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1836.

Early in this year the Indians laid waste the whole country, burning the
buildings and killing all who had not taken refuge in the forts.

Jan. 20-A treaty of friendship and commerce concluded with the republic
of Venezuela, South America.

Feb. The U. S. Bank was chartered by the Legislature of Pa.

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11-Gen. Gaines lands an army at Tampa Bay. He is surrounded by
the Indians on his march toward Fort King. He repulsed them,
but his army is nearly starved. While the army is held here the
tribe remove their families and effects into the impenetrable
swamps of the interior.

Mar. 2-The Texans proclaim their independence.

Apr. 26-Wisconsin receives a territorial government.

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21-Battle of San Jacinto. Santa Anna taken prisoner.

June 15-Michigan erected into a State, conditionally.

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"-Arkansas admitted into the Union.

23-A surplus revenue having accumulated it is loaned to the States.
28-James Madison, the ex-President, dies, aged 86.

July 4-Office of Commissioner of Patents created.

Sept. 15-Aaron Burr, an able but dishonest and disloyal statesman, for

merly Vice-President, dies, aged 81.

The Creek Indians commenced hostilities in May of this year, in
their usual fierce and barbarous manner. Gen. Scott and the State
authorities of Geo. subdue them early in the summer.

In the presidential election this fall Martin Van Buren was elected.
Dec. 15-The General Post Office and Patent Office, with many records
and articles of value, are destroyed by fire.

1837.

Jan. 16-The U. S. Senate repealed and expunged its resolution of March
24th, 1834, censuring President Jackson, as having exceeded his
Constitutional powers when he ordered the public funds to be
withdrawn from the U. S. Bank.

Mar. 4-Van Buren inaugurated President.

Speculation having been carried to an extreme length for some
time, and somewhat arrested by the "specie circular” requiring
payments for public lands to be made in coin, a revulsion, produc-
ing great distress, and suspension of payments by the banks,
occurred this spring.

May 3-The merchants of New York present a memorial to the President
urging him to remit the regulations of the "specie circular."
The President declines, but calls an extra session of Congress.
Aug. 4-Texas proposes annexation to the U. S. The President declines
to entertain the proposition.

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13-The banks resume specie payments.

Sept. 4-Congress assembled in extra session. A portion of the surplus

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revenue, which, by law of June 23d, 1836, was to be loaned to the States, is reclaimed to meet the current expenses of the govern

ment.

29-A treaty made with the Sioux Indians for the purchase of their lands, 5,000,000 acres, for $1,000,000.

Oct. 1-The Winnebagoes sell their lands for $1,500,000.

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12-Congress authorizes the issue of $10,000,000 in Treasury notes.
21-Osceola, the Seminole chief, with 70 of his warriors, visits the
camp of Gen. Jessup. They are detained, and Osceola was impris
oned in Ft. Moultrie, S. C., where, in a few months, he died.

Dec. 25-The battle of Okee-cho-bee fought with the Seminoles in the swamps of Florida, by Col. Zachary Taylor. The Indians are defeated.

The Magnetic Telegraph was patented in this year.

1838.

Jan. 5-The President issues a proclamation enjoining neutrality on Amer. ican citizens, during the "Patriot war," or insurrection in Canada. June 12-Iowa receives a Territorial government.

Aug. 19-An Arctic exploring expedition, with six vessels, sails from Hampton Roads, Va.

The Cherokee Indians completed their emigration to the Indian
Territory this year.

1839.

Gen. Macomb makes a treaty early in this year with the Seminoles, which they very imperfectly kept.

A difficulty with England in regard to our northeast boundary narrowly avoids war, but is, at length, peaceably adjusted.

Dec. 2--Congress assembles.

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4-A Whig Convention prepares for the contest of the coming year by the nomination of Wm. H. Harrison for the Presidency. Great discontent was felt with the financial policy of Van Buren's administration, and lively interest taken in the coming election, which made the campaign the most stirring and the noisiest ever experienced in this country.

1840.

May 5-The Democrats renominate Van Buren for the Presidency.
This year was chiefly memorable for the "Log Cabin and Hard
Cider" election gatherings, and the extreme interest of the people
in the elections, on financial grounds.

June 30-Congress passes the sub-treasury bill recommended by President
Van Buren, in 1837, but then rejected.

Nov.-W. H. Harrison elected President, and John Tyler Vice-President.

1841.

Jan. 14-Imprisonment for debts due the U. S. abolished.

Mar. 4-Harrison inaugurated ninth President.

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11-The steamer President sails from New York but is never again heard of. She had 109 passengers.

"17-The President calls an extra session of Congress to consider finan

cial questions.

Apr. 4-President Harrison died and John Tyler became acting President. May 31-Congress convenes.

June 25-Gen. Macomb died.

July 6-The proceeds of the public lands ordered to be distributed to the

States.

"21-Congress orders a loan of $12,000,000.

Aug. 9-The Sub Treasury act repealed.

"16-President Tyler vetoes the National Bank bill.

"18-A general bankrupt law passed.

Sept. 9-A Second Banking Bill vetoed. This was the fourteenth time the veto power had been used; by Washington twice, Madison four times, Monroe once, Jackson five times.

Oct. 11-Failure of U. S. Bank under the Pennsylvania charter.

1842.

June 25-The new Ratio of Representation, based on the census of 1840, gives one Member of Congress for every 70,600 inhabitants.

July 23-Bunker Hill Monument finished and dedicated. The corner stone was laid by Lafayette 17 years before.

Aug. 20-The Ashburton treaty with England, settling the N. E. Boundary, ratified by the U. S. Senate.

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28-The U. S. fiscal year ordered to commence with July 1st.

Oct. 2-The U. S. sloop of war Concord wrecked on the African coast.

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14-The Ashburton-Webster treaty ratified in England.

1843.

Mar. 3-Congress appropriates $30,000 for building Morse's electric telegraph from Washington to Baltimore. It was the beginning of that magnificent enterprise.

Com. Porter, minister to Turkey, dies in Constantinople.

Apr. 18-Commences "Dorr's rebellion" in Rhode Island.

Aug. 26-The U. S. frigate Missouri burned, at Gibraltar, Spain.

1844.

Feb. 28-A large cannon on board the war steamer Princeton, bursts while the President and others are visiting the vessel, killing Messrs. Upshur and Gilmer, secretaries of war and navy, and others. May 6-The "Know-nothing" or American excitement produces a serious riot in Philadelphia.

July 7-Jo. Smith, the originator of the Mormons, killed at Carthage, Ill. Nov. The Democratic party elected James K. Polk for President. The chief question entering into the election was on the annexation of Texas. It had been sought for some years but had been declined as certain to bring on a war with Mexico, which, as a

sister republic, and much weaker than ourselves, had been considered to be an unworthy act. The Whigs, with Henry Clay as their candidate for President, opposed it. It was carried, in great part as a pro-slavery measure, although the bitter and barbarous conduct of the Mexicans toward Texans and American citizens had something to do with it.

1845.

Jan. 16-A treaty made with China, ratified by the U. S. Senate.

23-An act of Congress orders presidential elections to be held in all the States on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Feb. 28-Congress annexes Texas to the Union, by a joint resolution of both Houses.

Mar. 3-Florida admitted into the Union.

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4-Mr. Polk inaugurated the tenth President.

June 18-Andrew Jackson died.

The Congress of Texas accepted the conditions of the U. S. and it became a State in the American Union.

July 30-Gen. Taylor ordered to the frontier of Texas.

Sept. 10-Judge Joseph Story, of the U. S. Supreme Court, died, aged 66. Dec. 15-A misunderstanding had long existed between the U. S. and Eng. land as to the northern boundary of Oregon. Much excitement is now produced by a speech and resolution of Mr. Cass, which seemed the prelude to war with Great Britain.

1846.

June 18-A treaty was negotiated by Mr. Packenham and Mr. Buchanan settling the northwest boundary satisfactorily.

CHAPTER XXII.

THE MEXICAN WAR.

Texas was a nearly uninhabited part of Mexico, lying between Louisiana and the Rio Grande river. It was a fertile region, with a fine climate. The Spanish possessors of Mexico, in the bigoted and bitter spirit that was traditional with the Spaniards toward protestants, and deeply hostile in feeling from the rather high-handed and vigorous proceedings of Gen. Jackson before and after the cession of Florida, did not encourage the settlement of Texas; preferring to be separated by a wilderness from the United States. In 1821 the Mexicans finally threw off the Spanish yoke and established an independent government.

About this time the Americans, and especially those of the South, foreseeing the probable spread of the northern part of the Republic to the Pacific, began to look with covetous eyes on the fine Savannas of Texas, as

an excellent field for land speculations, and also for extending the Southern area, so as to keep its balance in the number of slave States equal to the free States of the North, as they had been provided for by the Missouri Compromise. It was believed to be the plan of Mr. Calhoun, an able and far-seeing statesman, thoroughly in earnest in the maintenance of slavery, and the political equality of the slave with the free States. A settle. ment was made by people from the United States. In a few years they grew to be numerous, and came in conflict with the rigid Spanish Catholic laws, still maintained by the Mexicans. The United States government made advances toward purchasing Texas, but the Mexicans were resolute in their purpose to hold it, and bring its people under the dominion of strict Mexican law. The Americans resisted this with the settled determination of ultimate separation from Mexico, and probable annexation to the United States.

The Mexicans undertook to reduce them to submission. The Texans, supported by bold and fearless adventurers from the Southern States, resisted. The war commenced Oct. 2d, 1835, by a battle at Gonzalez, followed by various others. March 2d, 1836, the Texans formally declared Independence, which they maintained by force of arms. March 3d, 1837,

the United States government recognized the Independence of Texas. England did the same in 1842. Propositions of annexation had been made to Presidents Jackson, Van Buren, and Tyler, successively, by the Texas government, but as often rejected by them as tending necessarily to a war with Mexico; that power having distinctly and repeatedly declared that she should regard such a step as a declaration of war.

The Democratic party regaining the ascendency in the election of 1844, made this annexation the issue of the presidential campaign. A majority of the people were in favor it.

The Southern view, however, was not alone in its influence on this decision. Indignities and injuries had been inflicted by the Mexicans on American citizens in that country; its haughty, exclusive, and unfriendly spirit awakened strong indignation; and the Pacific coast of California, with the mining regions of the northern interior of Mexico, both nearly uninhabited, were objects of desire to the American people. Thus a wish to extend the bounds of the Republic, and to chastise an insolent neighbor, combined with the ardent wishes of the pro-slavery interest, to lead the nation to determine on a war, somewhat ungenerously, with a neighbor notoriously too weak and disorganized for effectual resistance to the whole strength of the United States. The whole plan, as afterward carried out, was arranged in the cabinet at Washington almost before hostilities had actually commenced. 1846.

Mar. 28-Gen. Taylor takes position with a small army at the mouth of the Rio Grande opposite Matamoras. This the Mexican government regard as a declaration of war, for which they had prepared and were waiting.

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