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Jefferson Elected as President
February 17, 1801: Thomas Jefferson and Arron Burr tied in the presidential election with 73 votes each. After the tie the president and vice president was then decided by the House of Representatives where each state was able to vote in the election. -
Louisiana Purchase
April 30, 1803: The United States purchased 828,000 miles of North American Territory west of the Mississippi River from France for roughly $15 million. Soon after this was when Louis and Clark led a group of 4 dozen men to explore the newly purchased land. -
Hamilton Killed
July 11, 1804: Burr-Hamilton Duel: The rifle duel started due to their long time political rivalry. However the duel was set off due to some remarks Hamilton had made about Burr over a dinner. The duel took place on the 11th of July but Hamilton died the day after. -
Louise and Clarke Expedition Begins
May 14, 1804-October 16, 1805: Capt. Meriwether Lewis and Lieut. William Clark led the military expedition of about 4 dozen men to explore the territory of the Louisiana Purchase. They started their trip in St. Louis Missouri and ended the trip in Fort Clatsop and near the Pacific Ocean before turning around and heading back to Missouri -
Thomas Jefferson Re-elected
February 14, 1805: Thomas Jefferson and George Clinton won the election with Jefferson receiving 162 electoral votes when his opponent Charles C. Pickenny only received 14 electoral votes. -
Importation of Slaves is Banned
March 2 1807: An act titled “The Slave Trade Act of 1807” was developed to prohibit the importation of African Slaves into any area of the United States from any foreign country, land, or kingdom. Even though the act was created in 1807 it was not taken into effect until Janury 1, 1808 -
Fulton's Steam Boat Invented
August 17, 1807: Robert Fulton (Pictured) and Robert R. Livingston built the first working steamboat in the US. It was built in Pittsburg Pennsylvania. -
War of 1812
June 18, 1812 - February 18 1815: This war started with the U.S. making a 3-pronged attack on Canada and failing on all 3 fronts. The U.S. the decided to launch smaller attacks on Royal Naval ships due to Europes decision to limit trade with the U.S. -
War Ends With Treaty of Ghent
February 17 1815: The Treaty of Ghent was ratified by the U.S. Senate which led to the war being over the next day. However, some smaller battles that had started during this war continued due to the remote locations of these battles and no way to deliver the information of the war ending. -
Santa Fe Trail Opens
September 1, 1821: The Santa Fe Trail was open as a major commercial route, the trail stretched from Franklin Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico. This new trail was led by William Becknell and his party. -
Monroe Doctrine
December 2, 1823: The Monroe Doctrine was written by President James Monroe and it outlines the United States foreign policy with their land and the Western Hemisphere. This Doctrine was a part of Monroe’s seventh address to congress. -
David Walker Publishes An Appeal to the Colored People of America
September 28, 1829: David Walker published An Appeal to the Colored People of America and several other essays that talked about abolishing slavery, and the problems with racism. David Walker was an African American activist and was a key player in the anti-slavery movement. -
Indian Removal Bill/ Removal Act
May 28, 1830: President Andrew Jackson passed the Indian Removal Bill (also called the Indian Removal Act) which allowed the president to negotiate with Native American Tribes in order to exchange their land in the east for land in the west near the Mississippi River. Some tribes relocated without a problem, however many others had to be forcibly removed from their land and then relocated from there. -
McCormick's Reaper Invented
1831: In Rockbridge County, Virginia, Cyrus McCormick invents a reaper that resembles a horse drawn carriage with a vibrating blade, a mechanism to bring in the cut grain, and a way to catch and collect this grain. It took over 10 years for the Reaper to become popular, but this invention changed the way of harvesting for years to come. -
Trail of Tears
1831-1850: Native American groups, specifically the Cherokee, were removed from their sacred ancestral land and forced to move to designated territory in current-day Oklahoma. Over 13,000 died from this deadly journey. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
August 21st - August 23rd, 1831: Nat Turner, an enslaved preacher leads a revolt toward white slaveholders in Southampton County, Virginia, and he and this group of people kill about 55 white slaveholders. In response to this revolt, many slaves were killed immediately by white leaders, and many others captured, tried, and some executed, including Nat Turner. -
Texas Revolution
Oct 2, 1835 – Apr 21, 1836: The Texas Revolution starts because Mexico rejects Texas’s request for statehood. Sam Houston led The Siege of Bexar and the Battle of San Jacinto, and eventually won Texas Independence. -
Labor Unions Rise
1837: Because of the financial crisis known as “The Panic of 1837”, labor unions became popular in Boston, Philadelphia, and New York as a way to fight for better working conditions, hours, and higher wages. There was a lot of legal opposition and other challenges that these unions faced, but these unions paved the way for many more to come to this day. -
Child Labor Laws
1842: Massachusetts enforces labor laws that say children under 12 cannot work more than 10 hours a day. They also restrict women and children from working underground. Other states follow, but are not as strict about this policy. -
Mexican American War
Apr 25, 1846 – Feb 2, 1848: U.S. calls for war on Mexico with want for more land, inspired by the Texas Revolution. It ends with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, and the U.S. acquires New Mexico, Arizona, California, and more. -
German Immigrants Come to the U.S.
1848: Due to failed German Revolutions, along with poor economical and agricultural circumstances, many Germans immigrated to the United States. Lots chose to settle in the Midwest in order to have a more peaceful life. By WWI, 6 million Germans had immigrated to the United States. -
Seneca Falls Convention
July 19th-20th, 1848: 300 people gathered to discuss women’s rights including voting rights. They drafted the Declaration of Sentiments (mostly drafted by Elizabeth Cady Stanton) that stated Women’s demands for their role as equal citizens in society, and continued to hold these conventions, fighting for change. -
Compromise of 1850
September 1850: A series of bills to address slavery, the most notable, admitted California as a free state, along with establishing boundaries between a few states, restricted the slave trade in D.C., and amended the fugitive slaves act. This compromise caused lots of tension and was a big reason for the start of the Civil War. -
Bleeding Kansas
1854-1859: Because of the Kansas- Nebraska Act in 1854, these states were allowed to decide the status of slavery. This led to violent confrontations in Kansas between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces and contributed to the start of the Civil War. -
Dred Scott Decision
March 6,1857: Dred Scott, an enslaved man, sued for freedom because he lived in a free state. The Supreme Court ruled that Slaves were not citizens of the United States, that a slave's residency in a free state does not mean freedom, and that congress does not have power to regulate slavery in a federal territory. -
Abraham Lincoln Elected
November 6th, 1860: Abraham Lincoln is elected as the first Republican President, with an Anti-Slavery platform. Because of his election, South Carolina Secedes from the union, and 10 other states follow, leading to the Civil War. -
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