1800 - 1876

Third President

Mar 4, 1801

Thomas Jefferson is inaugurated as the third president in Washington, DC.

Louisiana Purchase

May 2, 1803

United States agrees to pay France $15 million for the Louisiana Territory. This purchase nearly doubles the size of the U.S.

Jefferson's Second Inauguration

Mar 4, 1804

Lewis and Clark

May 14, 1804

Lewis and Clark set out from St, Louis Missouri, to explore the West and find route to the Pacific Ocean.

Fourth President

Mar 4, 1809

James Madison is inaugurated as the fourth president.

War of 1812

Jun 18, 1812

U.S. declares war on Britain over British interference with American maritime shipping and westward expansion.

Madison’s Second Inauguration

Mar 4, 1813

Treaty of Ghent

Dec 24, 1814

The Treaty of Ghent is signed, officially ending the war.

Fifth President

Mar 4, 1817

James Monroe is inaugurated as the fifth president.

McCulloch v. Maryland

1819

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

Mar 3, 1820

In order to maintain balance between slave and free states, Maine is made a free state, so Missouri can be made a slave state. Slavery is prohibited in the northern part of the Louisiana Purchase’s land, except for Missouri.

Monroe’s Second Inauguration

Mar 4, 1821

Monroe Doctrine

Dec 2, 1823

In Monroe’s annual address to Congress, he declares that American continents are off-limits for European colonization.

Sixth President

Mar 4, 1825

John Quincy Adams is inaugurated as the sixth president.

First Railroad

Jul 4, 1828

Construction began on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the first public railroad in the U.S.

Seventh President

Mar 4, 1829

Andrew Jackson is inaugurated as seventh president.

Indian Removal Act

May 28, 1830

President Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act. This authorized the forced removal of Native Americans living in the eastern part of the country. By the late 1830s, nearly 50,000 Native Americans were relocated.

Jackson’s Second Inauguration

Mar 4, 1833

Eighth President

Mar 4, 1837

Martin Van Buren is inaugurated as the eighth president.

Ninth President

Mar 4, 1841

William Henry Harrison is inaugurated as the ninth president. He dies one month later and is replaced by his vice president, John Tyler.

Eleventh President

Mar 4, 1845

James Polk is inaugurated as ninth president.

Mexican War

Period: May 13, 1846 to Feb 2, 1848

U.S. declares war on Mexico to gain California and other territories. War concludes with the signing of Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

Gold Rush

Jan 24, 1848

Gold is discovered at the Sutter’s Mill in California. In the next year, the Gold Rush reaches its high.

Twelfth President

Mar 4, 1849

Zachary Taylor is inaugurated as the 12th president.

Thirteenth President

Mar 4, 1850

President Taylor dies and Millard Fillmore is now president.

Fourteenth President

Mar 4, 1853

Franklin is inaugurated as 14th president.

Fifteenth President

Mar 4, 1857

James Buchanan is inaugurated as the 15th president.

Civil War

Period: 1861 to 1865

Sixteenth President

Mar 2, 1861

Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated as the 16th president.

Lincoln's Assassination

Apr 14, 1865

Lincoln is assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in Washington DC. Andrew Johnson takes his place as president.

Eighteenth President

Mar 4, 1869

Ulysses S. Grant is inaugurated as the 18th president.

Grant’s Second Inauguration

Mar 4, 1873