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Trail of Tears
Starting in the 1830s and for many years after, thousands of Native Americans were forced to move from their homes. The indigenous peoples east of the Mississippi River had to move West to the area which is Oklahoma today -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
An enslaved man named Nat Turner led a rebellion of many other enslaved black people. They decided to kill Nat Turner's master and his family, as well as many other white people. This action caused a massacre of hundreds of black people soon after and led to a lot of fear among Southerners and misfortune for black people. -
End of the Texas Revolution
Colonists from Texas fought a war with Mexico to gain independence. The war lasted almost 7 months and resulted in Texas becoming an independent state from Mexico and forming the Republic of Texas. -
Panic of 1837
The panic of 1837 was the start of a period of economic turndown that lasted until the 1840s. This year began a large economic depression where prices of many goods dropped, as well as wages, and many people lost their jobs. Westward expansion was postponed because of this. -
First Whig President Elected
In the election of 1840, the Whig Party ran William Henry Harrison as a candidate. He defeated the Democratic candidate, Martin Van Buren, in both the popular and electoral college votes and became the first Whig President. -
First President to Die in Office and James K. Polk Becomes President
William Henry Harrison, the first Whig president elected in 1840, was the first president to die in office. Just 32 days after becoming president, the 9th U.S. President died in office and the title was passed on to his Vice-President, John Tyler. -
Oregon Trail Great Migration
Around a thousand people took the Oregon Trail in a wagon train, which was a treacherous area. The journey was about 2,000 miles and they got through it successfully to start settling the area. This was the first of many groups to take the journey to settle in this period. -
Election of 1844
The Whig Party tried to make Henry Clay president in the first election since the first Whig won. Henry Clay was defeated closely by Democratic candidate James K. Polk, who became president. The two parties disagreed on topics such as slavery and the annexation of the Republic of Texas, so it would be a change of hand. -
End of the Mexican-American War
The U.S. and Mexico disagreed on where Texas ended. Since Mexico no longer owned Texas, they didn't want it being on their land and it either ended at the Nueces River, which Mexico claimed, or the Rio Grande, which the U.S. claimed. The war lasted almost 2 years. -
Compromise of 1850
A series of resolutions to help make both sides content on the slavery problem. California was made a free state, the slave trade in D.C. was abolished, the Fugitive Slave Act was amended, and New Mexico and Utah became popular sovereignty states on the topic of slavery. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriett Beecher Stowe, a white abolitionist, released Uncle Tom's Cabin. The book was very successful and was one of the first portrayals of humanizing slaves that made people think. The characters were often stereotypical, but her positive portrayal of black characters moved a lot of people. -
Know-Nothing Party
The Know-Nothing Party was founded years before by nativists and was popular in the mid-1850s. The 3rd party was anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic. The party was officially called the American Party but was referred to as the Know-Nothing Party because members would say they "know nothing" when asked about specifics of the movement. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and allowed for popular sovereignty. The act also repealed the Missouri Compromise. -
Abraham Lincoln Elected
Abraham Lincoln was running for the Republican party against 3 others. He only got less than 40% of the popular vote, but won the electoral college vote by far. His election caused many changes and reactions from states, including South Carolina's secession from the Union. -
South Carolina Secession
After Abraham Lincoln was elected as President in the 1860 election, states that wanted to keep their slaves became scared. South Carolina, a slave state, became the first to secede from the Union, followed by others. This would soon lead to the Civil War.