1817–1861 - Growth and Turmoil

A political appointee with little military experience prior to the American Civil War, Brigadier General John B. Floyd is most remembered for abandoning Fort Donelson in 1861 to avoid being captured by Federal soldiers.

Key facts about the Force Act of 1833.

Approved by Congress on March 1, 1833, and signed by President Andrew Jackson the next day, the Force Bill of 1833, known in South Carolina as the "Bloody Bill," authorized President Andrew Jackson to employ military forces for the purpose of protecting customs officials and for enforcing U.S. tariff laws.

The Free Soil Party was a coalition of Free Soil Democrats, Barnburners, Conscience Whigs, and members of the Liberty Party that strongly opposed the extension of slavery in the American West during the 1840s and 1850s.

Key facts about the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was passed by Congress as one provision of the Compromise of 1850. The harsh terms of the act angered many Northerners and contributed to the sectional division over slavery that led to the American Civil War.

The Gag Rule consisted of a series of changes to the rules of the U.S. House of Representatives that prohibited the introduction of petitions related to slavery between 1836 and 1844.

William Lloyd Garrison was a prominent leader of the abolition movement in the 19th century and helped found the American Anti-Slavery Society.

Joshua Giddings was a leader in the founding of the Republican Party and an outspoken opponent of the extension of slavery during his twenty-year career as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Key facts about Joshua Giddings, a leader in the founding of the Republican Party and an outspoken opponent of the extension of slavery a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The first U.S. President to die in office, 9th President William Henry Harrison also served the shortest tenure of any chief executive, passing away on April 4, 1841, just thirty days after his inauguration.

The Iroquois Confederacy — or the Haudenosaunee — was a league made up of six distinct Native American Indian nations that spoke the same language. The Confederacy is most well-known for its role in the Fur Trade and the major wars that shaped the American Colonies.

Andrew Jackson was a hero of the War of 1812 and the 7th President of the United States. He served two terms controversial terms as President and oversaw the removal of Native American Indians from the south, which is known as the Trail of Tears.

Key facts about John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry.

On October 16, 1859, militant abolitionist John Brown led an ill-fated assault on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, that intensified the sectional dispute over slavery and hastened the nation toward civil war.

Key facts about the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 was introduced by Illinois Senator Stephen A. Douglas to expedite the formation of new territories in the Louisiana Purchase west of Missouri.

Marquis de Lafayette was a French aristocrat and soldier who is most well-known in America for his support of the Patriot Cause and service in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

Stephen Harriman Long (1784–1864) was a soldier, explorer, and surveyor who is most well known for leading five expeditions into the Louisiana Purchase Territory and for referring to the Great Plains as the “Great American Desert.”

“Manifest Destiny” is the idea that Americans had a “God-given right” — a divine right — to expand across the continent, from the east coast to the west coast, from “sea to shining sea,” planting democracy, capitalism, and Christianity along the way.