-
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise allowed Missouri to join the US as a slave state if Maine, in the north-east, joined as a free state. Another part of it allowed congress to agree that Louisiana territory would have no slavery in lands north of latitude 36 30'. -
Growth of US Navy
Naval expansion started under Theodore Roosevelt and soon 16 new battleships were ready for action. Roosevelt sent the ships on an international tour to make sure that the world knew that the US was a major naval power. -
Texas annexed by the USA
Texas was apart of Mexico and slavery was illegal there. Many Americas moved to texas with their slaves and resisted the Mexican authorities. The US offered to annex Texas but Mexico refused and wouldn't loose Texas without a fight. So US forces invaded Mexico City and remained there until a peace treaty was signed. -
War with Mexico Begins
Texas was apart of Mexico and American settlers moved to Texas with their slaves. Slavery was illegal in Mexico. Polk offered to buy Mexico's two northernmost territories for 25 million but Mexicans turned the offer down. The US invaded the capital of Mexico and wouldn't leave until peace treaty was signed. -
USA settles dispute with Britain over Oregon
The US and Britain disputed over who Oregon belonged to. A treaty was signed under president Polk setteling that Oregon was apart of the US. Oregon was a major territory full of reasources. -
Treaty of Guadalope Hidalgo ends US Mexican War
The US and Mexico agreed that the US would gain two territories upper California and new mexico. The US paid Mexico $15 million. The region was now called the Mexican Cession. -
US-Mexican War
The Mexican American war marked the first U.S. armed conflict chiefly fought on foreign soil. It pitted a politically divided and militarily unprepared Mexico against James Polk who believed in Manifest Destiny; to spread across the continent to the pacific ocean. When the fighting ended Mexico had lost about one third of its territory, Including nearly all of present day California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico. -
Compromise of 1850
The compromise of 1850 was a set of agreements that consisted of different things. 1.California joined the USA as a free state 2. The slave trade was abolished in Washington D.C. 3. A new fugitive slave act was passed 4. The people decided whether territories would be free or slave. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was an anti-slavery novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe, which exposed the cruel realities of slavery. It was a bestseller, selling 300,000 copies the first year. Many Southern authors wrote books to try and counter the impact that this book had. -
The Gadsden Purchase
The Gadsden Purchase, or Treaty, was an agreement between the United States and Mexico, finalized in 1854, in which the United States agreed to pay Mexico $10 million for a 29,670 square mile portion of Mexico that later became part of Arizona and New Mexico. Gadsden’s Purchase provided the land necessary for a southern transcontinental railroad and attempted to resolve conflicts that lingered after the Mexican-American War. -
Formation of the Republican Party
Slaver was a major political issue. Northen Whigs, Northern Democrats, and the Free Soil party came together united by their support for the abolitionist and formed the republican party. The first Republican party candidate was John Fremont. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act; Bleeding Kansas (to 1861)
The Kansas Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise. It allowed states to have the option of choosing to be slave states rather than their free status being assured by the federal law due to their geographic position. Southern Democrats used It as a test of loyalty for Northern Democrats. -
Dred Scott judgment
Dred Scott was a slave who had lived in free territories and in a slave state. He went to court to gain US citizenship and his case reached the highest court in the nation. The supreme court made three rulings: 1. Dred Scott had no right to be a US citizen. 2.Bound by law that the slave state had left, and not the free territories in which he lived. 3. Congress had no authority to limit slavery to certain parts of the US making the 1820 Missouri Compromise unconstitutional. -
Abraham Lincoln House Divided Speech
At the Republican Convention, Lincoln gave his famous house divided speech. The speech was about how slavery was dividing the nation. Lincoln declared that the federal government had the power to end slavery. -
Treaty of Tianjin with China
The Russians and Americans, who had sent along ‘neutral observers’, received the same concessions. In Shanghai later in the year China accepted Western importation of opium. After more fighting, in 1860 the Chinese agreed to observe the treaties. -
The Lincoln Douglas debates
The Dred Scott case was a major political issue which raised questions about slaver in the US. Lincoln and Douglas had opposing views on slavery. Lincoln was running for the republican party and Douglas for the Democratic party. -
Raid on Harpers Ferry
22 men (black an white) attacked the US army's munitions depot in the town of Harpers Ferry, Virginia. John Brown was a radical abolitionist who was the leader of this raid. The case went to trial and Brown was very sympathetic to the public. He said it was his mission to do this. The jury found him guilty and he was hung. -
Abraham Lincoln elected as president
Lincoln was a republican who won the 1860 election. Surprisingly he won and the republican convention is what helped him win. Lincoln only gained 39% of the popular vote but still won. Lincoln was a well known abolitionist and the South knew he would outlaw slavery. -
South Carolina secedes from the USA
South Carolina was the first state to secede from the US. Lincoln did state he did no intend to band slavery in the south. A convention in the south decided to dissolve the union between South Carolina and all other states in the US. -
Six other states seceds from the USA; the Confederacy established
Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas were the next six states to follow by February of 1861. The south did not have a united political party. -
Forming the Confederacy
The confederacy States of America were formed in Febuary of 1861 in Montgomery, Alabama. Jefferson Davis was the president of the Confederacy and established their own "Southern legislature". In March of 1861 a constitution of the Confederates was ratified and similar to the US constitution but protecting slavery. The Confederates created its own army and adopted its own flag. -
Lincoln inaugurated as president
Lincoln was elected in 1860 and the south began to worry. Lincoln did state that he did not intend to band slaver in the south. Also the republican party did not have control of Congress or the Supreme Court. -
CSA forces take Fort Sumter
On April 11, 1861 the CSA demanded that the US forces leave Fort Sumter , and that if they did not leave, they would be removed by force. US Army Major Robert Anderson was in charge of the Fort and he refused to surrender this position. -
Four Slave States Decide to Stay in USA
The four slave states that decided to stay with the Union were Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland and Missouri. Lincoln also supported the four slave states that did not leave the union. -
Jefferson Davis elected President of CSA; Trent Affair, Danger of British Invention
Jefferson Davis was elected .The Trent Affair was a diplomatic crisis that took place between the United States and Great Britain from November to December 1861, during the U.S. Civil War. Union forces establishing a blockade of Confederate ports that were designed to prevent the export of cotton and the smuggling of war materiel into the Confederacy. -
USA Abolishes Slavery in Washington, DC
On April 16, 1862, Lincoln signed an act abolishing slavery in the District of Columbia, an important step in the long march toward freedom, citizenry, and equal rights for African Americans. -
The Homestead Act
Signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862, the Homestead Act encouraged Western migration by providing settlers 160 acres of public land. In exchange, homesteaders paid a small filing fee and were required to complete five years of continuous residence before receiving ownership of the land. -
Emancipation Proclamation
at the start of the war, Lincoln was fighting to maintain the Union, and not slavery. From the start of war slowly pushed him towards emancipation of the slaves, but only in rebel states. The key measures included: slavery should be allowed to continue in all states that returned to the Union before January 1st.Also, from January 1st 1863, the Union would set free any slaves in territories taken by the unions armed forces. -
Battle of Gettysburg; USA Defeats CSA Army
Robert E. Lee invaded the North yet a second time.Lee's second invasion of the North had failed, and had resulted in heavy casualties; an estimated 51,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, captured, or listed as missing after Gettysburg. -
US Congress passes Wade-Davis Bill; Vetoed By Lincoln
the bill firmly asserted congressional control over the rehabilitation of the defeated Confederacy. the bill was passed from the vote of 73 to 59.It formally abolished slavery and prohibited Confederate officials and veterans from voting.President Abraham Lincoln’s plan was far more lenient, requiring only 10 percent of the voting population to take a loyalty oath. Lincoln pocket vetoed the Wade–Davis measure. -
Atlanta Falls to US Forces Led By Sherman
William Sherman fought through Atlanta, Georgia. in which troops burned much of the city before continuing their march through the South. Sherman’s Atlanta campaign was one of the most decisive victories of the Civil War. -
Lincoln Defeats McClellan to be Re-Elected as US President; Sherman March to the Sea through Georgia
Lincoln wins the re-election between him and McClellan. Sherman's March to the sea through Georgia was to get his forces destroyed military targets as well as industry, infrastructure, and civilian property and disrupted the Confederacy's economy and its transportation networks. -
CSA capital, Richmond, falls to US forces; CSA Commander Robert E. Lee surrenders at Appoxomattox; Lincoln assassinated; Andrew Johnson appointed President
Richmond was a target for the Union Army. The effort for both the Union and the Confederate armies during much of the Civil War in the east focused on capturing or threatening the enemy's capital city. President Lincoln was assassinated, then Andrew Johnson took over as President. -
The South during the Civil War
During the Civil War, the South had more difficulty than the North in manufacturing needed goods--for both its soldiers and its civilians. Another part of Union war strategy was to use the Navy to blockade Southern ports. The Union hoped to stop the flow of goods between the South and other countries and strangle its foe economically. -
The North during the Civil War
During the Civil War, the North faced high numbers of casualties that resulted from such battles had also created tension among the anti-war sections of the North. they also had to maintain ever-lengthening lines of communication through hostile southern territory. -
13th Amendment to the US Constitution
the 13th Amendment to the Constitution primarily abolished all slavery and African Americans were now free. -
Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights Act ended segregation in public and discrimination of employment as well.it was first proposed by John F. Kennedy. Later, Congress had expanded the act and passed additional legislation. -
14th Amendment to the US Constitution
The 14th Amendment Of the US Constitution primarily granted the African Americans the right to citizenship. They were now allowed to become US Citizens. -
Ulysses S. Grant becomes US President
He commanded the Union Army, in which he was an aggressive and determined leader. he also worked to reconcile the North and South while also attempting to protect the civil rights of newly freed black slaves. he went bankrupt too, entitling him to losing all of his life savings. -
The Great Sioux War
The Great Sioux War of 1876, also known as the Black Hills War, was a series of battles and negotiations which occurred between 1876 and 1877 between the Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne and the government of the United States. -
Presidential election leads to inauguration of Ruthorford B. Hayes
The outcome of the election of 1876 was not known until the week before the inauguration itself. He won the vote from 8 to 7. -
The Dawes Act
The Dawes Act of 1887 (also known as the General Allotment Act or the Dawes Severally Act of 1887), adopted by Congress in 1887, authorized the President of the United States to survey American Indian tribal land and divide it into allotments for individual Indians. -
Start of The Spanish American War
Spain declared war on the United States on April 24, followed by a U.S. declaration of war on the 25th, which was made retroactive to April 21. The ensuing war was pathetically one-sided, since Spain had readied neither its army nor its navy for a distant war with the formidable power of the United States. -
End of Spanish American War
Rough Riders landed on the coast east of Santiago and slowly advanced on the city in an effort to force Cervera’s fleet out of the harbor. Cervera led his squadron out of Santiago on July 3 and tried to escape westward along the coast. In the ensuing battle all of his ships came under heavy fire from U.S. guns and were beached in a burning or sinking condition. Santiago surrendered to Shafter on July 17, thus effectively ending the war. -
Treaty of Paris
On December 10, the Treaty of Paris officially ended the Spanish-American War. The once-proud Spanish empire was virtually dissolved as the United States took over much of Spain’s overseas holdings. Puerto Rico and Guam were ceded to the United States, the Philippines were bought for $20 million, and Cuba became a U.S. protectorate. -
Acquisition Of Cuba
Under the 1898 Treaty of Paris, Spain relinquished all claim of sovereignty over and title to Cuba, with the island to be occupied by the United States. Under the Teller Amendment Congress had already decided against annexation. Cuba gained formal independence on 20 May 1902. -
Acquisition of Hawaii
Dole declared Hawaii an independent republic. Spurred by the nationalism aroused by the Spanish-American War, the United States annexed Hawaii in 1898 at the urging of President William McKinley. Hawaii was made a territory in 1900, and Dole became its first governor. -
Open Door Policy
The Open Door Policy is a term in foreign affairs initially used to refer to the United States policy established in the late 19th century and the early 20th century, as enunciated in Secretary of State John Hay's Open Door Note, dated September 6, 1899 and dispatched to the major European powers. -
The Philippine Organic Act
The Philippine Organic Act (c. 1369, 32 Stat. 691) was a basic law for the Insular Government that was enacted by the United States Congress on July 1, 1902. It is also known as the Philippine Bill of 1902 and the Cooper Act, after its author Henry A. Cooper. The approval of the act coincided with the official end of the Philippine–American War. -
President Roosevelt issues the Monroe Corollary
The Corollary gave the United States the police power needed to interfere in the Western Hemisphere when needed. On December 6, 1904, President Roosevelt presented his Fourth Annual Message to Congress, his Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. -
First World War breaks out in Europe
On August 1, 1914, four days after Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, two more great European powers—Russia and Germany—declare war on each other; the same day, France orders a general mobilization. The so-called “Great War” that ensued would be one of unprecedented destruction and loss of life, resulting in the deaths of some 20 million soldiers and civilians and the physical devastation of much of the European continent. -
USA enters the World War
U.S. Entered World War I. On April 6, 1917, the U.S. joined its allies--Britain, France, and Russia--to fight in World War I. Under the command of Major General John J. Pershing, more than 2 million U.S. soldiers fought on battlefields in France. -
President Wilson Issues Fourteen Points
The Fourteen Points was a statement of principles for peace that was to be used for peace negotiations in order to end World War I. The principles were outlined in a January 8, 1918 speech on war aims and peace terms to the United States Congress by President Woodrow Wilson. -
World War One Ends
World War I was known as the “war to end all wars” because of the great slaughter and destruction it caused. Unfortunately, the peace treaty that officially ended the conflict—the Treaty of Versailles of 1919—forced punitive terms on Germany that destabilized Europe and laid the groundwork for World War II. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles (French: Traité de Versailles) was the most important of the peace treaties that brought World War I to an end. The Treaty ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. -
Re election of Roosevelt
United States presidential election of 1932. United States presidential election of 1932, American presidential election held on Nov. 8, 1932, in which Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt defeated Republican Pres. Herbert Hoover. ... Roosevelt's victory would be the first of five successive Democratic presidential wins. -
The Social Security Act
An act to provide for the general welfare by establishing a system of Federal old-age benefits, and by enabling the several States to make more adequate provision for aged persons, blind persons, dependent and crippled children, maternal and child welfare, public health, and the administration of their unemployment compensation laws; to establish a Social Security Board; to raise revenue; and for other purposes. -
Schechter Case
A.L.A. Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States, 295 U.S. 495 (1935), was a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States that invalidated regulations of the poultry industry according to the nondelegation doctrine and as an invalid use of Congress' power under the commerce clause. This was a unanimous decision that rendered the National Industrial Recovery Act, a main component of President Roosevelt's New Deal, unconstitutional. -
The Second New Deal
The first major legislation that Roosevelt and Congress passed in the Second New Deal—in response to the critics—was the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Created in 1935, the WPA was an effort to appease the “Longites” who clamored for more direct assistance from the federal government. -
Recession returns to the US
The Recession of 1937–1938 was an economic downturn that occurred during the Great Depression in the United States. By the spring of 1937, production, profits, and wages had regained their 1929 levels. Unemployment remained high, but it was slightly lower than the 25% rate seen in 1933. The American economy took a sharp downturn in mid-1937, lasting for 13 months through most of 1938. Industrial production declined almost 30 percent and production of durable goods fell even faster.
