LATEST: Battle of Königgrätz Battle of Langensalza Napoleonic Kingdom of Spain • Battle of Barbalissos

North America 1859: Raid on Harpers Ferry

View full map and options for mobile…

Political map of North America & the Caribbean on 18 Oct 1859 (Manifest Destiny: Raid on Harpers Ferry), showing the following events: French annexation of Clipperton Island; Oregon becomes US state; First Siege of Veracruz; Wyke-Aycinena Treaty; Pig War; Kansas votes to become a free state; Raid on Harpers Ferry.

U n i t e d

S t a t e s o f

A m e r i c a

C a n a d a(Br.)

R u p e r t ' s L a n d(Br./HBC)

Conservative

Mexico

The
Bahamas(Br.)

Newfoundland(Br.)

Grenadine
Confederation

Leeward Islands(Br.)

Windward
Islands(Br.)

British
Columbia(Br.)

Nova Scotia(Br.)

British
Guiana(Br.)

Puerto
Rico(Sp.)

Kansas Terr.(US terr.)

Nebraska Terr.(US terr.)

Mosquito
Kingdom(Br. prot.)

Lakota
Sioux,
Cheyenne

Kiowa,
Comanche

Iron Confederacy

Great
Basin
peoples

Washington
Territory(US terr.)

Utah Terr.(US terr.)

New Mexico
Territory(US terr.)

Clipperton(Fr. claim)

St P. & M.(Fr.)

Nov 1858French annex
Clipperton I.

14 Feb 1859Oregon becomes
US state

16 Feb–31 Mar 1859Conservative siege
of Veracruz fails

Apr 1859Anglo-Guatemalan
Treaty over Belize

Jun–Oct 1859Pig War:
US & Britain dispute
San Juan Is.

4 Oct 1859Kansas votes
to become a
Free State

16–18 Oct 1859John Brown raids
Harpers Ferry

18 October 1859

(more) (less…

1427

1441

1486

12 Oct 1492

26 Dec 1492

6 Jan 1494

4 Aug 1496

24 Jun 1497

23 Aug 1500

7 Jan 1503

8 Aug 1508

15 Aug 1511

29 Sep 1513

4 Mar 1517

22 Apr 1519

8 Nov 1519

22 May 1520

13 Aug 1521

25 Jul 1523

12 Oct 1832

28 Dec 1835

21 Apr 1836

5 Dec 1837

26 Oct 1838

26 Jan 1840

8 Aug 1840

15 Sep 1842

2 Oct 1843

29 Dec 1845

13 May 1846

15 Jun 1846

18 Aug 1846

19 Nov 1846

9 Mar 1847

14 Sep 1847

2 Feb 1848

11 Feb 1849

9 Sep 1850

14 Oct 1852

30 Dec 1853

6 Dec 1855

2 Apr 1857

29 Sep 1858

18 Oct 1859

20 Dec 1860

8 Feb 1861

12 Apr 1861

21 Jul 1861

17 Dec 1861

7 Apr 1862

1 May 1862

(more) (less…

17 Sep 1862

22 Mar 1863

4 Jul 1863

20 Nov 1863

12 Jun 1864

21 Dec 1864

9 Apr 1865

22 Jan 1866

21 Dec 1866

1 Jul 1867

15 Jul 1870

25 Jun 1876

16 Jul 1882

12 Apr 1885

29 Dec 1890

14 May 1895

11 Aug 1898

23 May 1900

4 May 1904

14 Apr 1907

16 Dec 1907

25 May 1911

29 Jan 1914

20 Aug 1914

11 Apr 1916

6 Apr 1917

28 Jun 1919

12 Nov 1921

29 Oct 1929

15 Aug 1934

8 Mar 1941

7 Dec 1941

14 Feb 1944

14 Aug 1945

4 Apr 1949

1 Jan 1959

24 Oct 1962

26 May 1966

9 Aug 1974

27 Oct 1979

26 Oct 1983

22 Dec 1989

15 Oct 1994

11 Sep 2001

26 Nov 2014

6 Jan 2021

15 Jan 2024

Manifest Destiny

1200–1492 Late Pre-Columbian Era 1492–1513 Age of Columbus 1513–1604 Conquistadors 1604–1821 NO MAPS FOR THIS PERIOD YET 1821–1842 Successors of New Spain 1842–1860 Manifest Destiny 1860–1865 American Civil War 1865–1898 Closing the Frontier 1898–1941 American Empire 1941–pres American Superpower

North America

The Arctic North America Mexico & Central America South America

Northern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa

Europe Eastern Mediterranean Northwest Europe Western Mediterranean Northern Eurasia

Asia Pacific East Asia Southern Asia

Australasia

Game of Thrones

Raid on Harpers Ferry

2 Oct 1843 Oregon Dispute 29 Dec 1845 Annexation of Texas 13 May 1846 Outbreak of the Mexican–American War 15 Jun 1846 Oregon Treaty 18 Aug 1846 Conquest of California & New Mexico 19 Nov 1846 Northern Mexican Theater 9 Mar 1847 Siege of Veracruz 14 Sep 1847 Battle for Mexico City 2 Feb 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo 11 Feb 1849 California Gold Rush 9 Sep 1850 Compromise of 1850 14 Oct 1852 Opening up the West 30 Dec 1853 Gadsden Purchase 6 Dec 1855 Bleeding Kansas 2 Apr 1857 Filibuster War 29 Sep 1858 Mexican Reform War 18 Oct 1859 Raid on Harpers Ferry

The 1850s conflict in the US over slavery was not limited to Kansas. In 1859, the abolitionist John Brown and his followers attempted to start a slave revolt in Virginia by seizing the arsenal at Harpers Ferry. Although he was defeated, Brown's raid and his subsequent execution further polarized the nation.

About this map

Download map
(download without labels)

Main Events

17 Nov 1858 French annexation of Clipperton Island ▲

The French Empire of Napoleon III annexed Clipperton Island as part of the French colony of Tahiti. in wikipedia

14 Feb 1859 Oregon becomes US state ▲

The western portion of the Oregon Territory was admitted to the US as the State of Oregon, with the remainder assigned to the Washington Territory. in wikipedia

16 Feb–31 Mar 1859 First Siege of Veracruz ▲

Mexican Conservative forces under President Miguel Miramon attempted to besiege the Liberal capital of Veracruz but were forced to withdraw. in wikipedia

30 Apr 1859 Wyke-Aycinena Treaty ▲

Guatemala agreed to recognize British possession of Belize in return for British construction of a road from Guatemala to the Belize town of Punta Gorda. in wikipedia

15 Jun–? Oct 1859 Pig War ▲

Due to uncertainties over the exact line of the 1846 Oregon Treaty, the San Juan Islands—between Vancouver Island and the North American mainland—had ended up claimed by both the United States and the British Empire, with settlers from both nations residing there. On 15 June 1859, an American farmer shot a British-owned pig on the islands after it had invaded his garden, sparking an international incident as US soldiers from Oregon and British warships from Vancouver Island moved in. However, when word of the crisis reached Washington and London, the situation was defused and left to arbitration. in wikipedia

4 Oct 1859 Kansas votes to become a free state ▲

The electorate of Kansas Territory approved the Wyandotte Constitution by a 2-1 margin, establishing that Kansas would be a Free State when it joined the Union. in wikipedia

16–18 Oct 1859 Raid on Harpers Ferry ▲

22 abolitionist insurgents led by John Brown raided the armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Intending to arm a mass slave uprising but lacking virtually any popular support or manpower, the insurgents were defeated by 88 marines and soldiers led by Lieutenant Colonel Robert E. Lee. Brown was soon tried, convicted, and executed for treason, insurrection, and first-degree murder. in wikipedia

Follow us