Recent Event Highlights: John Quincy Adams, James Monroe, John Adams, and 23 more...
Created by jessswimcc on Apr 15, 2011
Last updated: 04/28/11 at 11:25 AM
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Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth president of the United States. He was born in 1809 in Kentucky. He had very little schooling. He was a captain in the Black Hawk War. He was not a member of Congress. He was a member of the Republican Party and he was elected president in 1860. While he was president, the Republican Party became strong. In 1863 he freed slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation. He was re-elected in 1864. He was assassinated in 1865.
When Abraham Lincoln, a known opponent of slavery, was elected president, the South Carolina legislature perceived a threat. Calling a state convention, the delegates voted to remove the state of South Carolina from the union known as the United States of America. The secession of South Carolina was followed by the secession of six more states -- Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas -- and the threat of secession by four more -- Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. These eleven states eventually formed the Confederate States of America.
James Buchanan was the fifteenth president of the United States. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1791. He attended Dickinson College where he studied law. He was a member of the House of Representatives, Minister to Russia and a US Senator. He was a member of the Democratic Party and he was elected president in 1856. Issues involving slavery dominated his presidency. The Federal Government did not agree on much. He died in 1868.
Dred Scott was a slave who redefined what “property” meant. He went to Illinois with his master and claimed that he was free. The Missouri Supreme Court declared that he was not free. Dred Scott sued his new owner, John Sanford. A federal court declared that Dred Scott was a citizen. The Supreme Court ruled that he was not a citizen. This triggered Chief Justice Roger Traney to declare that African Americans could never become US citizens.
Franklin Pierce was the fourteenth president of the United States. He was born in 1804 in New Hampshire. He went to Bowdoin College and he studied law. He was a senator and a member of the US House of Representatives. He served in the Mexican War. He was a member of the Democratic Party and he was elected president in 1852. While he was in office there was a lot of turmoil over the Kansas-Nebraska Act. By the end of his term he has established peace in Kansas. He also expanded the US borders by purchasing areas that are now in southern Arizona and New Mexico. He died in 1869.
The Gadsden Purchase is also known as Venta de La Mesilla. It involved the purchase of 29670 square miles in southern Arizona and New Mexico. The land was purchases by the United States while Franklin Pierce was president.
Millard Fillmore was the thirteenth president of the United States. He was born in New York in 1899. He worked on a farm and he became o dressmaker. He became a lawyer in 1823 and he was a member of the US House of Representatives. He was a member of the Whip party and was vice president to Zachary Taylor. When Taylor suddenly died, Fillmore became president. Several things such as admitting California as a Free State, settling territory and boundary issue with Texas and New Mexico occurred while he was president. He opposed Abraham Lincoln throughout the Civil War. He died in 1874.
The Compromise of 1850 was a set of laws that tried to settle disputes between groups favoring slavery and groups who were against slavery. Henry Clay was a leader in the passage of the compromise. The Compromise of 1850 admitted California as a free state. It also allowed some territories to decide on slavery on their own. Another part of the compromise involved the Fugitive Slave Act.
Gold was first discovered by James Marshall in 1848. This led to a massive gold rush in 1849. Prospectors from Oregon, Hawaii, Mexico and Chile came to California in 1849. Gold was free for anyone who could find it.
The Oregon Treaty was an agreement between the United States and Britain. It was signed on June 15, 1846. Up until 1846 America and British were establishing claims in Oregon. This treaty ended the boundary dispute in Oregon.
Zachary Taylor was the twelfth president of the United States. He was born in Virginia in 1784. Shortly after he was born his family moved to Kentucky. He had a long career with the Army. He was a member of the Whig party and he was elected president in 1848. While he was president, he encouraged New Mexico and California to apply for statehood. He died suddenly in 1850.
James K Polk was the eleventh president of the United States. He was born in North Carolina in 1795. He studied law at the University of North Carolina. He was speaker of the House from 1835 to 1839. He was a member of the Democratic Party and he was elected president in 1844. He was in charge of extending the northern US border from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. He also claimed California and New Mexico from Mexico during his presidency. Polk died in 1849.
In 1843 one thousand pioneers were led by a missionary in a wagon train from Independence, Missouri to the Oregon Country. This trip became known as the Oregon Trail. The largest fort along the Oregon Trail was Fort Laramie. In Idaho the Oregon Trail branched into two trails which ended at Sutter’s Fort and Fort Vancouver.
In the 1840s only landowners could vote. As a result of the industrial revolution many people were moving to the cities and did not own land. This created a large percentage of the population who could not vote because they did not own any land. The Dorr Rebellion in Rhode Island was an armed revolt led by Thomas Dorr who wanted changed on the state’s electoral system.
William Henry Harrison was the ninth president of the United States. He was born in Virginia in 1773. He went to Hampton Sidney College and studied medicine. He fought Indians on the frontier and he was a hero in the War of 1812. In particular, he was famous because of the Battle of Tippecanoe. He was a member of the Whigs political party. He was elected president in 1840. Harrison got pneumonia shortly after he became president. He died in 1841. He was the first president to die in office.
The longest inaugural address was given by William Henry Harrison in 1841. It took almost 2 hours and he read the address on a cold wet day.
The Pre-Emption Act of 1841 gave squatters the right to purchase up tot 160 acres of land for $1.25 per acre. This allowed millions of acres of government land to be privately owned. Many new farms were established.
John Tyler was the tenth president of the United States. He was born in 1790 in Virginia. He studied law at the College of William and Mary. He was also a member of the US House of Representatives between 1816 and 1821 and the governor of Virginia. He was a member of the Whig political party. He was the vice president to Henry Harrison. He became president in 1841 because Henry Harrison died in office. While in office, he vetoed the idea of reestablishing a national bank. This upset the other Whig congressmen and the Whigs deserted him. None the less he did pass successful legislation such as the “log-cabin” bill. In addition Texas was annexed in 1845. He died in 1862.
The Panic of 1837 was the first depression in America. Banks had loaned more paper money than they had gold and silver to back it up. This caused people to try to get their money out of the banks. This caused the banks to shut down which led to an increase in unemployment, the collapsing of the economy and people losing their life savings.
Martin van Buren was born in New York in 1782. He became the leader of the Albany Regency which was an important New York political organization. In 1821 he was elected to the US Senate. In 1827 He was appointed Secretary of State under Andrew Jackson. He was a member of the Democratic Party. In 1832 he became vice president to Andrew Jackson and he was elected President in 1836. While he was president he destroyed the Second Bank of the United States. During his presidency there was a great depression. He also blocked the annexation of Texas. He was not re-elected in 1840.
In the early 1830s several leaders in South Carolina generated the idea that a state did not have to follow a federal law. This idea was first promoted by John C. Calhoun because South Carolina was upset about the tariff in 1828 that raised taxes on imports.
Andrew Jackson was born in the Carolinas in 1767. He had limited education but he became a good lawyer in Tennessee. He was elected to the US Senate and the US House of Representatives. He was an important general in the War of 1812. He was a member of the Democrat Party and he became President in 1829. He was a president who did not listen to Congress and he vetoed a lot of laws. One of his largest conflictions involved the Bank of the United States. He was reelected in 1832. He died in 1845.
The Tariff of 1828 was passed by Congress in May, 1828. It was designed to protect industry in the northern states. The southern states did not agree with the tariff of 1828 and they called it “Tariff of Abominations” The southern states were harmed by the tariff because they had to pay higher taxes on goods that they did not produce in the south.
John Quincy Adams was the son of John Adams. He was born in Massachusetts in 1767. He went to Harvard College and he became a lawyer. In 1802 he became a US senator. In 1808 he was appointed Minister to Russia. He was Secretary of State under James Monroe. He was affiliated with the Democratic Republican Party and eh was elected president in 1825. While he was president he developed a network of railroads and canals. John Quincy Adams was not re-elected. None the less he became a member of the House of Representatives and he led arguments against slavery. He died in 1848.
The Monroe Doctrine was developed by James Monroe. This doctrine warned European monarchies about interfering with any independent nation in North America or South America. If they interfered, the United States would have to forcefully respond.
James Monroe was born in 1758 in Virginia. He attended the College of William and Mary. He was a lawyer and he served in the Continental Army. He became a US senator in 1790 and he helped negotiate the Louisiana Purchase. He was affiliated with the democratic Republican Party and he was elected president in 1816. He was reelected in 1820. While he was president the Missouri Compromise was developed. He also developed the Monroe Doctrine. The United State gained Florida from Spain. He died in 1831.
The Tariff of 1816 was part of the " American System" This tariff was put in place after the War of 1812. The tariff increased the price of goods from Britain. This allowed American goods to compete. The tariff benefited the manufacturers from the northern part of the US but it angered the southern states because they consumed products from Britain.
The Battle of Tippecanoe was between the William Henry Harrison and Tecumseh and the Tenskwatawa indians. The natives tried to stop white settlements in the Indiana Territory. The indians were defeated by Harrison.
James Madison was born in 1751 in Virginia. He attended Princeton University. He helped frame the US Constitution and he served in the Continental Congress. He helped frame the Bill of Rights. He was affiliated with the democratic Republican Party and he became president in 1809 and he was reelected four years later. As President he had several foreign affairs with Britain and the Navy. This lead to the War of 1812. He died in 1836.
The Embargo Act of 1807 was a law that prevented all trade between America and any other country. The original goal of the Embargo Act was to get Britain and France to stop restricting American trade. The Embargo Act of 1807 was not successful and it was ended in 1809.
Thomas Jefferson was born in Virginia in 1763. He went to college at the College of William and Mary. In 1772 he married Martha Wayles Skelton. Jefferson preferred writing over speaking. He drafted the Declaration of Independence and he wrote the first Amendment to the US Constitution. He was affiliated with the Democratic Republican party. In 1796 he became vice President to John Adams. In 1801 he became president and he was re-elected 4 years later. While he was president he fought the Barbary pirates and removed the whiskey tax. In 1803 he acquired the Louisiana Territory. He died in 1826.
The XYZ Affair was a diplomatic scandal which almost caused a war between France and the United States. France sent three diplomats to the United States with outrageous demands because the United States failed to guarantee France the righto ship with the US.
John Adams was born in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1735. He went to college at Harvard University. He was a lawyer and a delegate to the 1st and 2nd Continental Congress. He married Abigail Adams. He was a vice president under George Washington for 8 years. He was affiliated with the Federalist Party and he became president in 1797. He was involved in a lot of foreign relations with France and he had many naval victories. He developed the Alien and Sedition Acts. He died in 1826.
Eli Whitney was the inventor of the cotton gin. The creation of the cotton gin led to the mass production of cotton. Before the invention cotton seed had to be separated from the cotton fiber by hand. The cotton gin allows up to fifty pounds of cotton to be cleaned each day.
George Washington was born in Virginia in 1732. He married Martha Custis. In 1775 he was the commander in Chief of the Continental Army. In 1781 he forced Cornwallis to surrender at Yorktown. He was not affiliated with a political party but he was elected first president of the United States in 1789. George Washington died in 1799.