, made up of delegates from 12 of the original 13 colonies, meets in Philadelphia to draft theU.S. Constitution(May-Sept.). -
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George Washington Presidency
George Washington is unanimously elected president of the United States in a vote by state electors (Feb. 4). U.S. Constitution goes into effect, having been ratified by nine states (March 4). U.S. Congress meets for the first time at Federal Hall in New York City (March 4). Washington is inaugurated as president at Federal Hall in New York City (April 30). -
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John Adams Presidency
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Thomas Jefferson Presidency
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Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase: the United States agrees to pay France $15 million for the Louisiana Territory, which extends west from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and comprises about 830,000 sq mi (treaty signed May 2). As a result, the U.S. nearly doubles in size. -
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark set out from St. Louis, Mo., on an expedition to explore the West and find a route to the Pacific Ocean. (May 14). -
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James Madison Presidency
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War of 1812
War of 1812: U.S. declares war on Britain over British interference with American maritime shipping and westward expansion (June 18, 1812). Madison's second inauguration (March 4, 1813). British capture Washington, DC, and set fire to White House and Capitol (Aug. 1814). Francis Scott Key writes Star-Spangled Banner as he watches British attack on Fort McHenry at Baltimore (Sept. 13–14, 1814). Treaty of Ghent is signed, officially ending the war (Dec. 24, 1814). -
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James Monroe Presidency
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United States get Florida
Spain agrees to cede Florida to the United States (Feb. 22). McCulloch v. Maryland: Landmark Supreme Court decision upholds the right of Congress to establish a national bank, a power implied but not specifically enumerated by the Constitution. -
Missouri Compromise
Missouri Compromise: In an effort to maintain the balance between free and slave states, Maine (formerly part of Massachusetts) is admitted as a free state so that Missouri can be admitted as a slave state; except for Missouri, slavery is prohibited in the Louisiana Purchase lands north of latitude 36°30' (March 3). -
Monroe Doctrine
Monroe Doctrine: In his annual address to Congress, President Monroe declares that the American continents are henceforth off-limits for further colonization by European powers (Dec. 2). -
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John Quincy Adams Presidency
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Andrew Jackson Presidency
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Indian Removal Act
President Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act, which authorizes the forced removal of Native Americans living in the eastern part of the country to lands west of the Mississippi River (May 28). By the late 1830s, the Jackson administration has relocated nearly 50,000 Native Americans. -
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Martin Van Buren Presidency
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Trail of Tears
More than 15,000 Cherokee Indians are forced to march from Georgia to the Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma. Approximately 4,000 die from starvation and disease along the “Trail of Tears.” -
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William Henry Harrison Presidency
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US gets Texas
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James Polk Presidency
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Mexican War
Mexican War: the U.S. declares war on Mexico in an effort to gain California and other territories in Southwest (May 13, 1846). War concludes with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (Feb. 2, 1848). Mexico recognizes the Rio Grande as a new boundary with Texas and, for $15 million, agrees to cede territory comprising present-day California, Nevada, Utah, most of New Mexico and Arizona, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming. -
Start of Gold Rush
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First Woman Rights Convention
Held at Seneca Falls, NY -
Harriet Tubman escapes slavery
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Zachary Taylor Presidency
He died and was succeeded by his VP, Millard Filmore -
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Franklin Pierce Presidency
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Kansas Nebraska Act
Congress passes the Kansas-Nebraska Act, establishing the territories of Kansas and Nebraska (May 30). The legislation repeals the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and renews tensions between anti- and proslavery factions. -
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James Buchanan Presidency
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Abraham Lincoln Presidency
Was assassinated, and succeeded by his VP, Andrew Johnson -
North and South split
Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana secede (Jan.). The Confederate States of America is established (Feb. 8). Jefferson Davis is elected president of the Confederacy (Feb. 9). Texas secedes (March 2). -
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Civil War
Civil War: Conflict between the North (the Union) and the South (the Confederacy) over the expansion of slavery into western states. Confederates attack Ft. Sumter in Charleston, S.C., marking the start of the war. (Stuff happened) . Grant captures Richmond, Va., the capital of the Confederacy. Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrenders to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Va.. -
Homestead Act
Homestead Act becomes law, allowing settlers to claim land (160 acres) after they have lived on it for five years (Jan. 1).