19th Century U

Key Events and Figures of the United States in the 19th Century

• Erie Canal: A man-made waterway connecting the Great Lakes to the Hudson River, promoting trade and economic growth in the northeastern United States.
• Transportation Revolution: A period of rapid advancements in transportation infrastructure, such as canals, railroads, and steamboats, which greatly improved the movement of people and goods in the early 19th century.
• Boom towns: Settlements that experienced rapid population and economic growth, often due to the discovery of valuable resources like gold or oil.
• John C. Calhoun: A prominent American politician and statesman from South Carolina who championed states' rights and played a significant role in shaping the Nullification Crisis and the concept of nullification itself.
• Kansas-Nebraska Act: A controversial 1854 law that allowed the residents of the Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide whether to allow slavery, leading to violence and further polarization between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions.
• "Bleeding Kansas": A term referring to the violent conflicts and political confrontations that erupted in Kansas as a result of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the struggle over the expansion of slavery.
• Scott v. Sandford: A landmark 1857 Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that enslaved African Americans were property and not citizens, further exacerbating tensions over slavery and contributing to the lead-up to the Civil War.
• Manifest Destiny: The belief prevalent in the 19th century that it was the destiny and duty of the United States to expand its territory across the North American continent.
• John Brown's Raid: An 1859 failed attempt by abolitionist John Brown to incite a slave rebellion by seizing a federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, which further polarized the nation over the issue of slavery.
• Fort Sumter / First Shot Fired: Fort Sumter, located in Charleston, South Carolina, was the site where the first shots of the Civil War were fired on April 12, 1861. The Confederate attack on the fort marked the beginning of the armed conflict between the Union and the Confederacy.
• Union / Confederate: The Union refers to the northern states that remained loyal to the United States during the Civil War, while the Confederate States of America (Confederacy) were the southern states that seceded and fought against the Union.
• Secession Manifestos: Declarations issued by several Southern states, such as South Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia, and Texas, explaining their reasons for seceding from the Union and forming the Confederacy.