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Historical Period
ENGR

Manifest Destiny, the Mexican War, and the crisis over slavery.

Use the timeline below to navigate through major events and milestones.

Antebellum America · 1836-1860
Manifest Destiny · 1836-1860

Antebellum America & Westward Expansion

From Texas independence and the war with Mexico that carried the nation to the Pacific, through the Gold Rush and the first stirrings of women's rights, to the widening rift over slavery that drove Bleeding Kansas, Dred Scott, and the road to disunion. Slide across the years to watch a restless nation march toward civil war.

1836 AD
The Republic of Texas
1 / 9

Texas independence and the Alamo

American settlers in Texas revolt against Mexico; after the doomed stand at the Alamo, they win independence and establish the Republic of Texas.

1836 AD

The Republic of Texas
  • Military

    Texas independence and the Alamo

    American settlers in Texas revolt against Mexico; after the doomed stand at the Alamo, they win independence and establish the Republic of Texas.

9 milestones

Meanwhile

Around 1836 AD

Full Chronicle

Antebellum America & Westward Expansion

From Texas independence and the war with Mexico that carried the nation to the Pacific, through the Gold Rush and the first stirrings of women's rights, to the widening rift over slavery that drove Bleeding Kansas, Dred Scott, and the road to disunion. Slide across the years to watch a restless nation march toward civil war.

  1. The Republic of Texas

    • Texas independence and the Alamo

      American settlers in Texas revolt against Mexico; after the doomed stand at the Alamo, they win independence and establish the Republic of Texas.

  2. Manifest Destiny

    • Manifest Destiny and annexation

      The belief that the United States was destined to span the continent — 'Manifest Destiny' — drives the annexation of Texas and fuels demands for still more territory.

  3. War with Mexico

    • The Mexican-American War

      Victory over Mexico brings California and the Southwest into the Union, but the new lands reopen the explosive question of whether slavery should expand westward.

  4. Gold and Reform

    • Gold Rush and the Seneca Falls Convention

      The discovery of gold in California draws hundreds of thousands westward, while at Seneca Falls reformers issue the first major call for women's rights in America.

  5. An Uneasy Compromise

    • The Compromise of 1850

      Congress tries to balance slave and free states, but the harsh Fugitive Slave Act outrages the North and deepens sectional bitterness.

  6. Bleeding Kansas

    • Kansas-Nebraska Act and a new party

      Letting territories vote on slavery sparks violence in 'Bleeding Kansas' and gives rise to the antislavery Republican Party.

  7. The Courts and the Crisis

    • The Dred Scott decision

      The Supreme Court rules that Black Americans are not citizens and that Congress cannot bar slavery from the territories, inflaming the North and pushing the nation nearer to war.

  8. The Brink

    • John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry

      Abolitionist John Brown attacks a federal arsenal hoping to spark a slave uprising. His execution makes him a martyr in the North and a terror in the South.

  9. Toward Disunion

    • Lincoln's election and secession

      Abraham Lincoln wins the presidency without a single Southern electoral vote; within weeks South Carolina secedes, and the Union begins to break apart.