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Whiskey Rebellion
was a tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791, during the presidency of George Washington. Farmers who used their leftover grain and corn in the form of whiskey as a medium of exchange were forced to pay a new tax. The tax was a part of treasury secretary Alexander Hamilton's program to increase central government power, in particular to fund his policy of assuming the war debt of those states which had failed to pay. -
Telegraph invented
The non-electric telegraph was invented in 1794 by Claude Chappe. This system used semaphore, rather than electrical signals along a wire, as later telegraphs did. -
Jay’s Treaty
Relations with Britain, still smarting from the loss of her colonies, worsened in the early 1790s. From the American perspective, issues included seizure from American ships of cargoes unrelated to war, impressment of American seamen and continuing British occupation of western posts within U.S. borders. -
Pickney’s Treaty
One of the most important diplomatic aims of the Washington administration was to secure recognition of American borders from the great powers. Britain did so in Jay's Treaty (negotiated in 1794 and ratified in 1795). France was unlikely to cooperate on any issue, given that the United States had failed to honor the alliance of 1778. Spain at this time held the prized port of New Orleans at the mouth of the Mississippi River. -
Farewell Address
a statement that President George Washington published in a Philadelphia newspaper in 1796 to announce that he would not run for a third term and to give his views on foreign and domestic policy. -
Election of 1800
A race between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson actually ended in a tie between Jefferson and his running mate, Aaron Burr. -
Steamboat invented
In 1803 Robert Fulton invented the steamboat
In 1736, Jonathan Hulls took out a patent in England for a Newcomen engine-powered steamboat. (but James Watt's improvement to the steam engine made it feasible). -
Steamboat invented
In 1803 Robert Fulton invented the steamboat
In 1736, Jonathan Hulls took out a patent in England for a Newcomen engine-powered steamboat. (but James Watt's improvement to the steam engine made it feasible). -
Lewis & Clark Expedition
The United States, under President Thomas Jefferson, purchased 828,000 square miles (2,144,510 square km) of land from France. This land acquisition is commonly known as the Louisiana Purchase. -
Louisiana Purchase
By a treaty signed on Apr. 30, 1803, the United States purchased from France the Louisiana Territory, more than 2 million sq km (800,000 sq mi) of land extending from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. The price was 60 million francs, about $15 million; $11,250,000 was to be paid directly, with the balance to be covered by the assumption by the United States of French debts to American citizens. -
Start of War of 1812
The Chesapeake Affair: USS Chesapeake fired on and boarded by the HMS Leopard off Norfolk, Virginia -
Treaty of Ghent
The treaty was ratified by the UK on 30 December 1814. Because of the era's slow communications it took weeks for news of the peace treaty to reach the United States. -
Battle of New Orleans
Was the final major battle of the war of 1812, was commanded by General Andrew Jackson -
Adams-Onis Treaty
The Adams-Onís Treaty between the United States and Spain was negotiated by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams and the Spanish Minister to the United States, Don Luis de Onís, and signed in February 1819. The principal elements in the treaty were the acquisition of Florida by the United States and the establishment of a boundary line between Spanish territory and the United States. -
Monroe Doctrine
the policy, as stated by President Monroe in 1823, that the U.S. opposed further European colonization of and interference with independent nations in the Western Hemisphere. -
Election of 1824
The Election of 1824 clearly showed that the "era of good feelings" had come to an end. All the candidates were Democratic-Republicans, but personal and sectional interests outweighed political orthodoxy. -
Annexation of Texas
the 16th century conquests of Hernando Cortez, Spanish forces extended their influence northward into what is the present-day United States. This expansion established a Spanish (and later Mexican) claim to much of the southwestern part of the United States and California. -
Trail of Tears
as part of Andrew Jackson's Indian removal policy, the Cherokee nation was forced to give up its lands east of the Mississippi River and to migrate to an area in present-day Oklahoma. The Cherokee people called this journey the "Trail of Tears," because of its devastating effects. The migrants faced hunger, disease, and exhaustion on the forced march. Over 4,000 out of 15,000 of the Cherokees died. -
California Gold Rush
In January 1848, James Wilson Marshall discovered gold while constructing a saw mill along the American River northeast of present-day Sacramento. The discovery was reported in the San Francisco newspapers in March but caused little stir as most did not believe the account. -
Gadsden Purchase
In 1846, President Polk declared war on Mexico and sent troops to New Mexico and California under General Kearny. This began the military era in New Mexico, which lasted for about 50 years. At this time, Mexican troops were garrisoned in Mesilla. By 1848 the war had ended and most of the state had been ceded to the United States by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.