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Samuel Slater builds first U.S. textile factory
After going to Britain and stealing blueprints for a factory, Slater creates the first U.S. textile factory. This increased the production of clothes. This helped start the industrial revolution in America. It also set a precedent for factories to model after this one. -
Eli Whitney invents cotton gin
Eli Whitney created the cotton gin, which made the production of cotton ten times faster. Since it deseeded cotton quickly, farms needed more workforce to pick cotton. This created the first plantations in the South, where slaves were the dominant workforce. This created the large need for slaves in the South. -
Eli Whitney develops interchangeable parts
Interchangeable parts were important to industry. They allowed for mass production. They replaced handmade parts with parts that could be changed between objects. This really improved industry, which helped the South with the tools they needed and the North with their economy. -
Robert Fulton's first steamboat
The first steamboat was an important part of trade. Large ships were not able to move in shallow waters like in rivers or streams. This meant that to travel the intercontinental waterways you had to use a different way of transportation. This made trade especially difficult if you were going upstream. The steamboat allowed traders to travel upstream if necessary. This increased trade and made it more efficient and less expensive. -
Lack of electoral majority for preidency goes to House of Representatives
The election of 1824 was a contraversial one. Andrew Jackson had won the popular vote. However, he did not want the necessary majority to be President, despite being the crowd favorite. The vote went to the House of Representatives, where Henry Clay, enemy of Andrew Jackson, had a large amount of authority. The result was John Quincy Adams became President, and tensions rose between Jackson and Clay. -
John Quincy Adams elected President
After being voted in by the House of Representatives, John Quincy Adams was elected President. Adams did not do anything very significant during his Presidency. At the end of his term the Tariff of 1828 was enacted, which would play a vital role in the presidential election of 1828. -
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal was dug to connect the waterways of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. This essentially connected the Atlantic Ocean and the Ohio River Valley area.This was a vital trade route that helped the economies of the South and West. It better connected the nation. -
Tariff of 1828
This act is also known as the "Tariff of Abdominations". To make sure Jackson won the election, he and his associates had the Tariff of 1828 passed. This placed a large tax on industrial goods, which hurt southerners. Jackson made this tariff in an attempt to keep Adams out of office for a second term. This backfired when the tariff was slightly changed and put a tax on southerners when Jackson was President. -
Jackson elected president
After defeating John Q Adams, Jackson became President. He won the election by a landslide. Jackson was considered a common man that made it to the top by being a war hero. He was a household name and had the nickname of "Old Hickory". In reality, Jackson was actually a wealthy farmer. -
The South Carolina Exposition published
The South Carolina Exposition was published to fight for the rights of states to nullify federal laws they see unjust. This was created to nullify the tariff of 1828. The author was a secret, but it was later found that John C. Calhoun, Jackson's Vice President, wrote the exposition. This divided the President and Vice President over states rights, which ultimately led to Jackson selecting a new Vice President in Martin Van Buren. -
"Bank War"
The Bank War was between Biddle, president of the bank, and Andrew Jackson. Biddle wanted to renew the national bank before the charter expired in two years. Jackson didn't support the national bank so he refused to renew the charter. He then decided to kill the bank there. He did so by removing all the money out of the national bank into other banks, leaving the national bank useless. -
Compromise Tariff of 1833
This tariff was put in place to compromise with the Tariff of Abominations. It lowered the cost of goods for southern buyers. Although it wasn't lowered by much, the southerners were happy with the compromise. -
Battle of the Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo was a war between annexed Texas and Mexico. It was a siege on Texans for 13 days at the mission called the Alamo in San Antonio. Everyone there died, but it was a valiant fight against the Mexican army to fight for Texas independence. This was the first step towards Texas winning independence and the United States gaining a lot of western land. -
Battle of San Jacinto
This was the final battle of the war for Texan independence. This led to the Treaty of Guadulupe-Hidalgo. This treaty gave the United States current day Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. -
Van Buren elected President
Following Jackson's second term, his close friend Van Buren was elected President. He had similar principles to Jackson. Because of the loss of the bank, Van Buren was blamed for the economic Panic of 1837 -
John Deere develops steel plow
The steel plow was an important farming tool. It replaced wooden plows, which were easily breakable and not efficient. This plow worked much better and ground the ground up much better. This made farming more efficient, and was an important part of the industrial revolution. -
Cherokee Indians removed on "Trail of Tears"
After going to the Supreme Court, the Cherokee Indians found that they were allowed to live where they were currently living. However, Van Buren wanted to remove them. So he forced them to move even farther west using military force. He had it done immediately, and forced them out. The Native Americans were treated terribly, and many of them died on the trail. This was a lowpoint in American history. -
Cumberland Road
Cumberland Road was the first highway in the United States. It begins in Cumberland, Maryland, and it ended in Vandalia, Illinois, until it was later added on to. The road took a long time to complete because it was interrupted by the War of 1812. This connected the western farm lands with the industrial Northeast. This was an important trade route, and it showed the growth of the United States as a country. -
Harrison defeats Van Buren for presidency
William Henry Harrison was elected president after beating Van Buren out. Despite harshly cold weather conditions, he still gave his inaugural address. He then caught pnuemonia. Months later, he died from this disease. Harrison was also from Indiana. -
Pony Express established
The Pony Express was the United States' first mail system. Riders would ride on horses and deliver mail across the United States. This was just another example of how the United States was growing into its own nation. It also was the first attempt of establishing a way to communicate with people in other places without directly going to them. The Pony Express was beneficial, but slow.