1.
1856
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As of the start of 1856, the Gregorian calendar was 12 days ahead of the Julian calendar, which remained in localized use until 1923. January 8 –Borax deposits are discovered in large quantities by John Veatch in California, january 24 –U. S. President Franklin Pierce declares the new Free-State Topeka government in Bleeding Kansas to be in rebellion. January 26 –First Battle of Seattle, Marines from the USS Decatur suppress indigenous uprising in response to Governor Stevens declaration of a war of extermination on Native communities, january 29 The 223-mile North Carolina Railroad is completed from Goldsboro through Raleigh and Salisbury to Charlotte. Queen Victoria institutes the Victoria Cross, february –The Tintic War breaks out in Utah. February 1 –Auburn University is first chartered as the East Alabama Male College, february 2 –Dallas, Texas is incorporated as a city. February 7 –The nawab of Oudh is exiled to Metiabruz and the state is annexed by the British East India Company, february 18 –The American Party convene in Philadelphia to nominate their first Presidential candidate, former President Millard Fillmore. This eventually leads to the birth of the chemical industry, march –Nepalese–Tibetan War, The signing of the Treaty of Thapathali concludes the war. March 5 –Fire destroys the Covent Garden Theatre in London, march 6 –Maryland Agricultural College is chartered. March 20 –Filibuster War, Costa Rican troops rout Walkers soldiers in Battle of Santa Rosa, march 31 –The Treaty of Paris is signed, ending the Crimean War. April –Xhosa cattle-killing movement and famine begins in Cape Colony, april 7 –Nelson College is founded in Nelson, New Zealand. April 16 –Paris Declaration Respecting Maritime Law abolishes privateering and regulates the relationship between neutral and belligerent and shipping on the high seas, april 17 –The Chicago Historical Society Museum is established at 1601 N. Clark Street, Chicago. April 21 –Building workers agitate for the day in Melbourne. April 29 –The iron-hulled paddle steamer RMS Persia concludes a 9-day 16 hour westbound transatlantic crossing at an average 13.11 knots, may 1 –The province of Isabela is created in the Philippines in honor of Queen Isabella II of Spain. May 3 –Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom gives Norfolk Island to the population of the colony at Pitcairn Island and they first settle on Norfolk Island on June 8. Womens suffrage as practiced on Pitcairn is extended to Norfolk Island, may 14 –A San Francisco Committee of Vigilance is founded in the United States. It lynches two gangsters, arrests most Democratic Party officials and disbands itself on August 18, may 20 –David Livingstone arrives at Quelimane on the Indian Ocean having completed a 2-year transcontinental journey across Africa from Luanda. May 21 –Lawrence, Kansas is captured and burned by pro-slavery forces, sumner is unable to return to duty for 3 years while he recovers, Brooks becomes a hero across the South. May 24 –Pottawatomie massacre, A group of followers of radical abolitionist John Brown kill 5 homesteaders in Franklin County, June 2 –Battle of Black Jack, Antislavery forces, led by John Brown, defeat proslavery forces in Bleeding Kansas
2.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
3.
1854 in the United States
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Events from the year 1854 in the United States. President, Franklin Pierce Vice President, vacant Chief Justice, Roger B, taney Speaker of the House of Representatives, Linn Boyd Congress, 33rd January 4 – Senator Stephen Douglas introduces a bill to form the Nebraska Territory. The bill sparked major debates related to issues and evolved into the Kansas–Nebraska Act. February 14 – Texas is linked by telegraph with the rest of the United States, february 28 – The Black Warrior Affair, A ship destined for New York City is detained in Havana, Cuba. March 20 Anti-slavery opponents of the Kansas–Nebraska Act in Ripon, Wisconsin form the Republican Party, the Boston Public Library opens to the public. March 30 – Battle of Cieneguilla, The U. S, First Regiment of Dragoons attacks a larger force of Jicarilla Apache and Ute Native Americans near present-day Pilar, New Mexico. The Americans are forced to retreat after losing more than half their number, march 31 – Commodore Matthew Perry of the U. S. Navy signs the Treaty/Convention of Kanagawa with the Japanese government, opening the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American trade. April 16 – The American packet ship Powhattan is wrecked off the shore of New Jersey with a loss of more than 200 lives, may – Elisha Otis publicly debuts his safety elevator at the New York Worlds Fair. May 27 – Taiping Rebellion, United States minister Robert McLane arrives at Nanjing aboard the U. S. Navy warship USS Susquehanna, june 10 – The first class of the United States Naval Academy graduates at Annapolis, Maryland. July 6 – In Jackson, Michigan, the first convention of the Republican Party is held, july 8 – An anti-Catholic riot in Bath, Maine, destroys a church used by Irish Catholics. July 13 – Bombardment of San Juan del Norte, The USS Cyane attacks San Juan del Norte, August 7–8 – Know Nothings riot against immigrants in St. Louis, Missouri, leading to 10 deaths. August 9 – Walden first published, August 19 – Grattan massacre, A group of U. S. Army soldiers in Nebraska Territory are killed by Lakota Sioux warriors after they killed Chief Conquering Bear, starting the First Sioux War. September 28 or 29 – Sloop USS Albany is lost off the coast of Venezuela with all hands, October 9–11 – The controversial Ostend Manifesto is secretly drafted. The document implies that the U. S. should acquire Cuba from Spain by any means necessary, October 16 – Abraham Lincoln, in his Peoria speech, expresses opposition to the Kansas–Nebraska Act, Popular Sovereignty, and slavery in the United States. November 29 – Bleeding Kansas, A pro-slavery Democrat, John Wilkins Whitfield, is elected as the Congressional Delegate for Kansas Territory, December 26 – The Treaty of Medicine Creek is signed in Washington Territory. The U. S. acquires land from various Native American tribes, professor Benjamin Silliman, Jr. Thus, petroleum products like gasoline and kerosene are first produced. Waterbury, Connecticut brass manufacturer Benedict & Burnham Manufacturing Company create the department and this becomes the predecessor of the modern-day Timex Group USA, manufacturer of timepieces. Achulet Massacre, More than 65 Tolowa people Are killed by American settlers in California, Senator from Mississippi from 1911 to 1923 August 18 – James Paul Clarke, 18th Governor of Arkansas from 1895 to 1897 and U. S
4.
1855 in the United States
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Events from the year 1855 in the United States. President, Franklin Pierce Vice President, vacant Chief Justice, Roger B, the California State Militia and U. S. Army intervene, ending the war in March. January 23 – The first bridge over the Mississippi River opens in what is now Minneapolis, january 26 – The Point No Point Treaty is signed in the Washington Territory. February 12 – Michigan State University is established, february 22 – Pennsylvania State University is founded as the Farmers High School of Pennsylvania. March 3 – The U. S. Congress appropriates $30,000 to create the U. S. Camel Corps, March 16 – Bates College is founded by abolitionists in Lewiston, Maine. March 30 – Elections are held for the first Kansas Territory legislature, missourians cross the border in large numbers to elect a pro-slavery body. April – Cincinnati riots of 1855, Tension between nativists and German-American immigrants in Cincinnati breaks out into territorial street fighting on election day, may 17 – The Mount Sinai Hospital is dedicated in New York City, it opens to patients on June 5. June 6 – Portland Rum Riot, A crowd gathers at a storehouse believed to hold alcohol in Portland, the militia is called in and fires on the crowd to disperse the crowd, killing one person. June 28 – The Sigma Chi Fraternity is founded at Miami University in Oxford, july 1 – Quinault Treaty signed, Quinault and Quileute cede their land to the United States. July 2 – The Kansas Territorial Legislature convenes in Pawnee and begins passing proslavery laws, july 4 – Walt Whitmans poetry collection Leaves of Grass is published in Brooklyn. July 6 – The Kansas Territorial Legislature meets for the last time in Pawnee, voting to relocate to Shawnee, july 16 – U. S. Indian commissioner Isaac Stevens signs the Hellgate treaty with Native Americans living in what is present-day western Montana. August 6 – Bloody Monday, Protestant mobs attack Irish Catholics on a day in Louisville, Kentucky. September 3 – First Sioux War – Battle of Ash Hollow, U. S. forces defeat a band of Brulé Lakota in present-day Garden County, Nebraska. October 5 – Yakima War – Battle of Toppenish Creek, In the Yakima River Valley and it is the first battle of the Yakima War. October 28–31 – First Fiji Expedition, The U. S. Navy dispatches the USS John Adams to Viti Levu, Fiji, one American sailor is killed and two Marines are wounded. November 1 –31 people are killed in the Gasconade Bridge train disaster in Missouri, november 9–10 – Yakima War – Battle of Union Gap, American soldiers attack a Yakama village, forcing the village to retreat. November 21 – Large-scale Bleeding Kansas violence begins with events leading to the Wakarusa War between antislavery and proslavery forces, july 29 – Bowman Brown Law, politician September 2 – M. Hoke Smith, United States Senator from Georgia from 1911 till 1920. October 24 – James S. Sherman, 27th Vice President of the United States from 1909 till 1912, november 5 – Eugene V. Debs, United States is born
5.
1857 in the United States
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Events from the year 1857 in the United States. President, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan Vice President, vacant, february 3 – The National Deaf Mute College is established in Washington, DC, becoming the first school for the advanced education of the deaf. March 4 – James Buchanan succeeds Franklin Pierce as President of the United States, March 12 – Elizabeth Blackwell opens a hospital, the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children. March 23 – Elisha Otis first elevator is installed, March 27 – Waterbury Clock Company is legally incorporated in Waterbury, Connecticut, predecessor to the current day Timex Group USA and the iconic Timex brand. July 18 – The Utah Expedition leaves Fort Leavenworth, effectively beginning the Utah War, September 11 – Mountain Meadows massacre in Utah. Central America sinks off the coast of North Carolina, killing 425 people, October 13 – New York banks close following a major financial panic and do not reopen until December 12. Speculation in U. S. railway shares causes financial crisis in Europe, the seat of government of Iowa is moved from Iowa City to present-day Des Moines. The Mormons abandon Las Vegas, Nevada, american politician William Daniel proposes the Local Option for prohibition. Panic of 1857 Bleeding Kansas Third Seminole War Utah War March 20 – Benjamin F. Shively, March 21 – Charles Ellis Johnson, photographer. September 15 – William Howard Taft, 27th President of the United States from 1909 till 1913, October 7 – George P. McLean, United States Senator from Connecticut from 1911 till 1923. December 1 – Samuel M. Ralston, United States Senator from Indiana from 1923 to 1925, December 2 J. Frank Allee, United States Senator from Delaware from 1903 till 1907. Charles E. Rushmore, businessman, attorney, namesake of Mount Rushmore, february 16 – Elisha Kane, Arctic explorer May 1 – Stephen Adams, U. S. Senator from Mississippi from 1852 to 1857 May 26 – James Bell, Senator from New Hampshire from 1855 to 1857 September 15 – John Henderson, U. S. Senator from Mississippi from 1839 to 1845 October 7 – Louis McLane, U. S. Nicholas, Senator from Louisiana from 1836 to 1841 Jasper Grosvenor, financier Media related to 1857 in the United States at Wikimedia Commons
6.
1858 in the United States
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Events from the year 1858 in the United States. President, James Buchanan Vice President, John C, April 19 – The United States and the Yankton Sioux Tribe sign a treaty. May 11 – Minnesota is admitted as the 32nd U. S. state, may 19 – The Marais des Cygnes massacre is perpetrated by pro-slavery forces in Bleeding Kansas. June 16 – Abraham Lincoln makes his House Divided Speech at the State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois, july – Forty-Niners stream into the Rocky Mountains of the western United States during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush. July 8 – The Paulist Fathers, a Roman Catholic society of apostolic life for men, is founded in New York City by Isaac Hecker, july 29 – Treaty of Amity and Commerce signed on the deck of USS Powhatan in Edo Bay. August 16 – U. S. President James Buchanan inaugurates the new telegraph cable by exchanging greetings with Queen Victoria. However, a weak signal forces a shutdown of the service in a few weeks, August 21 – The first of the seven Lincoln–Douglas debates is held. September 14 – Fordyce Beals patents his six shooter revolver which will be produced by E. Remington & Sons of Ilion, November 17 – Denver is founded. Senator from Louisiana from 1913 to 1931 October 12 – John L. S, senator from Illinois from 1913 to 1921 November 21 – Charles A. Towne, U. S. Senator from Indiana from 1917 to 1923 January 10 – Hezekiah Augur, sculptor and inventor March 4 – Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry, naval officer April 10 – Thomas Hart Benton, senator from Missouri from 1821 to 1851 August 23 – Calvin Willey, U. S. Senator from Connecticut from 1825 to 1831 September 17 – Dred Scott, slave September 21 – Arthur P. Bagby, senator from Alabama from 1837 to 1841 November 16 – Robert Hanna, U. S. Senator from Indiana from 1831 to 1832 December 14 – Michael Woolston Ash, representative from Pennsylvania from 1835 to 1837 December 18 – Thomas Holley Chivers, poet and physician Media related to 1858 in the United States at Wikimedia Commons
7.
Flag of the United States
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The flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag, is the national flag of the United States. S. Nicknames for the flag include The Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, the current design of the U. S. flag is its 27th, the design of the flag has been modified officially 26 times since 1777. The 48-star flag was in effect for 47 years until the 49-star version became official on July 4,1959, the 50-star flag was ordered by the then president Eisenhower on August 21,1959, and was adopted in July 1960. It is the version of the U. S. flag and has been in use for over 56 years. At the time of the Declaration of Independence in July 1776, the flag contemporaneously known as the Continental Colors has historically been referred to as the first national flag. The name Grand Union was first applied to the Continental Colors by George Preble in his 1872 history of the American flag, the flag closely resembles the British East India Company flag of the era, and Sir Charles Fawcett argued in 1937 that the company flag inspired the design. Both flags could have been constructed by adding white stripes to a British Red Ensign. However, an East India Company flag could have nine to 13 stripes. In any case, both the stripes and the stars have precedents in classical heraldry, Flag Day is now observed on June 14 of each year. While scholars still argue about this, tradition holds that the new flag was first hoisted in June 1777 by the Continental Army at the Middlebrook encampment. The first official U. S. flag flown during battle was on August 3,1777, Massachusetts reinforcements brought news of the adoption by Congress of the official flag to Fort Schuyler. A voucher is extant that Capt. Swartwout of Dutchess County was paid by Congress for his coat for the flag, the 1777 resolution was most probably meant to define a naval ensign. In the late 18th century, the notion of a flag did not yet exist. The flag resolution appears between other resolutions from the Marine Committee, on May 10,1779, Secretary of the Board of War Richard Peters expressed concern it is not yet settled what is the Standard of the United States. However, the term, Standard, referred to a standard for the Army of the United States. Each regiment was to carry the standard in addition to its regimental standard. The national standard was not a reference to the national or naval flag, the appearance was up to the maker of the flag. Some flag makers arranged the stars into one big star, in a circle or in rows, one arrangement features 13 five-pointed stars arranged in a circle, with the stars arranged pointing outwards from the circle, the so-called Betsy Ross flag
8.
Timeline of United States history
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This is a timeline of United States history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political and economic events in the United States and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, see History of the United States, some dates before September 14,1752, when the British government adopted the Gregorian calendar, may be given in the Old Style
9.
Civil war
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The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region or to change government policies. The term is a calque of the Latin bellum civile which was used to refer to the civil wars of the Roman Republic in the 1st century BC. A civil war is a high-intensity conflict, often involving regular armed forces, Civil wars may result in large numbers of casualties and the consumption of significant resources. Most modern civil wars involve intervention by outside powers, according to Patrick M. Civil wars since the end of World War II have lasted on average just over four years, a dramatic rise from the one-and-a-half-year average of the 1900–1944 period. For example, there were no more than five civil wars underway simultaneously in the first half of the 20th century while there were over 20 concurrent civil wars close to the end of the Cold War. Since 1945, civil wars have resulted in the deaths of over 25 million people, ann Hironaka further specifies that one side of a civil war is the state. The intensity at which a civil disturbance becomes a war is contested by academics. Some political scientists define a civil war as having more than 1000 casualties, the Correlates of War, a dataset widely used by scholars of conflict, classifies civil wars as having over 1000 war-related casualties per year of conflict. Based on the 1000 casualties per year criterion, there were 213 civil wars from 1816 to 1997,104 of which occurred from 1944 to 1997. If one uses the less-stringent 1000 casualties total criterion, there were over 90 civil wars between 1945 and 2007, with 20 ongoing civil wars as of 2007. The Geneva Conventions do not specifically define the term civil war and this includes civil wars, however no specific definition of civil war is provided in the text of the Conventions. That the legal Government is obliged to have recourse to the military forces against insurgents organized as military. That the insurgents have an organization purporting to have the characteristics of a State and that the insurgent civil authority exercises de facto authority over the population within a determinate portion of the national territory. That the armed forces act under the direction of an authority and are prepared to observe the ordinary laws of war. That the insurgent civil authority agrees to be bound by the provisions of the Convention, scholars investigating the cause of civil war are attracted by two opposing theories, greed versus grievance. Scholarly analysis supports the conclusion that economic and structural factors are more important than those of identity in predicting occurrences of civil war, a comprehensive study of civil war was carried out by a team from the World Bank in the early 21st century. A second source of finance is national diasporas, which can fund rebellions, the study found that statistically switching the size of a countrys diaspora from the smallest found in the study to the largest resulted in a sixfold increase in the chance of a civil war. Opportunity cost of rebellion Higher male secondary school enrollment, per capita income, the study interpreted these three factors as proxies for earnings forgone by rebellion, and therefore that lower forgone earnings encourage rebellion
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Media related to 1856 in the United States at Wikimedia Commons
