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Marbury VS Madison
The United States Supreme Court overturned its first U.S. law in the case of Marbury versus Madison, this case secured the Supreme Court's position as an equal member of the three branches of the US government. -
Louisiana Purchase
President Thomas Jefferson doubled the size of the United States of America with his purchase of the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon's France.The U.S. acquired approximately 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million. -
New Jersey Abolishes Slavery
New Jersey became the last northern state to abolish slavery. This was a true act of defiance against the views of the South and one step closer to the end of slavery in America. -
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Thomas Jefferson ordered Lewis and Clark to map the Northwest United States beginning with navigation of the Missouri River. They explored the land acquired and recorded all their observations in order to gain new knowledge about nature and land in America. -
James Monroe is Elected
James Monroe is inaugurated as the President of the United States, succeeding James Madison. -
Start or 1812 War
Madison signs the declaration after Congress narrowly approves war with Great Britain. While Western states generally favored the action, New England states disapproved. This included the state of Rhode Island, which would refuse to participate in the War of 1812. -
Panic of 1819
This was the first financial crises in the United States which lead to foreclosures, bank failures, and unemployment. Several causes have been identified, notably the War of 1812. -
The Monroe Doctrine
This is the best known U.S. policy toward the Western Hemisphere. It divided the world in half and warned foreign countries that attempt to colonize in America would not be tolerated. -
The End of the Mexican War
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican War with Mexico relinquishing its rights to Texas above the Rio Grande River and ceding New Mexico and California to the United States. This benefited the United States by gaining claims to Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and part of Colorado. In exchange, the United States assumed $3 million in American claims and paid Mexico $15 million. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe's masterpiece of American slavery, Uncle Tom's Cabin, is published, selling 300,000 copies in its first years of publication. Stowe wrote this piece of literature on behalf of her anti-slavery attitude in response to the Fugitive Slave Act. -
The Dred Scott Decision
The United States Supreme Court ruled in the Dred Scott decision, 6-3, that a slave did not become free when transported into a free state and also that slavery could not be banned by the U.S. Congress in a territory. That blacks were not eligible to be awarded citizenship. This was a major setback in the fight for slave rights. -
The Civil War
This was one of the worst and goriest wars in our history. The Civil War split the North and South over issues regarding slavery. The War ended in 1865 with a Northern victory and a new chance at life for those blacks in America.