1817–1861 - Growth and Turmoil

The Adams-Onís Treaty (1819) was an agreement between the United States of America and Spain that ceded Florida to the United States. It also allowed the United States to span the continent, from the East Coast to the West Coast.

John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States from 1825 to 1829, He was the son of John Adams and Abigail Adams and had a long career as a lawyer, diplomat, and politician. He played a key role in helping President James Monroe shape the foreign policy of the United States, which is known as the Monroe Doctrine.

The American System was an economic plan devised by Henry Clay that was intended to create a national economy. Although moderately successful, it also contributed to the sectional divide between the North and South leading up to the Civil War.

John Armstrong Jr. was an officer in the Continental Army. He also served as Minister to France and Spain under Thomas Jefferson, and as the Secretary of War under James Madison. During the War for Independence, he may have played a key role in the Newburgh Conspiracy, when officers challenged the authority of Congress.

William Henry Ashley (c. 1778-1838) was an American fur trader and politician who organized successful fur trading expeditions in the American West. Ashley is most well-known for establishing Ashley’s Hundred and the Rocky Mountain Rendezvous.

John Jacob Astor was a German immigrant who came to America and became the wealthiest man in the nation. He was a shrewd, successful businessman, and was primarily involved in real estate and the fur trade. His involvement in the Oregon Territory contributed to America’s fulfillment of Manifest Destiny.

Clara Barton was an acclaimed humanitarian who is popularly known as the Angel of the Battlefield. She was the founder and first president of the American Red Cross, serving from 1881 to 1904.

Key facts about the Angel of the Battlefield, and co-founder of the American Red Cross Clara Barton.

James Beckwourth (c.1798–1866) was a famous Mountain Man — trapper, frontiersman, and guide — who is most well-known for being a successful black man in the first half of the 19th century and his reputation for exaggerating stories about his life.

Key facts about the violence experienced in the Kansas Territory prior to the American Civil War.

The term “Bleeding Kansas” refers to the violence and bloodshed that occurred in the Kansas Territory during the 1850s.

John Brown was an ardent abolitionist whose raid on the federal arsenal in October 1859 intensified the sectional dispute over slavery in the United States and hastened the nation toward civil war.

Key facts about ardent abolitionist John Brown.

Fifteenth President of the United States James Buchanan was the nation's chief executive when the Union began to dissolve in December 1860, on the eve of the American Civil War.

Key facts about James Buchanan, fifteenth President of the United States.

A staunch defender of slavery, states' rights, and nullification, John Caldwell Calhoun served the nation as a Congressional Representative and Senator from South Carolina, U.S. Secretary of War and Secretary of State, and Vice President of the United States during the Antebellum Era.

Key facts about U.S. Senator, Secretary of State and Vice President John C. Calhoun.

Key facts about the Senate Committee of Thirteen.

The Committee of Thirteen was a select committee of U.S. Senators formed in December 1860 to craft a compromise agreement between the slaveholding and non-slaveholding states to stem the secession movement and save the Union.

Key facts about the House Committee of Thirty-three.