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Independence from Spain
Mexico gains its independence from Spain -
Presidential Election
A southerner, Andrew Jackson, is elected president. -
Independence from Mexico
The state of Texas declares independence from Mexico -
Panic of 1837
A severe depression results from a panic over the state of the economy. -
Africa Zulus vs Boers
In what is now known as South Africa, Zulus and Boers clash. -
Trail of Tears (1838-1839)
The Trail of Tears is the story of approximately 17,000 Cherokee people who were forced to flee their homeland. -
Reclaimed power over Mexico
Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaims power in Mexico and establishes himself as a dictator. -
The Great Irish Potato Famine
More than one million people die as a result of the Great Irish Potato Famine, and many more are forced to emigrate to the United States. -
Liberia
is founded in West Africa by freed U.S. slaves and freed African Americans. -
Women's Rights
In Seneca Falls, New York, a convention advocating for women's rights is held. -
German's immigrate
Following the failure of a revolution in Germany, some Germans immigrate to the United States. -
Gold found in California
In 1848, word spread in newspapers around the world that miners had discovered gold in California. Many Chinese men emigrated from China, in hopes of finding work in the American West. -
Leaves Of Grass
Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, a collection of poems about ordinary Americans, is published. -
Second Opium War
The Second Opium War begins in China. -
Strikes over wages
In Massachusetts, shoemakers go on strike to demand higher wages.