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Library of Congress
The parliament and government buildings were being moved to the new capital of Washington D.C. At the same time, Congress decided to establish a library as well. A new legislation was approved by President John Adams which set aside a sum of $5000 to purchase the books for the establishment of the library. Today, the library is one of the largest and most prestigious libraries in the world. -
Thomas Jefferson becomes the third President
Thomas Jefferson was one of the most famous Founding Fathers of USA. He was the author of the Declaration of Independence which first spoke of an independent country for the American states. In 1801, Thomas Jefferson became the 3rd President of United States. He was a staunch support of democracy and took many steps to strengthen it during his time as president. -
Louisiana Purchase
The territorry stretched from the Mississippi River in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the west and from the Canadian border in the north all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. USA paid $15 million as part of the deal with France. With the new Louisiana Territory, the overall size of USA effectively doubled. -
Beginning of the expedition of Lewis and Clark
Although USA had purchase the Louisiana Territory, no one knew how the land was or if there were any roads or other infrastructure. So President Thomas Jefferson decided to send an expedition into the lands west of the Mississippi river. This expedition became known as Lewis and Clark Expedition. It was so named because it was led by Captain Meriwether Lewis and Lieutenant William Clark. The expedition would take more than a year to complete. -
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War of 1812
The British Royal Navy blockaded France to stop it from trading with other countries, including America. This angered some people in USA.The Royal Navy also captured a number of American vessels and seaman. These were then put to the war effort against France. USA declared war on Britain in 1812 as a reaction. This became known as the War of 1812. Some of the members of Congress in USA actually hoped to add the Canadian territories to the USA through this war, but this objective failed. -
Missouri Compromise
By 1819, USA had 22 states; 11 free and 11 slave states. Missouri sought to be admitted as a new state. It was a slave state, so admitting it would have given slave states a majority in the Congress.To avoid disturbing the balance between pro-slavery and anti-slavery states, the Missouri Compromise was reached. According to this compromise, Missouri was admitted as a slave state. At the same time, Maine was admitted to the union as a free state. -
The Monroe Doctrine
President James Monroe announced a new policy. According to this policy, European colonial powers were barred from colonizing any part of the American continent in the future. It aimed to put an end to the European ambitions in Central and Latin America. Latin America was fighting for independence from Spanish rule.The policy became known as the Monroe Doctrine and it would become the basis for the American intervention in different parts of Central and Latin America against the European powers. -
Andrew Jackson becomes the seventh President
His presidency marked the rebirth of the Democratic Party in American politics. During his term, Jackson played a major role in relocating the Native Indian tribes living east of the Mississippi river. This relocation eventually became known as the Trail of Tears. -
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act was signed into law by President Andrew Jackson. This law gave him the power to relocate Indian tribes living east of Mississippi river to the western territories. Although the law said that the relocation would be arranged through negotiation, many Native American tribes were ultimately forcibly removed and marched to new territories. Thousands died along the way. -
Battle of San Jacinto (Texas Revolution)
It was fought between the Texas militia and a large Mexican army under General Santa Anna. The Mexican army was decisively defeated and General Anna was taken prisoner. He was later released when he signed a treaty and recognized the independence of Texas. -
Gold Rush Began
Gold was discovered in California. At the time, very few people lived in the area. The news of the discovery of the gold spread quickly. By 1848, nearly 100,000 people had arrived from different parts of USA to California to try their luck. The California Gold Rush lasted for many years. In all, nearly $2 billion worth of gold was extracted from the rich gold deposits of California during the Gold Rush period. -
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Civil War
The difference between the slave and free states deepened. By 1861, the free states were at one side and known as the Union. At the other side were the slave states which were known as the Confederacy. War began between the two sides on April 12, 1861. This war would be one of the bloodiest wars in America. -
Salvery is Outlawed
The US Congress passed the Thirteen Amendment. This amendment made slavery illegal in all the territories of USA as well as the territories where US would have jurisdiction. The text of the amendment stated, ‘Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction’. -
Battle of Little Bighorn
The Lakota and Sioux warriors were fighting against the U.S. army to stop the white settlers from occupying their lands. While the U.S. army wanted to remove them from their lands. To end their resistance, Lieutenant Colonel Custer led a small army of U.S. soldiers to confront the Native Americans warriors. They famously defended themselves as Custer’s Last Stand but ultimately, most of the troops were killed. This became one of the most iconic victories of the Native Indian tribe.
