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U.S. Capital Moved
The U.S. Capital is moved from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. -
U.S. Congress meets
U.S. Congress meets for the first time in Washington D.C. -
Thomas Jefferson is inaugurated
Thomas Jefferson is inaugurated as the third president in Washington, D.C. -
Marbury v. Madison
Landmark Supreme Court decision greatly expands the power of the Court by establishing its right to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional. -
Louisiana Purchase
United States agrees to pay France $15 million for the Louisiana Territory of 830,000 square miles, nearly doubling the size of the U.S. -
Lewis and Clark
Lewis and Clark set out from St. Louis, Mo. to explore the West and find a route to the Pacific Ocean. -
Thomas Jefferson inaugurated
Thomas Jefferson is inaugurated for his second term as president. -
Lewis and Clark
Lewis and Clark reach the Pacific Ocean. -
James Madison inauguration
James Madison is inaugurated and the fourth president. -
Period: to
War of 1812
U.S. declares war on Britain over British interference with American maritime shipping and westward expansion -
James Madison inauguration
James Madison is inaugurated for his second term as U.S. president. -
Washington Captured/White House burned
The British capture Washington, D.C. and set fire to the White House and Capital. -
Star-Spangled Banner
Francis Scott Key writes Star-Spangled Banner as he watches the British attack Fort McHenry at Baltimore. -
Treaty of Ghent
Treaty of Ghent is signed, officially ending the war. -
James Monroe inaguration
James Monroe is inaugurated as the fifth president. -
Spain cedes Florida
Spain agrees to cede Florida to the U.S. -
McCulloch v. Maryland
Landmark Supreme Court decision upholds the right of Congress to establish a bank, a power implied but not specifically stated in the Constitution. -
Missouri Compromise
In and effort to maintain the balance between free and slave states, Maine is admitted ad a free state so the Missouri can be admitted as a slave state. Except for Missouri, slavery is prohibited in the Louisiana Purchase land north of latitude 36deg 30min. -
James Monroe inauguration
James Monroe is inaugurated for his second term as president. -
Denmark Vesey hanged
Denmark Vesey, a former slave is hanged along with 34 co-conspirators, for attempting to lead a slave revolt and lay siege to Charleston, SC -
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. -
Gibbson v.Ogden
Landmark Supreme Court decision that broadly defines Congress's right to regulate interstate commerce. -
John Quincy Adams inauguration
John Quincy Adams is inaugurated as the sixth president. -
Erie Canal Opend
Erie Canal, linking the Hudson River to Lake Erie, is officially opened. -
First public railroad started
Construction started on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the first public railroad in the U.S. -
Andrew Jackson inauguration
Andrew Jackson is inaugurated as the seventh president. -
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. -
William Lloyd Garrison - The Liberator
William Lloyd Garrison begins publishing The Liberator, a weekly paper that advocates the complete abolition of slavery. He becomes one of the most famous figures in the abolitionist movement. -
Nat Turner uprising
Nat Turner, an enslaved preacher, leads the most significant slave uprising in American history. Nat and 80 others launch a bloody rebellion in Southampton County VA. The militia puts down the uprising and Turner is eventually hanged. Virginia institutes much stricter slave laws. -
Adrew Jackson inauguration
Andrew Jackson is inaugurated for his second term as president. -
Period: to
The Battle of the Alamo
Texan defenders of the Alamo are all killed during a siege by the Mexican Army. -
Texas declares independence
Texas declares its independence from Mexico -
Texans Defeat Mexicans
Texans defeat the Mexicans at San Jacinto -
Martin Van Buren inauguration
Martin Van Buren is inaugurated as the eighth president. -
Trail of Tears
More than 15,000 Cherokee Indians are forced to march from Georgia to Indian Territory in present day Oklahoma. Approximately 4,000 die from starvation and disease along the "Trail of Tears." -
William Henry Harrison inauguration
William Henry Harrison is inaugurated as the ninth president. -
John Tyler becomes President
Following the death of William Henry Harrison one month into his term, his vice president John Tyler succeeds him as president. -
U.S. annexes Texas
By joint resolution of Congress, the U.S. annexes Texas. -
James Polk inauguration
James Polk is inaugurated as the 11th president. -
Manifest Destiny
The term "Manifest Destiny" is first used in print in an article written by John L. O'Sulivan in the Democratic Review. -
Mexian War Starts
The U.S. declares war on Mexico in an effort to gain California and other territory in the Southwest -
Oregon Treaty
The Oregon Treaty fixes the U.S. - Canadian border at the 49th parallel. U.S. acquires the Oregon territory. -
Wilmot Proviso
While the Wilmot Proviso was blocked, its introduction by Democratic representative David Wilmot, in an attempt to block slavery from the lands gained in the Mexican War, added to the ongoing debate over slavery. -
Gold
Gold is discovered in Sutter's Mill, CA. -
Mexican War Ends
The signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo end the Mexican War. For $15 million Mexico recognizes the Rio Grande as the boundary with Texas and cedes California, Nevada, Utah, most of New Mexico and Arizona, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming to the U.S. -
Zachary Taylor inauguration
Zachary Taylor is inaugurated as the twelfth president. -
Harriet Tubman Escapes from Salvery
Harriet Tubman escapes from slavery and becomes one of the most effective and celebrated members of the Underground Railroad. -
The Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 admits California as a free state, Utah and New Mexico territories left to decide slavery issue by popular sovereignty. Slave trade in Washington, D.C. is prohibited. A much stricter fugitive slave law is passed. -
Zarchary Taylor Dies
President Taylor dies and is succeeded by his vice president, Millar Fillmore. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin is Published
Harriet Beecher Stow publishes Uncle Tom's Cabin. It goes on to become one of the most influential works stirring anti-slavery sentiments. -
Franklin Pierce inauguration
Franklin Pierce is inaugurated as the fourteenth president. -
Gadsden Purchase treaty
The Gadsden Purchase treaty is signed. The U.S. acquires border territory from Mexico for $10 million. -
Kansas - Nebraska Act
Congress passes the Kansas-Nebraska Act, establishing the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. The legislation also repealed the Compromise of 1820 and renewed tensions over slavery. -
James Buchanan inauguration
James Buchanan is inaugurated as the fifteenth president. -
Dred Scott v. Sanford
Dred Scott v. Sanford: A landmark Supreme Court decision that stated that Congress does not have the right to ban slavery in states and, furthermore , that slaves are not citizens. -
Abraham Lincoln debates Sen. Stephen A. Douglas
Abraham Lincoln gains national attention debating Senator Stephen A. Douglas. -
John Brown
Abolitionist John Brown and 21 others capture the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, VA, in an attempt to spark an slave revolt. -
Abraham Lincoln elected President
Abraham Lincoln is elected president. -
South Carolina Secedes
South Carolina secedes from the Union. -
Mississippi Secedes
Mississippi secedes from the Union -
Florida Secedes
Florida secedes from the Union. -
Alabama Secedes
Alabama secedes from the Union -
Georgia Secedes
Georgia secedes from the Union -
Louisiana Secedes
Louisiana secedes from the Union -
Texas Secedes
Texas secedes from the Union -
Confederate Sates of America
The Confederate States of American is established. -
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis is elected president of the Confederacy -
Abraham Lincoln inauguration
Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated as the sixteenth president. -
Ft. Sumter
Confederates attack Ft. Sumter in Charleston, S.C., marking the start of the Civil War. -
Period: to
The Civil War
Conflict between the North (the Union) and the South (the Confederacy) over the expansion of slavery into western states. -
Virginia Secedes
Virginia secedes from the Union -
North Carolina Secedes
North Carolina secedes from the Union -
Arkansas Secedes
Arkansas secedes from the Union -
Tennessee Secedes
Tennessee secedes from the Union -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation is issued, freeing slaves in the Confederate States. -
Homestead Act
The Homestead Act becomes law, allowing settlers to claim land (160 acres) after the have lived on it for 5 years. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg is fought -
Gettysburg Address
President Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address -
Sherman Captures Atlanta
General William T. Sherman captures Atlanta, -
Abraham Lincoln inauguration
Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated for his second term as president. -
Grant Captures Richmond
General Ulysses S. Grant captures Richmond, VA, the capital of the Confederacy. -
Robert E. Lee Surrenders
Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrenders to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, VA. -
Lincoln Assassinated
Abraham Lincoln is assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in Washington, D.C., and is succeeded by his vice president, Andrew Johnson. -
Thirteenth Amendment
The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, prohibiting slavery. -
Alaska Purchase
Alaska is purchased from Russia for $7.2 million. -
President Johnson impeached
President Johnson is impeached by the House of Repreentatives. -
Johnson Acquitted
Johnson is acquitted at his trial in the Senate. -
Fourteenth Amendment
The Fourteenth Amendment is ratified, defining citizenship. -
Ulysses S. Grant inauguration
Ulysses S. Grant is inaugurated as the eighteenth president. -
Central Pacific and Union Pacific Joined
The Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads are joined at Promontory, UT. -
Fifteenth Amendment
The Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, giving blacks the right to vote. -
Chicago Fire
The Chicago Fire kills 300 people leaves 90,000 homeless. -
Credit Mobilier Scandal
The Credit Mobilier scandal involving several members of congress breaks. -
Ulysses S. Grant inauguration
Ulysses S. Grant is inaugurated for his second term as president. -
Little Big Horn
Lt. Col. George A. Cluster's regiment is wiped out by the Sioux Indians.