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American Revolution to the Civil War
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Declaration of Independence
The delegates adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4 of 1776. This political event was to state their independence to Britain. The colonists wanted to be free of British control and wanted to have the unalienable rights they were being refused by Britain. -
Shays' Rebellion
Daniel Shays led an army of over 1,000 soldiers to rebel against the government for over increased state taxes. Shays's Rebellion spread panic and shock throughout the society. It clearly showed the nation the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. -
Federalists and Anti-Federalists
Federalists were supporters of the Constitution because they favored the balance of power between the states and the national government. Anti-Federalists opposed the Constitution because they were against a strong central government. -
Constitution is Ratified
The Constitutional Convention was created to fix the obvious holes in the Articles of Confederation. However, the delegates ended up creating a new set of laws called the Constitution. The Federalists supported the Constitution because they favored the balance of power between the states and national government while the Antifederalists opposed because they didn't want a strong central government. Finally, 9 states ratified the Constitution after the Bill of Rights were added. -
Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments, the Bill of Rights, were ratified to the Constitution to give people more specific rights. This political event led more states to approve of the Constitution because it gave people more rights as a citizen of the United States of America. -
Two Party System
The society split into a two-party system depending on their different views of the government. The Federalists wanted a strong central government ruled by the elite and a loose interpretation of the Constitution. The Democratic-Republicans on the other hand favored a strong state government ruled by the common people and a strict interpretation of the Constitution. -
Louisiana Purchase
Napolean sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States for $15 million. President Jefferson doubted whether he had the power to make such a purchase but bought the Louisiana Territory because it would more than double the size of the United States. -
U.S. Boundary Settlements, 1818-1819
Adams reached a compromise with Britain to occupy the Oregon Territory for 10 years which expanded the U.S weatward. He also persuaded Don Luis de Onis to transfer the Florida Territory to the United States. -
Texas Annexation
In 1845, the U.S. acquired Texas through the Texas Annexation. -
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Expansion of US
The Texas Annexation, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, and the Gadsden Purchase all expanded the United States to establish its borders of 48 states. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
On February 2, 1848, the United States and Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo where Mexico agreed to the Rio Grande as the border between Texas and Mexico and gave the New Mexico and California Territories to the U.S. -
Gadsden Purchase
Then 5 years later in 1853, U.S. paid Mexico an additional $10 million for a piece of territory known as the Gadsden Purchase.
