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The Northwest Ordinance
For the proper order with making new states the Northwest ordiance establised a proper set of laws in the territories. The new laws forbids slavery, and guarantees certain civil rights. -
The Battle of Fallen Timbers
The Battle of Fallen Timbers takes place near present-day Fort Wayne, Indiana. Bands of Shawnee and Miami Indians led by Little Turtle (Miami), Blue Jacket (Shawnee), and others go into battle against General Anthony Wayne, known to the Indians as "Blacksnake." The Indians are forced to retreat when British support disappears. -
The Louisiana Purchase
The United States purchases from France more than 800,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million. The Louisiana Purchase doubles the size of the United States. This territory today makes up the states of Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and parts of Colorado, Minnesota, and Wyoming. -
War of 1812
The War of 1812 begins. In a war that is often called the Second War for Independence, Americans seek to finally eliminate the British presence in the Old Northwest and to end British attacks on American ships carrying goods to France. -
The Battle of the Thames
The Battle of the Thames takes place along the banks of the Thames River north of Lake Erie inpresent-day Ontario, Canada. Indian leader Tecumseh hungers for a final showdown that will once and for all drive the Americans from Indian lands. The British troops fighting alongside Tecumseh retreat after a powerful charge by mounted U.S. soldiers. Surrounded and out-manned, Tecumseh and his men fight on in bloody, hand-to-hand combat. Many Native Americans are killed, including Tecumseh -
The Treaty of Ghent
The Treaty of Ghent ends the War of 1812. The British agree that all the territory south of the Great Lakes tothe Gulf of Mexico belongs to the United States. The British also agree not to give any help to their Indian allies in this territory. -
The Missouri Compromise
The U.S. Congress approves the Missouri Compromise,Which outlaws slavery within the Louisiana Purchase territory north of 36°30' latitude. Missouri enters the Union as a slave state, while Maine enters as a free state. -
The Cherokee Republic
The Cherokee Indians, in an attempt to prevent the U.S. government from forcing them off their land, form the Cherokee Republic. The Cherokee establish acapital in New Echota, in present-day Georgia. Theywrite a constitution that calls for three branches of government, similar to the U.S. Constitution. -
Indian removal act
The U.S. Congress votes in favor of the Indian Removal Act, calling for the removal—voluntary or forced—of all Indians to lands west of the Mississippi. -
The Seminole War
The Seminole Wars begin in the winter of 1835. After Seminole Indians refuse to leave their land in Florida, they are led by war chief Osceola in a fightagainst U.S. army troops in the swamps of Florida. The war costs the U.S. government more than $20 millionand the lives of fifteen hundred troops. Osceola is captured during a truce and dies in prison in 1838. The war continues until 1842, at which time most Seminole are moved west of the Mississippi River. -
Treaty of New Echota
A small group of Cherokee sign the Treaty of New Echota, selling all remaining Cherokee land east of the Mississippi River to the United States. The majority of Cherokee oppose the treaty. -
The spanish mission system
The Spanish mission system in California collapses.Native Americans leave the missions to find that the land has been changed forever. Animals and crops introduced to the area by the Spanish make it virtually impossible for California Indians to live off the landin the way they had before the Spanish came. -
Cherokee Removal
The removal of the Cherokee Indians from Georgia to Indian Territory begins when General Winfield Scott and seven thousand federal troops are sent to the Cherokee's homeland to insist that the Cherokee leave. Scott's troops imprison any Cherokee who resist and burn their homes and crops. The Cherokee remember the trek as the "Trail Where They Cried," while U.S.historians call it the "Trail of Tears." More than four thousand Cherokee die on the forced march before they reach -
War of Mexico
President Polk sends a war message to Congress declaring that Mexico "has invaded our territory and shed American blood upon American soil." On May 13 Congress declares that a state of war exists by act of Mexico, votes a war appropriation of $10 million, and approves the enlistment of fifty thousand soldiers. -
The Oregon Treaty
Britain and the United States sign the Oregon Treaty, granting the territory south of the 49th parallel to the United States. Though Britain had occupiedthis territory first, by 1845 American settlers significantly outnumbered British settlers in the area.
