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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.
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The U.S. capital is moved from Philadelphia to Washington, DC.
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U.S. Congress meets in Washington, DC, for the first time.
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Thomas Jefferson is inaugurated as the third president in Washington, DC.
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Landmark Supreme Court decision greatly expands the power of the Court by establishing its right to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional.
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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. As a result, the U.S. nearly doubles in size.
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set out from St. Louis, Mo., on expedition to explore the West and find a route to the Pacific Ocean.
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James Madison is inaugurated as the fourth president.
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U.S. declares war on Britain over British interference with American maritime shipping and westward expansion.
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British capture Washington, DC, and set fire to White House and Capitol
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Francis Scott Key writes Star-Spangled Banner as he watches British attack on Fort McHenry at Baltimore.
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treaty of Ghent is signed, officially ending the war.
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James Monroe is inaugurated as the fifth president.
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Spain agrees to cede Florida to the United States.
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In an effort to maintain the balance between free and slave states, Maine (formerly part of Massachusetts) 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'.
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an enslaved African American carpenter who had purchased his freedom, plans a slave revolt with the intent to lay siege on Charleston, South Carolina. The plot is discovered, and Vesey and 34 coconspirators are hanged.
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In his annual address to Congress, President Monroe declares that the American continents are henceforth off-limits for further colonization by European powers.
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John Quincy Adams is inaugurated as the sixth president.
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U.S. Constitution goes into effect, having been ratified by nine states.
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Construction is begun on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the first public railroad in the U.S.
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The relocation of Indian tribes from east of the Mississippi River.
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Texas independence was declared at a convention of delegates from fifty-seven Texas communities at Washington-on-the-Brazos, making them an independent nation free from Mexican rule.
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A local slave rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia, led by Nat Turner, a black slave, kills fifty-seven white citizens.
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Cyrus H. McCormick, U.S inventor, invented and demonstrated the first commercially successful reaper.
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The first convention of the American Whig Party is held in Albany, New York.
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Martin Van Buren, as President
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In Jackson, Mississippi, the first state law allowing women to own property is passed.
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Inaugurated as President
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John Tyler sworn in as President after death of Harrison
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Inaugurated as 11th president
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US annexes Texas by joint resolution of Congress
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US declares war on Mexico in effort to gain California and other territory in Southwest
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Concluded Mexican War
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Inaugurated as the 12 President
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Inaugurated as 13th President
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Inaugurated as President
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15th Presidential Inauguration
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Two companies of the 1st Cavalry under Captain Samuel Sturgis arrive at Fort Scott, Kansas to attempt to bring the disorder of "Bleeding Kansas," the slavery versus anti-slavery battle, in check.
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Oregon is admitted to the Union as the 33rd state.
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South Carolina responds to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President by being the first southern state to secede from the Union.
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Inaugurated to presidency
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Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina harbor is bombarded for 34 hours by Confederate forces after the U.S. Army commander failed to evacuate, thus starting the four years of conflict and the U.S. Civil War.
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The Homestead Act is approved, granting family farms of 160 acres to settlers, many of which were carved from Indian territories.
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The Battle of Gettysburg, on the farm fields of central Pennsylvania, proved to be the "high watermark of the Confederacy"
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Only 272 words long and taking about two minutes to speak, captured the essence of the Civil War as both sacrifice and inspiration.
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The Thirteenth Amendment, abolishing slavery, takes effect.
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In one of the first acts of success in the women's suffrage movement, a Women's Suffrage law passes in the Territory of Wyoming.
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The 15th Amendment to the Constitution is declared ratified by the Secretary of State. It gave the right to vote to black Americans
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The world's first national park is established when President Grant signs legislation enabling the establishment of Yellowstone National Park in the states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho.
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An economic depression begins when the New York stock market crashed, setting off a financial panic that caused bank failures.
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The U.S. Greenback Party is organized as a political organization by farmers who had been hurt financially in the Panic of 1873.
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The Civil Rights Act, giving equal rights to blacks in jury duty and accommodation, is passed by the United States Congress.