-
The signing of the Declaration of Independence
The adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress took place on July 4, 1776. It was signed by 56 delegates in the Pennsylvania State Hall -
The Northwest Ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance passed on July 13th, 1787. It was adopted by the Confederation Congress to establish the framework for governing the Northwest territory such as Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. -
Westward Expansion
The Westward Expansion really started with the Louisiana Purchase. This is the belief that it was America's God given right and destiny to have the territory from coast to coast. -
The Louisiana Purchase
On April 30, 1803 Thomas Jefferson made the decision to go through with the Louisiana Purchase. The purchase from France cost the US around 15 million dollars and included 828,000 square miles of land. -
Battle of 1812
The War of 1812 was the fighting of the US and British of the conflict of British violation of US maritime rights as well as disagreements over trade. The war was later settled through a peace treaty between the two countries. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was a law passed through legislation in 1820 to maintain a balance of power between slave and non-slave states. This was done by making Missouri a slave state and Maine a non-slave state. -
Mexican American War
The Mexican American War was a fight for the claiming of Texas between America and Mexico. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo later ended with the defeat of Mexico resulting in the lose of land including land that would become part of present-day California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a set of five laws passed by the U.S. Congress that aimed to resolve tensions between free and slave states regarding the problem of slavery in newly gained territories resulting from the Mexican-American War. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was a piece of legislation passed to repeal the Missouri Compromise. It resulted in the uprising of "Bleeding Kansas" as violent pro and anti slavery activists rushed to new territories to sway popular votes. -
Dred Scott vs. Sanford
The Dred Scott vs. Sanford decision was that the United States Supreme Court upheld slavery in United States territories, denied the legality of black citizenship in America, and declared the Missouri Compromise to be unconstitutional.