Important Events in American History

Whiskey Rebellion

Mar 3, 1791

us historyus history
The Whiskey Rebellion began on March 3, 1791, when the U.S. Congress in Philadelphia passed a federal excise tax of seven cents per gallon on whiskey in an effort to pay off debts incurred by the Revolutionary War
The President was George Washington

Telegraph Invented

Feb 20, 1794

us historyushistoryThis system was visual and used semaphore, a flag-based alphabet, and depended on a line of sight for communication. The optical telegraph was replaced by the electric telegraph, the focus of this article.
President was William Bradfort

Jays Treaty

Aug 18, 1795

ushistory<ahref='http://http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/jay.html' >ushistory</a>
attempted to diffuse the tensions between England and the United States that had risen to renewed heights since the end of the Revolutionary War, The President was Washington

Pinckney's Treaty

Oct 27, 1795

ushistory It resolved territorial disputes between the two countries and granted American ships the right to free navigation of the Mississippi River as well as duty-free transport through the port of New Orleans, then under Spanish control.

Farewell Address

Sep 26, 1796

ushistory<ahref='http://http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/farewell/' >us history</a>
Washington's Farewell Address to the Nation appears in its entirety in this issue of the Independent Chronicle. Although it is by all accounts the most famous and best-known of Washington's speeches, it was never actually delivered orally by Washington. By his own arrangement it first appeared in a newspaper at Philadelphia. It was published seven days later in The Independent Chronicle.

Election of 1800

Feb 6, 1800

ushistory

Louisiana Purchase

Apr 30, 1803

ushistoryushistory
On April 30, 1803 the nation of France sold 828,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River to the young United States of America in a treaty commonly known as the Louisiana Purchase. President was Thomas Jefferson

Lewis and Clark Expedition

Sep 6, 1806

ushistoryushistory
In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson guided a of foreign diplomacy through the U.S. Senate: the purchase of Louisiana territory from France. After the Louisiana Purchase Treaty was made, Jefferson initiated an exploration of the newly purchased land and the territory beyond the "great rock mountains" in the West.

Steamboat Invented

Aug 7, 1807

ushistoryRobert Fulton's Clermont went from New York City to Albany making history with a 150-mile trip taking 32 hours at an average speed of about 5 miles-per-hour.
The President was Thomas Jefferson

Start of War of 1812

Jun 18, 1812

ushistoryushistory
Americans were angry from the increased Native American attacks on the frontier which they believed the British to be encouraging so President James Madison asked Congress to declare war.

Treaty of Ghent

Dec 24, 1814

ushistoryushistory
The Treaty of Ghent was signed by British and American representatives at Ghent, Belgium, ending the War of 1812. By terms of the treaty, all conquered territory was to be returned, and commissions were planned to settle the boundary of the United States and Canada.
The President at this time was James Madison

Battle of New Orleans

Jan 8, 1815

ushistoryushistory
7,500 British soldiers went up against 4,500 U.S. troops led by General Andrew Jackson. He defeated the British just 30 minutes, establishing himself as a national military hero. The Treaty of Ghent, which ended the war, had been signed two weeks before the battle but the news had not crossed the Atlantic yet.
The President at this time was James Madison.

Adams-Onis Treaty

Feb 22, 1819

ushistoryushistoryThomas Jefferson argued that Florida was included in Louisiana. In 1810 and 1812 the United States annexed sections of West Florida. When John Quincy Adams became secretary of state in 1817, he sought additional territory.

Monroe Doctrine

Dec 2, 1823

ushistoryushistory
President James Monroe’s 1823 annual message to Congress contained the Monroe Doctrine, which warned European powers not to interfere in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere.

Election of 1824

Feb 9, 1824

[ushistory](bill.ballpaul.net/iaph/main.php?g2_itemId=426)ushistory
In the United States presidential election of 1824, John Quincy Adams was elected President on February 9, 1825, after the election was decided by the House of Representatives.

Trail of Tears

Feb 6, 1838

ushistoryushistory
In 1838 and 1839, 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. The migrants faced hunger, disease, and exhaustion on the forced march. Over 4,000 out of 15,000 of the Cherokees died.

Annexation of Texas

Feb 20, 1843

ushistoryushistoryU.S. President John Tyler proposed annexation of Texas; the issue became part of the presidential election of 1844, during which citizens elected James K.

"54-40 or Fight"

Feb 20, 1844

ushistoryThe 1844 Democratic presidential candidate James K. Polk ran on a platform of taking control over the entire Oregon Territory and used the famous campaign slogan, "Fifty-four Forty or Fight!"

California Gold Rush

Jan 20, 1849

ushistorySam Brannan, a storekeeper in Sutter's Creek, brandished a bottle filled with gold dust around San Francisco shouting 'Gold! Gold! Gold from American River.
The President was James K. Polk.

Gadsen Purchase

Feb 20, 1853

us historyushistoryU.S. President Franklin Pierce wished to secure this land to fulfill railroad expansion in the west. In order to do so, Pierce and the American minister to Mexico, James Gadsden, orchestrated the Gadsden Purchase.