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Thomas Jefferson elected
First Democratic-Republican President. The Revolution of 1800 (change in power) Jeffersonian Democracy let the people get smart and let them provide for themselves. Government only steps in when absolutely needed. -
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was a land deal between the United States and France where the U.S. bought about 827,000 square miles of land. The U.S. only wanted New Orleans because of the Mississippi River, but France went ahead and sold all of Louisiana for an extra $100,000. Monroe buys it without approval of anyone. (The Corps of Discovery) -
War of 1812
British are in Canada. America invades Canada and fail. British invade us and take D.C. and burn the White House. War drags on until 1814 and both sides agree to peace. The greatest impact was that U.S. is legitimized. -
McCulloch V. Maryland
The government of Maryland taxes people who borrow loans of the National Bank. McCulloch sues the state of Maryland. Lower class gets mad at the bank for not giving them loans because they are not wealthy. They get the state to tax the National Bank to death. Supreme Court chooses the National Bank showing that the federal government is the boss over the state government. -
Missouri Compromise
The compromise so the states are balanced of free and slave. Missouri becomes a slave state and Maine separates form Massachusetts and becomes a free state maintaining the balance. -
Andrew Jackson elected
Jacksonian democracy focused on protecting the powers of the people, but through a strong federal government. His issues included the "Tariff of Abominations" and the second National Bank Crisis. -
The Liberator begins publication
"The Liberator" was William Lloyd Garrison. He was a newspaper article writing about how America needs to get rid of slavery right now. People to not like him because they are trying to ignore slavery so they don't have to mess with it. -
Nullification Crisis
Also known as the "Tariff of Abominations." South Carolina takes on the government because they won's pay a tax that Adams had made. Northerners want to keep the tariff because of factories. Showed that the federal government has more power than the state government. Kept the tariff because of majority ruling. -
Tocqueville publishes "Democracy in America"
Alexis de Tocqueville comes to America to do a story about jails and gets interested and wrote the book. He writes about what America is. Shows what America really is and not what the people want foreigners to see America as. -
Emerson publishes "Self-Reliance"
"Focuses on the benefits of the individual that relies on him- or herself, rather than exclusively upon the opinions of others." -
Dorothea Dix visits her first jail with insane inmates
"The East Cambridge Jail. She had volunteered to teach a Sunday School class for women inmates. She witnessed such horrible images that her life, from that point on, was changed forever. Within the confines of this jail she observed prostitutes, drunks, criminals, retarded individuals, and the mentally ill were all housed together in unheated, unfurnished, and foul-smelling quarters. When asked why the jail was in these conditions her answer was, "the insane do not feel heat or cold" -
Frederick Douglass publishes his autobiography
Douglass is a runaway slave who writes an autobiography that uses real names and is written like a white person. the impact of this is that it lends to authenticity to slavery "stories." Becomes a dominate figure in abolition. -
Seneca Falls Convention
A gathering of women and few men. The goal of the convention was to "call attention to the unfair treatment of women." The wanted to announce that men and women should be treated equally. During the convention, they made the "Declaration of Sentiments" and the purpose of the document was to encourage "women to fight for their constitutionally guaranteed right to equality as U.S. citizens." -
Fugitive Slave Act
The act let Southerners reclaim escaped slaves over the Northern Border. Opens the door for Southerners to take free blacks in the North and make them slaves. Makes runaway slaves run to Michigan and Canada. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin published
Written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Lives along the Ohio River and sees the runaway slaves. Writes serial stories and puts them in a book. The book profiles a fictional group of slaves on a fictional farm in the South. Makes people sympathize with slaves. -
Thoreau publishes "Walden"
"Part personal declaration of independence, social experiment, voyage of spiritual discovery, satire, and manual for self-reliance." Mankind needs to rise above the world to find meaning, but must live in the world. -
Whitman publishes "Leaves of Grass" (1st edition)
"A collection of poems by Walt Whitman, written in free verse (=poetry without regular patterns), which strongly express his love of nature and his respect for freedom. These poems are considered important because they made free verse more acceptable and greatly influenced later US writers." -
Dred Scott decision
Scott is a slave whose owner moved to a free state but he is still a slave. He goes to court which goes to the Supreme Court. Supreme Court rules that slaves are not allowed to sue because he is black. Opens the door for Southerners to take their slaves anywhere and shows that blacks aren't really humans. -
John Brown attacks Harper's Ferry
Brown is a white Northerner who believes that God has assigned his to be the "Sword of Vengeance." Raids Harper's Ferry so slaves can come and get weapons to get rid of slavery. U.S. army surrounds the place and slaves cannot come. U.S. overcomes him and he is captured and eventually hanged. He becomes a martyr for abolitionists. -
Abraham Lincoln elected
President during the Civil War. Made the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address. Freed slaves. Assassinated in 1865 not long after the war ended. -
Civil War begins
The Civil War started because of an "attempted divorce" because of the fighting over slavery.
