Manifest Destiny

On
Date Event
House of Representatives passes resolution to end joint occupation of Oregon Territory
First newspaper on the Pacific Coast published
The first railroad west of the Mississippi makes its inaugural run
William Walker and 45 followers invade Baja California, in northwestern Mexico
Commodore Perry dies at his home in New York City
The first overland mail for California leaves St. Louis for San Francisco
The first overland mail from California arrives in St. Louis, twenty-five days out from San Francisco
The city of Denver is founded in Colorado and named for the territorial governor
Congress approves a reservation for the Pima and Miricopa tribes near the Gila River in New Mexico Territory
Horace Greeley sets off from New York on his tour of the West
Prospector makes the richest gold discovery yet in Colorado
Horace Greeley arrives in Kansas on his tour of the West
Horace Greeley arrives in Denver on his tour of the West
Large silver deposits are found in Six Mile Canyon near Virginia City in Nevada
The U.S. Post Office reports another record deficit for the year ending June 30, 1859
Nevada settlers elect a slate of delegates to frame a territorial constitution
The sternwheeler "Chippewa" reaches to within twelve miles of Fort Benton on the Upper Missouri
- Nevada delegates meet to frame a constitution for their unorganized territory
Horace Greeley arrives in Sacramento on his tour of the West
Nevada voters confirm the constitution for their unorganized territory by referendum
Horace Greeley arrives home in New York City after his tour of the West
The Legislature of the unorganized territory of Nevada meets for the first and last time in Genoa
House of Representatives passes the Homestead Bill
The eastward and westward riders of the first run of the Pony Express cross paths somewhere in Utah
The first east to west run of the Pony Express arrives at Carson City, Nevada
J. W. Richardson rides into St. Joseph, Missouri ending the first west to east run of the Pony Express
In Nevada, the Paiute War begins with the wiping out of the Pony Express stop at Williams Station
The U.S. Senate passes its version of the Homestead Bill
In Nevada, Paiute Indians wipe out a poorly organized white militia at the Battle of Big Bend
The Homestead Bill of 1860 passes both houses and is sent to the President for signature
President Buchanan vetoes the Homestead Bill of 1860
The sternwheeler "Chippewa" reaches Fort Benton on the Upper Missouri
In Texas, Oliver Loving sets out on the first cattle drive into the Colorado Territory
Telegraph lines continue to cross the Nebraska Territory with the opening of the Omaha office
- In Idaho, an emigrant wagon train attacked and scattered by Indians
Golden become the capital of the unsanctioned "Territory of Jefferson"
President Buchanan signs the Colorado Territory into existence
President Buchanan signs the Nevada Territory into existence
President Lincoln signs the Homestead Act
The Homestead Act comes into effect
Congress authorizes the formation of the Idaho Territory
- In Montana, Crow Indians attack the fifteen men of John Stuart's Big Horn Expedition killing several
In Idaho, the future territorial and state capital city of Boise is founded
In Nebraska, the Union Pacific Railroad construction begins on the western side of the Missouri
In Montana, four prospectors find significant gold deposits in what they call "Last Chance Gulch"
The 1866 shipment of "Mercer Girls" departs New York City for Washington Territory
In Nebraska Territory, John Taffe is elected to become the first U.S. Representative from the new state.
The U.S. Congress authorizes an Indian Peace Commission to negotiate with hostile Plains Indian tribes.
The Indian Peace Commission, newly appointed to negotiate with hostile Plains Indian tribes, organizes in St. Louis, Missouri.
The Indian Peace Commission meets with Sioux tribal leaders near Fort Thompson in South Dakota.
Chicago Style Entry Link
Brack, Gene M. Mexico Views Manifest Destiny, 1821-1846: An Essay on the Origins of the Mexican War. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1975. View Record
Brown, Charles Harvey. Agents of Manifest Destiny: The Lives and Times of the Filibusters. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1980. View Record
Carter, Alden R. The Mexican War: Manifest Destiny. A First Book. New York: F. Watts, 1992. View Record
Frahm, Sally. "The Cross and the Compass: Manifest Destiny, Religious Aspects of the Mexican-American War." Journal of Popular Culture 35, no. 2 (2001): 83-99. View Record
Freehling, William W. The Road to Disunion. Vol. 1, Secessionists at Bay, 1776-1854. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990. View Record
May, Robert E. "Antebellum Americans 'Meet' their Southern Neighbors." Reviews in American History 8, no. 3 (1980): 360-365. View Record
May, Robert E. "Young American Males and Filibustering in the Age of Manifest Destiny: The United States Army as a Cultural Mirror." Journal of American History 78, no. 3 (1991): 857-886. View Record
May, Robert E. Manifest Destiny's Underworld: Filibustering in Antebellum America. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2002. View Record
McCaffrey, James M. Army of Manifest Destiny: The American Soldier in the Mexican War, 1846-1848. New York: New York University Press, 1992. View Record
Miller, Robert J. Native America, Discovered and Conquered: Thomas Jefferson, Lewis & Clark, and Manifest Destiny. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2008. View Record
Morrison, Michael A. Slavery and the American West: The Eclipse of Manifest Destiny and the Coming of the Civil War. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1997. View Record
O'Sullivan, John Louis. "Annexation." United States Democratic Review 17, no. 85-86 (1845): 5-10. View Record
O'Sullivan, John Louis. "The Great Nation of Futurity." United States Democratic Review 6, no. 23 (1839): 426-430. View Record
Ruiz, Ramón Eduardo. The Mexican War--Was it Manifest Destiny?  American Problem Studies. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1963. View Record
Swan, Jon. "William Walker's Manifest Destiny." MHQ: Quarterly Journal of Military History 13, no. 4 (2001): 38-47. View Record
Taylor, John M. "Sailing the Seas of Manifest Destiny." MHQ 16, no. 2 (Winter 2004): 14-20. View Record
How to Cite This Page: "Manifest Destiny," House Divided: The Civil War Research Engine at Dickinson College, https://hd.housedivided.dickinson.edu/index.php/node/9578.