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Washington D.C.
The capital city is moved from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. -
Thomas Jefferson becomes president
Thomas Jefferson is inaugurated as the third president of the United States. -
Louisiana Purchase
The United States nearly doubles in size by paying France $15 million to purchase the Louisiana territory. -
Louis and Clark begin expedition
Louis and Clark leave St. Louis, Missouri, on a journey to the West to find a route to the Pacific Ocean. -
James Madison becomes president
James Madison is inaugurated as President of the United States. -
War of 1812
The United States declares war on the British for interference in their expansion to the west. -
James Monroe becomes president
James Monroe is inaugurated as the fifth president of the United States. -
Florida is ceded
Spain agrees to cede the land of Florida to the United States due to issues with resources. -
Missouri Compromise
Maine is admitted as a free state and Missouri is admitted as a slave state. All other lands north of latitude 36º30' are not allowed to be slave states. -
John Quincy Adams becomes president
John Quincy Adams is inaugurated as the sixth president of the United States. -
Andrew Jackson becomes president
Andrew Jackson is inaugurated as the seventh president of the United States. -
Texas gains independence
Texas becomes a free nation by declaring independence from Mexico. -
The Alamo
All Texan defenders are killed by the Mexican army laying siege on the Alamo. -
Manifest Destiny
John O'Sullivan uses the term "Manifest Destiny" in an article to represent the idea that the U.S. is entitled to all land stretching to the Pacific Ocean. -
Harriet Tubman escapes slavery
Harriet Tubman escapes slavery and becomes an icon for abolition. -
Abraham Lincoln becomes president
Abraham Lincoln is elected as the sixteenth president. -
South Carolina secedes
South Carolina secedes from the union due to the federal government's policies and actions regarding state's rights and slavery. -
The Confederate States of America
South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana secede from the Union and form the Confederate States of America. -
The Civil War begins
Confederates attack Fort Sumter in South Carolina and begin the Civil War. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation frees all slaves in the Confederate States. -
End of the Civil War
Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrenders to Ulysses S. Grant. -
Abraham Lincoln is assassinated
Abraham Lincoln is assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at a theater in Washington, D.C. -
Chicago Fire
A fire broke out in Chicago killing approximately 300 people and destroying thousands of buildings.