Jackson had more electoral votes than his three opponents, but since he did not have the majority (50%) of the electoral votes, his fate was in the hands of the House of Representatives. There, the defeated Henry Clay used his position as Speaker of the House to rally support to Adams rather than Jackson. Adams then appointed Clay as his Secretary of State. Jackson's supporters denounced this as a "corrupt bargain."

In 1928 9.5% of Americans cast votes compared with 3.4% in 1824. As states began removing land-ownership requirements there was greater socioeconomic balance in the election process. By expanding voting rights, the lower classes were given a voice in the direction of the country for the first time. However, voting was still limited to white males.

Jackson reportedly said, “John Marshall has made his decision, now let him enforce it!” The Indian Removal Act led to the Trail of Tears which saw tens of thousands of Native Americans sign away the rights to their lands and embark on a treacherous and deadly migration westward.

Jackson’s dismantling of the National Bank was largely a political move to appeal to a lower-income population that felt the Bank unfairly favored the wealthy. The move ended up being a major contributing factor to the Panic of 1837 where Jackson’s successor, Martin Van Buren, was left to pick up the pieces of the crumbling American economy.

Congress authorized the use of military force, but also compromised by passing a gradual reduction of the disputed tariff. Once these bills were passed, South Carolina rescinded its nullification ordinance. Jackson’s solution to the nullification crisis was risky, but ultimately successful. Jackson noted that, "the tariff was only the pretext, and disunion and southern confederacy the real object. The next pretext will be the ... slavery question."

By making the nomination party a national event rather than a small meeting, there was an increase in both participation and transparency in the presidential nominating process.

America’s westward expansion saw a boom thanks to decades of infrastructure improvements and mass emigrations spurned by the promises of fertile land and a fresh start. The phrase “Manifest Destiny” embodied the idea that the land between the Atlantic and Pacific was ripe for the taking, and that neither Native Americans nor European nations had any right or ability to prevent America’s inevitable expansion.

Britain and America spent nearly three decades arguing over the northern border of Oregon. A compromise was reached in 1846, when the 49th parallel was set as the official border between the two nations’ claims.

The legend of the Alamo was built largely upon the heroism of Texans like Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and William Travis, who were able to defend the Alamo mission with inferior numbers and limited supplies for twelve days. While the Alamo ultimately fell to Santa Anna’s forces, it gave Texan leaders time to create a constitution for the new Republic of Texas and formally declare independence from Mexico.

Prior to serving as President of the Republic of Texas, Houston had fought under Andrew Jackson in the military’s efforts against the Creek Indians. Houston’s political track record included two terms in the United States House of Representatives and a governorship in Tennessee. After Texas became a state he served as a US Senator and later as the Governor of Texas.

Northern states feared that annexing Texas would mean yet another slave state would be joining the Union. Presidents Jackson and Van Buren both avoided the annexation of Texas because of fears that the slavery issue was too divisive. President John Tyler was for the annexation of Texas, but was unable to get enough support from Congress for the very same reason.

President Polk instigated the Mexican-American War in 1846 by sending troops into “disputed” territory (which almost certainly belonged to Mexico). By the end of the war, Polk had succeeded in his aims to acquire the California and New Mexico territories as well as capture Mexico City.

The California Gold Rush attracted people from all walks of life to try their hand at mining the California mountains and rivers. The Gold Rush even attracted immigrants from other continents. As a result, California’s population boomed by upwards of 10,000% in the span of a decade.

While over 750,000 pounds of gold were mined in the California Gold Rush, most of the novice miners who arrived went broke in their pursuit of the precious metal.

Over 12,000 Mormons migrated to the Utah Territory in 1846 under the leadership of Brigham Young. After being ousted from several states for their unique brand of Christianity, the Mormons were eager to carve out their own portion of the American West where they could practice their beliefs without fear of harassment. The Mormon settlers created a fully functioning society that included successful agriculture and industries.

Railroads marked a major turning point in American transportation and trade. By 1860, areas of the country that had formerly been cut off due to difficult and time-consuming travel were now part of a reliable network of railways. Areas like the Midwest saw huge growth in both population and economic activity tanks to the railroad.

The steel-tippled plow and mechanical reaper were two of the major innovations that helped bolster the American agriculture economy. With the advent of the railroad and the new American canal systems, farmers in the Midwest could now use these new tools to produce large quantities of wheat and grain for sale to markets on the coasts and even Europe.

As America continued to expand its borders, communication had become increasingly challenging. Morse’s telegraph would lead to the creation of a vast communication network between America’s cities and towns.

The Wilmot Proviso never made it through the United States Senate and thus never became law; however, the fact that the issue had been broached at all was concerning to Southern states that were already worried that the North would soon seek to ban slavery nationwide.

The Compromise of 1850 was designed to keep a lid on the ever-rising tension between the North and South over the issue of slavery. The compromise would help expedite California’s statehood, but it did little to mend the growing divide between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery ideologies.