-
The Capitol Moved
The U.S. capital is moved from Philadelphia to Washington, DC -
Thomas Jefferson Became President
Thomas Jefferson is inaugurated as the third president in Washington, DC. -
Marbury vs. Madison
Landmark Supreme Court decision greatly expands the power of the Court by establishing its right to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional. -
The Louisiana Purchase
The 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. -
James Madison is Fourth President
James Madison is inaugurated as the fourth president. -
War of 1812
U.S. declares war on Britain over British interference with American maritime shipping and westward expansion. -
End of The War of 1812
Treaty of Ghent is signed, officially ending the war. -
James Monroe is Fifth President
James Monroe is inaugurated as the fifth president. -
McCulloch vs. Maryland
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
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'.
1821 -
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. By the late 1830s the Jackson administration has relocated nearly 50,000 Native Americans. -
Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin greatly increases the demand for slave labor. -
Texas Declares Independence
Texas declares independence from Mexico -
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.” -
Mexican War
U.S. declares war on Mexico in effort to gain California and other territory in Southwest. War concludes with signing of Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Mexico recognizes Rio Grande as new boundary with Texas and, for $15 million, agrees to cede territory comprising present-day California, Nevada, Utah, most of New Mexico and Arizona, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming.