Expansion and Reform (1815 - 1860)

  • McCulloch v. Maryland

    McCulloch v. Maryland
    McCulloch v. Maryland argued the constitutionality of the Second Bank of the United States. The Court decided that Congress had the power to incorporate the Bank and Maryland could not tax it.
  • Missouri Compromise

    Missouri Compromise
    The Missouri Compromise was an attempt to keep a balance in Congress between free and slave states. It prohibited slavery in states above the 36° 30´ latitude line.
  • Monroe Doctrine

    Monroe Doctrine
    In the Monroe Doctrine, President Monroe warned European countries not to interfere in the Western Hemisphere. This later became a cornerstone for U.S. foreign policy.
  • Gibbons v. Ogden

    Gibbons v. Ogden
    Gibbons v. Ogden was a supreme court case that established that Congress could regulate interstate commerce. the stated "power to regulate commerce extends to every species of commercial intercourse … among the several states"
  • 1828 Presidential Election

    1828 Presidential Election
    The Democratic Party is established as Andrew Jackson is elected as the first Democratic President. John Calhoun is elected Vice-President. Jackson also created the Spoils System with his presidency.
  • Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road

    Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road
    Merchants in Baltimore start construction on a railroad from the harbor of the Ohio River. This railroad was the first public railroad in the United States.
  • Indian Removal Act

    Indian Removal Act
    President Jackson removed Native Americans from their settled lands in the Southeast to federal land west of the Mississippi. Most notable were the Five Civilized Tribes: Chickasaw, Choctaw, Seminole, Cherokee, and Creek.
  • Nat Turner's Rebellion

    Nat Turner's Rebellion
    Nat Turner led the only effective and sustained slave rebellion in the South and put an end to the myth that slaves were contented and could not revolt.
  • 1832 Presidential Election

    1832 Presidential Election
    Andrew Jackson is re-elected president and Martin Van Buren is elected Vice-President.
  • Texas Declaration of Independence

    Texas Declaration of Independence
    Texas declared its independence from Mexico, 59 delegates from all the settlements approved the Texas Declaration of Independence.
  • Panic of 1837

    Panic of 1837
    Major recession that began in the spring of 1837. Many banks collapsed, prices soared, currency lost value, and many business owners went bankrupt.
  • Trail of Tears

    Trail of Tears
    Cherokee's are forcibly removed from Georgia to what is now Oklahoma.
  • The Normal School

    The Normal School
    The firsts publicly funded school for training teachers accepted their first three female students. These women went to Lexington Massachusetts to take part in this new program.
  • R.W. Emerson Publishes "Self Reliance"

    R.W. Emerson Publishes "Self Reliance"
    Self-reliance was Emerson's idea that an individual needs to avoid conformity and follow their own instincts and ideas.
  • Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

    Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave
    Frederick Douglass publishes his autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. This was less than 7 years after escaping slavery.
  • US declares war with Mexico

    US declares war with Mexico
    The United States Congress declares war on Mexico for disputes over Texas.
  • California Gold Rush

    California Gold Rush
    Gold was found at Sutter's Mill, Coloma, California. approximately 300,000 people moved to California from around the country and abroad to find gold.
  • Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

    Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
    The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican war. In this treaty, Mexico succeded 55% of its territory, including Colorado.
  • Seneca Falls Convention

    Seneca Falls Convention
    The Seneca Falls Convention was the first women's rights convention. It is a marker for the start of the suffrage movement. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott conceived and directed the convention.
  • Dred Scott Decision

    Dred Scott Decision
    The Supreme Court case of Dred Scott vs. John F. A. Stanford decided that congress has no power to regulate slavery in the territories. The decision was made because African Americans were not citizens.
  • 1860 Presidential Election

    1860 Presidential Election
    Abraham Lincoln was elected president and Hannibal Hamlin was elected vice-president.
  • South Carolina Secedes

    South Carolina Secedes
    South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union.