19th century in USA

A period in American History till 1900

a) important events
b) great figures of the period
c) characteristics of several works of art/literature of the period

important events
The site of the U.S. was originally inhabited by people from Asia. To the first colonists they were known as American Indians. Officially, America was discovered by Christopfer Colombus in 1492. Soon, the land was captured by Europeans from the native Indians, who then were either assimilated or forced to leave the area.
The Spaniards reached Florida in 1513 and New Mexico in 1540. The French began their exploration of the Mississippi River valley in 1673 and the Russians reached Alaska in 1741.
Of all colonizers, the British were the most succesful. In 1607 Jamestown became the first permanent British settlement in North America and the foundation of the Virginia colony. In 1620, after a conflict with King James I., a community of English Puritans (called Pillgrims) wanted to land in Virg...