What Is a Timeline of American History from 1776 to 1860?

A timeline of American history from 1776 to 1860 begins with the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 and ends with the election of Abraham Lincoln on November 6, 1860. The American Civil War began the next year, in 1861.   

The timeframe from 1776 to 1860 was key in American history:

• July 4, 1776 - Declaration of Independence was adopted by delegates from the 13 colonies that were in attendance at the Second Continental Congress, held in Philadelphia.
• September 3, 1783 - The Treaty of Paris was signed, ending the Revolutionary War.
• 1787 - The Constitutional Convention was held to create a constitution.  It was signed on August 17th and Delaware was the first state to ratify it. All 13 states had ratified it by 1790. 
• April 30, 1789 - George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States.
• December 15, 1791 - The Bill of Rights, the name of the first ten amendments to the US Constitution, became effective. They limit the government’s power and ensure individual freedoms of the people.
• 1803 - Louisiana Purchase - The United States bought a large section of land from the French for $15 million. It stretched from Louisiana into Canada. 
• 1804 - Lewis and Clark led the first expedition to the Pacific coast, mapping and investigating the land and its resources.
• 1812 to 1815 - War of 1812 was fought between the United States and Britain. The war ended in a draw but some saw it as winning the second war of independence.
• 1823 - The Monroe Doctrine stated the opinion that European nations should not interfere in the Western Hemisphere or make colonies there. 
• 1830 - The Indian Removal Act gave permission for treaties to be negotiated with Indian tribes that exchanged tribal lands for other lands west of the Mississippi River.  
• 1838 - The Trail of Tears was a forced relocation of Cherokee Indians from their home land to present day Oklahoma. Thousands died of exposure, disease, and starvation.
• 1845 - The Republic of Texas was annexed.
• 1846 to 1848 - The Mexican-American War was waged and the US was victorious.
• 1848 - The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo gave the US the territories of New Mexico and California which includes all or parts of the present states of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, and Nevada, Colorado and Wyoming.
• 1850 - The Compromise of 1850 made California a free state and included the Fugitive Slave Act, which made it easier for a slave owner to capture runaway slaves.
• 1854 - The Kansas-Nebraska Act established the Kansas and Nebraska Territories and allowed settlers to decide if they would allow slavery or not.
• 1860 - By this time there were four million slaves in the US. After Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860, southern states began seceding from the Union and the Civil War began in 1861.   

Westward Expansion

Now that you have a history timeline, you might want some further information on the westward expansion that occurred during many of those years. 

• The years after the War of 1812 to 1860, right before the beginning of the Civil War in 1861, are often referred to as the "Age of Manifest Destiny.” Many felt that is was the destiny of America to reach all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

• During this time many trails were opened including the Oregon Trail, Santa Fe Trail, Mormon Trail, and the California Trail. Two things that added many settlers in the west were the California Gold Rush from 1848 to 1855, and the Colorado Gold Rush from 1858 to 1861. It is estimated that 300,000 people moved to California and 100,000 people moved to Colorado during the two gold rushes.

So, now you have a timeline of American history from 1776 to 1860 as well as a few more details about what was going on during that time period.