1800s Timeline by Emelia Mayer

The Louisiana Purchase: 1803

6mayeremeli — 2024-10-14 19:38:08 UTC

The US bought the Louisiana territory from France, this pushed the United States border from where it was at the Mississippi River before the purchase, to the Rocky Mountains. For the cost that Jefferson bought it at, $15 million, it was about 4 cents per acre. Some people didn't like this deal though, some didn't see the need for more land that was undeveloped, others just didn't like how much money the president was spending. This was good for Nationalism

Lewis & Clark Expedition: Started 1804

6mayeremeli — 2024-10-14 19:39:36 UTC

Lewis and Clark were two army officers given the task of exploring and collecting information about the Louisiana Territory by President Thomas Jefferson. With this they were also told to be diplomatic with any Indians they came in contact with, and to look for the Northwest Passage. The Northwest Passage was a water route that was thought to have might have existed that lead to the Pacific Ocean. With this journey also came the booming success that came to the towns and new settlements they passed. They took notes on their travels, keeping journals of the types on land they came across. This also included notes on animals, climate, plants and soil. With the Indigenous people they met they promised peace and trade.

Increasing Voting Rights: 1828

6mayeremeli — 2024-10-14 19:40:09 UTC

By this time most states didn't require people to have to own property to be able to vote. In 1824 the number of popular votes was 350,000 and the year Jackson was elected the popular vote number was up to 1,155,000. This expansion of suffrage didn't extend to women, Indigenous people, or enslaved people, and only a few states granted free African American men the opportunity to vote. This made Voting more democratic and more voters were heard, though not all were included.

Rise of the Democratic Party: 1828

6mayeremeli — 2024-10-14 19:40:43 UTC

The Democratic party was founded by Andrew Jackson in 1828, it supported a decentralized government and encouraged stats' rights. This rise was mainly due to the fact that the 'ordinary man', like farmers, felt more represented by the Democrats. This was basically the start of favoring certain parties in the US government when voting, it also started the devotion to only one party and how a party becomes a part of people's identities.

Indian Removal Act: 1830 & Trail of Tears

6mayeremeli — 2024-10-14 19:43:52 UTC

With expansion also came the greed of the settlers that were traveling west. This cause many unfair displacements of and cruelties towards the Indigenous people that were in the Americas first. The Indian Removal Act is said to be "a law passed by Congress in 1830 to authorize the forced resettlement of Indigenous groups living east of the Mississippi River in an area west of the Mississippi known as Indian Territory (Oklahoma)". The journey of displacement to the Indian Territory came with many casualties, 4,000 of 17,000+ Cherokees died from starvation, disease, and a devastating winter. This journey was later remembered as the Trail of Tears.

Manifest Destiny (Idea or Belief): Started 1840

6mayeremeli — 2024-10-14 19:45:27 UTC

Manifest Destiny is said to be "the belief, held by many Americans in the 1840s, that the United States was destined to spread across the North American continent and beyond. This was a ideal that was thought to come with the want to spread the democratic way of life, it also came with the nationalistic ideas that came with the Louisiana purchase and the expansion to the west and other places in the US (Florida and Texas).

Invention of the Cotton Gin & its Impact on Cotton Production: Started in 1793- Impact Throughout the 1800s

6mayeremeli — 2024-10-14 19:48:07 UTC

Cotton Gin is a machine that was invented that cleaned cotton by removing the seeds. It made cotton production a lot easier making cotton the US's leading cash crop. This also changed slavery in the US, it restarted the want for more slaves in the states. This was also the time when mass production and interchangeable parts became popular practices. Over all the change of need for labor was evident and production practices changed because of the demand for goods.

"Mill girls" in Lowell, MA and the Rise of Mass Production & the Factory System: 1814- Rest of the Century

6mayeremeli — 2024-10-14 19:53:52 UTC

With the invention of factory system in 1814 with cotton mills, came the need for people to operate machines. Francis Cabot Lowell's factories solved this need by employing young girls from local farms, these women were called "mill girls". This factory manufacturing of goods turned the focus away from handmade goods for personal use to, more mass produced products. This caused positive economic changes and made many Americans wealthier, but it also downgraded the quality of life factory workers had. They often had unsafe working conditions and low wages.

Completion of the Erie Canal: 1817

6mayeremeli — 2024-10-14 19:56:13 UTC

The changes in the market economy and its growth inspired a change in transportation. Traveling by river was less expensive than by road, so canal transport became popular. Erie Canal was a lot bigger than the usual 2-3 mile canal, it was 363 miles long and connected Lake Erie to the Hudson River. With this canal came success, it helped make New York City the biggest and successful city. This canal also inspired the building of many more canals like it, starting a trend.

Rise of the Abolitionist Movement: Early 1800s, Frederick Douglass

6mayeremeli — 2024-10-14 19:57:48 UTC

In the North, in the 1800s, there were African Americans that were forming anti slavery societies, they were called Abolitionist. Abolition is the official end to the practice of slavery. They did many things to fight for their cause and spread the word about their movement, like give speeches and wrote papers. Frederick Douglass was a former enslaved man, turn prominent Abolitionist. He had an autobiography that helped him become a powerful advocate for the abolition movement. This cause wasn't without conflict though, there were mob attacks from both people of the south and north that wanted to keep slavery. But abolitionists stayed strong, continued their work, and made their voices heard.

Seneca Falls Convention: 1848

6mayeremeli — 2024-10-14 19:58:32 UTC

The Seneca Falls Convention was a meeting up of women's rights supporters, this event launched the women's suffrage movement. At this event they also drafted papers like the Declaration of Independence, it was called the Declaration of Sentiments, this document depicted the injustices that were inflicted by men towards women. This movement was slow, but states slowly improved their policies and laws. This convention was the starting point of improvement yet to come.