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Whitney's Cotton Gin Transforms Economy
Whitney's Cotton Gin Patent Not Worth Much. Eli Whitney applies to patent his new invention: a machine that quickly separates cotton seeds from cotton fibers. The cotton gin was the little engine that could and did transform the economy of the South and change the course of American history. -
Congress outlaws slave trade
The Abolition of the Slave Trade Act received its royal assent, abolishing the slave trade in the British colonies and making it illegal to carry enslaved people in British ships. -
Mexican War
The United States of America and Mexico went to war. There were several reasons why they did so, but the most important ones were the US annexation of Texas and the Americans' desire for California and other Mexican territories. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The war officially ended with the February 2, 1848, signing in Mexico of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The treaty added an additional 525,000 square miles to United States territory, including the land that makes up all or parts of present-day Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. -
Lincoln is assassinated
Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States, was the first American president to be assassinated. He was mortally wounded by John Wilkes Booth in the Presidential Box of Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C., while watching the comedy, Our American Cousin. -
KKK is organized
Though Congress passed legislation designed to curb Klan terrorism, the organization saw its primary goal the reestablishment of white supremacy fulfilled through Democratic victories in state legislatures across the South. After a period of decline, white Protestant nativist groups revived the Klan in the early 20th century, burning crosses and staging rallies, parades and marches denouncing immigrants, Catholics, Jews, blacks and organized labor.
