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the revolutionary war
Fighting broke out between the Colonists and Britain in 1775 because they believed they were being treated unfair. The colonists quickly set to set up there independance, freedom and goverment. with the odds against them they defeated the British and were forced to sign the Treaty of Paris which gave them there freedom. This impacted the American history because it gave America the freedom they always wanted. I chose this event because it shows America turn from colonies into a country. -
ratification of the constitution
After the Constitution was written, it was sent out to the states for adoption. At least 75% of the states had to approve it so it could be accepted. Most importantly New York and Virginia were needed to approve or it was believed that it would not last. In the end, New York and Virginia signed on and adopted the Constitution after coming to an agreement that a Bill of Rights would be added. this is extremely important because it directly affects the way that americans will be treated. -
american parties
By the mid-1790s, the President’s Cabinet, Congress, and the nation at large had divided into two distinct political parties.The Federalists, who stood for vigorous federal government, and the Democratic-Republicans, who wanted as much power as possible to remain with the state governments. Democratic-Republicans favored a more strict interpretation of the Constitution and felt that this was out of the scope of the power of the national government. this is a most important thing in politics. -
Marshall and the supreme court
Judicial review is one of the principles of American government, but it isn't written into the Constitution. The power was assumed by the Supreme Court, led by John Marshall, in the Marbury v. Madison case. The power to expand the courts was granted by Congress in the Judiciary Act of 1789. This established the principle of judicial review, allowing the Supreme Court to review Congressional acts. this brings a more secure system for americans. -
florida and the monroe doctrine
In 1818, Andrew Jackson was ordered to take troops into Florida to stop the Seminole raids. Jackson was able to over run many Seminole villages, and after that Jackson decided that the lack of Spanish inforcement was the cause for all the raids. Jackson successfully captured the settlements and was able to remove the spanish Governor of Florida from power. without this we would not have fifty states, and i wouldnt be here in miami, florida, writing this. -
jackson and the trail of tears
President jackson was pressured into passing the Indian Removal Act of 1830 so they would be able to move the southern Indians else where. in 1835 the Seminole nation tooks arms against the United States troops. They fought for 7 long years, this became known as the second seminole war. In 1838, the U.S Army had successfully removed the Cherokee by force and drove them 1,000 miles to their new home, which took 116 days. this was called the trails of tears because many Cherokee died on the trip. -
war with mexico
Texas was made into a state sometime in February 1845. Mexico and the United states had come to a disagreement over where the boundary for texas was. Mexico refused to meet with the U.S. to discuss the boundary issue. On May 13 congress voted to go to war with Mexico. after several battles and wins in Mexico they signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo which ended the war on february 2 1849. this also is cause for our fifty stars, and a large portion of american landmass. -
gold rush
Mexico owned the California territory and since it was so far and had a low population they encouraged the americans to move into the territory. In 1839, John Sutter established the first major American settlement in California's Sacramento Valley. After the war with Mexico the California territory was owned by the United States. Shortly afterwards, in 1848, James Marshall discovered gold at Sutter's Mill. california is now a prospering part of the nation, due to this. -
indian wars
The Indian War was a series of conflicts between the U.S. and the Great Plain Indians due to increased movement in the west. The U.S. had built railroads which disrupted with the buffalo herds that the indians thrived on. This led to the goverment restricting the Indians to reservations. The reason this is important to history is because we were trying to grow as a country and we would stop at no cost. I chose this event because I believe we were a growing country and we had new power. -
homestead act
On May 20, 1862, Congress passed the Homestead Act, opening up 80 million acres of land in the west for settlement. Previously, Americans had believed the Great Plains were a wasteland, not suited for development. Though with the development of railsroads and new farming techniques the West had found a new purpose. The government awarded homesteaders 160 acres of land for a $10 registration fee. This is important to American History because it gave the west another purpose besides gold.
