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Northwest Ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was a way for the Union to bring in more states. It was made so that the new states that were being admitted would be equal to the original 13 states. This sparked the idea to pursue Manifest Destiny. It is important to US History because it allowed for a new system of expansion in America. -
Louisiana Purchase
A deal between America and France. This agreement was made for land purchased West of the Mississippi River. Overall it made the US stronger in size. It's important to US History because of the amount of land purchased and gained. -
Missouri Compromise
This compromise admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state. The idea behind this was that it would make it an equal amount of slave states and free states. This is important to US History because it led to the Kansas-Nebraska Act. -
Monroe Doctrine
This was a policy that the president (James Monroe) set out. The policy said that colonization is closed off for North and South America. This policy also stated that European countries couldn't interfere with the government in America. -
Monroe Doctrine
The president at the time, James Monroe, declared a policy. It stated that North and South America were not open to colonization. It also stated that European nations couldn't interfere with issues in America. It is important to US History because it made America more independent. -
Nullification Crisis
The Federal Government passed a tariff towards the South, which angered them. The South attempted to declare null and void to cancel out the tariff but didn't succeed. The Compromise of 1833 ended the nullification crisis. The reason why this is important to US History is that it made more states push for their rights. -
Texas Annexation
The Texas Annexation caused a lot of tension. The main idea of it was to make Texas an independent state from Mexico. Texas ended up getting annexed into America as a slave state. It's important to US History because a lot of things stemmed on afterwards. -
Mexican Cession (Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo)
The Mexican Cession was land that America received after the Mexican-American War. This was the beginning of the Westward Expansion. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo gave Mexicans the right to stay in America or to move to Mexico. This is important to US History because it was a huge step closer to completing Manifest Destiny. -
Oregon Treaty
This treaty created new territories in the US. This also increased the chances of completing Manifest Destiny. This treaty also created the 49th parallel. This is important to US History because it created a boundary between the US and British -
Compromise of 1850
California was admitted as a free state. It also introduced the theory of popular sovereignty. It also introduced the Fugitive Slave Act. This is important to US History because it made up a new principle that the government will later use. -
Bleeding (Bloody) Kansas
This was many raids, battles, and different confrontations in Kansas territory. John Brown leads rain to promote getting rid of slavery. The main reason why there were many confrontations was because of letting slavery become legal or not. The reason this is important to US History is that it emerged many disagreements over politics and economics. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
This bill mandated the idea of "popular sovereignty". This allows settlers to decided rather or not if slavery should be allowed. This is important to US History because it created new territories. -
Battle of Fort Sumter
This was the first battle of the Civil War. The Union surrendered the fight of this war. During this, the Confederates destroyed a blockade that the Union created. This is important to US History because it shows how the Union depended on economic resources. -
Battle of Bull Run
This war was dealing with the Union and the Confederate armies in Virginia. This was the first major battle that the Confederate Army won. This is important to US History because it carried on the war by giving the South more confidence in winning. -
Battle of Antietam
This battle was the first invasion led by Robert E. Lee. This invasion was towards the Northern states. This was marked ''the bloodiest day in history." The reason why this is important to US History is that this gave Lincoln a chance to move forward with the Emancipation of Proclamation. -
Emancipation of Proclamation
In the beginning, the Emancipation of Proclamation was introduced as a military tactic to regain control of the South. Many disagreed because this gave slaves freedom. The reason why this is important to US History is that it allowed former slaves to join the army. -
Battle of Vicksburg
This siege gave the Union control of the Mississippi River. The Confederacy was also split in half. The reason why this is important to US History is that it helped complete the Anaconda Plan. -
Battle of Gettysburg
This was Robert E. Lee's second invasion of the North. This was considered a turning point in the Civil War. The reason is that the Union won the war because the Confederates were too weak. -
Gettysburg Address
This speech by Lincoln sent out a message during the Civil War. This was a peaceful speech that emphasized getting the country back together and explaining the ideas of the Declaration of Independence. It is important to US History because it explained the reasons behind the Civil War. -
Congressional Reconstruction
This was also known as Radical Reconstruction. Their main goal was to punish the South, the problem was that the government needed the South to ratify the 14th amendment. This also introduced Military Reconstruction which split the military into 5 districts. This is important to US History because it gave former slaves an opportunity to vote. -
13th Amendment
This amendment ended slavery. The South disagreed with this but needed to recognize the amendment to form a working government. The Black Codes was a loophole to segregation. This is important to US History because it abolished slavery. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
Sherman believed in Total War Strategy, which is what he carried out throughout the march. The march was from Atlanta to Savannah. The main purpose was to scare Georgia into leaving the Confederates. It was important to US History because he wanted to capture the port located in Savannah. -
Presidential Reconstruction
The original plan was by Lincoln, but later on, was carried on by Andrew Jackson. It included the Freedmen's Bureau which allowed African Americans to have natural rights. It also included Lincoln's 10% Plan. The reason why this is important to US History is that it was an opportunity for slaves to have more rights. -
14th Amendment
This amendment granted all rights of a citizen to African Americans. This means that anyone who was born in the US was automatically considered a US citizen. This amendment also overturned the Dred Scott decision. The reason why this is important to US History is that it allowed African Americans to have more rights. -
15th Amendment
This amendment made it possible for African Americans to vote. Before only white citizens were able to vote. This amendment also made it possible for them to run in office and make political decisions. This is important to US History because it gave African Americans more rights. -
Plessy v Ferguson
This court decision created the saying, "separate but equal." The Supreme Court's decision made segregation legal. This also introduced Jim Crow Laws and Black Codes. This is important to US History because it shows that the government abandoned protecting the rights of African Americans.