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Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the purchase of a territory that doubled the U.S. in size. The Louisiana territory was
over 800,000 miles of land between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains. The purchase occurred in 1803 when Thomas Jefferson, the American President, negotiated with Napoleon, the leader of France, to buy the land for 15 million dollars. This purchase explains the Creole culture that's found in Louisiana to this day. -
War of 1812
On June 18th, 1812 the president signed a declaration of war against Britain due to too much British interference with American affairs. This led to a series of battles including the battle of Plathsburg, where the Star spangled banner was inspired from. Then the battle of New Orleans occurred when the British were unaware the two countries were at peace, they were defeated by American troops. Eventhough The U.S. was winning battles almost none of the objectives they made were delivered. -
Trail of Tears
In the 1800s, a multitude of white settlers had moved to America, but the Natives were still living in America as well. The settlers didn't see the Natives as equals and wanted them to adapt to European culture. The land the Natives owned was valuable. In 1830, Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act which gave the government the right to trade the Indian land in the south for land out west. Many Natives died on the journey west due to a lack of food, water, and supplies. -
Battle of The Alamo
A group of Texan volunteers was led by George Collingsworth over took the Mexican garrison at the Alamo which seized control of San Antonio. Even when warned by Sam Houston not to continue to defend the alamo due to insufficient number of troops, Bowie and Travis still remained as the Alamo's defenders. The defenders never numbered more than 200. On Februrary 23rd, a Mexcian troop of thousands came to seize the Alamo. The texans held out for 13 days but ultimately were overpowered by Mexico. -
Mexica- American War
Texas gained independence from Mexico in 1836 and was annexed into the U.S. in 1844. This angered Mexico. In 1846 Mexicans attacked U.S. soldiers in a disputed zone which killed about a dozen. A series of battles ensued resulting in Mexican losses. Santa Ana was able to convince Polk that if he was allowed back into Mexico he would end the war in the U.S.' favor. Once he got into the country he doubled-crossed Polk and took control of the Mexican army. However, Mexico still did not win the war. -
Seneca Falls Covention
The Seneca Falls Convention was a convention held in New York for the purpose of discussing the civil and social rights of women. The organizers of the Convention were Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Mary M'Clintock, Marta Coffin Wright, and Jane Hunt, some of the women were Quakers and abolitionists, but all of them were women's rights activists.The declaration of sentiments was written by Stanton which included grivences and demands from women. A list of resolutions was also drafted. -
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo was a result of the Mexican-American war. After the defeat of the Mexican army and the fall of Mexico City, Mexico was ready to srt peace negotiations. The treaty was in favor of the U.S. by adding over 500,000 square miles to the U.S. Mexico gave up its claims to Texas and recognized the Rio Grande river as a border. -
Gold Rush
After a newspaper announced there were tons of gold in Sutter's Mill, two-thirds of San Francisco's male population had abandoned the city for the gold mines. Apparently, there were 4,000 miners by August. Once news broke out, people from other countries like China, Peru, Mexico, and Hawaii came searching for gold. The miners would be known as 49ers due to a boom in population in 1849. The population of California went from 20,000 to 100,000 due to the mines setting it up to be the 31st state. -
Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
The Fugitive Slave Act called citizens to assist in the capture of runaway slaves and denied the enslaved a right to trial by jury. This act was heavily criticized due to its favoritism towards southern slaveholder because of the payment of federal commissioners to return of slaves. Some states even made laws to bypass and nullify the act. The Underground Railroad reached its peak during this time in trying to get slaves to Canada. Riots even occurred where an escaped slave would be freed. -
American Civil War
The Civil was a conflict between The Union (The North) and the Confederacy (The South). The different regions disagreed on the existence of slavery which caused a desire in The Conferacy to separate from the U.S. In 1861 Confederate forces threatened Fort Sumter; when the president sent a fleet to Sumnter, the confederacy fired the first shots of the war. The war lasted until 1865, resulting in a Union Victory.