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Alien and Sedition Acts
Sparked by the strong distain and paranoia surrounding the French at the time, these acts allowed the President to deport, detain and arrest foreigners he dubbed dangerous. It also made becoming an American citizen more difficult. -
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Washington's Presidency
During this period, Washington served as the president! -
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New Republic
This is when focus was place upon putting the words of the constitution into common practice, and many presidential precedents were created and used in this timeframe. -
First Presidential Cabinet Created
This is when the President, George Washington, first used his power to appoint officials and created a council of advisors to help him rule America. Noteable members of the first cabinet included Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. -
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Whiskey Revellion
The federal government put a tax on whiskey, but whiskey farmers did not appreciate this and rebelled against the government. -
Neutrality Proclaimation
This is when President George Washington declare neutrality in the war between France and England, betraying the French because they happened to also be in a revolution and it didn't seem very strategic to fight a war. -
Cotton Gin
In 1794, a guy called Eli Whitney invented the cotton engine, a machine that made cotton easier to process because processing cotton by hand was tough. It revolutionized Southern economics since they made cotton, and this made their lives easier. -
Jay Treaty
An impending war between America and Britain was averted with this treaty. -
XYZ Affair
When French diplomats refused to talk with America without a bribe, Americans became furious and a disgust for the French was born, leading to a quasi-war between France and America. -
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Jefferson's Presidency
During this period, Jefferson served as president! -
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Westward Expansion
This is when the US expanded its borders greatly. Chunks of Mexican and Native American land were annexed into the United States. -
Louisiana Purchase
This event marks when president Jefferson purchased vast tracts of land from France using federal funding. This sparked an uproar, since no presidents had ever used federal funds before and he had been elected for his strict rule following attitude. -
Madbury v. Madison
Madbury was appoined as a supreme judge by a president about to leave office, but his position was declined. He sued and changed the way judges were appointed. -
Embargo of 1807
This was when America banned trade with Britain, who at the time was at war with France and had been attacking American ships and capturing their crew. American officials had hoped this would discourage the British government from allowing these attacks by cutting off their trade, but they were unaffected for the most part and continued plundering American vessels. -
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Industrial Revolution
The dawn of mechanized labor sparked a cultural revolution, shifting the focus of the primarily argricultural US, to the emerging prospect of industry. -
Missouri Comprimise
Congress tried to keep America evenly balanced between slave and free states. Missouri's admission into the US would create an imbalance, and thus a comprimise was met, with the North adding a new state, Maine, to balance out Missouri. It was then decided to create a line to make any future states below a slave state and above a free state, as to avoid making any more comprimises. -
Cherkokee Nation's Appeal
In an attempt to keep their homeland, the Cherkokee created a constitution so they would be a seperate country, and wouldn't have to move. America didn't acknowledge this and continued to take their land. -
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Antebellum
This was the period leading up to the American Civil War, when tensions between the North and South built as the country struggled to reform its laws. -
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Jackson's Presidency
During this peridod, Andrew Jackson served as the president. He wanted to be president earlier but failed, so he created a system in which anyone who helped him get into office next election, would recieve a job in the government. This let him win the election in a landslide, and he threw a massive party at the White House to celebrate, invinting everyone to do whatever they did at parties, back in 1829. -
Indian Removal Act
Jackson wanted land occupied by the natives, and was willing to do whatever he saw fit to claim that land and establish his ideal agrarian nation. He had tight control over congress and the legislature as a whole because he had appointed all of its members and could fire them on a whim, and he used their power to create an act which forced all natives away. -
Second Annual Message
On May 26, 1830, Jackson announced his plans to eliminate the natives from land he wanted. He phrased it to seem as though moving them would be a good thing for everyone, stating that time would allow them to become civilized and return in the future to become American citizens, and that the land would help grow America. -
Nullification Crisis
The federal governments had done it again. Seeing as many were purchasing cheap British goods instead of supporting local businesses, the government placed a tax on the British goods to make them undesirable, but Louisiana and many other Southern states liked buying cheap goods and were angry. So angry, in fact, that they decided to ignore the new tax completely. -
Worchester VS Georgia
An activist hoping to defend the natives decided to protest against the American conquest of inhabited land, and broke a law which kept him off unsettled Lousiana land by staying at a Cherkokee camp. He was promptly arrested, but was defended in court by stating that the Cherkokee land was not Lousiana land but instead belonged to the Cherkokee. -
Texas Happens
American settlers moved west, arrving to what would become Texas. It was Mexican territory and Mexican law dictated that slavery was strictly illegal. Texans wanted to have slavery, so they declared themselves independent of Mexico, and became a new country where slavery was legal. -
Trail of Tears
Jackson's plan from years ago finally comes into fruition, forcing the native people westward into the unknown. It is known as the trail of tears, since it was a miserable journey for the natives and resulted in nearly half of them dieing. -
Annexation of Texas
Texas had applied for statehood to congress, and was refused several times. Eventually, congress gave up and agreed to make them a state. Mexico was displeased at Texas, since it had been taking its land for a while and they promptly declared was on America for enabling Texas. -
Mexican American War
Texas' insistence on taking Mexican land without asking had angered Mexico. They declared war on America and fought. Upon Mexico's defeat, Americ purchased lots of land from Mexico. -
Mexican-American War
Texas had just become part of America, and had been in poor standings with Mexico, since Texas had been taking its land. Mexico then declared war on America and they fought. In the end, America won and paid Mexico for all the land they took, and some extra land as well. -
Wilmot Priviso
When legislature to ban slavery in the newly conquered territory from Mexico was proposed by congressman David Wilmot, the South was angry. -
Gold Rush
When James Marshall found gold at Sutter's Mill in California, the world rushed to get in on the gold. Immigrants from across the globe flocked to California to get gold. -
Compromise of 1850
This event encompasses five seperate bills, which created the borders of New Mexico and Texas, made California a free state, slave trade was banned in DC, and the Wilmot Proviso was ignored. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Kansas and Nebraska were allowed to vote for themselves, whether they should be a free or slave state. This poll was open only to the cotizens of these states but slavery extremists flooded in illegally to bend the votes. -
Bleeding Kansas
When a vote on whether Kansas should be a free or slave state was opened to Kansas' inhabitants, extremists, strongly for or against slavery, from across America flooded into Kansas to bend the vote to their own values. They then fought. -
Dred Scott v. Sandford
A previously enslaved Dred Scott's citizenship is fought over in a lawsuit battle. -
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Civil War
The North and South battled over the divisive issue of slavery, among many other issues. -
Secession
This is when the Southern states left the United States of America and formed their own country, the Confederation. This was a contraversial move! -
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Civil War
The secession of the South enraged Northern politicians, and in an attempt to reclaim the states with force, the North declared war as to capture the South. -
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Lincoln's Presidency
Lincoln was President. -
Battle of Antietam
The battle of Antietam was the bloodiest battle in American history, taking place in Maryland. It ended inconclusively, with no obvious victor. However, the Union had been looking for a victory so when they released the Emancipation Proclamation it wouldn't seem pathetic and desperate, and a tie was close enough. From this bloody battle the proclamation was issued and a new door was opened for the Union. -
Emancipation Proclamation
This is when president Lincoln approved a law, stating that any enslaved southerners would be freed if the state they lived in didn't join the Union again. Slavery was an integral part of Southern economy and by threatening it, Linclon hoped the South would surrender. -
Battle of Gettysburg
Described as the turning point of the Civil War, Gettysburg was a great victory for the Union. From it, came the Gettysburg adress, meant to rally Union soldiers to finish what their fallen comrades had started. -
Suspension of Habeas Corpus
Lincoln, in an attempt to weaken the South during the war, suspended law that prevented him from arresting citizens at his own disgression, so that he could capture Southern terrorists and high ranking commanders before they struck. -
Gettysburg Adress
A speech given by Abraham Lincoln to incite Union forces. It rallied soldiers to avenge their fallen, and to finish what they had started. It also memorialized the fallen by turning the battlefield into a cemetery for fallen Union soldiers. -
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Reconstruction
After civil war tore the bonds of the country apart, this period happened so that they would be repaired. -
Tinker v. Des Moines
When students wore black armbands to school, the administration was unhappy. They had been instructed not to wear armbands prior to the event, and they were suspended as punishment. They sued, stating that this violated free speech. From this battle emerged the Tinker Test, a way for schools to determine whether something violated free speech or not. -
Miranda v. Arizona
When Miranda was accused of a crime, the police locked him up and not read him his rights. He confessed, but the court decided that he should have been read his rights. -
Riley v. California
When Riley was arrested, police searched his phone and found that he had been committing murder. When brought to court, Miranda sued because he had a right to privacy. The evidence was dropped because the police had required a warrant to search his phone. -
Bethel School v. Fraser
When a student made a sexual speech at school, the school officials punished him. The student sued, because he had a right to free speech, but the school won because it needs to uphold a safe learning environment. -
Hazelwood v. Kulmer
When a school newspaper was censored by the school, a lawsuit of free press was launched. The school won, because it owned the newpaper and did what it pleased with it. -
Morse v. Fredrick
At a school-organized event, Morse and friends brought a banner declaring simply, "BONG HITS 4 JESUS" in all caps. The school suspended them, but Morse sued, filing for free speech. He was denied, because bong hits are illegal, and it was also at a school event.
