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Louisiana Purchase
The United States acquires the Louisiana territory from the French for fifteen million dollars. The Louisiana Purchase Treaty was signed by the United States on April 30, 1803 and it was established on July 4, 1803. -
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War of 1812
Before the war broke out, a series of events between the Americans and British drove them apart, such as the naval blockade on France and the Little Belt Affair. On June 18, 1812, President James Madison signed the American declaration of war against the British. Treaty of Ghent was signed on December 24, 1814 and brought an official end to the war. Some fighting continued after this due to the slow communication of the time. No territory was gained by either the British or Americans in the war. -
British troops burn Washington DC
On August 24, 1814, during the War of 1812, British troops enter Washington, D.C. and burn the White House in retaliation for the American attacks on Canada. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was the legislation that provided for the admission of Maine to the United States as a free state along with Missouri as a slave state. This legislation was important because it maintained the power balance between free and slave states in the Senate. Also, the compromise stated that slavery was prohibited north of the 36°30′ parallel, excluding Missouri. President James Monroe signed it on March 6, 1820. -
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act was signed into law by United States President Andrew Jackson on May 28, 1830. The law provided funds relocated Native American tribes in the South such as the Cherokees, Chickasaws and Creeks from their homes. Later these tribes would be forced off of their homeland in 1838 in what would become known as the Trail of Tears. -
Force Bill expands presidential powers
The Force Act was passed by congress on March 3, 1833 in response to the nullification crisis. This bill gave the president more powers such as the ability to use the army and navy to collect taxes. -
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Mexican American War
The Mexican–American War was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the American annexation of Texas in 1845, which was not recognized by the Mexican government. The U.S. sent troops to a disputed area between the U.S. and Mexico. After Mexican forces attacked U.S. forces, the United States Congress declared war. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 ended the war. The War saw the United States gain massive amounts of land. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a package of four separate bills passed by the United States Congress in September 1850. These bills were passed to further delay the problem of power balance between free and slave states, specifically between the states that were acquired in the Mexican American War. This bill set the borders of Texas and allowed new states to vote on slavery. This bill also passed the fugitive slave act. -
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The American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war in the U.S. from 1861 to 1865. It was fought between the northern and southern states. The civil war began primarily as a result of the long-standing controversy over the status of slavery in America. War broke out in April 1861 when secessionist forces attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina. This war would go down as America's bloodiest conflict. The war officially ended April 9, 1865, when General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant. -
Lincoln issues Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln on September 2, 1862. It changed the federal law for millions of enslaved African Americans in confederate states from slave states to free states. Also any slave that escaped pass the Confederate borders, through Union lines were declared free. -
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
On April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, while attending the play Our American Cousin at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln in the back of the head. Doctors declare Lincoln deceased the following day. He was the first U.S. president to be assassinated. -
13th Amendment passed ending Slavery
The Thirteenth Amendment in the Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. The amendment was ratified on December 6, 1865.