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Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion was between federal authorities and farmers on the western frontier. The Whiskey Act of 1791 implied taxes on the farmers alcohol to fix the nations debt. The farmers decided they weren't going to pay the taxes. -
Jay's Treaty
England forces seized American ships, forcing American sailors to serve in England's war against France. John Jay, an american statesman, pressed into service as special envoy. He went to England to negotiate disagreements between the two governments. On November 19, 1794 Jay's Treaty was signed, averting the threat of war. -
Pinckney's Treaty
Thomas Pinckney negotiated the treaty with Spain that recognized the southern and western boundaries of the US as the 31st parallel and the Mississippi River. The treaty allowed the US access to the area now known as the states of Mississippi and Alabama. -
Farewell Address
Washingtons farewell address is the most famous and best-known of Washington's speeches, even though it wasnt delivered orally by Washington. It first appeared in a newspaper in Philadelphia. It was published seven days later in The Independent Chronicle. The address warned the nation to avoid permanent foreign alliances with countries like England. -
Election of 1800
Thomas Jefferson was elected president in 1800. Although each side believed that victory by the other would ruin the nation, support for Thomas Jefferson throughout the entire Western frontier assured his victory over John Adams. -
Louisiana Purchase
France offered to sell a large piece of land to the US known as the Louisiana Purcahse. President Thomas Jefferson wanted to purchase the territory, doubling the size of the United States, but Jefferson also favored a narrow interpretation of the Constitution and it did not say anything about acquiring additional territory. Jefferson ended up purchasing the land for 15 million dollars. -
Steamboat Invented
The "New Orleans" was built and designed by Robert Fulton and Robert Livingston. The New Orleans had a passenger and freight route on the lower Mississippi River. By 1814, Robert Fulton and Edward Livingston (the brother of Robert Livingston), were offering regular steamboat and freight service between New Orleans, Louisiana and Natchez, Mississippi. Their boats traveled at eight miles per hour downstream and three miles per hour upstream. -
Lewis and Clark Expedition
President Thomas Jefferson purchased 828,000 square miles of land from France. This land acquisition is known as the Louisiana Purchase. Jefferson requested that Congress approve $2,500 for the expedition to explore the west. Lewis and Clark were accompanied by Sacagawea, who was an interpreter and guide for them. The expedition lasted 2 years and Lewis and Clark were able to document over 100 animal species and over 170 plants. -
Start of War of 1812
Twenty years had passed since the end of the American Revolution, the US had not yet achieved economic independence. Trade was suspended between the countries at war but America was not at war and had a commercial advantage: her merchants could supply both sides. The British Royal Navy invaded the US and burned down the White House and Capitol. James Madison was president at this time.The treaty of Ghent was signed on December 24, 1814 ending the war. -
Treaty of Ghent
The Treaty of Ghent was signed on December 24th, 1814. The treaty ended the War of 1812 and established a new foreign policy dynamic between the United States and Great Britain. -
Battle of New Orleans
Two weeks after the War of 1812 officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent, U.S. General Andrew Jackson achieves the greatest American victory of the war at the Battle of New Orleans. Although the peace agreement was signed on December 24, word did not reach the British forces on the Gulf coast in time to stop a major attack. Jacksons 4,500 troops defeated Sir Edward Pakenham's 7,500 British soldiers in less than an hour. Only 8 US soldiers were killed. -
"54-40 or Fight"
The United States and the United Kingdom established a joint claim over the Oregon Territory which was the region west of the Rocky Mountains and between 42° North and 54°40' North. In 1844 Democratic presidential candidate James K. Polk planned on taking over the whole oregon territory and used the famous campaign slogan, "Fifty-four Forty or Fight!". After Polk was elected, the Treaty of Oregon was signed establishing the boundary between British Canada at 49°. -
Adam-Onis Treaty
The treaty was named for John Quincy Adams of the United States and Louis de Onís of Spain. It fixed the western boundary of the Louisiana Purchase beginning at the mouth of the Sabine River and running along its south and west bank to the thirty-second parallel and thence directly north to the Red River. -
Monroe Doctrine
The proclamation by James Monroe that warned European nations not to get involved in political matters in Central and South America. The Doctrine was intended to show that the United States was the only country that could influence such political matters. -
Election of 1824
All candidates were Democratic-Republicans. Andrew Jackson won a plurality of both the popular and electoral vote, but John Quincy Adams became president. -
Telegraph Invented
In 1832 Samuel Morse drew his first sketches of the device's transmission apparatus which sent dots and dashes by switching an electric circuit on and off. By 1836 he had constructed a working model. Morse filed a patent for the device in 1837 and secured the patent in 1849. With a $30,000 grant from Congress in 1843, the nation's first telegraph wiring was constructed between Washington DC and Baltimore, Maryland. -
Trail of Tears
In the early 1830s, 125,000 Native Americans lived on millions of acres of land in Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina and Florida. By the end of the decade, very few natives remained anywhere in the southeastern US. The White settlers wanted to grow cotton on the Indians land. The government forced them to leave their homelands and walk thousands of miles to a designated “Indian territory” across the Mississippi River. This miserable, deadly journey is known as the "Trail of Tears". -
Annexation of Texas
(1845-1848) At first, California, Texas and New Mexico were part of Mexico. The US offered to purchase California from Mexico, but the Mexican government refused. The Mexican government agreed that the americans can live in Texas but they have to follow Mexican laws, customs and religion. By 1835, there were more Americans in Texas than Mexicans. -
California Gold Rush
A man named James W. Marshall, a foreman for pioneer John Sutter, found traces of gold at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California. Sutter wanted to keep it a secret, but word got out. During the course of the California Gold Rush, more than 300,000 people traveled to California in the hope of striking gold. Most of the prospectors, called Forty-niners (1849) were Americans, but people from all over the world made the dangerous journey in hopes of striking it rich. -
Gadsden Purchase
The Gadsden Purchase is also called the Treaty of La Mesilla. La Mesilla is the land that is today known as northern New Mexico and southern Arizona. The US railroad plans went through land that belonged to Mexico. The railroaders didn't want to build their tracks on foreign land.The US paid 10 million US$ and James Gadsden signed the treaty with mexican president Antonio López de Santa Anna.
