| 1776-1783 | War of American Independence |
| 1787-1790 | First circumnavigation of the globe by an American (commercial) ship |
| 1789 | U.S. State Department and U.S. War Department established by federal government |
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1794 | U.S. Navy established by federal government |
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1794 | First international treaty by federal government, with Britain |
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1798 | U.S. Marines established by federal government |
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1798-1800 | “Quasi-War” against France |
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1801 | U.S. Navy established Mediterranean Squadron |
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1801-1805 | “First Barbary War” against Libya |
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1802 | Federal government established U.S. Military Academy, at West Point NY |
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1804-1806 | U.S. Army sent “Lewis and Clark Expedition” from St. Louis to Pacific Northwest |
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1806-1807 | U.S. Army sent “Pike Expedition” from St. Louis to American Southwest |
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1807 | Federal government established U.S. “Survey of the Coast” as its first scientific agency |
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1810 | American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions organized, in Boston |
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1812-1815 | “War of 1812” against Britain |
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1812-1813 | U.S.S. Essex was first American warship to enter Pacific Ocean |
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1813 | U.S. Navy established New Orleans Squadron |
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1815 | “Second Barbary War” against Algeria and Libya |
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1819 | U.S. Navy established Africa Squadron |
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1820 | First American navy agents stationed abroad, in London and Gibraltar |
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1821 | U.S. Navy established Pacific Squadron |
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1822 | U.S. Navy established West Indies Squadron |
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1824 | First international treaty with South American nation, with Colombia |
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1826 | Simon Bolivar organized Congress of Panama to coordinate Latin American policy vis-à-vis Spain; United States reluctantly sent delegates, too late |
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1826 | U.S. Navy established Brazil Squadron |
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1826 | First international agreement with Pacific nation, with Tahiti |
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1833 | First international treaty with Asian nation, with Siam (Thailand) |
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1835 | U.S. Navy established East India Squadron |
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1838-1842 | United States Exploring Expedition, throughout Pacific Ocean |
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1839 | American Statistical Association organized, in Boston |
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1844 | First American naval storekeepers stationed abroad, in Minorca (Spain) and Brazil |
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1845 | Federal government established U.S. Naval Academy, at Annapolis MD |
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1846 | Federal government established Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC |
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1846-1848 | “Mexican-American War” against Mexico |
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1847-1848 | U.S. Navy sent exploring expedition to “Holy Land” |
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1848-1855 | Federal government established United States - Mexico Boundary Survey |
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1849-1852 | U.S. Navy sent exploring expedition to Chile |
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1850-1851 | First privately funded American exploring expedition sent to Arctic |
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1851 | United States participated in the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations (first world’s fair), in London |
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1851 | American Geographical and Statistical Society organized, in New York City |
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1851-1852 | U.S. Navy sent exploring expedition to Amazon River Valley (Brazil) |
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1852-1855 | U.S. Navy sent diplomatic expedition to Japan |
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1853 | United States initiated International Maritime Conference for Devising an Uniform System of Meteorological Observations at Sea, held in Brussels, Belgium |
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1853-1855 | U.S. Navy sent exploring expedition to Rio de la Plata (Argentina) |
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1853-1855 | U.S. Navy sent exploring expedition to North Pacific |
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1853-1855 | Second privately funded American exploring expedition sent to Arctic |
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1854 | First international agreement with African nation, with Lagos (Nigeria) |
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1855 | Completion of transcontinental railroad across Panama |
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1856 | U.S. Congress passed Guano Islands Act, asserting right to claim unoccupied islands |
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1856 | United States claimed Baker Island and Jarvis Island, in Pacific Ocean |
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1858 | United States claimed Howland Island, in Pacific Ocean |
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1858 | United States claimed Navassa Island, off Haiti |
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1858 | Completion of transatlantic telegraph cable, between Ireland and Newfoundland |
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1859 | United States claimed Johnston Atoll, in Pacific Ocean |
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1860 | United States claimed Kingman Reef, in Pacific Ocean |
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1861 | Completion of transcontinental telegraph across United States |
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1861-1865 | American Civil War |
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1869 | Completion of transcontinental railroad across United States |
