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French territory of Louisiana is given to Spain post-Seven Years’ War. America negotiates, has shipping rights on the Mississippi and in New Orleans.
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The Spanish give the territory back to France. American shipping rights are revoked, so diplomats James Monroe and Robert Livingston enter negotiations for a land purchase. President Jefferson gives them a budget of $10 million for New Orleans and land around Mississippi river.
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Napoleon, the current leader of France, had no interest in American colonization and needed money for his wars with the countries of Europe. Livingston and Monroe agree to buy all of the Lousiana territory for $15 million.
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Congress ratifies the "treaty" between United States and France 24 to 7.
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The Louisiana Territory is officially part of the United States, tripling the country's size and providing new territory for settlers.
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Meriwether Lewis and William Clark begin their exploration of the Northwest Territory.
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Jesse Hawley writes an essay which proposes building a 400-mile long canal from Buffalo to Albany. This waterway would provide easy transportation of goods and make New York a center for trade.
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Joshua Forman proposes the idea to the New York legislature and to the federal government. Both governments reject his plan.
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Thomas Eddy and State Senator DeWitt Clinton propose and pass a measure to create Canal Commission in New York. The Commission was to survey the route from the Hudson River to the Great Lakes.
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Robert Stuart leaves Fort Astoria in the Northwest Territory to travel back east to St. Louis. Natives lead him to the South Pass, and he travels what will become the Oregon Trail.
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Major General Andrew Jackson defeats Creek forces and signs treaty for 20 million acres of land (approx. 31,250 square miles).
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The New York Commission approves the construction of the Erie Canal with a $7 million budget.
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Britain and the United States agreed to a "joint occupation" of the Oregon Territory, where both English and American citizens could live and trade.
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In a standard address to Congress, President James Monroe outlines the nation's foreign policy. Countries should only work within their "spheres of influence". There should be no intervention by a country outside of it’s area of influence, and Europe should not colonize further in the Americas.
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Governor DeWitt Clinton opens the Erie Canal to the public. Within 9 years, the toll fees had repaid the cost of funstruction, and in 15 years, New York City is the busiest port in America.
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Indian Removal Act is passed by Congress. Law states that natives will be given lands west of Mississippi to leave their current territories, would live there under protection of U.S. “forever”. Government assistance in immigration to new lands would be provided.
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Cherokee nation challenges laws restricting their rights, Supreme Court declares natives dependent on U.S. government.
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Choctaw nation was expelled from native lands under threat of invasion by the military.
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1832: Supreme Court reverses decision, natives are immune and sovereign. Andrew Jackson ignores this.
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Delegates of Texas districts meet, create resolutions to present to Mexican government (Convention of 1832). Resolutions include tariff exemptions, easier immigration from the US, and separate statehood from Coahuila. Resolutions are not presented since San Antonio was not present for deliberation.
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Delegates of Texas meet, create resolutions and a constitution for statehood to present to Mexico. Resolutions included tariff exemption, abolishing the slave trade, and splitting Coahuila and Texas. State constitution was based off of Massachusetts, formed state as a republic.
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Resolutions presented to Mexican Congress, allows immigration, provides local government for Texa
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President of Mexco Antonio López de Santa Anna abolishes the Constitution of 1824 and Congress. Santa Anna begins his campaign to occupy Texas and disarm the locals.
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Col. Domingo de Ugartechea asks for cannon Mexico lent to town of Gonzales. Townspeople refuse, send back note that says "Come and take it!" Ugartechea sends detatchment, they lose, return without the cannon.
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The Texas army began a siege on the city of Bexar in October, finally forcing the Mexican army to surrender at the Alamo and retreat across the Rio Grande.
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Small group of Cherokees make Treaty of New Echota, trades Cherokee homelands for $5 million dollars, compensation of lost property. Afterwards, the Cherokee create a petition claiming the treaty wasn’t sanctioned by their nation. Despite large support, petition is ignored by Jackson and the federal government.
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Creek (Muscogee) Indians are driven from their native lands.
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Marcus and Narcissa Whitman bacame the first people to travel to Oegon via covered wagon. Although the fell 200 miles short of their final destination, they set the precedent for wagon use on the trail.
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Dictator López de Santa Anna arrives with his army outside San Antonio, begin 13-day siege on the Alamo. Members of the defending garrison include Jim Bowie and David Crockett.
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Texas declares independence from Mexico with a Texas Declaration of Independence, signed at Washington-on-the-Brazos.
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Santa Anna's army breaches the walls of the Alamo and defeat the garrison. However, the army took heavy losses from the siege, losing 600-1,600 men from the army of 1,800-6,000.
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Army under Sam Houston attacks Santa Anna's army near San Jacinto River. Mexican army is destroyed by 600-men force, Santa Anna is captured and tells remainder of Mexican army to retreat. Mexico is forced to recognize Texas as a separate state, end hostilities, and return confiscated property.
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By end of his presidency, Jackson had created 70 treaties to move approx. 50,000 natives to Oklahoma territory.
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The Cherokee are forced to march 1,200 miles to Oklahoma territory. About 5,000 die of disease or starvation out of 15,000. This event is usually reffered to specifically as the "Trail of Tears", and is the most well-known part of Jackson's expulsion campaign.
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Pioneers gather in Independence, Missouri and travel into the Northwest Territory. Large number of people is due to recession in American Midwest and the tales of fertile land from fur traders.
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President Tyler proposes Treaty of Annexation to the Senate, but lacked the votes to be ratified. Mexico cuts diplomatic ties over attempted treaty.
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President Tyler obtains joint resolution from both Senate and House of Representatives to annex Texas.
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Texas territory included areas of New Mexico, Texas, and Colorado. U.S. adn Mexico disagreed on the southern boundary of Texas. U.S. said it was the Rio Grande, Mexico said it was the Nueces River.
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President James Polk uses the skirmishes in the disputed area between the Nueces and the Rio Grande to justify war with Mexico, claiming that the Mexicans had attacked Americans on American soil.
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Congress signs the Oregon Treaty, which gives the territory south of the 46 Parallel to the United States.
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Pennsylvania Senator David Wilmot proposes an amendment to a bill relating to the Mexican-American War, where lands obtained from Mexico would be slavery-free. The amendment never passed, but sparked debate throughout the country.
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After a sucessful campaign against the Mexican army, General Winfield Scott takes the captial of Mexico City.
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Originally from New Jersey, Marshall finds gold in the American River. The discovery was originally kept secret, but word got out and started the California Gold Rush.
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Nicholas Trist remained in Mexico City and negotiated this treaty, despite being recalled in October of 1847 by Polk. The treaty called for the trade of the territories of New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California, Texas, and western Colorado for $15 million.
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Delegates from California gather in Montery to draft a constitution, they decide slavery should be prohibited within the state.
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Non-native population of California is 100,000 by the end of the year, as compared to 20,000 the previous year.
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The Compromise was a series of bills that were aimed to solve the issue of slavery in the west, the land claims of Texas, and slavery within the borders of Washington D.C. In the bills, Texas would relinquish its claims but receive $10 million dollars, territories of New Mexico and Utah would vote on slavery, California would be accepted as a new state, and the slave trade in Washington D.C. was abolished.
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Negotiated by James Gadsden, the Gadsden Purchase bought 30,000 square miles of southern Arizona and Southwest New Mexico for $10 million.
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After the failure of Pierre Soulé to purchase Cuba from Spain, Secretary of State William L. Marcy told James Buchanan and John Y. Mason to meet Soule in Ostend, Belgium. It also urged that the U.S. should seize Cuba if it had the power or if Spain refused the sale. The dispatch was leaked, and the proposals rejected.
