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Treaty of Paris
Date - 1783
President - None
Other Nations Involved - Spain, France, Britain, the Indians
Event Description - The Treaty of Paris ended the Revolutionary War. It was signed by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay in Paris, France on September 3rd, 1783. Britain agreed to take their troops out of America to let it be a free and independant country. The treaty created new borders and allowed loyalists to remain in America if they had left. -
Jay's Treaty
Date - 1794
President - George Washington
Other Nations Involved - Great Britain
Event Description - Jay's Treaty, signed by John Jay, gave the U.S. rights that were taken away by Britain and used the land to trade with other countries. This treaty stopped British control of ports in the West, giving Americans the right to trade with the West Indies. The treaty eliminated the Proclamation line that the British enforced in the U.S, giving America more land westward for ports around Lake Superior. -
Louisiana Purchase
Date - 1803
President - Thomas Jefferson
Other Nations Involved - France
Event Description - The Louisiana Purchase transfered a huge amount of land by France to America. The land costed around $15 million and was spread out across the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. Napoleon Bonaparte sold the territory to Thomas Jefferson because he didn't have enough troops to defend it from Britain. Jefferson bought the land for America to explore it and expand the U.S. -
Lewis, Clark and Sacajawea Expedition
Date - 1804
President - Thomas Jefferson
Other Nations Involved - Shoshoni and other Indian tribes
Event Description - The expedition was started to find a water route to get to the Pacific Ocean and to map out unknown land. The U.S. gained the land by buying the land in the Louisiana Purchase. William Clark and Meriwether Lewis were chosen by the U.S government to lead the trip. Later, Sacajawea, an Indian from the Shoshoni tribe, joined the men and saved their lives on numerous occassions. -
National Road
Date - 1811
President - James Madison
Other Nations Involved - Native American nations
Event Description - The National Road was built to unify the United States. It joins Maryland the Ohio RIver and was built between 1811 and 1834. Thomas Jefferson signed the act that justified the building of the road. The National Road was also the first federally funded road that was created in the U.S. -
Anglo - American Convention
Date - 1818
President - James Monroe
Other Nations Involved - Canada, Ireland, Great Britain
Event Description - The Anglo-American Convention set the boundary between the U.S. and the land that was later known to be Canada. Great Britain sent Charles Bagot to America to meet with James Monroe, the Secretary of State. Canada becoming a country was ratified on April 28, 1818. -
Adams - Onis Treaty
Date - 1819
President - James Monroe
Other Nations Involved - Spain
Event Description - Spain sold the U.S Florida for a mere 5 million dollars , also renouncing America the property of Texas. Named after John Quincy Adams and Luis de Onis of Spain, the treaty was signed on February 22, 1819 in Washington D.C. and ratified by Spain on October 24, 1820. -
Santa Fe Trail
Date - 1821
President - John Quincy Adams
Other Nations Involved - Indian Nations, Mexico
Event Description - The Santa Fe Trail connects New Mexico to Missouri and was started by William Becknell. This trail assissts trade and transportation all around the U.S. -
Indian Removal Act
Date - 1830
President - Andrew Jackson
Other Nations Involved - Indian Nations
Event Description - The Indian Removal Act, signed and varified by John Quincy Adams, forced Native Americans to leave their homes and land to move westward. In 1837, the act removed 46,000 natives from their land despite of the Americans who argued with Adams who didn't view Indians as real people. -
Black Hawk War
Date - 1832
President - Andrew Jackson
Other Nations Involved - Native Americans
Event Description - After being relocated due to the Indian Removal Act, a thousand Indian people followed the chief of the Sauk tribe back to their land in north Illinois. The Indians wanted to plant seeds with no intention of fighting, but when Black Hawk was attacked by American soldiers, war began. The war continued until Black Hawk and his son surrendered and were forced to be in prison until August of 1833. -
Oregon Trail
Date - 1836
President - Andrew Jackson
Other Nations Involved - Native Americans
Event Description - The Oregon Trail was founded in 1824 by Thomas Fitzpatrick and Jedediah Smith. Traveling on the trail began in 1841 in Missouri wtih Nicholas Point and Jean Pierre DeSmet. The Oregon Trail was used to travel with wagons, then soon became a trail home to tons of ways to transport goods and people. -
Annexation of Texas
Date - 1845
President - John Tyler
Other Nations Involved - Native American nations
Event Description - America obtains Texas from Britain. Great Britain didn't want the U.S to grow, then again didn't want Texas to be part of their own country. The United States congress voted and had a constitution made to make the annexation ratified. -
Mexican - American War
Date - 1846
President - James Polk
Other Nations Involved - Mexico
Event Description - The idea of Manifest Destiny (the belief that the U.S had a right given by God to move in westward) was one of the main causes of the Mexican-American War. U.S citizens moved west into territories that didn't belong to America, places such as California, Nevada and Arizona. They soon later won these states in the war. -
Mormon Trek
Date - 1846
President - James Polk
Other Nations Involved - Native Americans
Event Description - Brigham Young led Mormons to settle into their new home called Salt Late City in Utah. After more than a year of traveling, many Mormons hoping to settle down in Utah lost their lives during the trip. Young followed in the footsteps of Joseph Smith, the creator or Mormonism. -
Oregon Treaty following "54 40' or Fight!" campaign
Date - 1846
President - James Polk
Other Nations Involved - Native Americans
Event Description - This slogan was used during the Oregon Trail by James Polk in order to call for expansion that included California, Texas and Oregon. -
California Gold Rush
Date-1848
President- James Polk
Other Nations Involved- Native Americans
Event Description- John Sutter hired James Marshall and his crew to build a saw mill for him when Marshall first discovered nuggets of gold in dirt. On March 15, 1848, a newspaper called The Californian published the discovery for all of California to see. People from all around the U.S and the rest of the world fled to California to search for gold and hoped to beome rich and live the "Amercian Dream." Few were successful. -
Gadsden Purchase
Date - 1853
President - Franklin Pierce
Other Nations Involved - Mexico
Event Description - The Gadsden Purchase is 45,535 square miles, almost the same size as the state of Pennsylvania. The land was almost 30,000,000 acres but only cost Christopher Gadsden around thrity cents per acre. -
1865 Ports of Entry Act
Date - 1865
President - Abraham Lincoln
Other Nations Involved - Alien nations
Event Description - The Port of Entry Act was enforced to keep other countries from overtaking the fish supply in the Marshall Islands. It kept track of the amount of goods that a ship could transport in and out of the port to ensure safety and means of production. -
The Russian Treaty
Date - 1867
President - Andrew Johnson
Other Nations Involved - Russia
Event Description - The U.S. decided to buy Alaska from Russia, both countries agreeing on the price of around 7 million dollars. On March 30, 1867, the treaty was signed by Secretary of State William Seward as well as the Russian Minister Edouard de Stoeckl. Alaska is still part of the U.S til this day. -
Treaty of Fort Laramie
Date - 1868
President - Andrew Johnson
Other Nations Involved - Native Americans
Event Description - The treaty was created to show that the Black Hills land was part of the Sioux reservation. Instead of gaining territory, the U.S gave land back to the Indians. American general George Custer led miners to the Black Hills in order to search for gold, which they ended up finding. Miners began to destroy the land and Natives had no way to fight the U.S Army. It is still unclear who owns the land. -
Overthrow of Queen Lilioukalani and the Kingdom of Hawaii
Date - 1893
President - Benjamin Harrison
Other Nations Involved - Hawaii
Event Description - American sugar planters in Hawaii overthrew Queen Lilioukalani while being led by Sanford Dole. A new government was created in Hawaii with Dole as its' president. The U.S uses the islands for building naval bases, for sugar and for other goods. Hawaii is still one of the 50 states. -
Spanish - American War
Date - 1898
President - William McKinley
Other Nations Involved - Spain
Event Description - America declared war on Spain due to the sinking of Battleship Maine in Havana harbor in Feb. 1898. The Treaty of Paris ended the war, giving the U.S. control of Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Philippines Islands, and Guam. America wanted many islands to build more military bases throughout the surrounding oceans. All of the territory is still under U.S control except for the Philippines. -
Treaty of Berlin
Date - 1899
President - William McKinley
Other Nations Involved - Great Britain and Germany
Event Description - Britain and Germany sign the treaty with America that says that the Samoa islands are under German and British control.America still uses the territory for militia purposes and is still under U.S influence. -
Philippine - American War
Date - 1901
President - William McKinley
Other Nations Involved - Philippines
Event Description - Spain sold the Philippines along with many other islands to the U.S 1899. The U.S used the Philippines as an oversea empire while the Filipino people wanted independance. The war resulted in America winning, but the Philippines became an independant nation on July 4th, 1946. -
Hay - Bunau Varilla Treaty
Date - 1903
President - Theodore Roosevelt
Other Nations Involved - Panama
Event Description - In return for money and protection, Panama agrees to let the U.S use the Panama Canal. The U.S gave Panama $10,000,000 while Panama gave America a ten mile strip of the canal. The strip is still owned by the U.S and is used as a shortcut through the ocean. -
Purchase of St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas
Date - 1917
President - Woodrow Wilson
Other Nations Involved - Denmark
Event Description - During WWI, the U.S bought the Virgin Islands from Denmark for 25 million dollars in pure gold. America purchased the land in order to improve their military and their positions during the war. The land is still under U.S control, is run by the president and is housing for citizens of America. -
League of Nations Mandate - Trust Territory of the Pacific Island
Date - 1949
President - Harry S Truman
Other Nations Involved - Japan
Event Description - After Japan lost WWII, they were forced to give up the territory to the U.S. America wanted the land to enhance militia and create military bases. The territory is still under American posession, but each island is under different means of control. The islands are the Marshalls, the Marianas, and the Carolines. -
Treaty of San Francisco
Date - 1952
President - Harry S Truman
Other Nations Involved - Japan
Event Description - The Treaty of San Francisco did not gain America any land, but freed many countries that were under Japanese power. Countries such as Antarctica and Korea and other islands such as Taiwan were no longer under the control of Japan. The U.S made an agreement for the other islands to be independant but to use them for military purposes. -
The Antarctic Treaty
Date - 1959
President - Dwight D. Eisenhower
Other Nations Involved - Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Russian Federation, South Africa, United Kingdom and the United States
Event Description - This treaty was created to ensure that Antarctica will always be free of radioactive waste and nuclear war, to be kept as peaceful as possible. Forty-six countries have agreed to the treaty. The Antarctic Treaty is still enforced today. -
Boundary Treaty of 1970
Date - 1970
President - Richard Nixon
Other Nations Involved - Mexico
Event Description - This treaty was made so that people in either country (the U.S and Mexico) knew how far to go in either country. The treaty settled the boundary disputes between the two countries involving the Rio Grande. The treaty is still intact today.
