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Treaty of Paris
Date: 1783
President: None
Other nations involved: France, Spain and Portugal
Event Description: A treaty signed that ended the American Revolutionary War Between Britain and the United States. This treaty was signed by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay. New boarders for the United States were set after the treaty was signed. The United States also agreed to pay all exsisting debts owed to Great Britain. -
Lousiana Purchase
President: Thomas Jefferson
Other Nations Involved: France
Event Description: The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of 828,000 square miles of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana. The U.S. paid !11,250,000 plus cancellation of debts worth $3,750,000, for a total sum of $15 million. -
Lewis, Clark, and Sacahawea Expedition
President: Thomas Jefferson
Other nations involved: None
Event Description: After the United States purchased Louisiana, the land was completely unknown and needed to be examined first before it could be settled. President Jefferson appointed his private secretaary, Meriwether Lewis to be in charge of the expedition and he brought along William Clark, Sacagawea and 32 other people. The expedition took about 2 years to complete. -
Adams- onis Treaty
President: James Monroe
Other nations involved: Spain
Event Description: A treaty between the United States and Spain that established the southern border of Lousiana.The United States obtained florida as a part of the agreement. This treaty was negotiated by United States' secretary of state,John Quincy Adams and the Spanish Ambassador to the United States, Luis de Onis. -
Santa Fe Trail
President: James Monroe
Other nations involved:
Event Description: The Santa Fe Trail was a transportation route through North America that connected Independence, Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico.It was used as an international highway used by Mexican and American traders until the Mexican-American War began. After the war ended the trail became a national road connecting the United States to southwest territories. -
Indian Removal Act
President: Andrew Jackson
Other nations involved:
Event Description: The Indian Removal Act was created by President Andrew Jackson to expand into lands that belonged to Indian tribes. The government fspent over 30 years forcing Indians to move beyond the Mississippi River. This forced relocation also became known as "The Trail of Tears" because of the hardships faced by the Cherokees Indians causing nearly 4000 Cherokees to die. -
Oregon Trail
President: Andrew Jackson
Other nations involved:
Event Description: The Oregon Trail began in Missouri and ended in Oregon crossing the Rocky Mountains. In the 1840s thousands of migrants flocked to Oregon, which the United States eventually secured by treaty with Great Britain in 1846. -
Annexation of Texas
President: John Tyler
Event Description: The US offered twice to purchase California from Mexico, but the Mexican government refused. Then the they said that the americans can sit in Texas since they wanted Texas, California and New Mexico but they have to follow Mexican laws and customs. By 1835, there were more Americans in Texas than Mexicans. Making matters worse, the Mexican government outlawed slavery in Texas. The Mexican leader decided to send his army to Texas to gain back their land. -
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Mexican- American War
President: James K. Polk
Event Description: Between 1846 and 1848, two neighbors, the United States and Mexico, went to war. It was a defining event for both nations, transforming a continent and forging a new identity for its peoples. By the war's end, Mexico lost nearly half of its territory, the present American Southwest from Texas to California, and the United States became a continental power. -
Oregon Treaty following "54 40' Fight!" campaign
President: James K. Polk
Event Description: The 50 40 fight slogan referes to a particular line of latitude which defined Oregon. Proponents of the "Manifest Destiny" thought that the United States should solve the conflict with Great Britian by insiting on taking the entire territory all the way to the 50'40 line and go to war if necessary. President Polk peacefully solved the conflict in the Oregon Treaty of 1946, by extending the border between the US and Great Britain. -
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Mormon Trek
President: James K. Polk
Event Description: The Mormon pioneers were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that migrated accros the country from the Midwest to what is now known as Utah. This journey was taken by about 7000 people. The Mormons moved in hopes for religious freedom and growth. -
California Gold Rush
President: Zachary Taylor
Other nations involved:
Event Description: Gold was first discovered in California by a man named James Marshall. This attracted a lot of attention around the world causing people to rush to California in order to find gold. A lot of theses boomtowns, where gold was found, we're soon abandoned and became ghost towns. -
Gadsden Purchase
President: Franklin Pierce
Other nations involved:
Event Description: The Gadsden Purchase was an agreement between the United States and Mexico, finalized in 1854, in which the United States agreed to pay Mexico $10 million for a 29,670 square mile portion of Mexico that later became part of Arizona and New Mexico. Gadsden’s Purchase provided the land necessary for a southern transcontinental railroad and attempted to resolve conflicts that remained after the Mexican-American War. -
The Sand Creek Massacre
President: Abraham Lincoln
Other nations involved:
Event Description: The Sand Creek Massacre was a cruelty led by Colonel John M. Chivington of the United States, who advocated Indian extermination, with his team of about 750 Colorado territory militiamen against friendly Cheyene and Arapano Indians. The battle took place in 1864 and the result was death of over 200 Indians. -
Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad
President: Ulysses S. Grant
Event Description: The Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869. The railroad linked Americas west and east coast together. The gold rush in Calrifornia was part of the reason the US decided to start the construction. Harsh landscapes around the continent made the railroad constuction a daunting task that required laying over 2000 miles of tracks. The Transcontinental Railroad later replaced the Pony Express and other wagons that were more dangerous. -
The Battle of Little Bighorn
President: Ulysses S. Grant
Event Description: The U.S. Cavalry was attempting to force the Indians back to their reservations and divided into three columns to attack. One of the columns was led by Lt. General George Custer, who spotted a Sioux camp and decided to attack it. However, Indian forces outnumbered his troops three to one. An hour later, the Indians wiped out the General and his men. The battle of Little Bighorn is also commonly referred to as “Custer’s Last Stand”. -
Dawes Act
President: Grover Cleveland
Event Description: The Dawes General Allotment Act was enacted by the U.S. Congress regarding the distribution of land to Native Americans in Oklahoma.The Dawes Act, though it emphasized on individual land ownership, it also had a negative impact on the unity, self-government, and culture of Native American tribes. It decreased the amount of land owned by Native Americans involuntarly. -
The Masssacre at Wounded Knee
President: Benjamin Harrison
Event Description: The Wounded Knee Massacre wad the last battle of the American-Indian Wars. American troops went into the Lakota Reservation killing over 300 Lakota Indians over a dispute about a Balck Cayotes rifile. The soldiers that took part in this were awarded the Medal of Honor.
