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The U.S. capital is moved from Philadelphia to Washington, DC.
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Thomas Jefferson is inaugurated as the third president in Washington, DC.
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Louisiana Purchase: United States agrees to pay France $15 million for the Louisiana Territory, which extends west from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and comprises about 830,000 sq mi. As a result, the U.S. nearly doubles in size.
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Marbury v. Madison: Landmark Supreme Court decision greatly expands the power of the Court by establishing its right to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional.
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Lewis and Clark set out from St. Louis, Mo., on expedition to explore the West and find a route to the Pacific Ocean.
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Jefferson's second inauguration.
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James Madison is inaugurated as the fourth president.
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War of 1812: U.S. declares war on Britain over British interference with American maritime shipping and westward expansion.
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British capture Washington, DC, and set fire to White House and Capitol.
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Francis Scott Key writes Star-Spangled Banner as he watches British attack on Fort McHenry at Baltimore.
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Treaty of Ghent is signed, officially ending the war.
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James Monroe is inaugurated as the fifth president
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Spain agrees to cede Florida to the United States.
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Missouri Compromise: In an effort to maintain the balance between free and slave states, Maine (formerly part of Massachusetts) is admitted as a free state so that Missouri can be admitted as a slave state; except for Missouri, slavery is prohibited in the Louisiana Purchase lands north of latitude 36°30'.
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Continental Congress adopts the Articles of Confederation, the first U.S. constitution.
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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.
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John Quincy Adams is inaugurated as the sixth president.
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U.S. Constitution goes into effect, having been ratified by nine states.
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Andrew Jackson is inaugurated as seventh president.
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Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin greatly increases the demand for slave labor.
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Martin Van Buren is inaugurated as the eighth president.
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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.”
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William Henry Harrison is inaugurated as the ninth president.
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U.S. annexes Texas by joint resolution of Congress
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James Polk is inaugurated as the 11th president
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Mexican War: U.S. declares war on Mexico in effort to gain California and other territory in Southwest.
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The California Gold Rush starts
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Oregon Becomes The 33rd state
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Abraham Lincoln is nominated President
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The Beginning of the Civil War
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Abraham Lincoln Assassinated, end of the Civil war
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Ulysses S. Grant 18th President
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First Practical Telephone