Missouri, departed from Santa Fe, at the head of 900 men, te invade the Mexican State of Chihuahua. At Bracito, on the Rio Grande, a division of his force, 500 in number, encountered 1,200 Mexicans, whom they put to flight, with a loss of about 200 in killed and wounded; while the Americans had none killed, and only seven wounded. 58. Two months later, on the 28th of February, 1847, at te Pass of Sacramento, Colonel Doniphan's little army me! and defeated 4,000 Mexicans, commanded by the governor of the State, and occupying a strong position, defended by heavy artillery. On the following day, March 1st, they took posses sion of the important city of Chihuahua. 59. In the summer of 1846, Captain (afterwards - Colonel) Fremont, who, with a party of about 60 men, was exploring California by order of the President of the United States, became involved in hostilities with the Mexican governor of that province. With the aid of a few American settlers, Fremont defeated the Mexican forces, which were much superior in number; and, on learning that war existed between the United States and Mexico, he raised the American flag, and in conjunction with Commodore Stockton, who commanded the United States fleet in the Pacific, prosecuted the conquest of the country with such success, that, by the end of August, the whole of California was in possession of the Americans. 60. Soon after the conquest of the city of Mexico by General Scott, negotiations for peace began, which resulted in a treaty concluded on the 2d of February, 1848, at the city of Guadalupe Hidalgo, and ratified, with some modifications, by the American senate, on the 10th of the following March. 61. By the provisions of this treaty, Mexico ceded to the United States the provinces of New Mexico and Upper Cali fornia, and agreed to accept the Rio Grande as the boundary between her territories and Texas. The territory acquired from Mexico, by this treaty, including Texas, as well as New Mexico and California, amounts, according to the statement of President Polk, in his message to congress in December, 1848, to 851,598 square miles. 62. The United States, in return, stipulated to pay Mexico 15,000,000 of dollars, and to assume the debts due to citizens of the United States by the Mexican government, to the amount of 3,500,000 dollars. 63. Soon after the acquisition of California, important gold mines were discovered on the Sacramento, which have been found to extend over a large tract of country, and to exceed in richness any other gold mines known in any part of the world These mines have caused a sudden emigration to California of great numbers of persons, not only from the United States, but also from various foreign countries. The quantity of gold ob tained from the mines during the first year (1848), notwithstanding the insufficiency of means and the want of system and experience in operation, has been estimated to amount, in value, to upwards of $4,000,000. 64. Such have been the progress and such the issue of the Mexican war, a war presenting a series of remarkable vic tories, under the able management of Gen. Scott and Taylor, and other American officers, and terminating in a great acces. sion of territory to the United States. Still the important question may be asked, Can the war be justified on moral or religious principle? But however this question may be answered, it is to be hoped that a beneficent Providence will bring good out of evil, and cause, in the final result, an advancement of human freedom and human happiness, of good government and of true religion. 65. In 1849, Mr. Polk was succeeded by Zachary Taylor, most of whose life had been spent as an officer in the army, and who, in the Mexican war, had acquired a high reputation as a military commander. General Taylor was the whig candidate, and he received 163 electoral votes for president; and General Lewis Cass, the democratic candidate, received 127 Millard Fillmore, the whig candidate, received 163 votes for vice-president. votes. 66. President Taylor died suddenly at Washington, during the session of Congress, on the 9th of July, 1850, greatly la mented; and Millard Fillmore, in accordance with the pro vision of the Constitution, became President of the United States. 67. In the following September, soon after the accession of the new president, a series of important acts, which have been styled "compromise measures,' were passed by Congress, and approved by the president. These acts were the admission of California into the Union as a State, the establishment of the boundary of Texas, the organization of the territories of New Mexico and Utah, a law for the recovery of fugitive slaves, and a law for the suppression of the slave trade in the District of Columbia. 68. In 1853, Millard Fillmore was succeeded by Franklin Pierce. In 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Bill was passed repealing the Missouri Compromise, by which slavery was prohibited in the territories north of Lat. 56. 30 N. This repeal has caused great agitation on the subject of slavery. A. D. 1600 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF THE HISTORY OF THE U. STATES. 7 Virginia settled by the English. 14 New York 66 20 Massachusetts " 23 New Hampshire 24 New Jersey 27 Delaware 30 Maine Dutch. "English Puritans. 66 66 Swedes and Fins. "English. 66 34 Maryland 17th 35 Connecticut 1700 18th 1800 36 Rhode Island " Irish Catholics. "English Puritans. "English under Roger Williams. 43 Confederation of the Colonies of New England for mutual defence 50 North Carolina settled by the English. 64 New York surrendered by the Dutch to the English. 65 The Colonies of Connecticut and New Haven united. 70 South Carolina settled by the English. 82 Pennsylvania settled by English Quakers under William Penn. 89 GEORGE WASHINGTON, 1st President of the U. States. 97 JOHN ADAMS, 2d President of the United States. 98 Hostilities with France. 1 THOMAS JEFFERSON, 3d President of the United States. 2 Ohio admitted into the Union as a State. 3 Louisiana purchased of France by the United States. 7 General Embargo laid in all the ports of the U.S.; repealed 1809. 9 JAMES MADISON, 4th President of the United States. 11 Louisiana admitted into the Union as a State. 12 Declaration of War against England, June 18: ends Dec. 24, '14. 17 JAMES MONROE, 5th President of the United States. 25 JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, 6th President of the U. States. 28 The Tariff Law enacted, imposing protecting duties on imports 29 ANDREW JACKSON, 7th President of the United States 19th 32 South Carolina passes an act to nullify the laws of the U. S. 36 Michigan admitted into the Union as a State. 37 MARTIN VAN BUREN, 8th President of the U. States. 45 Florida admitted into the Union as a State. 45 Texas annexed, and admitted into the Union as a State. 45 JAMES K. POLK, 11th President of the United States. 46 Iowa admitted into the Union as a State. 48 New Mexico and California annexed to the United States. EVENTS OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 1765 The Stamp Act passed by the British Parliament. "Resolutions against the Stamp Act passed by the Assemblies of Virginia and Massachusetts. "First Colonial Congress, from nine Colonies, meets at New York. 66 The Stamp Act repealed by the British Parliament. 67 Act of Parliament imposing duties on tea, paper, glass, and paint ers' colors. 68 British troops arrive at Boston. 70 Affray between the British troops and the inhabitants of Boston three of the latter killed. 73 British tea thrown into the harbor at Boston. 74 The Boston Port Bill, shutting up the harbor, passed. "First Continental Congress meets at Philadelphia. 75 The REVOLUTIONARY WAR begins by a skirmish at Lexington. "Ticonderoga and Crown-Point taken by the Americans. Battle. 66 1. Bunker Hill, Victor. Loss. Defeated. 1,054 Prescott, Loss. 453 "Congress meets; George Washington chosen commander-in-chief. "Boston evacuated by the British, and Canada by the Americans. 76 Declaration of INDEPENDENCE; July 4. 66 Flatbush, or 2. Brooklyn, 400 Putnam & Sullivan, 2,000 3 or 400 86 3. White Plains, Howe, 3 or 400 Washington, "Fort Washington, on the Hudson, containing a garrison of upwards of 2,800 men, taken by the British. "Gen. Washington retreats through N. Jersey over the Delaware. Washington, 100 Mawhood, 66 4. Trenton, Washington, 9 | Rahl, 1,000 400 Stark, Howe,. 100 Baum & Breyman, 600 1,000 Howe, 600 Washington, 1,200 350 Burgoyne, Burgoyne surrenders to Gen. Gates, at Saratoga, with 5,752 men. "Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union between the Thir teen United States. 78 Treaty of Alliance between the United States and France. 80 Charleston, S. C., surrendered to Sir Henry Clinton. 211 Pigott, Treachery of Arnold in attempting to deliver up West Point. 66 13. Camden, | Cornwallis, 66 New London taken and burnt by Arnold. 400 260 300 730 800 400 1,000 "Cornwallis surrenders to Washington at Yorktown, with 7,073 men, the last important event of the Revolutionary War. 83 Treaty of Peace with England; the Independence of the United States acknowledged. Note. -The numbers 1 (Bunker Hill), 2, 3, &c., to 16 (Eutaw Springs), are prefixed to the places where the principal battles were fought, with the names of the victorious commanders, with their loss in killed and wounded, as stated by the best authorities, placed on the left of the defeated commanders. But the exact amount of loss, in many instances, was never ascertained. The two events most important to the American cause were the surrenders at Saratoga and Yorktown. A. D. 1600 17th 1700 18th 1800 13th CHRONOLOGY OF IMPROVEMENTS AND EVENTS indicating the Progress of Society. 16| Tobacco first cultivated by the English in Virginia. 39 First Printing Press in the Colonies, at Cambridge, Mass. 61 Eliot's Indian Testament (Bible in 1664) printed at Cambridge.! Poption of the Colonies about 260,000. Yale College, the third in the Colonies, founded. 4 Boston News Letter, the first American Newspaper, published. 10 First Post-Office in America, at New York. 19 First Philadelphia Newspaper published. 20 Tea begins to be used in New England. 25 First New York Newspaper published. 33 First Lodge of Freemasons in America, at Boston. 46 College of New Jersey founded. 49 White Population of the Colonies 1,046,000. 64 First Medical School in the Colonies, at Philadelphia. 69 American Philosophical Society instituted at Philadelphia. 75 Population of the Colonies about 2,600,000. 75 The number of Newspapers in the Colonies 37. 80 American Academy of Arts and Sciences instituted at Boston. 84 Bishop Seabury, first Bishop in the United States, consecrated, 90 Bishop Carroll, first Catholic Bishop in the U. S., consecrated. 94 The Cotton-Gin invented by E. Whitney. Cotton soon after- 96 First Turnpike corporation in Massachusetts established 4 Middlesex Canal, the first large canal, completed. 7 Steamboats first used on the Hudson. 8 Andover Theological Seminary, first of the kind in the U. States. 15 The American Education Society instituted. 16 The American Bible Society instituted. 25 The Erie Canal completed. 26 The American Temperance Society instituted. 32 The Ohio Canal completed. 34 The Columbia Railroad; and in 1835, the Boston and Lowell, Boston and Providence, Boston and Worcester, and Chesapeake and Ohio Railroads, opened. - Many other important railroads were soon afterwards completed. 39 Number of Newspapers and other Periodicals in U S. 1.555. 461 The Electric Telegraph first used for conveying intelligence. |