1600-1850 US History

1800-1850 US History

1800	The U.S. capital is moved from Philadelphia to Washington, DC (June 15). U.S. Congress meets in Washington, DC, for the first time (Nov. 17). Gabriel Prosser, an enslaved African American blacksmith, organizes a slave revolt intending to march on Richmond, Virginia. The conspiracy is uncovered, and Prosser and a number of the rebels are hanged. Virginia's slave laws are consequently tightened.
1801	Thomas Jefferson is inaugurated as the third president in Washington, DC (March 4).
1803	Marbury v. Madison: Landmark Supreme Court decision greatly expands the power of the Court by establishing its right to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional (Feb. 24). Louisiana Purchase: United States agrees to pay France $15 million for the Louisiana Territory, which extends west from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and comprises about 830,000 sq mi (treaty signed May 2). As a result, the U.S. nearly doubles in size.
1804	Lewis and Clark set out from St. Louis, Mo on an expedition to explore the West and find a route to the Pacific Ocean
1805	Jefferson's second inauguration. Lewis and Clark reach the Pacific Ocean
1809	James Madison is inaugurated as the fourth president
1812	War of 1812: US declares war on Britain over British interference with American maritime shipping and westward expansion. British capture Washington DC and set fire to the White House and Capitol. Francis Scott Key writes Star-Spangled Banner as he watches British attack on Fort McHenry at Baltimore. Treaty of Ghent is signed, officially ending the war.
1819	Spain agrees to cede Florida to the United States. Landmark Supreme court decision upholds the right of Congress to establish a national bank, a power implied but not specifically enumerated by the Constitution.
1820	Missouri Compromise: In an effort to maintain the balance between free and slave states, Maine is admitted as a free state so that Missouri can be admitted as a slave state; except for Missouri, slavery is prohibited in the Louisiana Purchase lands north of latitude 36,30
1822	Denmark Vesey, an enslaved African American carpenter who had purchased his freedom, plans a slave revolt with the intent to lay siege on Charlseton, SC. The plot is discovered and Vesey and 34 coconspirators are hanged.
1828	Construction is begun on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. the first public railroad in the US
1830	President Jackson signs the Indian removal Act, which authorizes the forced removal of Native Americans living in the eastern part of the country to the lands west of the Mississippi River. By the late 1830s the Jackson administration has relocated nearly 50,000 Native Americans.
1831	Nat Turner, an enslaved African American preacher, leads the most significant uprising in American hisotry. He and his band of about 80 followers launch a bloody, day long rebellion in Southampton County VA. The militia quells the rebellions and Turner is eventually hanged. As a consequence, VA institutes much stricter slave laws.
	William Llyod Garrison begins publishing the Liberator, a weekly paper that advocates the complete abolition of slavery. He becomes one of the most famous figures in the abolitionist movement.
1836	Texas declares its independence from Mexico. Texan defenders of the Alamo are all killed during siege by the Mexican Army.
1838	More than 15,000 Cherokee Indians are forced to march from Georgia to Indian Terretory in present-day Oklahoma. Approximately 4,000 die from starvation and disease along the "Trail of Tears."
1846	Oregon Treaty fixes US/Canadian border at 49th parallel. US acquires Oregon terretory
1846-1848	Mexican War: US declares war on Mexico in effort to gain California and other territory in Southwest. War concludes with the signing of Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Mexico recognizes the Rio Grande as the new boundary with Texas and for $15 million, agress to cede territory compromising present day California, most of New Mexico and Arizona and parts of Colorado and Wyoming.
1848	Gold is discovered at Sutter's Mill in California; gold rush reaches its height the following year. Women's rights convention is held at Seneca Fall, NY
	Harriet Tubman escapes from slavery and becomes one of the most effective and celebrated members of the Underground Railroad.