10. William Walker
William Walker was an American thinker and adventurer. His desires to create private colonies has been described as filibustering…
9. Levi Strauss & Co.
in 1853, Levi Strauss started a clothing company that would gain worldwide popularity for using denim and rivet bolts for workpants and coveralls…
8. The Kansas-Nebraska Act
In 1854, Senator Stephen Douglas introduced a bill that became known as the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The bill had a significant impact on the US…
7. Gadsden Purchase
The Gadsden Purchase was named for James Gadsden, US Ambassador to Mexico, who signed the land purchase on behalf of the United States…
6. Commodore Mathew Perry
Commodore Matthew Perry was a naval commander during the Mexican American War, the War of 1812, and other conflicts…
5. Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was an escaped slave, social reformer, orator, author, and more. He has been credited with strengthening the abolitionist movement…
4. Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe was an author and abolitionist from Connecticut. Her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852) had a tremendous impact on the US…
3. Moby Dick
Moby Dick was written by Herman Melville in 1851. Although the book initially was not very popular, during the 20th century it gained notoriety…
2. The New York Times
In September of 1851, the New York Times was first published under the name the New-York Daily Times….
1. The Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 included five separate bills meant to defuse tensions between states that permitted slavery and those that disallowed it…