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Eli Whitney Patented the Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney patents his invention, the Cotton Gin, which causes a boom in the cotton industry in the south because it made harvesting the seeds easier. -
Thomas Jefferson was elected president
The election of Thomas Jefferson ushered in an era of Democratic-Republican presidents (that ultimately lead to the death of the Federalist party) and the peaceful transition of power. -
Gabriel Prosser Slave Revolt
Prosser planned a slave revolt to march in Richmond, but a delay due to a storm and slaves who told their masters allowed the militia to gather and the revolt never truly begun. -
Second Great Awakening Began
The Second Great Awakening was another religious revival which inspired increased church attendance/membership and many humanitarian reforms. -
Louisiana Purchase
Doubled the size of the U.S. at the time. -
Marbury v. Madison
The Marbury v. Madison case strengthened the power of the Supreme Court by giving them the power of judicial review. -
Beginning of Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark expedition was the first official American expedition across the western portion of the US and proved it was possible to reach the west coast. -
Embargo Act
The Embargo Act prohibited all foreign trade and crippled the economy of America, especially in New England. -
Chesapeake-Leopard Affair
The American ship the USS Chesapeake was attacked by the HMS British Leopard, inciting some of the public outrage at the British's acts that lead up to the War of 1812. -
James Madison Elected President
James Madison is elected fourth president of the United States, decisively defeating the Federalist candidate Pinckney. -
Non-Intercourse Act
The Non-Intercourse Act lifts the previous embargo, but maintains it against only Britain and France. -
Francis Cabot Lowell Smuggled Memorized Textile Mill Plans From Manchester, England
Francis Cabot uses his memorized textile mill plans from the successful ones in England to start the industrial revolution in America. -
Beginning of Manifest Destiny
Americans felt it was their destiny or duty to expand the country even further west, sparking widespread migration. -
Death of Tecumseh
General Harrison's forces defeat Indian forces at the Battle of the Thames. Tecumseh dies in the battle and Indian resistance in the U.S. pretty much ends. -
The British Burn Washington DC
The British attack and burn D.C. during the War of 1812 -
Robert Owen Founded the New Harmony Community
New Harmony was one utopian/communal community out of many created at the time, but fell apart due to infighting and confusion. -
End of the War of 1812
The end of the war was closest to a draw, but it showed that the U.S. was a power to be respected and gave rise to a surge of nationalism. -
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans was the last major battle of the War of 1812 and made Andrew Jackson a war hero. -
Treaty of Ghent Ratified
The War of 1812 ends in a 'draw' with the Treaty of Ghent, which is unanimously ratified by the U.S. senate. -
Hartford Convention
The Federalist party hosts the Hartford Convention to discuss their grievances, especially with the War of 1812. It also lead to the death of the Federalist party because it made everyone else see them as unpatriotic or mutinous. -
Era of Good Feelings Began
The end of the War of 1812 creates a widespread sense of nationalism and unity among Americans. -
James Monroe Elected President
James Monroe is elected fifth president of the United States overwhelmingly against the declining Federalist party. -
Rush-Bagot Treaty
Mostly demilitarized the America-British North America (Canada) boundary along the great lakes. -
Anglo-American Convention
British North America (Canada) and America agree to set the boundary of the Missouri Territory at the 49th parallel. -
Adams-Onis Treaty
Gave the U.S. the Florida territory and defined the border between America and Mexico (giving them Texas in the process) -
Panic of 1819
The Panic of 1819 was the first major U.S. financial crisis due to economic expansion after the War of 1812 that lead to overspeculation and etc. -
Dartmouth College V. Woodward
The ruling over Dartmouth College V. Woodward protected private institutions and limited state power over them. -
McCulloch v. Maryland
The Supreme Court stated that congress had implied powers that allowed them to establish a national bank. -
Missouri Compromise
Missouri and Maine both enter the U.S. as states, as slave and free states respectively to keep the balance between the amount of each. -
Denmark Vesey Slave Revolt
Vesey organizes a slave revolt to take Charleston, SC. It is thwarted by another slave and Vesey along with his conspirators are hung. -
Monroe Doctrine
Asserted U.S. dominance over the western hemisphere and condemned European colonialism in the Americas -
Gibbons v. Ogden
The decision about the Gibbons v. Ogden case gave the federal government the ability to regulate interstate trade. -
John Quincy Adams Elected President (Corrupt Bargain)
No one in the 1824 election has the electoral votes needed for election, so it goes to the House of Representatives. Henry Clay, the House Speaker, picks John Quincy Adams despite Jackson having the popular vote and then becomes JQA's Secretary of State. -
Erie Canal Completed
The Erie canal speeds up transportation between Albany and Buffalo, connecting the eastern seaboard and the great lake and inspiring more canals to aid transportation in the U.S. -
Charles B. Finney Lead Religious Revivals in Western New York
Charles Finney's revivals helped spark the Second Great Awakening, which restored religious zest and inspired many reform movements. -
Lyman Beecher Delivered His “Six Sermons on Intemperance”
Beecher's sermons were instrumental in the movement for temperance and reforms against excessive alcohol consumption. -
Horace Mann Elected Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education
Horace Mann made many improvements to the Massachusetts school system, with longer days, expanded curriculum, larger teacher salaries, and etc. -
Tariff of Abominations
A protective tariff is passed to help northern industry, but the south is angered and says it's unconstitutional because they don't do any manufacturing and have to pay higher prices for northern goods as a result. -
Andrew Jackson Elected President
Andrew Jackson wins the election against JQA thanks to support from the masses, especially from the west. -
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act forced the movement of eastern Indian tribes to set Indian sanctuary lands out west. -
Joseph Smith Founded the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints
The Mormon religion is established. -
Worcester v. Georgia
Declared that only the federal government could make laws regarding slaves; said a Georgia law was unconstitutional. -
Andrew Jackson Vetoed the Re-Charter of the Second Bank of the United States
Andrew Jackson's vetoing of the recharter for the national bank marks the beginning of the end for the U.S. bank. He also exercised a great amount of executive power in vetoing it. -
Nullification Crisis Began
South Carolina nullified the protective Tariff, sparking outrage from many, especially from the north and prompting reaction from the federal government to enforce its laws. -
Black Hawk War
Native Americans lead by Black Hawk fight U.S. troops in effort to reclaim their native lands but were ultimately defeated. -
Creation of the Whig Party in the U.S.
The Whig party formed to oppose Jackson and supported protective tariffs, national banking, and federal aid for internal improvements. -
Treaty of New Echota
The Treaty of New Echota said that the Cherokee would be removed from Georgia land for compensation, which provided legal basis for the Trail of Tears. -
Transcendental Club’s First Meeting
Transcendentalism impacted much of the literature, art, and etc in American culture. -
Texas Declared Independence from Mexico
Texas is formally declared independent from Mexico in the Texas Revolution at the Convention of 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos -
Battle of the Alamo
All of the Texans who defended the Alamo against a 13 day siege were killed by Mexican troops, angering many other Texans to rally against them. -
Andrew Jackson Issued Specie Circular
The Specie Circular said that government land had to be paid in 'hard' money due to over speculation. It lead to the panic of 1837. -
First McGuffey Reader Published
The McGuffey readers were used in many American schools as textbooks to teach certain subjects and morals. -
Martin Van Buren Elected President
Van Buren, a democrat, wins the election thanks to Jackson's support and defeats the Whig's candidate, Harrison. -
Panic of 1837
The Panic of 1837 was a depression caused by Jackson's economic policies, such as the Specie Circular and destruction of the national bank resulting in increased unemployment, decreased wages, and decreased profits/prices. -
Trail of Tears Began
The Cherokee people are forcefully removed from their homelands and taken to Oklahoma, but many natives suffered in the process. -
Ralph Waldo Emerson gave the “Divinity School Address”
Emerson warned listeners that much of the church's preaching was lifeless unlike the nature outside (very transcendentalist ideas) -
Catherine Beecher Published Essays on the Education of Female Teachers
Beecher frequently wrote about the woman's place as a mother and educator, and though she wasn't a suffragist she encouraged their education. -
Webster-Ashburton Treaty
The locations of U.S. and Canadian borders were (re)affirmed, such as the Maine-New Brunswick border and that of the western territory, as well as shared occupation of the great lakes. -
Treaty of Wanghia with China
This agreement between the U.S. and China set fixed tariffs in ports, let Americans buy land for Churches in Chinese ports, and gained extraterritoriality for the U.S. -
James Polk Elected President
Democratic Polk barely won out against Whig Clay. He also favored the annexation of Texas, which boosted his votes. -
U.S. Annexation of Texas
The Texan President calls together a convention to consider annexation and a constitution, and later accepted Congress's offered joint resolution. -
Start of the Mexican War
Armed conflict between the U.S. and Mexico begins due to disputes about where the border between them lay and claims over control of Texas. -
Bear Flag Revolt
The California Republic tries (and fails) to break away from the U.S. in the Bear Flag Revolt. -
John Humphrey Noyes Founded the Oneida Community
The Oneida Community was a perfectionist religious utopian communal society that practiced complex marriage, male sexual continence, and mutual criticism and eventually fell apart and turned into a manufacturing company. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The U.S. gained present-day Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming from this treaty at the end of the Mexican-American War. -
Gold Rush Began in California
Thousands of people migrated to California in the hopes that they would strike rich by mining for gold. -
Henry David Thoreau Published Civil Disobedience
Civil Disobedience was a transcendentalist piece that said it was the duty of citizens to keep the government from overruling. -
Commodore Matthew Perry Entered Tokyo Harbor Opening Japan to the U.S.
Japan had long been in almost complete isolation from the west of the world, but this restored trade/discourse with the west. -
Gadsden Purchase
Much of southern Arizona and New Mexico was purchased from Mexico in this treaty. -
Kanagawa Treaty
The Kanagawa Treaty between the U.S. and Tokugawa Shogunate opened Japan officially to trade with the U.S.
