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Second Great Awakening Began
membership rose rapidly among Baptist and Methodist congregations whose preachers led the movement. -
Eli Whitney Patented the Cotton Gin
A machine that revolutionized the production of cotton by greatly speeding up the process of removing seeds from cotton fiber -
Gabriel Prosser Slave Revolt
He planned the first major slave rebellion in U.S. history. His abortive revolt greatly increased the whites’ fear of the slave population throughout the South. -
Thomas Jefferson Elected President
The election constitutes the first peaceful transfer of power from one political party to another in the United States. -
Louisiana Purchase
It gave the U.S. control of the Mississippi River and the port city of New Orleans, both of which were used by farmers to ship their crops and get paid. -
Marbury v. Madison
most important case in Supreme Court history, was the first U.S. Supreme Court case to apply the principle of "judicial review" -- the power of federal courts to void acts of Congress in conflict with the Constitution. -
Beginning of Lewis and Clark Expedition
Their mission was to explore the unknown territory, establish trade with the Natives and affirm the sovereignty of the United States in the region. One of their goals was to find a waterway from the US to the Pacific Ocean. -
Embargo Act
It was intended to punish Britain and France for interfering with American trade while the two major European powers were at war with each other. -
Non-Intercourse Act
This Act lifted all embargoes on American shipping except for those bound for British or French ports. -
Chesapeake-Leopard Affair
The crew of Leopard pursued, attacked, and boarded the American frigate, looking for deserters from the Royal Navy. -
James Madison Elected President
A founding father of the United States who is famous for his contribution towards the U.S. Constitution. -
Francis Cabot Lowell Smuggled Memorized Textile Mill Plans from Manchester, England
Francis Cabot Lowell built up an American textile manufacturing industry. He was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts in 1775, and became a successful merchant. On a trip to England at age 36, he was impressed by British textile mills. -
Beginning of Manifest Destiny
most often associated with the territorial expansion of the United States -
Death of Tecumseh
an important organizer of native resistance to the spread of white settlement in North America. The day after the fighting here, he was killed in the Battle of Thames near Moraviantown -
The British Burn Washington DC
During the Sacking of York, in the War of 1812, American troops set fire to the Parliament, Government House, and several other public buildings in the Upper Canadian capital. -
Treaty of Ghent Ratified
ended the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain. Peace negotiations began in Ghent, Belgium -
Robert Owen Founded the New Harmony Community
established the village as his preliminary model for a utopian community. -
Battle of New Orleans
It propelled Andrew Jackson to fame as a war hero. -
Hartford Convention
the New England Federalist Party met to discuss their grievances concerning the ongoing War of 1812 and the political problems arising from the federal government -
Era of Good Feeling Began
in the mood of victory that swept the nation at the end of the War of 1812. -
End of the War of 1812
Ended in a stalemate. The treaty of Ghent returned all territorial conquests made by the two sides. It did not address the issue of impressment, one of the major causes of the war. -
James Monroe Elected President
issued an important contribution to U.S. foreign policy in the Monroe Doctrine, a warning to European nations against intervening in the West -
Anglo-American Convention
The Convention respecting fisheries, boundary and the restoration of slaves between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain -
Rush-Bagot Treaty
It's goal was to significantly eliminate both countries' burgeoning naval fleets stationed in the Great Lakes. -
Adams-Onis Treaty
It ceded Florida to the U.S. and defined the boundary between the U.S. and New Spain. -
McCulloch v. Maryland
One of the first and most important Supreme Court cases on federal power. -
Missouri Compromise
An effort by Congress to defuse the sectional and political rivalries triggered by the request of Missouri -
Panic of 1819
the first major financial crisis in the United States. -
Dartmouth College v. Woodward
The Supreme Court, under Chief Justice John Marshall, ruled in their favor, saying that New Hampshire had violated the so-called contract clause of the United States Constitution. -
Charles B. Finney Lead Religious Revivals in Western New York
known as the 'Father of Modern Revivalism'. He was a leader in the 'Second Great Awakening' in the United States, serving as a Presbyterian, then Congregationalist, minister and religious writer. Finney's significance was in innovative preaching and service procedure. -
Denmark Vesey Slave Revolt
He was accused and convicted of being the ringleader of "the rising," a major potential slave revolt planned for the city; he was executed. -
Monroe Doctrine
It created separate spheres of European and American influence. The United States promised to stay out of European business and told the Europeans to stay out of the Western Hemisphere's business. -
Gibbons v. Ogden
a landmark decision in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that the power to regulate interstate commerce, granted to Congress by the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution, encompassed the power to regulate navigation. -
John Quincy Adams Elected President
Outspoken in his opposition to slavery and in support of freedom of speech, Adams was elected to the House of Representatives -
Erie Canal Completed
it greatly facilitated the transportation of passengers and freight between the eastern seaboard and Michigan ports. -
Tariff of Abominations
The protective tariffs taxed all foreign goods, to boost the sales of US products and protect Northern manufacturers from cheap British goods. -
Lyman Beecher Delivered his Six Sermons on Intemperance
helped build the organizations that became known as the "benevolent empire" and gave religion in America its distinctive voluntary stamp -
Andrew Jackson elected President
Jackson led a force of mostly inexperienced volunteers against overwhelming British forces in the Battle of New Orleans. ... As president, Jackson fundamentally altered United States politics. -
Catherine Beecher Published Essays on the Education of Female Teachers
Beecher recognized the untapped potential in the growing population of educated women and advocated for the wider education of females to fill this increasing need for teachers. -
Indian Removal Act
gave the federal government the power to relocate any Native Americans in the east to territory that was west of the Mississippi River. -
Joseph Smith founded the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints
after receiving a vision from God the Father and Jesus Christ, who told him not to join any church as they were all false and corrupt. -
Worcester v. Georgia
a case in which the United States Supreme Court vacated the conviction of Samuel Worcester and held that the Georgia criminal statute that prohibited non-Native Americans from being present on Native American lands without a license -
Creation of the Whig Party in the U.S.
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System -
Andrew Jackson Vetoed the Re-Charter of the Second Bank of the United States
By arguing that in the form presented to him it was incompatible with “justice,” “sound policy” and the Constitution. The charter was bad policy for several technical reasons. -
Nullification Crisis Began
when South Carolina adopted the ordinance to nullify the tariff acts and label them unconstitutional. Despite sympathetic voices from other Southern states, South Carolina found itself standing alone. -
Black Hawk War
a brief conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. -
Treaty of New Echota
It cost three men their lives and provided the legal basis for the Trail of Tears, the forcible removal of the Cherokee Nation from Georgia. -
Texas Declared Independence from Mexico
the formal declaration of independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico in the Texas Revolution. -
Battle of the Alamo
a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna launched an assault on the Alamo Mission near San Antonio de Béxar, killing the Texian defenders -
Transcendental Club's First Meeting
Discussed the formation of a new club; their first official meeting was held eleven days later at Ripley's house in Boston. -
First McGuffey Reader Published
the first widely used textbooks in the U.S. William McGuffey, who had a lifelong interest in teaching children, compiled the first four readers -
Andrew Jackson issued Specie Circular
pursuant to the Coinage Act and carried out by his successor, President Martin Van Buren. -
Panic of 1837
a financial crisis in the United States that touched off a major recession -
Martin Van Buren Elected President
A founder of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the ninth Governor of New York, the tenth U.S. Secretary of State, and the eighth Vice President of the United States -
Ralph Waldo Emerson gave the Divinity School Address
a significant essay, both in American literature and American history -
Trail of Tears Began
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. -
Webster-Ashburton Treaty
a treaty that resolved several border issues between the United States and the British North American colonies. -
Treaty of Wanghia with China
a diplomatic agreement between Qing-dynasty China and the United States -
James Polk Elected President
defeated Whig Henry Clay in a close contest that turned on the controversial issues of slavery and the annexation of the Republic of Texas. -
US Annexation of Texas
During his tenure, U.S. President James K. Polk oversaw the greatest territorial expansion of the United States to date. -
Start of the Mexican War
an armed conflict between the United States of America and the United Mexican States -
Bear Flag Revolt
a small group of American settlers in California rebelled against the Mexican government and proclaimed California an independent republic. -
Horace Mann Elected Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education
President of the Massachusetts State Senate at the time, was appointed the board's first Secretary. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The war officially ended with the signing in Mexico of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo -
Gold Rush Began in California
when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. -
John Humphrey Noyes Founded the Oneida Community
a perfectionist religious communal society -
Commodore Matthew Perry Entered Tokyo Harbor Opening Japan to the US
American Commodore Matthew Perry led his four ships into the harbor at Tokyo Bay, seeking to re-establish for the first time in over 200 years regular trade and discourse between Japan and the western world. -
Henry David Thoreau Published Civil Disobedience
The text is a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings. The work is part personal declaration of independence, social experiment, voyage of spiritual discovery, satire, and—to some degree—a manual for self-reliance. -
Gadsden Purchase
a 29,670-square-mile region of present-day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico that the United States purchased via a treaty -
Kanagawa Treaty
In Tokyo, Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry, representing the U.S. government, signs the Treaty of Kanagawa with the Japanese government, opening the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American trade and permitting the establishment of a U.S. consulate in Japan.
