In the lead up to the American Civil War there were dozens of events that contributed to disunion. Perhaps no event was as important as the Supreme Court decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford in 1857. The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Roger Taney, decided that Dred Scott’s attempt to sue for freedom was …
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As the United States began the Mexican-American War in 1846, the long-suppressed issue over what to do with slavery re-emerged onto the national political scene. Just why was the Wilmot Proviso important regarding the issue of slavery and what controversy did it cause? It was well-known in Congress that territorial acquisition from Mexico was a …
As the nation hurtled towards disunion in the 1850s, a series of debates by Illinois Senatorial candidates captivated America. Just who won the infamous Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858 is arguable, though it had great significance in the inevitable march towards the Civil War. By the late 1850s the issue of slavery was at the forefront …
There were many significant moments during the Texas Revolution that have stoked patriotic sentiment in the United States. One must only read a summary of the Battle of the Alamo to know that this was an extremely important event in history. The tale most often told is one of heroes and legends that boldly sacrificed …
The Monroe Doctrine was one of the most influential policies in United States history. The question of who wrote the Monroe Doctrine can help to explain the significance of the policy and how it shaped the United States. President James Monroe declared the new American foreign policy known as the Monroe Doctrine on December 2nd, …
In the leadup to the Civil War there were several events that nearly resulted in the severance of the Union. One of the most significant events was the Nullification Crisis of 1832, the causes of which had been building for decades. The Nullification Crisis of 1832 began when South Carolina’s state legislature “nullified” federal tariffs …
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The political history of the United States is littered with contentious presidential elections that inflamed the populace and led to accusations of corruption. Perhaps none is so dubious as the important election of 1824 and so-called “Corrupt Bargain.” The significance of the “Corrupt Bargain” of 1824 is that it helped bring an end to a …
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There were many different events that contributed to the American Civil War. John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859 is a well known event leading up to the Civil War, but just what was its goal and what exactly did it accomplish? Tensions between the northern and southern states over the issue of slavery …
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The concept of Manifest Destiny was deeply ingrained in the American psyche in the early to mid-19th century. This movement would directly lead the US to war with Mexico in 1846. The resulting 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was an important milestone in achieving this “destiny” of sorts for the United States. The United States …
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In the mid-19th century thousands of pioneers made the journey west along the Oregon Trail to popular destinations such as the California and Oregon Territories. This journey was often treacherous and there is no better example of this than the story from the Donner Party survivors. The Donner Party was a group of families that …
In the 1840s the land now known as California was a Mexican territory with ~8,000 non-natives living within its realm. Eventually, the treaty ending the Mexican-American war would cede the territory of California over to the US in 1848. However, before signatures had even been placed, the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill completely changed …
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The Trail of Tears is one of the most shameful legacies of US history. In the 1830’s nearly 60,000-100,000 Native Americans were forcibly removed from their homes and made to walk thousands of miles to a new territory in modern day Oklahoma. While the exact number of Native Americans is debated among historians, it is …
