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Date |
Event(s) |
| 1 | 1762 | - 1762—1765: A depression lasts 36 months and into 1765.
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| 2 | 1763 | - 1763: Innkeeper Richard McAllister lays out Hanover, York County, Pennsylvania in lowlands at the junction of busy trade roads. McAllister apparently names the town Hanover to please the many persons of German descent living in the area. [Hanover eventually hosts George and Martha Washington, as well as Benjamin Franklin.]
- Nov 1763: French fur trader Pierre de Laclede selects the site for a trading post on the west bank of the Mississippi River and south of the Missouri River. This site will become St. Louis in the Louisiana Territory. Construction of a village begins in 1764.
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| 3 | 1765 | - 22 Oct 1765: Schenectady is established as a borough in what is now Schenectady County, New York. Its charter provides for a Mayor, who is appointed by the Governor of New York.
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| 4 | 1768 | - 1768—1769: A depression lasts 12 months and into 1769.
- 14 Oct 1768: The Treaty of Hard Labour is signed by the British and the Cherokee Indians in Hard Labour, South Carolina. The Treaty opens what is now East Tennessee for settlement by North Carolinians and Virginians.
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| 5 | 1769 | - 1769: Actual settlement of Tennesee begins. Now, more than just hunters begin to enter the state.
- 1 May 1769: Daniel Boone leaves North Carolina for Kentucky at age 34.
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| 6 | 1770 | - 1770: Estimated colonial population — 2,148,100.
- 5 Mar 1770: British soldiers shoot colonists in the Massachusetts Colony. This incident becomes known as the "Boston Massacre."
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| 7 | 1771 | - 8 Mar 1771: Bedford County, Pennsylvania is formed with land from Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.
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| 8 | 1772 | - 1772—1775: A depression lasts 30 months and into 1775.
- Feb 1772: Berkeley County is established in Virginia. It is formed with land from Frederick County. On June 20, 1863, Berkeley County will become part of West Virginia when West Virginia becomes the 35th state.]
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| 9 | 1774 | - 10 Jul 1774: Virginia Governor Lord John Dunmore departs for the Ohio Valley with 1300 men in the Dunmore Expedition against the Shawnee Indians. Lord Dunmore is about age 42.
- 5 Aug 1774: Colonel George Washington is selected as a Virginia delegate to the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. Washington is age 42. He spends the winter organizing militia companies in Virginia.
- 10 Oct 1774: Colonel Andrew Lewis and the Dunmore Expedition defeat Chief Cornstalk and the Shawnees at the Battle of Point Pleasant in what is now West Virginia.
- 19 Oct 1774: The Shawnees recognize Virginia's claims to the upper Ohio River Valley in the Treaty of Camp Charlotte.
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| 10 | 1775 | - 19 Apr 1775: The Revolutionary War begins at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts.
- 15 Jun 1775: The Second Continental Congress unanimously elects George Washington as a General and as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army at age 43.
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| 11 | 1776 | - 4 Jul 1776: Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of American Independence is formally adopted by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. Jefferson is age 33.
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| 12 | 1777 | - 1777: John Adams, future second President of the United States, visits York, York County, Pennsylvania with the Continental Congress. He writes: "The People are chiefly Germans, who have [church] Schools in their own Language, as well as Prayers, Psalms and Sermons so that Multitudes are born, grown up and die here, without learning the English."
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| 13 | 1780 | - 1780: Jefferson County, Kentucky is formed with land from Kentucky County, Virginia.
- 1780: Estimated colonial population – 2,780,400.
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| 14 | 1781 | - Sep 1781: The Spanish found El Pueblo Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles de Poricuncula. It is in what is now Los Angeles County, California.
- 19 Oct 1781: Major General Charles Cornwallis surrenders to General George Washington at Yorktown, York County, Virginia. [Yorktown is southeast of Williamsburg on the York River.] This surrender signals that America has finally won the Revolutionary War. Washington is age 49, and Cornwallis is age 42.
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| 15 | 1783 | - Mar 1783: The American government is currently known as the Confederation Congress. It is politically and economically weak. Veteran Army officers have been promised pensions for life, but it is increasingly obvious that revenue for the pensions will never be raised. It also becomes clear that a proposal for 5 years of benefits will be forgotten after a peace treaty with Great Britain is finally signed and the Army is disbanded. These developments infuriate the Army officers and precipitate a dangerous episode called the Newburgh Conspiracy. Army officers at Newburgh, Orange County, New York begin circulating petitions with veiled threats of action against the Congress if their pensions are not assured. A military coup is not out of the question. The dissident officers schedule a meeting on March 11 to coordinate strategies. General George Washington learns of the order and countermands it. He then calls a meeting of all officers on March 16.
- 16 Mar 1783: General George Washington, age 51, enters a large auditorium in Newburgh where about 500 officers are waiting for him. He walks slowly to the podium and reaches inside his jacket to pull out his prepared remarks. He then pauses and pulls out a new pair of spectacles from his waistcoat. He adjusts his glasses and says, "Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray, but almost blind in the service of my country." Some of the officers begin to sob and many have tears in their eyes. The thoughts of a coup die at that moment, but Washington goes on to appeal to the "sacred honor" of his officers to express their "utmost horror" to any man who wishes to "deluge our rising Empire in Blood."
- 18 Apr 1783: What is now Greene County, Tennessee is formed with land from the Washington District of North Carolina. [In 1790, North Carolina will cede this area and what is now mostly Tennessee to the federal government. Congress will name the area the "Territory South of the River Ohio" (also known as the "Southwest Territory"). Tennessee will become the 16th state on June 1, 1796.]
- 3 Sep 1783: The Treaty of Paris is signed, ending the American Revolutionary War with Great Britain. Formal ratification documents are exchanged on May 12, 1784.
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| 16 | 1784 | - 1784—1788: A depression lasts 44 months and into 1788.
- Aug 1784: Settlers in what is now East Tennessee, frustrated by lack of representation in the North Carolina legislature, form the independent State of Franklin. The new State will fail after 4 years.
- 9 Sep 1784: Franklin County, Pennsylvania is formed with land from Cumberland County, Virginia.
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| 17 | 1785 | - 12 Mar 1785: Newberry County, South Carolina is formed as part of Ninety-Six District.
- 12 Mar 1785: Union County, South Carolina is formed as part of Ninety-Six District.
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| 18 | 1786 | - 1 Jan 1786: Primogeniture is abolished in Virginia. As a result, real property of an intestate decedent no longer passes only to the intestate decedent’s eldest son. Instead, real property is now divided among the intestate decedent’s wife and all of his children. [The personal property of an intestate decedent had always been divided among the intestate decedent’s wife and all of his children.]
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| 19 | 1788 | - 21 Jun 1788: The United States Constitution is ratified.
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| 20 | 1789 | - Jan 1789: Losantiville is established at the site of what is now Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio.
- 4 Mar 1789: The United States Constitution takes effect.
- 30 Apr 1789: George Washington is inaugurated as the first President of the United States at age 57.
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| 21 | 1790 | - 1790: Estimated United States population — 3,929,214.
- 2 Jan 1790: Hamilton County is established in Ohio. It is the second county created out of the Northwest Territory. Losantiville is renamed Cincinnati.
- 17 Apr 1790: Benjamin Franklin dies in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania at age 84.
- 26 May 1790: North Carolina cedes what is now mostly the area of Tennessee to the federal government. Congress names the area the "Territory South of the River Ohio" [also known as the "Southwest Territory"].
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| 22 | 1791 | - 1 May 1791: Primogeniture is abolished in South Carolina. As a result, real property of an intestate decedent no longer passes only to the intestate decedent’s eldest son. Instead, real property is now divided among the intestate decedent’s wife and all of his children. [The personal property of an intestate decedent had always been divided among the intestate decedent’s wife and all of his children.]
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| 23 | 1792 | - 1 Jun 1792: Kentucky becomes the 15th state.
- 11 Jun 1792: What is now Jefferson County, Tennessee is formed with land from what is now Greene County and Hawkins County, Tennessee. [In 1792, this area is still part of the "Territory South of the River Ohio" [also known as the "Southwest Territory"].
- Nov 1792: Hardin County, Kentucky is formed with land from Nelson County, Kentucky.
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| 24 | 1795 | - 6 Apr 1795: Schoharie County, New York is formed with land from Albany County and Ostego County, New York.
- 13 Apr 1795: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania is formed with land from Northumberland County, Pennsylvania.
- 11 Jul 1795: Blount County, Tennessee is formed with land from what is now Knox County, Tennessee. [This area is still part of the "Territory South of the River Ohio" (also known as the "Southwest Territory"). Tennessee will become the 16th state on June 1, 1796.]
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| 25 | 1796 | - 1796—1798: A depression lasts 36 months and into 1798.
- 9 Apr 1796: Carter County, Tennessee is formed with land from the original Washington District of North Carolina. [This area is still part of the "Territory South of the River Ohio" (also known as the "Southwest Territory"). Tennessee will become the 16th state in 2 months.]
- 1 Jun 1796: Tennessee becomes the 16th state.
- 19 Dec 1796: Warren County, Kentucky is formed with land from Logan County, Kentucky.
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| 26 | 1797 | - 9 Oct 1797: Cocke County, Tennessee is formed with land from Jefferson County, Tennessee.
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| 27 | 1798 | - 26 Mar 1798: Schenectady is incorporated as a city in what is now Schenectady County, New York.
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| 28 | 1799 | - 1799: Williamson County, Tennessee is formed from Davidson County.
- 26 Oct 1799: Smith County, Tennessee is formed with land from Sumner County, Tennessee and Indian lands.
- 14 Dec 1799: George Washington dies at Mount Vernon in Fairfax County, Virginia at age 67.
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| 29 | 1800 | - 1800: Newberry County, South Carolina is formally established as a separate entity when Ninety-Six District is split into its component counties.
- 1800: United States population — 5,308,483.
- 17 Feb 1800: Thomas Jefferson is elected third President of the United States after 7 days of multiple ballots in the United States House of Representatives. Jefferson is age 57.
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| 30 | 1802 | - 1802: Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio is chartered as a village.
- 1802—1803: A depression lasts 24 months and into 1803.
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| 31 | 1803 | - 19 Feb 1803: Ohio becomes the 17th state.
- 20 Jun 1803: President Thomas Jefferson provides a written mission statement to Captain Meriwether Lewis for the Lewis and Clark Expedition. He states, in part: "The object of your mission is to explore the Missouri river, & such principal stream of it, as, by it's [sic] course and communication with the waters of the Pacific ocean, whether the Columbia, Oregon, Colorado or any other river may offer the most direct & practicable water communication across this continent for the purposes of commerce."
- 4 Jul 1803: President Thomas Jefferson provides a letter of credit to Captain Meriwether Lewis. He states, in part: "In the journey which you are about to undertake for the discovery of the course and source of the Missouri, and of the most convenient water communication from thence to the Pacific ocean, your party being small, it is to be expected that you will encounter considerable dangers from the Indian inhabitants. Should you escape those dangers and reach the Pacific ocean, you may find it imprudent to . . . return the same way, and be forced to seek a passage round by sea, in such vessels as you may find on the Western coast." The letter of credit is designed to guarantee compensation to third parties who might provide assistance to the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
- Sep 1803: Captain Meriwether Lewis stays in the village of Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio on his way down the Ohio River to join Captain William Clark in Clarksville in Indiana Territory. [Cincinnati has a population of about 1,000.] Meriwether is age 29.
- 20 Oct 1803: The Senate approves the Louisiana Purchase, opening the potential for expanded American migration to the West.
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| 32 | 1804 | - 1804: St. Louis in what is now St. Louis County, Missouri has a population of about 1000. Most of its inhabitants are French-Canadians.
- 1 Jan 1804: Muskingum County, OH is formed from Washington and Fairfield Counties, OH.
- 21 May 1804: The Lewis and Clark Expedition begins as Captain Meriwether Lewis and Captain William Clark proceed westward up the Missouri River from St. Charles in what is now St. Charles County, Missouri. [St. Charles is just north of St. Louis.] Meriwether is age 29, and William is age 33.
- 21 Dec 1804: The Lewis and Clark Expedition begins their 3-month winter stay with the Mandan Indians at Fort Mandan. Fort Mandan is near the Missouri River about 14 miles west of what is now Washburn, McLean County, North Dakota.
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| 33 | 1805 | - 13 Jun 1805: Captain Meriwether Lewis is the first white man to discover the Great Falls of the Missouri River. There are 5 spectacular falls in what will be Great Falls, Cascade County, Montana. [The flow of the falls is now controlled and greatly reduced to provide electric power to the area.]
- 12 Aug 1805: Captain Meriwether Lewis is the first white man to stand on the Lemhi Pass. The Lemhi Pass is on the Continental Divide separating what are now Beaverhead County, Montana and Lemhi County, Idaho. At this moment, the dream of finding a Northwest Passage [a mostly continuous waterway to the Pacific Ocean] comes to an end. The formidable Bitterroot Mountains block the way. As Captain Lewis takes his first step west from the Lemhi Pass, he leaves the limits of the Louisiana Purchase. He is no longer in the United States. Six days later, Captain Lewis becomes age 32.
- 9 Sep 1805—11 Sep 1805: The Lewis and Clark Expedition camps at Traveler’s Rest near what is now Lolo Creek in Lolo, Missoula County, Montana. [The camp is about 10 miles south of what is now Missoula, Missoula County, Montana. They are preparing for a near disastrous trip on what is now the Lolo Trail over the Bitterroot Mountains. The Lolo Trail crosses the Continental Divide separating Missoula County, Montana from Idaho County, Idaho.
- 16 Oct 1805: The Lewis and Clark Expedition reaches the confluence of the Snake River and the Columbia River in what is now Pasco, Franklin County, Washington.
- 7 Dec 1805: The Lewis and Clark Expedition reaches the mouth of the Columbia River near the Pacific Ocean. Captain William Clark writes in his field notes, "Ocian in view! O! the joy." William is age 35.
- 14 Dec 1805: The Lewis and Clark Expedition winters inland near the Pacific Ocean at Fort Clatsop. Fort Clatsop is south of what is now Astoria, Clatsop County, Oregon.
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| 34 | 1806 | - 23 Sep 1806: The Lewis and Clark Expedition ends as the Corps of Discovery arrives in St. Louis in what is now Missouri. Meriwether Lewis is age 32, and William Clark is age 36.
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| 35 | 1807 | - 1807—1809: A depression lasts 27 months and into 1809.
- 3 Dec 1807: Rhea County, Tennessee is formed with land from Roane County, Tennessee.
- 3 Dec 1807: Bedford County, Tennessee is formed with land from Rutherford County, Tennessee and Indian lands.
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| 36 | 1808 | - 1808: Fort Madison is built in what is now Lee County, Iowa.
- 10 Feb 1808: Delaware County, Ohio is formed with land from Franklin County, Ohio.
- 13 Feb 1808: Stark County, Ohio is formed with land from Columbiana County and Muskingum County, Ohio.
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| 37 | 1809 | - 12 Feb 1809: Abraham Lincoln is born in near Hodgenville, Hardin County [later to be LaRue County], Kentucky.
- 7 Mar 1809: Schenectady County is established in New York. It is formed with land from Albany County. It is adjacent to, and northeast of, Schoharie County.
- 11 Oct 1809: Meriwether Lewis commits suicide at Grinder’s Inn on the Natchez Trace about 72 miles southwest of Nashville, Tennessee. [Lewis is buried at that site in what is now Hohenwald, Lewis County, Tennessee.] In 1806, 1 year after the completion of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Lewis is appointed Governor of the Louisiana Territory with a base in St. Louis. His performance is lackluster and controversial. Additionally, he becomes deeply in debt and his mental condition deteriorates. [Lewis is apparently a manic depressive.] At the time of his death, he is on the way to Washington, D.C. to answer questions about his administration and to try to clear up his debts. Lewis dies at age 35.
- 14 Nov 1809: Lincoln County, Tennessee is formed with land from Bedford County, Tennessee.
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| 38 | 1810 | - 1810: United States population – 7,239,881.
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| 39 | 1813 | - 22 Mar 1813: Columbia County, Pennsylvania is formed with land from Northumberland County and Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.
- 13 Sep 1813: Fort Madison in what is now Lee County, Iowa is set afire and destroyed by departing American troops during the War of 1812. The Fort had been subject to multiple Indian attacks in the previous several years and was no longer defensible.
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| 40 | 1814 | - Aug 1814: British troops capture and burn Washington, D. C. during the War of 1812.
- 13 Sep 1814—14 Sep 1814: Francis Scott Key composes The Star-Spangled Banner during the British bombardment of Baltimore, Maryland.
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| 41 | 1815 | - 1815—1821: A depression lasts almost 6 years and into 1821.
- 16 Feb 1815: The United States Senate ratifies the Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812.
- 19 Dec 1815: White County, Illinois is formed with land from Gallatin County, Illinois.
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| 42 | 1816 | - 16 Jan 1816: Jackson County in the Indiana Territory is formed with land from Clark County, Jefferson County and Washington County in the Indiana Territory.
- 11 Dec 1816: Indiana becomes the 19th state.
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| 43 | 1817 | - 4 Jan 1817: Bond County, Illinois is formed with land from Madison County, Crawford County and Edwards County, Illinois.
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| 44 | 1818 | - 3 Dec 1818: Illinois becomes the 21st state.
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| 45 | 1819 | - 1819: Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio is incorporated as a city.
- 23 Oct 1819: The first segment of the Erie Canal opens in Oneida County, New York between Rome and Utica.
- 25 Oct 1819: Hamilton County, Tennessee is formed with land from Rhea County, Tennessee.
- 13 Nov 1819: McMinn County, Tennessee is formed with land ceded by the Cherokee Indians.
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| 46 | 1820 | - 1820: United States population — 9,638,453.
- 1 Feb 1820: Scott County, Indiana is formed with land from Clark County, Jackson County, Jefferson County, Jennings County and Washington County, Indiana.
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| 47 | 1821 | - 10 Aug 1821: Missouri becomes the 24th state.
- 3 Nov 1821: Calloway County, Kentucky is formed with land from Hickman County.
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| 48 | 1823 | - 24 Oct 1823: Obion County, Tennessee is formed with land from the Western District of Tennessee.
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| 49 | 1824 | - 1824: Graves County, Kentucky is formed with land from Hickman County.
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| 50 | 1825 | - 1825—1826: A depression lasts 13 months and into 1826.
- 26 Oct 1825: The complete Erie Canal opens in New York. It provides a waterway from the Hudson River near Albany, Albany County, New York to Lake Erie at Buffalo, Erie County, New York.
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| 51 | 1826 | - 1826: The Blacksnake Hills fur trading post is founded near the site of what will become St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri in 1843.
- 4 Jul 1826: Former Presidents Thomas Jefferson and John Adams die on the 50th anniversary of the formal adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson is age 83, and Adams is age 90.
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| 52 | 1827 | - 6 Aug 1827: The United States and Great Britain agree to the joint occupation of the Oregon Territory.
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| 53 | 1830 | - 1830: United States population — 12,866,020.
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| 54 | 1833 | - 1833—1834: A depression lasts 9 months and into 1834.
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| 55 | 1834 | - 1 Oct 1834: Des Moines County, Iowa Territory is formed with land from the Michigan Territory. However, it is not yet organized and will not be organized until December 17, 1836.
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| 56 | 1835 | - 20 Jun 1835: Lucas County, Ohio is formed with land from Sandusky County and Wood County, Ohio.
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| 57 | 1836 | - 10 Feb 1836: Bradley County, Tennessee is formed with land ceded by the Cherokee Indians under the Treaty of New Echota.
- 2 Mar 1836: The Republic of Texas is established in territory claimed by Mexico.
- 6 Mar 1836: The Alamo falls at what is now San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas.
- 8 Mar 1836: Clarke County, Virginia is formed with land from Frederick County, Virginia.
- 2 May 1836: Meigs County, Tennessee is formed with land from Rhea County, Tennessee.
- 7 Dec 1836: Lee County, Iowa Territory is formed with land from Des Moines County. [The Wisconsin Legislature has jurisdiction over this land and will retain control until 1838.]
- 7 Dec 1836: Henry County, Iowa Territory is formed with land from Des Moines County. [The Wisconsin Legislature has jurisdiction over this land and will retain control until 1838.]
- 17 Dec 1836: Des Moines County is finally organized in the Iowa Territory.
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| 58 | 1837 | - 10 May 1837—1843: The Panic of 1837 begins. A depression lasts 6 years and into 1843.
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| 59 | 1838 | - 4 Jul 1838: The Iowa Territory is established, and many settlers soon begin to arrive.
- 1 Sep 1838: William Clark dies in St. Louis, Missouri at age 68. In 1806, 1 year after the completion of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Clark was appointed Governor of the Missouri Territory with a base in St. Louis. [He later lost an election to that post.] Clark greatly helped to smooth westward expansion by his skillful diplomacy with Indian tribes. He was eventually appointed Superintendent of Indian Affairs, a position he held until shortly before his death.
- 31 Dec 1838: Buchanan County, Missouri is formed with land from the Platte Purchase.
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| 60 | 1839 | - 27 Feb 1839: Lee County, Illinois is formed with land from Ogle County, Illinois.
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| 61 | 1840 | - 1840: United States population — 17,069,453.
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| 62 | 1841 | - 29 Jan 1841: Jasper County, Missouri is formed with land from Barry County, Missouri.
- 29 Jan 1841: Scotland County, Missouri is formed with land from Clark County, Lewis County and Shelby County, Missouri.
- 29 Jan 1841: Bates County, Missouri is formed with land from Van Buren County [later to be Cass County], Missouri.
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| 63 | 1842 | - 1842: John C. Frémont begins his first expedition to map the Oregon Trail at age 29. The expedition maps into Wyoming with its guide Christopher [“Kit”] Carson at age 32.
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| 64 | 1843 | - 1843: John C. Frémont completes the mapping of the Oregon Trail to the mouth of the Columbia River at the Pacific Ocean between what is now Washington and Oregon. Frémont is age 30.
- 16 Jan 1843: Rusk County, Republic of Texas is formed with land from Nacogdoches County, Republic of Texas.
- 17 Feb 1843: Appanoose County in the Iowa Territory is formed with land from Van Buren County and Davis County in the Iowa Territory.
- 4 Mar 1843: Larue County, Kentucky is formed with land from Hardin County, Kentucky.
- 26 Jul 1843: The plat of St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri is recorded in St. Louis, Missouri.
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| 65 | 1844 | - 24 May 1844: Samuel Morse sends the message, "What hath God wrought!", launching the first telegraph line between Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C. Morse is age 53.
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| 66 | 1845 | - 14 Feb 1845: Nodaway County, Missouri is formed with land from Andrew County, Missouri.
- 1 Mar 1845: Texas becomes the 28th state.
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| 67 | 1846 | - 25 Apr 1846: Navarro County, Texas is formed with land from Robertson County, Texas.
- 27 Apr 1846: Henderson County, Texas is formed with land from Houston County and Nacogdoches County, Texas.
- 27 Apr 1846: President James K. Polk breaks the treaty with Great Britain for the joint occupation of the Oregon Territory.
- 28 Dec 1846: Iowa becomes the 29th State.
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| 68 | 1847 | - 22 Jul 1847: The first Mormon emigrants arrive in Utah.
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| 69 | 1848 | - 24 Jan 1848: Gold is discovered in California.
- 2 Feb 1848: The Mexican War ends with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hildalgo. Mexico cedes California to the United States.
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| 70 | 1850 | - 1850: United States population — 23,191,876.
- 18 Feb 1850: Los Angeles County, California is formed.
- 4 Apr 1850: Los Angeles, California is incorporated as a city.
- 9 Sep 1850: California becomes the 31st state.
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| 71 | 1851 | - 15 Jan 1851: Webster County, Iowa is formed with land from Risley County and Yell County, Iowa.
- 23 Jul 1851: The Sioux Indians cede land in Iowa and Minnesota to the United States.
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| 72 | 1854 | - 1854: A large number of Ohio families migrate to Iowa. Also, there are migrations from Iowa to California during this period as a result of the Gold Rush of 1849.
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| 73 | 1855 | - 6 Mar 1855: Lancaster County, Nebraska is formed with land from Cass County and Pierce County, Nebraska.
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| 74 | 1856 | - 1 Jan 1856: The first railroad in Iowa is completed. It runs from Davenport, Scott County, Iowa to Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa. Along with steamboats, the railroad begins to significantly influence settlement of the state.
- 26 Jun 1856: Butler County, Nebraska is formed with land from Green County, Nebraska.
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| 75 | 1857 | - 1857—1858: A depression lasts 18 months and into 1858.
- 10 Feb 1857: Johnson County, Nebraska is formed with land from Nemaha County and Pawnee County, Nebraska. Tecumseh will become the county seat.
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| 76 | 1858 | - 5 Aug 1858: The first transatlantic telegraph cable is activated. [The insulation fails in 3 weeks. The first successful transatlantic telegraph cable will begin operation in 1866.]
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| 77 | 1859 | - 13 Feb 1859: The Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad is completed all the way from Hannibal, Marion County, Missouri to St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri. It is the first railroad to cross Missouri. St. Joseph has been serving as a major wagon train staging ground and supply depot since the discovery of gold in California in 1848 and in Colorado in 1858.
- 14 Feb 1859: Oregon becomes the 33rd state.
- 28 Aug 1859: Oil is discovered in Titusville, Crawford County, Pennsylvania.
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| 78 | 1860 | - 1860: The population of Iowa is now 674,913, which is about 45,000 more people than the total estimated American colonial population in 1730.
- 1860: United States population — 31,443,321.
- 3 Apr 1860: The Pony Express begins service from St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri to Sacramento, Sacramento County, California. Riders make the 10-day, 1,966-mile trip twice a week.
- 6 Nov 1860: Abraham Lincoln is elected President of the United States at age 51.
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| 79 | 1861 | - Jan 1861: Southern states begin to secede from the Union.
- 29 Jan 1861: Kansas becomes the 34th state.
- 9 Feb 1861: Jefferson Davis is elected President of the Confederate States of America.
- 4 Mar 1861: Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated as President of the United States at age 52.
- 12 Apr 1861: The Civil War begins when the Confederate Army attacks Fort Sumter at the mouth of the harbor in Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina.
- 17 Apr 1861: Virginia secedes from the Union.
- 8 Jun 1861: Tennessee secedes from the Union.
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| 80 | 1862 | - 14 Feb 1862: Jefferson Davis proclaims Arizona Territory a part of the Confederacy.
- 15 Apr 1862: The Battle of Picacho Peak is fought 50 miles northwest of Tucson, Arizona, marking the westernmost battle of the Civil War.
- 20 May 1862: Congress passes the Homestead Act. A settler can now claim 160 acres [¼ square mile] of surveyed government land as long as he builds a dwelling, grows crops and stays on the land for 5 years.
- 27 Sep 1862: Umatilla County, Oregon is formed with land from Wasco County, Oregon.
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| 81 | 1863 | - 20 Jun 1863: West Virginia becomes the 35th state. [Berkeley County, Virginia is now Berkeley County, West Virginia.]
- 27 Jun 1863: The Battle of Gettysburg begins in Adams County, Pennsylvania.
- 3 Oct 1863: President Abraham Lincoln declares Thanksgiving a national holiday.
- 23 Nov 1863: The Battle of Lookout Mountain and Cemetery Ridge is fought near Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Tennessee.
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| 82 | 1865 | - 9 Apr 1865: General Robert E. Lee surrenders to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox, Appomattox County, Virginia, ending the Civil War. Lee is age 58, and Grant is almost age 43.
- 14 Apr 1865: President Abraham Lincoln is assassinated at age 56.
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| 83 | 1866 | - 1866—1867: A depression lasts 18 months and into 1867.
- 24 Jul 1866: Tennessee is readmitted to the Union.
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| 84 | 1867 | - 26 Feb 1867: Barton County, Kansas is formed with land from the Peketon Territory.
- 1 Mar 1867: Nebraska becomes the 37th state.
- 18 Oct 1867: The United States takes possession of Alaska from Russia. The United States paid $7.2 million for the purchase, also known as "Seward's Folly."
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| 85 | 1869 | - 10 May 1869: Construction is completed on the first transcontinental railroad when Leland Stanford drives a golden spike at Promontory Summit, Box Elder County, Utah. The Central Pacific Railroad from Sacramento, Sacramento County, California has met the Union Pacific Railroad from Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska. Americans can now travel from coast to coast in 1 week, instead of weeks or months. Additionally, a telegraph system was built with the railroad and the United States now has a coast-to-coast telegraph.
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| 86 | 1870 | - 1870: United States population — 39,818,449.
- 26 Jan 1870: Virginia is readmitted to the Union.
- 30 Jan 1870: James County, Tennessee is formed with land from Hamilton County and Bradley County, Tennessee.
- 3 Mar 1870: Texas is readmitted to the Union.
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| 87 | 1872 | - 1 Mar 1872: Congress establishes Yellowstone National Park.
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Bef 1762 -