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Compromise of 1850 introduced on January 29 by Henry Clay
The Compromise of 1850 was introduced by Senator Henry Clay on the 29th of January, and was endorsed on March 7th by Senator Daniel Webster. -
US census of 1850
Counts 23,191,876 population on June 1, down 35.9% from 1840 -
World's Fair
World's Fair held in Hyde's Park, London on May 1, 1851, lasts until October 11 -
Moby Dick published
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Studebaker Brothers Wagon Company established
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Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe published
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Senator Henry Clay dies
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Senator Daniel Webster dies
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Franklin Pierce elected President
defeats Whig Winfield Scott by 254 to 42 electoral votes, majority popular vote -
Commodore Matthew C. Perry and the United States Navy arrive in Edo Bay, Japan
They would negotiate a treaty to allow U.S. ships into Japan -
U.S. President Franklin Pierce opens the first world's fair held in United States
the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations was located on 6th Avenue in a large palace on the site of the current New York Public Library, twenty-three foreign nations and colonies participated -
Gadsden Purchase consummated
United States buys 29,640 square mile tract of land in present-day Arizona and New Mexico (approximately from Yuma to Las Cruces) for $10 million from Mexico to allow railroad building in the southwest and settle continued border disputes after the Mexican-American War. This act finalized the borders of the Continental United States -
Republican Party founded
It was founded in opposition to the Kansas-Nebraska Act. It would hold its first convention later that year on July 6 in Jackson, Michigan -
Kansas-Nebraska act becomes law
It would allow the issue of slavery to be decided by a vote of settlers. This established the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and would breed much of the rancor that culminated in the actions of the next years of "Bleeding Kansas." -
New York World's Fair
Extended for a second season, the New York World's Fair closes after 393 exhibit days. The second season, under the presidency of P.T. Barnum, raises the total attendance to over 1,150,000 -
The first railroad train crosses the Mississippi River on the first bridge constructed at Rock Island, Illinois to Davenport, Iowa
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Quinault River Treaty between the United States and the Quinault and Quileute tribes of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington Territory cedes their lands to the United States
It was a goal of territorial governors at the time to acquire land cession treaties with Native Americans -
Booker T. Washington born
Booker T. Washington was born in slavery on a tobacco farm in Franklin County, Virginia, and would later emerge as one of the foremost black leaders and educators of the 20th century -
Pro-slavery forces under Sheriff Samuel J. Jones burn the Free-State Hotel and destroy two anti-slavery newspapers and other businesses in Lawrence, Kansas.
Three days later, the Pottowatomie Massacre occurs in Franklin County, Kansas when followers of abolitionist John Brown kill five homesteaders -
Congressman Preston Brooks attacks Senator Charles Sumner
South Carolina Congressman Preston Brooks attacks Senator Charles Sumner with a cane in the hall of the U.S. Senate after Sumner gave a speech attacking Southern sympathizers for the pro-slavery violence in Kansas. Sumner would take three years to recover while Brooks was lionized throughout Southern states -
John C. Fremont defeated by James C. Buchanan
Fremont, the first candidate for president under the banner of the Republican Party, loses his bid for the presidency to James C. Buchanan, despite support for Fremont from Abraham Lincoln. Buchanan, the only bachelor to become president as well as the sole Pennsylvanian garnered 174 Electoral College votes to 114 for Fremont. Millard Fillmore, running on the American Know-Nothing and Whig tickets was also defeated -
Buchanan sworn into office
James Buchanan is sworn into office as the 15th President of the United States. His tenure as President would be marred by the question of slavery and a compromise stance that would neither alleviate nor eradicate the intractable question from American society -
Dred Scott decision
The United States Supreme Court rules in the Dred Scott decision, 6-3, that a slave did not become free when transported into a free state. It also ruled that slavery could not be banned by the U.S. Congress in a territory, and that blacks were not eligible to be awarded citizenship -
1st Cavalry arrives at Fort Scott
Two companies of the 1st Cavalry under Captain Samuel Sturgis arrive at Fort Scott, Kansas to attempt to bring the disorder of "Bleeding Kansas," the slavery versus anti-slavery battle, in check -
Olmsted and Vaux win competition
Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, landscape architects, win the competition and adoption of their plan for Central Park in New York City -
Lyon attempts to restore order
With strife between pro-slavery and anti-slavery partisans escalating to dramatic chaos, the 2nd Infantry and 3rd Artillery regiments under the command of Captain Nathanial Lyon attempt to restore order during the "Bleeding Kansas" campaign -
August 21 to October 15, 1858
A series of seven debates between politicians Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln occur in Illinois -
Dred Scott dies
Dred Scott, the American slave who precipitated the decision by the Supreme Court on the topic of slavery, dies. -
Oregon becomes state
Oregon is admitted to the Union as the 33rd state -
US Armory seized
The United States Armory at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers at Harper's Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia) is seized by twenty-one men under the leadership of abolitionist John Brown. This act to cause an uprising of slaves in the surrounding territories fails when federal troops on October 18, under the command of Colonel Robert E. Lee, kill several of the raiders and capture John Brown. The town of Harper's Ferry, now a spectacular National Park on the topic, remains one o -
John Brown hanged
John Brown is hanged for treason by the state of Virginia due to his leadership role in the raid on the Harper's Ferry armory and failed attempt to spur revolt among Virginia slaves -
Lincoln wins presidency
Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln, running on an anti-slavery platform, defeats three opponents in the campaign for the presidency; Democrats Stephen A. Douglas and John C. Breckinridge, and John Bell, Constitutional Union Party, leading to ardent cries of potential rebellion in southern slave states. -
South Carolina secedes
South Carolina responds to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President by being the first southern state to secede from the Union -
convention to form C.S.A. opens
- In Montgomery, Alabama, the convention to form the Confederated States of America opens
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C.S.A. forms
with Jefferson Davis as president, seven southern states officially set up the C.S.A. -
Civil War begins
Confederate artillery, under the command of General Pierre Gustave T. Beauregard, opened fire on Fort Sumter. -
Lincoln calls for volunteers
President Lincoln calls for 75,000 volunteers to fight the secessionist activities in the Confederated States of America, which rose to eleven southern states in secession by May. -
Grant defeats Confederate troops at Shiloh
April 7, 1862 - The Army of the Tennessee, under General Grant, repulses the Confederate advance of the day earlier at the Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee, one of the largest battles of the western theatre in the U.S. Civil War. This battle, along with the unconditional surrender of Fort Donelson to General Grant on February 16, signaled the first major successes of the Union army in the west. -
Confaderacy begins 1st invasion
Emboldened by the victory at 2nd Manassas at the end of August, Confederate troops began the 1st invasion of Northern territory. -
Emancipation Proclamation issued
President Abraham Lincoln, fresh on the heals of the Antietam victory, issues the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, stating that all slaves in places of rebellion against the Federal Government would be free as of January 1, 1863. -
Homestead Act, Emancipation Proclamation in effect
Daniel Freeman files one of the first homestead applications at the Brownsville Land Office in Nebraska, cementing the Homestead Act of 1862 on its first day of implementation. The Emancipation Proclamation goes into effect. -
Pickett routed at Gettysburg
After three days of battle surrounding the tiny town of Gettysburg , including over 150,000 troops, Union defenders of Cemetery Ridge turn back General Pickett and Pettigrew during Pickett's Charge. With over 51,000 dead, wounded, or missing, the Battle of Gettysburg, on the farm fields of central Pennsylvania, proved to be the "high water mark of the Confederacy" and the last major push of Confederate forces into Union territory. -
Vicksburg surrenders
The city of Vicksburg surrenders to General Grant after a two month siege. The Vicksburg campaign included major battles from May 19, including the sinking of gunboats on the Mississippi River by Confederate defenders. This major accomplishment in the western theatre, plus the actions of Meade at Gettysburg one day earlier with the repulse of Pickett's Charge, prove to be the two most important victories of the Civil War. -
Lincoln delivers Gettysburg Address
"Four score and seven years ago," began what many perceive as the best speech in American history, delivered by President Abraham Lincoln in the town cemetery overlooking the fields of Gettysburg. The Gettysburg Address, only 272 words long and taking about two minutes to speak, captured the essence of the Civil War as both sacrifice and inspiration. -
Grant marches against Lee
At the Battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania, General Grant, now the first three star lieutenant general since George Washington and in charge of the U.S. Army, marched against the forces of General Lee in a remarkable series of clashes within the dense forests of Virginia. Union casualties alone numbered nearly 3,000 dead, 21,000 wounded, and 4,000 missing. -
Union captures Fort Harrison
Union forces, including black Union soldiers, capture the Confederate Fort Harrison, south of Richmond. This caused a Confederate realignment of their southern defenses. -
Lincoln defeats McClellan, remains president
President Lincoln defeats former Union General George B. McClellan to remain president of the United States, a repudiation of the tactics of delay favored by his former commander, and a signal of support for the President as he continued to prosecute the rebellion by the southern Confederate states. Lincoln receives 2.2 million votes and 212 in the electoral college compared to 1.8 million votes and 21 in the electoral college for McClellan. -
Petersburg Battle
Major General H.Sheridan, lead his forces of calvary and infantry battle to victory at Five Forks against Major G eneral Geoge E.P ickett. The bTTLE OF petersburg Virginia, cuts the railroad supply line Confedate trooops. One day later General Grant holds his final assault on Petersburg, forcing the evacuation of General E . Lee. -
Lincoln Assassinated
President Abraham Lincoln , was assassinated in Ford's Theatre at Washington DC. by John Wilkes Booth. -
The end of the Civil War
General Robert E. Lee, chief of the Confederate Forces, Surrenders his 27,000 man Army to Ulysses Grant at Appomatox Court House, Virginia, ending effectively four years of the Civil War. -
Thirteenh Amendment
Tirteenth Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, prohibiting slavery. -
First Federal Law to Protect African American Rights.
The Congress Passed the first Federal Law, Protecting the rights of African Americans. It Was Vetoed by president Johnson. but the veto overridden by Congress. -
Alaska purchased
The Secretary of State Willian H. Seward, Consummate the Sale of Alaska to The United States from Russia. for 7.2 millions -
George Westinhouse
George Westinghouse, Invents and Paterns the Air Brake for railroad Trains, and Produced them. Westinghouse Patented four hundred inventions and Found sixthy Companies including Westinghouse Electric. -
The Battle of Washita River
Coronel George Custor's Defeat of Black Kettles Cheyenne. this ended the organized campaing of Indians forces against White Settlers. -
The Confederated States of America is Oficially Dissolved.
Geoagia, The last former state of the Confederacy is Readmitted in the Union. Leaving the Confederate states of America oficially dissolved. -
The Great Chicago Fire
The Fire Started at Mrs. O'Leary's cowshed, It Caused 196 million in damages, It Burned 1.2 million acres of land, destroyed 17,450 buildings, Left 90,000 homeless and Killed 1,200 to 2,500 People. Making the Deadliest Fire in United States history. -
Civil Rights restored to citizens of the South.
Civil Rights are restored to citizens of the South, except for five hundred Confederate Leaders, with the Amnesty Act of 1872 and its signing by President Ulysses Grant. -
First Train Robbery
Jesse James and the James-Younger Gang engage in the first successful train robbery in the America West, taking three thousand dollar rom the Rock Island Express at Adair, Iowa. -
Economic depression
An Economic Depression begins when the New York stock market crashed, setting off a financial panic that caused failures. -
The Simbol of the Republican Party
The debut of the symbol of the Republan Party, the Elephant, occurs when Thomas Nast prints a cartoon utilizing the symbol in Harper's Weekely. -
The Battle of Little Big Horn
Coronel George Custer and his 7th U.S.Calvary engage the Sioux and Cheyenne Indians on the bluffs above the Little Big Horn River. All 264 members of the 7th Calvary perish at thye battle the most complete rout in the American millitary history -
The first commercial telephone
In New Haven, Connecticut, the firs commercial telephone exchange is opened. -
The Edison Electric Company
The Edison Electric Company begins operation -
Female Attorneys Allowed to argue in Supreme Court
President Rutherford B. Hayes signs a bill that allowed attorneys to argue in Supreme Court Cases. -
1880 Population
The population in 1880 reached 50,189,209 people an increase of 30.2% over the 1870 census.The geographic center of the U.S. population now reaches west/southwest of Cincinnati, Ohio in Kentucky.Five states have more than two million in population. Which are New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinios, and Missouri. -
James Garfield
James Garfield, Republican is elected president defeating Winfield Hancock , the Democatic candidate in the U.S. presendential election. GArfield recived 214 Electoral College votes to 155 for Hancock. He barley wins the popular vote with a majority of only 7,023 voters. -
Telephone
Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell form the Oriental Telephone Company. -
Jamses Garfield Shot
James A. Garfield, the 20th President of the United States is shot by lawyer Charles J Guiteau at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad station in Washington, D.C. he died two months later on September 19, 1881 from an infection an was succeeded in presidency by Vice President Chester Arthur on September 20th. -
Tusegee Institute
The Tuskegee Institute for black students training to be teachers opens under the teaching of Booker T. Washington as instructor in Tuskegee, Alabama. -
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
The gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona occurs in a stable lot between Sheriff Wyatt Earp, his brother Virgil, and Doc Holliday against Billy Claiborne, Frank and Tom McLaury and the Clanton brothers Billy and Ike. Although it was thirty seconds long, the battle would live in western lore for more than one hundred years. The McLaury brothers and Billy Clanton would perish in the fight. -
Standard Oil Company
The Standard Oil Company trust of John D. Rockefeller is begun when Rockefeller places his oil holdings inside it. Located in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world of its time. Its controversial history as one of the world's first and largest multinational corporations ended in 1911. -
Polygamy
The practice of polygamy is outlawed by legislation in the United States Congress. -
Jesse James
Western fugitive Jesse James is shot to death by Robert Ford, a member of his own band, for a $5,000 reward. The Ford brothers had been hired to rob the Platte City Bank in Northfield, Minnesota, but chose to try to collect the reward for their infamous leader. -
Gover Cleveland
Gover Cleveland becomes the 24th president. He is the first president to to serve two terms. -
The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act
The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act is passed by Congress, overhauling federal civil service and establishing the U.S. Civil Service agency.The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act (ch. 27, 22 Stat. 403) of United States is a federal law established in 1883 that stipulated that government jobs should be awarded on the basis of merit. It was signed into law by President Chester A. Arthur, who had become an ardent reformer after Garfield's assassination. -
The Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge was opened it took 14 years to build. Six days later, a stampede of people fearing a rumor about its impending collapse causes twelve people to be killed -
Civil Rights Act of 1875
.The Civil Rights Act of 1875 protected all Americans, regardless of race, in their access to public accommodations and facilities such as restaurants, theaters, trains and other public transportation, and protected the right to serve on juries.The U.S. Supreme Court finds part of the Civil Rights Act of 1875 unlawful, allowing individuals and corporations to discriminate based on race -
Jacob Coxey
Jacb Coxey was an American politician who ran for elective office several times in Ohio. Twice, in 1894 and 1914. In march of five hundred employed workers in Washington, D.C., That had begun on March 25 in Masillan, Ohio, Coxey was arrested for treason. -
Eight Hour Workday
The Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions in the U.S.A. call for an eight-hour workday. -
Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland claims victory for the Democratic Party -
American Telephone and Telegraph
American Telephone and Telegraph (ATT) is incorporated in New York City as a subsidiary of American Bell Telephone Company. -
The Rock Spring
The Rock Spring, Wyoming mining incident occurs when one hundred and fifty white miners attack Chinese coworkers, killing twenty-eight and forcing several hundred more to leave Rock Springs. -
The Haymarket riot
The Haymarket riot and bombing occurs in Chicago, Illinois, three days after the start of a general strike in the United States that pushed for an eight hour workday. This act would be followed by additional labor battles for that worker right favored by unions. Later this year, on December 8, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) was formed by twenty-five craft unions. -
Coca-Cola
Dr. John Pemberton a phamacist invents Coca-Cola in Atlanta, Georgia. Pemberton was a most respected member of the state's medical establishment, but his gift was for medical chemistry rather than regular medicine. -
Geronimo and His Band of Apaches Surrender
At Fort Bowie in southeastern Arizona, Geronimo and his band of Apaches surrender to Brigadier General Nelson A. Miles. This was the end of warfare between the United States Army and Indian tribes. -
Naval Base is leased
Pearl Harbor naval base is leased by the United States Navy, upon approval of the U.S. Senate. -
Groundhog Day
The first Groundhog Day is observed in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, and the tradition of checking the shadow of a groundhog to predict the coming spring began -
Great Snow Storm
March 11-14,1888, The eastern section of the United States undergoes a great snow storm, killing four hundred people.Snowfalls of 20–60 inches and sustained winds of more than 45 miles per hour produced snowdrifts in excess of 50 feet. Railroads were shut down and people were confined to their houses for up to a week. -
The Jamestown Flood
The deadliest flood in American history occurs in Johnstown, Pennsylvania when 2,200 people perish from the water of the South Fork Dam after heavy rains cause its destruction -
The Wounded Knee Battle
The Battle of Wounded Knee, South Dakota, occurs in the last major battle between United States troops and Indians. Hundreds of Indian men, women, and children are slain, along with twenty-nine soldiers. Image below: Return of Casey's scouts from the battle of Wounded Knee, 1890-1891. -
Copyright Act of 1891
The 51st Congress of the United States passes the International Copyright Act of 1891.The International Copyright Act of 1891 is the first U.S. congressional act that extended limited protection to foreign copyright holders from select nations. Formally known as the "International Copyright Act of 1891", but more commonly referred to as the "Chace Act" after Sen. Jonathan Chace of Rhode Island. -
The General Electric Company
The General Electric Company is formed, merging the Edison General Electric Company with Thomson-Houston -
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange collapses, starting the financial panic of 1893. Which lead to a four year period of depression. -
Right to Vote
Women in Colorado are granted the right to vote. -
Olympic Games
The first modern Olympic Games is held in Athens, Grecce. Thirteen nations participated including the United States. -
Oil
Oil is discovered in Indian territory for the first time on land leased for the Osage tribe, which lead to rapid population growth near Bartlesville , Oklahoma. -
Subway
The era of Subway begins with the first underground public transportation in North America opens in Boston, Massachusetts. -
The Spanish American War
USS Maine is blow up in Havana harbor prompting U.S. to declare war on Spai). Treaty of Paris is signed, ending the Spanish-American War . Spain gives up control of Cuba, which becomes an independent republic, and cedes Puerto Rico, Guam, and (for $20 million) the Philippines to the U.S. -
Hawaii
The United States annexes the independent republic of Hawaii. -
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison, he came from a prominent family that had a legacy of political activism. After all, he was the grandson of the nation's ninth President, William Henry Harrison. He Becomes the 23rd president of the United States. -
Open Door Policy
The Open Door Policy with China is declared by Secretary of state John Hay and the U.S. government in an atempt to open international markets and retain the integrity of China as a nation.The Open Door Policy is a term in foreign affairs initially used to refer to the United States policy established in the late 19th century and the early 20th century, as enunciated in Secretary of State John Hay's Open Door Note, dated September 6, 1899 and dispatched to the major European powers.
