US History By eric.ibarra123 Nov 17, 1800 Washington D.C. becomes U.S. capital Apr 30, 1803 Louisiana Purchase from France doubles U.S. size Jun 18, 1812 Start of the War of 1812 Mar 23, 1815 War of 1812 ends Feb 23, 1836 Texans defending the Alamo startrs Mar 6, 1836 Texas defending the Alamo ends Jan 24, 1848 Gold discovered in California Mar 4, 1861 Abraham Lincoln elected 16th president of the U.S Apr 12, 1861 Civil War begins when Confederates fire on Fort Sumter Aug 12, 1898 U.S. defeats Spain in Spanish, American War