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Paine's "Common Sense" published
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The Continental fleet captures New Providence Island in the Bahamas
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The First Virginia Constitution
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Delegates begin to sign The Declaration of Independence.
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Benedict Arnold defeated at the Battle of Valcour Island (Lake Champlain), but delayed British advance.
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Washington crosses the Delaware and captures Trenton from Hessians.
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Washington victorious at Princeton
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The United States and France sign the French Alliance.
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British abandon Philadelphia and return to New York.
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Washington's army leaves Valley Forge.
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British capture Charleston, SC
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French troops arrive at Newport, RI, to aid the American cause.
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American victory at Yorktown terms discussed for the British surrender.
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First President of the US is George Washington
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Judiciary Act of 1789
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Bill of Rights ratified
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The United States outlaws any efforts to impede the capture of
runaway slaves. -
Eli Whitney patents his device for pulling seeds from cotton. The invention turns cotton into the cash crop of the American South—and creates a huge demand for
slave labor. -
Second President of the US is John Adams
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Library of Congress founded
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Third President of the US is Thomas Jefferson
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Louisiana Purchase Treaty
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Meriwether Lewis and William Clark explore the Louisiana Territory
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Importing African slaves is outlawed, but smuggling
continues. -
Fifth President of the US is James Monroe
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Jackson Purchase in Kentucky
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Missouri is admitted to the Union as a slave state, Maine as a free
state. Slavery is forbidden in any subsequent territories north of latitude 36º 30'. -
One of America's most well-known early writers was Washington Irving. His first great work came out in 1820, titled Rip Van Winkle.
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Sixth President of the US is John Quincy Adams
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Seventh President of the US is Andrew Jackson
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Indian Removal Act
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Virginia Slave preacher Nat Turner leads a two-day uprising against
whites, killing about 60. Militiamen crush the revolt then spend two months searching for Turner, who is eventually caught and hanged. Enraged Southerners impose harsher restrictions on their slaves. -
Texas War for Independence begins
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Battle of the Alamo
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Martin Van Buren is president.
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The Trail of Tears
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Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton are barred from attending the World Anti-Slavery Convention held in London. This prompts them to hold a Women's Convention in the US.
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Ninth President of the US is William Henry Harrison
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Tenth President of the US is John Tyler
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Eleventh President of the US is James Knox Polk
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the Mexican-American War
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Treaty of Cahuenga ends Mexican-American War
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Gold discovered in California
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Seneca Falls, New York is the location for the first Women's Rights Convention. Elizabeth Cady Stanton writes "The Declaration of Sentiments" creating the agenda of women's activism for decades to come.
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Twelfth President of the US is Zachary Taylor
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Worcester, Massachusetts, is the site of the first National Women's Rights Convention. Frederick Douglass, Paulina Wright Davis, Abby Kelley Foster, William Lloyd Garrison, Lucy Stone and Sojourner Truth are in attendance. A strong alliance is formed with the Abolitionist Movement.
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After several years of writing, Nathaniel Hawthorne published his most famous novel. Titled The Scarlet Letter, it has lived on for years.
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At a women's rights convention in Akron, Ohio, Sojourner Truth, a former slave, delivers her now memorable speech, "Ain't I a woman?"
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The issue of women's property rights is presented to the Vermont Senate by Clara Howard Nichols. This is a major issue for the Suffragists.
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Walt had previously published several poems. One of his most famous poems was a tribute to Abraham Lincoln called O Captain! My Captain!
