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Louisiana Purchase
The territory formally owned by France which was sold to the Uhnited States for 15 million dollars in 1803 during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson. This purchase more than doubled the size of the United States. This was an important move in the growth and expansion of the United States. -
Lewis and Clark
President Jefferson sent them to explore the Louisiana purchase and they met Sacagawea. This is an example of nationalism because they sent people to look across the nation. -
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and Great Britain and lasted from 1812 to 1815. Resulting from American anger over trade issues, impressment of sailors, and British support of Indian attacks on the frontier, the conflict saw the US Army attempt to invade Canada while British forces attacked south. This is nationalism because it is the whole country not just one section of it. -
Opening of the Erie Canal
A 425 mile canal that was opened by Govenor Clinton. They started working on it in August 1823. They were paid $10 a month, and barrels of whisky were placed along the canal route as encouragement. The Erie Canal opens, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean via the Hudson River. This is nationalism because it displays the counrty and the path they took. -
Indian Removal Act Was Passed
The Indian Removal Act grants President Andrew Jackson the funding and authority to remove the Indians residing east of the Mississippi River, a goal he pursues with great thinking. This is sectionalism because they refer to local customs and people. -
The Alamo is Taken by Mexican Troops
Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna's Mexican force of 4,000 troops lays siege to the town of San Antonio, where 200 Texans resist, retreating to an abandoned mission, the Alamo. After inflicting over 1,500 casualties on Santa Anna's men, the defenders of the Alamo are wiped out on March 6, 1836. This is nationalism because it involves another country. -
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail was a pathway to the west. This very hard journey began around 1843 when more than 50,000 pioneers went west in a 25 year span. The path they took went from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon City, Oregon. It was the longest overland trail in North America. This is nationalism because its a part of the nation. -
Gold is Discovered in California
An American carpenter finds gold at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, sparking a gold rush which brings tens of thousands of new settlers to California, establishing towns and cities, and accelerating the drive toward statehood. This is nationalism because its the country. -
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is Signed
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo cedes Texas, New Mexico, and California to the United States, which now controls land stretching all the way across North America. This is nationalism because it spreads across the United States. -
California is Admitted to the Union
Under the Compromise of 1850, engineered by Henry Clay, California is admitted to the Union as a free state. This is nationalism because they are letting them join the country. -
The First Transcontinental Railroad is Completed
The first transcontinental railroad is completed when the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads join their tracks at Promontory Point, Utah. The railroad rapidly affects the ease of western settlement, shortening the journey from coast to coast, which took six to eight months by wagon, to a mere one week's trip. This is nationalism because its the country as a whole. -
The Battle of Little Bighorn
Colonel George Armstrong Custer and his men are wiped out by Sioux forces while attempting to control the Great Plains and confine all Indians to reservations. The battle symbolizes the strength of the Sioux resistance, and the US Army is forced to pursue a long war of attrition, rather than go head to head with the Sioux forces. This shows sectionalism because they are separated. -
The Dawes Severalty Act is Passed
The Dawes Act calls for the breakup of the reservations and the treatment of Indians as individuals rather than tribes. The act is intended to help the Indians to integrate into white society, but in reality helps to create a class of federally dependent Indians. This is nationalism because its everyone as a whole instead of just by tribe. -
The Massacre at Wounded Knee
After an excited Native American fires a rifle shot, US Army troops massacre 300 Indians, including seven children. The massacre is the symbolic final step in the war for the West, and after Wounded Knee the Indians succumb to the wishes of the federal government, resigning themselves to reservation life. This shows sectionalism because they keep them off to the side instead of together. -
Arizona is Admitted to the Union
Arizona, the last of the 48 contiguous United States, is admitted to the Union, completing the century-long process of conquering and organizing the American West. This involves nationalism because its trying to bring the country together.
