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Samuel Slater Brings British Factory System to America
Samuel Slater who was once an apprentice in an England facotry moved to America in the late 18th century bringing with him the ideas of factories. Slater joined forces with a man named Moses Brown. Together they opened a textile mill that allowed cotton to be produced at a rate never before seen in the Americas. This introduction to the factory system really launched America into the Industiral Revolution, which greatly influenced the history of our country. -
Robert Fulton creates first steam boat
In 1807 Robert Fulton created the first steam engine powered boat. This allowed for goods to be shipped much more efficiently through the country. The introduction of the steam engine made traveling up-stream much easier since it no longer had to be done by man-power. At this time, Americans relied heavily on boats to ship goods. This invention led to the development of the cities along the Misssissippi and the development of the Erie Canal to make a more accessible route to the Atlantic Ocean. -
Monroe Elected President (Era of Good Feelings)
Following the War of 1812, a strong sense of Nationalism swept throught the country. Americans took pride in their nation and how it stood up to foreign powers. This along with the Federalist party dissolving, would unite the country during the elecetion of 1816. WIth only one major candidate to choose, James Monroe was elected president of the United States. This time period became known as the "Era of Good Feelings". -
Missouri Compromise
By 1818, the Missouri territory had grown to enough citizens to reques] for state-hood. At the time in congress, there was in equal balance in the amount of slave states and free states. Congress wanted to keep this balance so initially refused to annex Missouri. In 1820, Congress agreed to let Missourit enter the union as a slave state and admit Maine as a free state. It also stated that the Northern territory of Missouri would be the divide between slave and free in the new Louisiana territory -
Monroe Doctrine put into effect
During Monroe's presidency many small coloies in Central and South American were gaining their independence from their mother countries. America decided to protect the liberty of these small independent countries. Congress stated their intentions to protect all of the colonies in the Americas and would consider any European influence on these countries as "dangerous to our peace and safety". Monroe is most remebered for this document. -
The Controversial Election of 1824
The President is decided by who receieves a majority of votes from the Electoral College. Because there were four candidates instead of the normal two during the Election of 1824, no one received a majority of the votes. Andrew Jackson received the most votes but it was not a majority. For this reason, the President would be chosen by the House of Representatives. Henry Clay, the Speaker of the House and a known adversary of Jackson chose John Quincy Adams as President to spite Jackson. -
Erie Canal Finished
After over years of construction, the Erie Canal was completed in 1825. The Canal was created to make an easy route to the seas from the Western parts of the United States. It provided a way to ship goods by boat through the Great Lakes and out into the Atlantic Ocean. The Erie Canal and its efficiency went hand in hand with the invention of the steamboat by Fulton. WIthout the Erie Canal the West would have had a very difficult time moving goods across the country and across the world. -
John Quincy Adams elected President
John Quincy Adams, son of earlier president John Adams, was a large part in the writing and passing of the Monroe Doctrine. He was James Monroe's Secretary of the State which helped him become a president himself following the election of 1824. He wanted to expand the transportation of the country as well as impose a high tariff to support the economy. Adams was very ambitious but accomplished little during his one term in office. -
Tariff of 1828 Instilled
The Tariff of 1828 was a more severe version of the Tariff of 1832 which tried to protect the Industialized Northern economy from the cheaper option: importing goods. This killed the economy of the south which was totally based off of the harvesting and selling of cotton. The market for cotton was already declining because of how much was being produced. This event was important because it lead to the Nullification Crisis which lead to the secession of the Southern States later in history. -
Andrew Jackson elected president
In 1828, after being snubbed in the Election of 1824, Andrew Jackson was elected President. Jackson had made a name for himself by being a great military hero in the War of 1812. He also drove the Indians out of Florida which we later made part of our land. Jackson was a very popular candidate because most people saw him as an "ordinary man". During his two terms as president he kept the Union together through the Nullification Crisis as well as shut down the Second National Bank. -
Indian Removal Act Instilled
One of the major failures of the Jackson Presidency was the removal of the Indians from east of the Mississippi River. Jackson didn't give the Indians a choice, he just moved them out. In one particular case he marched a group of Indians through the bitter cold and bad weather to the Western lands. Officers were sent with the Indians to ensure that everything went as planned. It was not one of the brighter parts of Jackson's presidency but it did give more lands to the citizens of America. -
Nat Turner Slave Rebellion
Nat Turner, a religious leader of his fellow slaves, led a rebellion against the white slave holders of the area. They killed some 60 white men. Turner and 16 of his conspirators were captured and killed. The effects of the Rebellion lasted for years to come. SOuthern slave holders strengthened their reign on their slaves and many African-Americans were beheaded and killed. This event was important because it foreshadowed how bloody the war for African-American rights would be. -
Nullification Crisis
The southern states of America were very close to nullifying and some even seceeding from the Union prior to Civil War. This event occurred in 1832 following the strict tariffs that were put on the countires. The tariffs especailly hurt the south because it made selling cotton less profitible than it already was.. This event was important because it eventually lead states in the south to secede from the Union leading up to the Civil War -
Jackson against the National Bank
The "Bank War" was the disagreement between Andrew Jackson and Nicholas Biddle. Biddle was the President of the National Bank. Andrew Jackson strongly disagreed with the National Banks. Biddle requested the Bank's charter be renewed. Jackson was a very prideful man and took this as a direct attack on his presidency. Jackson then shut down the charter immediately instead of renewing it or allowing its current term to run its course. This sent the country into a mini recessioin. -
Mexican-American War
Following Jeffereson buying Louisiana from France, many Americans thought we were entitled to the lands stretching across the whole continent. This led to Andrew Jackson taking Florida in 1819 and also led to the Mexican-American war. After two years of fighting mainly over border and land disputes, America won. Following the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, we gained a chunk of land in the southwestern United States including Texas. This promoted evene more western colonization. -
Seneca Falls Convention Held
The Seneca Falls Convention was held in New York City in order to discuss the rights of women. Prior to the time period, women were treated as minors their whole lives. They were only one step up from slaves and children. For this reason, many women's rights activists were also abolitionists because if slaves got more rights they would too. This event was important in history because it started the movement that gave women more rights in the United States. -
Compromise of 1850
America gained a huge chunk of land following the Mexican-American War. Like every other new piece of land at the time, slavery was the main dispute. To try to please both sides, the Compromise of 1850 was put into effect to try to evenly distribute the Free and Slave areas of the new land. To please the North California was admitted as a free state and the slave trade was banned in Washington DC. To please the south popular sovereignty would decide if the rest of the land would be free or slave -
Cumberland Road Finished
The Federal government created the Cumberland Road also known as the National Road as a way for the early west to easily travel to the port cities of the East. The Federal government funded the first production of the National Road but it was up to the states to maintain the good conditions of the road. For this reason, the road was by no means a nice road but it did create a nice start for present-day highways. -
First Transcontinental Telegraph
In 1861, Samuel Morse invented the first transcontinental telegraph as an alternative way to send a message to someone across the country. Before this, the Pony Express was used. The Pony Express was literally people on horseback carrying messages across the country. Witht the invention of the telegraphy, you could now send a message across the country using electronic dots and dashes. This became known as Morse Code.