Westward Expansion
Louisiana Purchase (1803)
Thomas Jefferson pays $15 million to France for the Louisiana Territory. The purchase doubles the size of the country.
James Madison (1809)
4th President; principal author of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. President during the War of 1812
War of 1812 (1812)
America’s second war for independence; main cause: impressment of American sailors
Battle of New Orleans (1815)
Last battle of the War of 1812; fought after the peace treaty ending the war was signed. Andrew Jackson becomes a national hero
2nd Bank of the U.S. (1816)
Chartered in 1816 after the War of 1812 ruined the country’s finances.
Care for the Disabled
Gallaudet and Howe led the movement and wanted to provide an education for everyone despite their physical circumstances.
Contributions: Gallaudet helped to develop a method to educate the hearing impaired (sign language) while Howe printed books for the visually impaired using Braille.
Samuel Howe
Thomas Gallaudet
Disabilities Reform (1817)
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
States cannot impede (interfere with) the powers of the Federal government; dealt with the 2nd Bank of the United States
Missouri Compromise (1820)
Kept the number of free and slave states equal (14); admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state; created the 36-30 North Parallel
No Slavery
Slavery
Monroe Doctrine (1823)
Countries in the Eastern Hemisphere cannot interfere in our politics or colonize our land
Gibbons v. Odgen (1824)
The court rules that the Federal government regulates (controls) interstate commerce
Ogden
Gibbons
Temperance Movement (1826)
Reformers blamed alcohol for all the ills of society; wanted to ban its use and manufacturing; led to Prohibition in the 1900’s
Election of Andrew Jackson (1828)
Jackson is 7th President; passes laws that favor the “Common Man”
Rise of the Modern Democrats (1828)
Jackson and Martin Van Buren help found the Democratic Party; founders supported small government and rights of the people
Indian Removal Act (1830)
Jackson’s bill calls for the removal of all Native Americans from the east to the area west of the Mississippi River
Nullification Crisis (1832)
South Carolina tries to nullify (cancel) the Tariff of 1832; Jackson threatens to use force to end the crisis; Henry Clay helps find a compromise
Jackson challenges the Bank (1832)
Jackson believed the bank was unconstitutional and favored the rich; refused to renew its charter
Children of all classes began to go to school together and education became free to the public.
Contributions: Noah Webster’s dictionary standardized English spelling and language; William McGuffey’s hugely successful children's books taught reading in stages.
Horace Mann
Education Reform (1832)
Trail of Tears (1838)
The forced removal of all Native American tribes from the land east of the Mississippi River to Indian Territory (Oklahoma)
Oregon Country (1840)
England and the U.S. avoid a third war by agreeing to split the Oregon Country. The states of Washington and Oregon result
Reformers found prisoners in inhuman conditions – with little or no clothing and in unheated cells. Also, found that prisons were being used to house the mentally-ill
Dorthea Dix
Prison Reform (1841)
Texas Annexation (1845)
The U.S. annexes Texas as the 28th state; direct causes of the Mexican-American War
Mexican-American War (1846)
The U.S. successfully invades Mexico and wins the war; Lee, Grant, Davis and Stonewall Jackson all fight in the war
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848)
Ends the Mexican-American War; gives the U.S. control of Texas and the Mexican Cession
California Gold Rush (1848)
John Marshall discovers gold near Sacramento; 250,000 people come to California in search of gold; San Francisco becomes a major city
Mormons in Utah (1848)
Brigham Young leads the Mormons west seeking religious freedom; Young helps found the Utah Territory
Seneca Falls Convention (1848)
Women’s Rights Convention; drafted the Declaration of Sentiments based on the Declaration of Independence; “all men and women are created equal.”