Connecting the eastern United States to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and on to Mexico, the Santa Fe Trail was an important commerce route in the 19th century. Invaluable to the westward expansion of the United States and the development of trade with Mexican areas
The Underground Railroad exemplifies the resilience of the human spirit in the face of injustice. In the 19th century, this underground system provided crucial support for African Americans fighting to escape slavery. Slaves on the run were helped by a web of sympathizers and hiding places to make their way to the northern states and Canada.
During the 1930s, the Great Plains were hit hard by the Dust Bowl, a tragic period in American history. Dust storms were more frequent and more intense, and broad ecological deterioration occurred, all as a result of a confluence of environmental, agricultural, and economic forces. The land’s indigenous grasses were wiped out by intensive plowing, and the topsoil was destabilized by the effects of drought and the Great Depression.
The Hancock County War, sometimes known as Hancock’s War, took place in the middle of the 19th century in Hancock County, Illinois. Tensions arose between Mormon settlers, led by Joseph Smith, and non-Mormons in the area during the years 1844 and 1845, leading to armed combat.
