1820 |
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The United States government declares that any American involved in the importation of Africans for enslavement will receive the death penalty. |
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Henry Schoolcraft begins his research into the history and culture of Native Americans in the Lake Superior region. |
1821 |
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The American colony of Liberia is established on the west coast of Africa, and is settled by 130 African Americans. |
1822 |
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Denmark Vesey, a free African American living in Charleston, South Carolina, plans a rebellion against enslavement, but is discovered. |
1823 |
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The United States adopts a policy, known as the Monroe Doctrine, discouraging further colonization of either North or South America by European countries. |
1824 |
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Congress authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers to survey potential road and canal routes for the growing American nation. |
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American Revolutionary War hero, the Marquis de Lafayette, is welcomed with enthusiasm during a return visit to the United States from his native France. |
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In Troy, New York, educator Emma Willard opens the first women's school with college-level courses. |
1825 |
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The 350 mile long Erie Canal, the most important passenger and freight route from the East to the Midwest, is completed. |
1826 |
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Painters like Thomas Cole capture the natural beauty of the Hudson River Valley on canvas, founding a distinctly American style of landscape painting. |
1827 |
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John Russwurm and Samuel Cornish of New York City publish the first African-American newspaper, Freedom's Journal. |
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Artist and ornithologist John James Audubon publishes the first of his drawings of the hundreds of colorful birds of North America. |
1828 |
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Noah Webster completes his monumental American Dictionary of the English Language, after working on it for 20 years. |
1829 |
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The railroad age begins as the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad carries its first passengers in a horse-drawn excursion train. |