11/2/1795 – 6/15/1849
Party: Democratic
Timeline; 1845-1849
Polk had an interest in politics and practiced law early on, being admitted to the bar in 1820. He served On Tennessee’s House of Representative’s 6th district (1825-1833) and 9th district (1833-1839) as well as becoming the speaker of the house (1835-1839), before moving on to Governor of Tennessee (1839-1841), failing to win the spot again in 41′ and 43′ prompted him to move to Washington. He was the only president to ever have served as House Speaker, as well as Governor of Tennessee. Polk was the dark horse candidate for president, surprisingly defeating Henry Clay by promising to annex Texas. His nickname was “Young Hickory” because of his close association with “Old Hickory”, Andrew Jackson.
1845;
- James K. Polk becomes eleventh President of the United States at the age of 49. George M. Dallas is his Vice President
- The Great Irish Potato shortage forces huge waves of immigrants to United States
- Polk orders General Taylor to the Rio Grande in case of Mexican invasion
- Manifest Destiny becomes a label to justify expanding the United Sates
- Texas (slave) becomes the 28th state of the Union
- U.S. Naval Academy formed
1846;
- Brigham Young leads Mormon migration to Utah
- Congress declares war on Mexico after the clash at Rio Grande
MEXICAN-AMERICAN WAR
- American settlers take over Sonoma California which was called the Bear Flag Revolt
- Polk threatens war with U.K. over Oregon, Oregon Treaty is made.
- Congress passes Tariff of 1846
- Polk vetoes River and Harbors Bill that he deems favoring an area and unconstitutional
- Polk signs into law the Independent Treasury Act of 1846
- Congress establishes the Smithsonian Institution
- Iowa (free) becomes the 29th state of the Union
1847;
- First U.S. postage stamp issued
- General Taylor’s army wins the Battle of Buena Vista while General Winfield Scott’s army wins the invasion of Mexico, finishing with the Battle for Mexico City, pressurizing the Mexican government to take Polk’s demands of peace.
BATTLE FOR MEXICO CITY
1848;
- James Marshall finds gold in Sacramento, beginning a mass migration of the California gold rush.
CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH
- Treaty of Guadalupe Hildago signed, ending the Mexican-American war.
TREATY OF GUADALUPE HIDALGO
- Wisconsin (free) becomes the 30th state of the Union
- John Q. Adams is laid to rest in Quincy, VA
- Declaration of Sentiments were being fought by woman to have equal rights
- Construction of Washington Monument started
Scholars have ranked Polk favorably on lists of greatest presidents for his ability to promote, obtain support for, and achieve all of the major items on his presidential agenda. Polk is the least known president, that had a strong significance of the United States and in doing so, held true to his campaign, even pledged to only serve one term as President, Polk left office and returned to Tennessee in March 1849. He died of cholera three months later.
Famous quotes:
“No president who performs his duties faithfully and conscientiously can have any leisure.”
“Peace, plenty, and contentment reign throughout our borders, and our beloved country presents a sublime moral spectacle to the world.”
“One great object of the Constitution was to restrain majorities from oppressing minorities or encroaching upon their just rights.”
11/24/1784 – 7/9/1850
Party: Whig
Timeline; 1849-1850
Taylor enlisted in the Army in 1806 and was commissioned first lieutenant of the infantry in 1808. He served for almost 40 years, going through the War of 1812, Blackhawk War (1832) and the Second Seminole War (1835-1842) where he reached the rank of brigadier general, eventually advancing to major general in 1846 for the Mexican-American War, where he was most known for disobeying President Polk’s orders and taking his diminished army south for the Battle of Buena Vista where he won a victory even though he and his men were outnumbered 4-1. “Old Rough and Ready”, as his soldiers called him, was put on the ballot in 1848 for the fame he received as general and national hero.
1849;
- Zachary Taylor becomes 12th President of the United States at the age of 64. Millard Filmore was his Vice President.
- James K. Polk is laid to rest in Nashville, TN
POLK’S TOMB
1850; President Taylor dies of cholera morbus and is buried in Louisville, KY
GENERAL TAYLOR’S TOMB
Though Taylor had a short Presidency, his legacy stood tall from his acts as General. His last few months in Presidency were filled with debates over the possible expansion of slavery in the territories won in the Mexican war. While the Compromise of 1850 was being discussed by Congress, Taylor stood firm against it, prepared to hold the Union together by force, rather than compromise.
Famous quotes;
“For more than half a century, during which kingdoms and empires have fallen, this Union has stood unshaken. The patriots who formed it have long since descended to the grave; yet still it remains, the proudest monument to their memory…”
“It eminently becomes a government like our own, founded on the morality and intelligence of its citizens and upheld by their affections, to exhaust every resort of honorable diplomacy before appealing to arms.”
“I have no private purpose to accomplish, no party objectives to build up, no enemies to punish—nothing to serve but my country.”
1/7/1800 – 3/8/1874
Party: Whig
Timeline; 1850-1853
Fillmore started work in a law office at an early age, being admitted to the bar in 1823. Entering politics in 1828, he served in the New York assembly (1829-1832) and eventually won a spot in congress as New York’s 32nd district representative (1833-1835) and again (1837-1843). Then he went on to be the first comptroller of New York (1848-1849) before he was put on the ballot with General Taylor as Taylor’s Vice President which he served from 1848 until Taylor’s passing in 1850, where he took over office during the Crisis of 1850.
- Fillmore is sworn in at the age of 50 after Taylor’s untimely death. He becomes the 13th President of the Union
- California (free) becomes the 31st state
- Fillmore signs Fugitive Slave Act
- Congress passes the Compromise of 1850, with Fillmore’s support
- Fillmore names Brigham Young President of Mormon church, Young leads thousands from Illinois to Utah Valley
1851;
- U.S. ratifies first commercial treaty with El Salvador
- First installment of Uncle Tom’s Cabin comes out, which some believe is a book that helped raise tensions into the Civil War era
- Gold is found in Oregon along the Rogue River prompting thousands to go.
ROGUE RIVER OREGON GOLD RUSH
1852;
- Uncle Tom’s Cabin is published
- Rail service from New York to Chicago is under construction
1852 RAIL SERVICE
1853;
- Fillmore sent the Navy to force Japan into trade talks
- The territory of Washington is formed after its separation from the Oregon territory
- Congress authorizes Transcontinental railroad survey
Fillmore’s insistence on federal enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 alienated the North and helped lead him to being the last Whig President, and the last President that didn’t fall under Democrat or Republican. Fillmore approved the Compromise of 1850, allowing slavery in the South. But neither North nor South were happy with it, and Fillmore was blamed for the law’s failure which is why he only served that one term, although he did run again in 1856 for the anti-immigrant “Know-Nothing Party“, which he lost. He retired to Buffalo, becoming a leader in the city’s civic and cultural life. With his health on a decline, he died in 1874 due to the aftereffects of a stroke.
Famous Quotes:
“Nothing brings out the lower traits of human nature like office-seeking. Men of good character and impulses are betrayed by it into all sorts of meanness.”
“May God save the country, for it is evident that the people will not.”
“Let us remember that revolutions do not always establish freedom. Our own free institutions were not the offspring of our Revolution. They existed before.”
11/23/1804 – 10/8/1869
Party: Democratic
Timeline; 1853-1857
Pierce was studying law as his father was rising in political ranks, he joined his father’s campaign and helped him become governor in 1827. By 1833, the younger Pierce was elected to Congress as New Hampshire’s “at large” district representative where he stayed until moving to Senator
(1837-1842). After losing his seat he went back to practicing law where he was a success due to his popularity and outgoing personality, but eventually he had to take part in the Mexican–American War (1847-1848) when he was summoned to lead as a brigadier general in the Army in the assault on Mexico City but arrived too late for the final battle where he suffered minor wounds and embarrassment when his horse badly stumbled and he fainted and fell. He had to be hoisted back into the saddle to ride out too late for the climactic Battle of Chapultepec. After the war Pierce retired back to his successful law firm until he was called back out of New Hampshire.
BATTLE OF CHAPULTEPEC
1853;
- Pierce becomes the 14th President of the United States at the age of 48. William R. King was his Vice President.
- Andrew Jackson Battle of New Orleans statue put up
ANDREW JACKSON STATUE
- Gadsden purchase treaty signed
1854;
- A guerilla war between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers emerges and consumes Kansas for two years, dubbed “Bleeding Kansas”
- The Kansas-Nebraska Act is signed into law
- The Canadian Reciprocity Treaty opens the U.S. market to Canadian agricultural products. In return, the United States gets new commercial rights in Canadian waters and on the Great Lakes
- Coinciding with the further disintegration of the Whig Party, the Republican Party is founded. Its membership is composed of Whigs, Free-Soilers, and northern Democrats angry at the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
- The Ostend Manifesto, written by U.S. minister to Spain; Pierre Soule suggests that the United States threaten to invade Cuba if Spain is not willing to sell the island to the United States. The State Department disavows any connection to the document and forces Soule’s resignation later that year.
- In congressional elections, the Whigs continue to decline in power while Democrats also suffer losses. The Republican Party has yet to prove its ability to contest the Democrats but boasts impressive gains through cooperation with the American Party. Forty-four Republicans are elected to the House of Representatives.
1855;
- Nationality Laws change so that children born abroad by American citizens, were in fact American citizens themselves.
- Anti-slavery settlers in Kansas form an army they called Free State Forces and write the Topeka Constitution, which creates a second government in Kansas.
- Border ruffians invade Lawrence, Kansas starting the Wakarusa War but they are chased off by the Free State Forces.
1856;
- Pro-slavery and Border Ruffians attack Lawrence again.
- Sumner-Brooks affair occurs
- In response to the pro-slavery invasion of Lawrence, some Free State Forces conduct the Pottawatomie Massacre, killing five unarmed pro-slavery Kansans along the Pottawatomie Creek.
- “Bleeding Kansas” continues to rage; hundreds killed and a lot of homes burnt down,
1857;
- State of disunion convention is held Massachusetts to peacefully separate North and South.
- Congress determines foreign coins are not legal tender in the states.
You wouldn’t know by looking at him because of his outgoing demeanor but his family life was a very grim affair, his wife Jane suffer from illness and depression for much of her life and all of their children died young, their last son was killed in a train accident while the family was traveling, shortly before Pierce’s inauguration. His polarizing actions in championing and signing the Kansas–Nebraska Act and enforcing the Fugitive Slave Act failed to settle differences between North and South, setting the stage for Southern secession. Pierce signed the Gadsden Purchase of land from Mexico and led a failed attempt to acquire Cuba from Spain. He signed trade treaties with Britain and Japan, while his Cabinet reformed their departments and improved accountability, but these successes were overshadowed by political strife as his administration was further damaged when several of his diplomats issued the Ostend Manifesto, calling for the annexation of Cuba, a document which was roundly criticized. Pierce, who had been a heavy drinker for much of his life, died of severe cirrhosis of the liver in 1869. US historians and other political commentators generally rank Pierce’s presidency among the worst.
Famous quotes:
“We have nothing in our history or position to invite aggression; we have everything to beckon us to the cultivation of relations of peace and amity with all nations.”
“The storm of frenzy and faction must inevitably dash itself in vain against the unshaken rock of the Constitution.”
“I wish I could indulge higher hope for the future of our country, but the aspect of any vision is fearfully dark and I cannot make it otherwise.”
#15 Phillip Buchanan 1857-1861
4/23/1791 – 6/1/1868
Party: Democratic
Timeline; 1857-1861
Buchanon studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1812 where he established a successful law practice, getting into politics shortly after where he was on the Pennsylvania house of representatives (1814-1816) and U.S. house of representatives for Pennsylvania’s 3rd district (1821-1823), and the 4th district (1823-1831) where he became the chairman of the house (1829-1831). He also help positions as Minister to Russia (1832-1833), Senator of Pennsylvania (1834-1845), Secretary of State (1845-1849) and Minister to the U.K. (1853-1856). He was the only bachelor to ever serve in the White House.
1857;
- Buchanon becomes the 15th President of the United States at the age of 65. John C. Breckinridge was his Vice President.
- The Dred Scott decision is made by the Supreme Court
- President Buchanon orders Brigham Young’s removal as Governor of Utah, which sets off John D. Lee and he retaliates with what became known as the Mountain meadow massacre of Utah.
MOUNTAIN MEADOW MASSACRE
- Kansas elects Free-state legislature while pro-slavery advocates try to bring Kansas into the Union as a slave state. Lecompton constitution (Brittanica) is under discussion.
1858;
- Republicans gain control of the house as the Lincoln-Douglas debates heat up
- Lecompton constitution (Wiki) is defeated in Kansas; 10,226 to 138
- House votes to resubmit the Lecompton Constitution (Kansas Memory) in a national vote, in order to accept Kansas as a state of the Union, under Lecompton.
- English Bill passed, the bill resubmits the Lecompton Constitution (Civil War History) to Kansas with the incentive of land if ratified
- Minnesota (free) becomes the 32nd state of the Union
- Lecompton Constitution defeated again; 11,300 to 1,788
1859;
- Comstock Lode is found in Nevada, becoming the first U.S. silver strike found
COMSTOCK LODE
- Oregon (free) becomes the 33rd state of the Union
- Southern Commercial Convention kicks off where Southern slave owners try to bring back the African slave trade
- Kansas constitutional convention is back in session to determine whether Kansas will be admitted as a free or slave state.
- Kansas constitution ratified as an anti-slavery state
- John Brown’s Harper’s Ferry raid in Virginia in effort to establish abolitionist Republic in the Appalachians but he is caught and hanged for treason to the state. The brute force used to remove their threat divides the North and South states even further.
JOHN BROWN HANGING
1860;
- Republicans gain control of Senate as well as regain the House, controlling Congress
- Lincoln gives the Cooper Union address
- Lincoln is elected President
- Crittenden Compromise is put forth as a last attempt to persuade the Southern States from leaving the Union
- South Carolina secedes from the Union
- Buchanan gives his final message calling the Union a sacred trust
1861;
- Mississippi secedes from the Union
- Florida secedes from the Union
- Alabama secedes from the Union
- Georgia secedes from the Union
- Louisiana secedes from the Union
- Kansas joins the Union as a free state
- The confederacy is formed and Jefferson Davis is elected President with Alexander Stephens as his Vice President.
- Montgomery, Alabama is named Capital of the Confederacy
- Texas secedes from the Union
- Confederate Flag; Stars and Bars, is created
STARS AND BARS CONFEDERATE FLAG
Buchanan tried in vain to find a compromise to keep the South from seceding from the Union, but failed. His reputation during his years in retirement where Congress, the Republican Party, President Lincoln, the U.S. military, and national newspapers all ridiculed his handling of the Fort Sumter crisis and his failure to prevent the secession of Southern states. The Senate even drafted a resolution to condemn Buchanan. In fact, to prevent the defacing of Buchanan’s portrait, it had to be removed from the Capitol rotunda. Buchanan vigorously defended his presidency and died confident in the belief that posterity would vindicate him and redeem his reputation.
Famous quotes:
“There is nothing stable but Heaven and the Constitution.”
“The ballot box is the surest arbiter of disputes among freemen.”
“The test of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there.”