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Missouri Compromise
An early compromise between the North and South stating Missouri could join the United States as a slave state if Maine joined as a free state. In addition, Congress agreed that in the Louisiana Territory, there would be no slavery in lands north of Latitude 36,30'. This affected the people living in these territories. -
Texas annexed by the USA
The United States offered to annex Texas resulting in an agreement stating Texas became a state in the USA. As a result, Mexico wanted to fight making conflict between Mexico and the US more likely. -
War with Mexico begins
The Mexican American War marked the first United States conflict fought on foreign soil. President Polk believed the U.S. had a manifest destiny causing problems between the U.S. and Mexico. In the end Mexico had lost about one-third of its territory. -
USA settles dispute with Britain over Oregon
Britain and America were working to change the border of the Oregon territory; it was left unsettled. American immigration increased causing issues. President Polk wanted to set the boundary on the 49th degree line to Great Britain. -
Tariff of 1846
President James K. Polk signed the Tariff of 1846 into law; stating that the tariffs will be replaced on specific goods with a tariff whose amount is based on the value of a transaction or property (ad valorem tariff). -
Treasury Act
The second independent treasury act was signed into law by James Polk -
Winfield Scott ends fighting
General Winfield Scott effectively ends fighting in the Mexican-American War by capturing Mexico City. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends US-Mexican War
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo reflected the scale of the American Victory. In other words, this treaty established the territories the United States gained including Upper California and New Mexico. In addition, this treaty set the Rio Grande River as the new boundary between Mexico and Texas. -
US-Mexican War
The election of James Polk was the main cause of the war in 1844. He supported Manifest Destiny and wanted to gain as much of the Southwest as he could, causing chaos. -
Free-Soil Party
The Free-Soil Party is formed by dissatisfied Democrats and former Liberty Party members. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 consisted of four elements:
- California joined the USA as a free state
- New Mexico and Utah became US territories with no specified slave status
- The slave trade was abolished in Washington, DC
- A new Fugitive Slave Act was passed -
The Gadsden Purchase
The Gadsden Purchase was an agreement between the United States and Mexico. This purchase stated that the United States was to pay Mexico $10 million for a 29, 670 square mile area of Mexico. This attempted to solve problems between Mexico and the U.S. -
Formation of the Republican Party
The Northern Whigs, Northern Democrats and the Free Soil Party came together to form the Republican Party. The slogan was "Free Soil, Free Speech, Free Labor, and Free Men". This had little political impact. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise by stating that states had the option of choosing to be slave rather than their free status being assured by federal law due to their geographic position. -
Dred Scott judgement
Dred Scott was a slave who had lived in free territories for some time as well as slave states. He went to court because he wanted to be granted U.S. citizenship. The Supreme Court made three rulings:
- Scott had no right to be a U.S. citizen
- Scott was bound by the laws of the slave state he had left
- Congress had no authority to limit slavery
The south agreed with these judgements while the north did not. -
Treaty of Tianjin with China
This treaty ended the first part of the second Opium War. In addition, when China signed the treaty, more ports were provided for western use. -
Raid on Harpers Ferry
On October 16, 1859, 22 men attacked the town of Harpers Ferry, Virginia. John Brown organized the raid and believed to be God's messenger. He was put on trial and was later hanged for his actions. -
Abraham Lincoln elected as president
Lincoln was not one of the leading candidates before the nomination process began, however; he was the surprise winner of the 1860 election. -
South Carolina secedes from the USA
When Abraham Lincoln was elected, the south felt like there southern pride was being threatened. The south was pro-slavery and did not agree with Lincoln's views. -
Six other states secede from the USA; the Confederacy established
Shortly after South Carolina seceded from the Union, six other states including Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas seceded as well. Later, on February 9, Jefferson Davis was appointed president of the CSA (Confederate States of America) -
Lincoln inaugurated as president
Lincoln became the 16th president of the United States. In his speech he made it clear that he was going to enforce laws in the states that seceded. In addition, he stated that he would not change anything where slavery already occurred. -
CSA forces take Fort Sumter
When South Carolina seceded from the States, Anderson and his force positioned themselves at a fort by Charleston. Anderson had only six weeks of food so he called Lincoln for a order. However, the Confederate army was waiting for them and attacked and the Union were forced to surrender the fort. This was the event of the Civil War. -
The Merryman case
Milligan and four others were arrested and accused of treason. They had a plan to liberate Southern prisoners of war. They were all tried in military court and were sentenced death by hanging, however, two days before their execution Andrew Jackson became president. he sentenced them to life imprisonment and they petition for writ of habeas corpus. Milligan was sent free. -
Bleeding Kansas
The status of Kansas as whether to be a free or slave state was going to be decided by the people. Anti-slavery and pro-slavery people rushed into Kansas to create an advantage for their views. The election resulted in a pro-slavery vote. -
Four more states join the Confederacy
Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina joined the Confederacy. -
Four slave states decide to stay in USA
Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland and Missouri were never named by the secession. Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia were declared after the Battle of Fort Sumter. -
Jefferson Davis elected president of CSA; Trent affair, danger of British intervention
Jefferson Davis, a democrat, was elected president of CSA. The North feared that the British would help aid the south. So the North did a strategy called the Anaconda Plan because of the way in which the North would coil around the South and squeeze it until it could struggle no more. -
USA abolishes slavery in Washington, DC
Lincoln signed an act abolishing slavery in Washington, D.C., which sent forth a major stepping stone for African-Amercians to become free. -
The Homestead Act
This act encouraged western migration by providing public land to settlers. The settlers would then b required to pay a fee and stay on the land for five years, resulting in ownership of the land. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Issued shortly after Antietam, freed slaves in the states. It did not address slaves in the Border States and as the Union Army advanced, freed slaves were eligible soldiers and didn't outlaw slavery. Lincoln used "War Powers" as Commander-in-cheif to bypass Congress. The effect of the Emancipation Proclamation were provide moral cause for the war, increased support for the Union in Europe and provided reasons for slave rebellions in the South. -
The Vallandigham case
Vallandigham addressed a crowd of 10,000 in Ohio. He spoke for about two hours and was arrested five days later, accused of breaking a military order prohibiting speeches sympathetic to the South. Vallandigham was tried by a military court, he applied for a writ of habeas corpus but was refused since it was suspended by Lincoln. -
Battle of Gettysburg; USA defeats CSA army
The Battle of Gettysburg was taken place in Pennsylvania with nearly 50,000 causalities. After a major Confederate victory at Chancellorville, Robert E. Lee sought to try again to invade the north. The union had a major victory and proved that the south can not take over the north. -
US Congress passes Wade-Davis Bill; vetoed by Lincoln
Congress proposed the Wade-Davis Bill. This bill proposed that it is required 50% of the 1860 electorate to take a far tougher 'ironclad oath' of past and future loyalty to the Union, stating that they had never given any voluntary help to Confederate forces. It also stated that all those involved in the Confederacy from any role was excluded from future government and demanded that the state constitution be changed to abolish slavery. Lincoln vetoed and believed that it was too harsh. -
Atlanta falls to US froces led by Sherman
Sherman's advance towards Atlanta was co-ordinated with Grant's offensive on the. eastern front. Grant decided to continuous warfare against Lee's army. For 44 days, the armies of Grant and Lee engaged in non-stop battles and both sides resulted in trench warfare. In less than seven weeks, the North's army of the Potomac suffered 65,000 causalities, which equalled about the same size of Lee's army. -
Lincoln defeats McClellan to be re-elected as US president
Republicans were renamed to "National Union Party". Lincoln was going against former Union general George McClellan, a "peace democrat", campaigned to compromise to end the war. Lincoln wins a big 55% of the popular vote (212-21 electorally). -
Sherman's March to the Sea through Georgia
Lincoln assigns William Tecumseh Sherman to march from Atlanta to the sea and destroying any remaining southern infrastructure. Sherman and his men would burn cities, dismantle the railroads and inflict the technique called "total war". The south was left with bitterness towards the north. -
Lincoln assassinated; Andrew Jackson appointed president
Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, a mentally unstable man and self-appointed Southern patriot, in Washington D.C, theatre. Lincoln's visit had been widely advertised and he had no effective security to protect him. Andrew Jackson ,a democrat, was appointed the presidency. -
CSA capital, Richmond falls to US forces; CSA commander Robert E. Lee surrenders
At Appromattox Court House, Robert E. Lee is forced to surrender after his forces are too worn down to continue. This was now the official end of the Civil War. -
13th Amendment to the US Constitution
In order for Lincoln to have full emancipation across USA, he made the 13th Amendment. The 13th Amendment states "neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, expect as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." In other words, the 13th Amendment freed all the slaves. -
Civil Rights Act
Over the veto of Andrew Jackson, the act "declared that all persons born in the USA were now citizens, without regard to race, color or previous condition." Many southerners highly disagreed this act, therefore, they began violent protests and formed the Ku Klux Klan. -
14th Amendment to the US Constitution
The 14th Amendment stated that "people who were born in the USA or who were naturalized (granted the rights of a US-born person although they originally came from another country) were US citizens. The 14th Amendment also gave federal authorities the right to intervene if states contravened its rules. In other words, no matter the color of a citizen, they have the right to vote and hold office. -
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment states that "the rights of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by the State on account of race, color or previous condition of servitude." In other words, African-Amercians were now allowed to vote. -
Ulysses S. Grant becomes US President
Ulysses S. Grant worked closely with president Lincoln and lead the victory for the Union over the Confederacy. With just of that background, made many Americans want to vote for him. Grant won that election. -
The Great Sioux War
This war consisted of the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and the government of the United States. This war consisted of a series of battles including the Battle of of the Little Big Horn. -
Presidential election leads to inauguration of Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes (republican) and Samuel Tilden (democrat) were running against each other in the election of 1876. Samuel Tilden won the popular vote, however, Hayes won the electoral college by just one ballot. -
The Dawes Act
The Dawes Act gave the President of the United States the power to survey Native American land and divide it into sections. In addition, the act stated that any land left over would be bought by the U.S. government. -
Spanish-American War; Acquisition of Cuba, Hawaii and the Philippines
The Spanish-American War did not last long and was mostly fought at sea. The United States defeated the Spanish at Manila Bay. Later, U.S. troops were landed in Cuba. There was a lot of hostility between Cuba and the U.S. After the war, the Spanish had withdrawn from Cuba which caused a debate on what do to with Cuba. The United States had a lot of control over Cuba. -
The Philippine Organic Act
This act allowed the creation of an elected Philippine Assembly. This would only occur if
- the cessation of the existing insurrection in the Philippine Islands
- completion and publication of a census
- two years of continued peace and recognition of the authority of the United States of America after the publication of the census. -
President Roosevelt issues the Monroe Corollary
Roosevelt announced that he now actioned U.S. armed intervention when it was felt necessary to prevent financial and political collapse. -
Dominican Republic
Roosevelt sent the US marines to the Dominican Republic, allegedly to prevent European powers taking action to collect debts owed to them. However, protection of massive US investment was a more likely reason for American intervention. -
US policy in Central America and the Caribbean
The US interests and direct involvement in the Caribbean and Central America was known as the era of Banana Wars and of Dollar Diplomacy. Dollar Diplomacy was a term used by President Taft to describe the US foreign policy advancing American business interests, using military power if necessary. -
Nicaragua and Haiti
With the threat of US business interests, a US protectorate was announced in 1912, and the US fleet and marines moved in. The US managed Nicaragua's economy and the marines stayed in the country until 1930s. Haiti followed foreign debts, internal unrest, and fear of intervention by others led to the arrival of the US marines. -
First World War breaks out in Europe
Many European powers were completing to assemble strong militaries, colonies and national pride. This grew tensions. Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated by a Syrian nationalist. Austria declares war on Serbia and with all the secret alliances with European powers lead to all countries to be in the war. -
USA enters the First World War
Arthur Zimmerman, a German foreign secretary, sent a telegram to Mexico ordering that Zimmerman confer with the Mexicans about the possibility of Mexico invading the Untied States. Another reason the US joins was because of German U-boats. German U-boats would sink innocent US ships for no reason. -
President Wilson issues the Fourteen Points
Wilson wanted to prevent future wars and maintain peace. The Fourteen Points terms were: no more secret treaties, freedoms of seas, armed forces reduced, Germany to leave countries alone, self-determination and the League of Nations. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was to establish guidelines for Germany to maintain the peace. The terms were Germany had to pay reparations , not allowed to join LoN, Germany's army reduced to 100,000 men, six battleships and no submarines, Alsace-Lorraine returned to France, take responsibility for the war and give land back to Poland. -
The United States and Mexico
The United States became very concerned with Mexico's behavior after the civli war. President Wilson sent troops and the navy into Mexico in both 1914 and 1916 to protect US interests and 'restore order'.
