Timeline of Events (1788-1877)

Lewis and Clark set off to explore the newly established land of the Americas. It helped create routes for westward expansion.

The War of 1812 was a war between Britain and the US because of maritime interference. It helped Britain ease off of the US a little more.

The Treaty of Ghent between Britain and America was signed, which officially ended the war. It gave America true independence (finally).

McCulloch v. Maryland is a decision by the Supreme court in order to grant Congress the right to establish a national bank. This helps back up the Bank of the United States.

To balance out the slave states and the free states, Missouri is divided into Maine (a free state) and Missouri (a slave state). This temporarily solves the slave problem in the United States.

John Quincy Adams is elected president by the House. He "adopts" the American System originally set by Henry Clay.

Andrew Jackson is inaugurated. He wins because of his "man of the people" analogy, and the people of United states gain more nationalism because the feel as if they can relate to him.

Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act, which causes the removal of Native Americans living in the eastern part of the country to go west. Almost 50,000 Native Americans were relocated.

Nat Turner initiated a day-long massacre of white men, women, and children. They kill many civilians and cause many whites to fear their slaves.

Texas finally breaks free from Mexico and becomes an independent country. The US eventually claims Texas as theirs.

Cherokee More than 15,000 Cherokee Indians were forced to march from Georgia to present-day Oklahoma. Approximately 4,000 die from starvation and disease.

The United States allows Texas to be annexed. This expands the country and opens up the slave problem once again. Texas also became a major cotton area.

John O' Sullivan writes for the first time about "manifest destiny", or the idea that the whites are destined by God to kick out the Native Americans and to expand. It urges nationalism and westward expansion.

The Wilmot Proviso was an attempt to ban slavery in all the territory acquired from Mexico. It didn't work and caused a lot of controversy.

The Mexican War starts- a war between US and Mexico- and eventually the US wins. The US acquires a lot of new territory, which helps with expansion.

The Oregon Treaty fixed the border with Canada to the 49th parallel. It decreased our conflicts with Canada.

Gold is discovered at Sutter's Mill in California. It caused many people to move west into California.

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo officially ends the Mexican American war. It gives the US more territory and opens up the issue of slavery again.

California is admitted as a free state, and Utah and New Mexico were opened to popular sovereignty. This (again) opened up the slavery issue.

President Taylor dies and is replaced with Millard Fillmore. Millard isn't the most stellar president in the world...

Harriet Beecher Stowe publishes Uncle Toms Cabin. It bacame one of he most influential anti-slavery works of literature of the time.

The Kansas-Nebraska act creates the new territories of Kansas and Nebraska in order to create a transcontinental railroad. It opens up the slavery issue again, and becomes a huge issue in Bleeding Kansas

The Civil war was a bloody battle between the northern and southern territories. It freed all slaves, and gave black men more rights then they had before.

Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana secede from the Union. It, obviously, creates sectionalism in the nation and leads up to the Civil war.

The 15th Amendment is ratified. It gave blacks the right to vote.