US History From the Civil War Buildup to the 20th Century: 1851 - 1900
Dakota Delegation to Washington as MN Becomes a State: 1858
New US States Formed from 1851 -1900
- Minnesota became a US State in 1858. Additional territories followed in statehood --
- Oregon 1859
- Kansas 1861
- West Virginia 1863
- Nevada 1864
- Nebraska 1867; USA purchased the Alaskan Territory this year.
- Colorado 1876
- North Dakota 1889
- South Dakota 1889
- Montana 1889
- Washington 1889
- Idaho 1890
- Wyoming 1890
- Utah 1896.
Over a dozen states were accepted into the Union of America during this time period, leaving only 5 states to go in the 20th century. No additional states have been added to the USA since 1959.
Carson City, Nevada at Statehood
Constitutional Ammendments
Only three Constitutional Amendments were added to the US Constitution between 1851 - 1900.
- Amendment XIII, 1865 - Abolished slavery and involuntary servitude. Some states did not ratify it until the 21st century and some people were slaves into the 20th century - in 1947.
- Amendment XIV, 1866 - In sort, this amendment was to ensure protection of the Civil rights Act of 1866.
- Amendment XV, 1869 - Granted the right to vote to African American men.
Only three Constitutional Amendments were added to the US Constitution between 1851 - 1900.
NV Steamboat Silver Mining Co.
US Presidents 1851 - 1900
- Millard Fillmore 1850-1853
Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote the anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin during Fillmore's administration.
- Franklin Pierce 1853-1857
In 1854, Kansas and Nebraska were named US Territories.
- James Buchanan 1857-1861
In 1857 the Dred Scott case of the Supreme Court found in favor of slave holders and found that slaves were not citizens. These findings were nullified by the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution.
The South broke away from the North to form its own nation in December 1860, about seven weeks after Lincoln was elected President.
The 13th Amendment legally ended slavery in 1865, strangling the economy of the Confederacy that was already practically disabled. The Civil War had begun earlier and extended from 1861 through 1865.
The Homestead Act of 1863 allowed settlers in the West to claim lands for their own after living on them for five years. This actually ran some Native Americans off their own lands and became part of the larger Indian Removals within US borders.
More on the American Civil War Under Lincoln
- Honoring Chinese Soldiers Who Fought In the Civil War
Forgetting history results in Movements such as one that now maintains that the Holocaust of WWII ever occurred. Between the American Civil War of 1861 - 1865 and 2012, portions of the history of the events and aftermath of the war were lost and late - Foods and Recipes Enjoyed By Farmers, the Troops and...
Battle of Mission Ridge, TN. In which great grandfather H. McCaskey Inglish fought and survived. HubPages Question: What are some Civil War recipes? -- Asked by melbel. We know that with supply lines cut off during the last part of the...
In 1867, USA bought the Alaska Territory from Russia.
The Mascot Saloon
- Andrew Johnson 1865-1869
In 1867, USA bought the Alaska Territory from Russia. Many Native Americans and First Nations peoples had lived there for centuries, having migrated from Northern Siberia and Northern Asian countries, evidenced by DNA markers. Later, Russians arrived and settled.
In 1868, the 14th Amendment was accepted to define US Citizenship.
- US Grant 1869-1877
In 1869, a railroad line stretched from coast to coast for the first time.
The 15th Amendment in 1870 was adopted to give and grant African American men the right to vote. Women were still not allowed to vote.
- Rutherford B. Hayes 1877-1881
- James A. Garfield 1881 (died soon after election)
- Chester Arthur 1881-1885
In 1882, the USA adopted Standard Time. See: Daylight Saving Time.
- Grover Cleveland 1885-1889
The Statue of Liberty, a gift from France, was dedicated in New York City in 1886.
- Benjamin Harrison 1889-1893
In 1890, women began demanding the right to vote in earnest. An insightful film about this movement is Iron Jawed Angels.
Princess of the Night Rides
The Sandwich Islands (Hawaii)
- Grover Cleveland 1893-1897
In 1896, the US Supreme Court found that racial segregation is constitutional.
In 1895, the Baron of Arizona landed in jail for fraud.
- William McKinley 1897-1901
For 8 months in 1898, the Spanish-America War was fought over Cuba. Cuba became independent and USA took, as protectorates, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. We paid 20,000,000 Dollars for the Philippines.
In 1898, USA took the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) as a territory.
In 1899, USA took American Samoa under a treaty with UK and Germany.
Additional Relevant American History
- American History You Never Knew - New Spain: The First and the Last
Spain once claimed land all the way from Mexico to Western Canada and Alaska, and what became the State of Arizona once had an American Baron in the late 1800s - "The Baron Of Arizona." - US History in The 20th Century: 1901 - 1920
This photo is of the Wright Flyer, 1903. The early 20th Century in America is uniquely interesting to me, because of the abundance of its new inventions and the role of my ancestors in advancing the nation to this point in history... - Teapot Dome: A Scandal Full of Big Oil In the 1920s
Big Oil seemingly has been at the foundation of several scandals in the history of the United States. This is one of the first of them.
© 2008 Patty Inglish MS