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First ten amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, are ratified.
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The Battle of Fallen Timbers was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between Native American tribes affiliated with the Western Confederacy.
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The election ended. Democratic-Republican Wade Hampton I was elected with twenty-nine percent of the vote.
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The Eleventh Amendment, which bars the federal government from hearing suits brought against a state by a citizen of another state or of a foreign country, was ratified
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The Supreme Court held in a decision in United States v. Lawrence that it cannot issue a writ of mandamus compelling a district court judge to proceed in a case when that judge feels he has insufficient evidence to do so.
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Spain and the United States signed Pinckney's Treaty, fixing the boundary between the United States and the Spanish colonies and guaranteeing freedom of navigation on the Mississippi River.
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A pirate squadron loyal to the pro-French Haitian general André Rigaud attacked a convoy of American merchant ships in the Gulf of Gonâve. The Haitian squadron captured two American ships at great cost in casualties.
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The Virginia General Assembly adopted the Report of 1800, arguing that the Alien and Sedition Acts violated the Constitution and for the compact theory that the United States is a free association of states.
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The Slave Trade Act of 1800, which forbade residents and citizens of the United States from investing in or serving aboard a ship engaged in the business of transporting slaves into the United States, was signed into law.
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The Supreme Court held in a decision in Mossman v. Higginson that the parties to a suit must be so described as to show on the record that the court has jurisdiction.
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The French occupiers fled Curaçao. British forces took possession of the island and seized local merchant ships, including American ships.
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Ohio, formerly the Northwest Territory, becomes the 17th state.
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British troops burn Washington, D.C. but are forced back at Baltimore.
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Alabama becomes the 22nd state.
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Federalist William S. Archer was seated in the House representing Virginia's 17th congressional district following a special election the fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Democratic-Republican James Pleasants.
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Charles Kinsey was seated in the House representing New Jersey's at-large congressional district following a special election to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of fellow Democratic-Republican John Condit.
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The Missouri Compromise was signed into law, providing for the admission of the District of Maine into the Union as a free state and of the southeastern portion of the Missouri Territory into the Union as the slave state of Missouri. It further provided that any additional states admitted out of the territory of the Missouri Territory would be slave or free depending on whether they fell south or north, respectively, of the parallel 36°30′ north.
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The Missouri Compromise was signed into law, providing for the admission of the District of Maine into the Union as a free state and of the southeastern portion of the Missouri Territory into the Union as the slave state of Missouri. It further provided that any additional states admitted out of the territory of the Missouri Territory would be slave or free depending on whether they fell south or north, respectively, of the parallel 36°30′ north.
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The Supreme Court held in a decision in Handly's Lessee v. Anthony that where a river is said to be the boundary between two states, the boundary is determined by course of the river at its lowest point.
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The Land Act of 1820 was signed into law, ending the provision of credit to individual buyers of federal land and simultaneously reducing the minimum price and size of tracts that could be sold.
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Democratic-Republicans Thomas B. Robertson and Pierre Derbigny were sent to a runoff election for the governorship of Louisiana.
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A special election was held to fill the seat representing Pennsylvania's 5th congressional district following Fullerton's resignation. Federalist Thomas Grubb McCullough won with fifty-one percent of the vote.
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The Choctaw and the United States concluded the Treaty of Doak's Stand, under which the former ceded roughly half their territory to Mississippi and agreed to be moved west into modern Arkansas.
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The United States and the Choctaw signed the Treaty of Washington City, under which the former ceded some land in modern Arkansas in exchange for a permanent annuity, in Washington, D.C.
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The United States and the Choctaw signed the Treaty of Washington City, under which the former ceded some land in modern Arkansas in exchange for a permanent annuity, in Washington, D.C.
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The United States and several unauthorized representatives of the Muscogee signed the Treaty of Indian Springs, under which the latter ceded their territory east of the Mississippi River to Georgia and Alabama.
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The United States and several unauthorized representatives of the Muscogee signed the Treaty of Indian Springs, under which the latter ceded their territory east of the Mississippi River to Georgia and Alabama.
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The Crimes Act of 1825, which extended the authority of the federal government to prosecute a number of crimes and which included the first Assimilative Crimes Act, extending the laws of the surrounding states into federal enclaves, was signed into law.
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New Hampshire's at-large congressional district special election, 1825: Titus Brown was unanimously elected to the House from New Hampshire in a special election caused by representative-elect James Miller's declining to serve.
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The United States negotiated and signed the First Treaty of Prairie du Chien, under which the Sioux agreed to borders with the Sac and Fox, Menominee, Iowa, Ho-Chunk and the Council of Three Fires and pledged to remain at peace with them.
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Beauchamp–Sharp Tragedy: Lawyer Jereboam O. Beauchamp murdered attorney general Solomon P. Sharp of Kentucky at his home in Frankfort, Kentucky over an affair Sharp had with Beauchamp's wife before their marriage.
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The Indian Removal Act is passed.
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Arkansas becomes the 25th state.
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The Webster–Ashburton Treaty is signed.
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United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, 1845: Democrat Daniel Sturgeon of Pennsylvania was reelected to the Senate with fifty-four percent of the vote.
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Congress passed the Presidential Election Day Act, establishing the Tuesday after the first Monday in November as the day on which electors of the Electoral College are elected in all states.
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Democratic senators James Buchanan of Pennsylvania and Robert J. Walker of Mississippi resigned following appointments as secretary of state and secretary of the Treasury, respectively.
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A gathering of Triennial Convention Baptists met in Augusta, Georgia to establish a new church, the Southern Baptist Convention, following disputes over slavery.
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Milwaukee Bridge War: Residents of the east side of what is now Milwaukee destroyed two bridges leading to the west side over the Milwaukee and Menomonee Rivers.
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Iowa becomes the 29th state.
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Wisconsin becomes the 30th state.
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Thomas Pratt was elected to the Senate from Maryland, replacing fellow Whig who had until then held it by appointment to fill a vacancy.
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The Supreme Court held in a decision in Sheldon v. Sill that the Congress, which has the power under the Constitution to institute lower courts of the judiciary, also has the power to limit their jurisdiction.
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The United States and the United Kingdom signed the Clayton–Bulwer Treaty, under which each promised to maintain the neutrality of a proposed canal through Nicaragua and not to occupy or colonize any territory in Central America.
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Ohio Women's Convention at Salem in 1850: The Convention drafted a petition to the upcoming Ohio state constitutional convention asking that women be granted the franchise as well as civil and political rights equal to those of men.
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California was admitted to the union as a free state. The Utah and New Mexico Territories were organized. Whether slavery was to be permitted or forbidden in each territory was left to its residents. See Compromise of 1850.
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The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was passed, eliminating the last civil and political rights of escaped slaves and imposing serious penalties for harboring or failing to arrest fugitives.
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Congress passed the Swamp Land Act of 1850, providing a mechanism for the transfer of swamp land from the federal government to the states for drainage and improvement.
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Democrat Robert Rhett was elected to the Senate from South Carolina, replacing Barnwell.
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The Gadsden Purchase is finalized.
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Utah War: The war starts.
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Minnesota becomes the 32nd state.
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Oregon becomes the 33rd state.
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Kansas becomes the 34th state.
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Dakota War of 1862: The war is fought.
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Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves in those states that had seceded.
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Nevada becomes the 36th state.
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The Fifteenth Amendment, which prohibits federal and state governments from denying the right to vote to any citizen on the basis of "race, color or previous condition of servitude," was ratified.
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Mississippi was readmitted to representation in Congress. The Fourth Military District was dissolved. Mississippi sent four Republicans to the House and two, including the first black congressman, to the Senate.
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Texas was readmitted to representation in Congress. It sent two Republicans to the Senate and three Republicans and one Democrat to the House, some of whom were seated the following day.
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The Enforcement Act of 1870, which empowered the Marshals Service and the federal courts to enforce the Fifteenth Amendment, was signed into law.
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A bill establishing the Department of Justice was signed into law. The law brought all United States Attorneys under the authority of the Attorney General, granted the new department exclusive authority to prosecute federal crimes, and created the office of the Solicitor General, responsible for representing the federal government before the Supreme Court.
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The Currency Act of 1870 was signed into law, maintaining the supply of Demand Notes and replacing 45 million dollars in temporary loan certificates with banknotes.
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The Naturalization Act of 1870, which created a system of controls for the naturalization process and extended the process to persons of African origin and descent, was signed into law.
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Hawaii and the United States signed the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875, under which the United States was opened to Hawaiian sugar and Hawaii ceded territory in the area of Pearl Harbor.
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Land Run of 1889: The land run begins.
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North Dakota, South Dakota becomes the 39th and 40th states.
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Montana becomes the 41st state
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The Supreme Court reached a decision in Sparf v. United States. It established some standards for acceptable confessions and held that federal judges are not required to instruct juries of their right of jury nullification.
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Jeter Connelly Pritchard was elected to fill the Senate seat representing North Carolina fellow Democrat Thomas Jordan Jarvis held by appointment following the death of Democrat Zebulon Baird Vance.
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In a decision in Coffin v. United States, the Supreme Court held that criminal defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and that judges presiding over juries must advise them of that fact.
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The Supreme Court held in a decision in Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co. that a law imposing taxes on individual interest, dividends and rents violated the Constitution because the taxes were not appropriately apportioned.
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Atlanta Exposition Speech: Leading black intellectual Booker T. Washington delivered a speech in Atlanta advocating for the Atlanta Compromise, which would preserve segregation and white political supremacy but allow blacks due process and basic education.
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Secretary of State John Hay called for an Open Door Policy among the major powers dividing China into spheres of influence and permitting its free trade with all of them.
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St. Louis streetcar strike of 1900: A riot developed in St. Louis amid the first day of a strike by the members of the local Amalgamated Street Railway Employees of America, now the Amalgamated Transit Union.
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1900 United States Census: A census began to be taken which would count some eighty million in the United States and whose subsequent congressional apportionment would grant the greatest increases in representation to Illinois, New York and Texas.
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An election was held to New Jersey's at-large congressional district to fill the vacancy left by the death of Abraham Clark. Aaron Kitchell won with ninety-seven percent of the vote.
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On this date, Barack O'Bama is officially sworn in as the United States 44th president. O'Bama is also the united states first African American President.
