History of the United States

by John Clark Ridpath

3. One of the first measures of the new Congress was the repeal of the Independent Treasury Bill. A bankrupt law was then passed for the relief of insolvent business men. The next measure was the rechartering of the Bank of the United States. A bill for that purpose was brought forward and passed; but the President interposed his veto. Again the bill received the assent of both Houses, only to be rejected by the executive. By this action a rupture was produced between the President and the party which had elected him. All the members of the cabinet, except Mr. Webster, resigned their offices.

Webster-Ashburton Treaty.

4. A difficulty now arose with Great Britain about the northeastern boundary of the United States. Since the treaty of 1783 that boundary had been in question. Lord Ashburton, on the part of Great Britain, and Mr. Webster, on the part of the United States, were called upon to settle the dispute. They performed their work in a manner honorable to both nations; and the present boundary was established.

5. In the next year, the country was vexed with a domestic trouble in Rhode Island. By the terms of the old charter of that State the right of suffrage was restricted to property-holders. A proposition was now agreed upon to change the constitution, but in respect to the manner of annulling the old charter there was a division.

Dorr's Rebellion.

6. In 1842 the "law and order party," under Governor King, undertook to suppress the "suffrage party" under Thomas W. Dorr. The latter resisted, and made an attempt to capture the State arsenal. But the militia drove the assailants away. Dorr was arrested, tried for treason, and sentenced to imprisonment for life. He was set at liberty again in 1845.

The Mormons.

7. About the same time, a difficulty occurred with the Mormons. Under the leadership of Joseph Smith, they first settled in Missouri. But the people of Missouri opposed them. The militia was called out, and the Mormons crossed into Illinois, and laid out the city of Nauvoo. But serious troubles soon arose with the people of Illinois. Smith and his brother were arrested and lodged in jail. In 1844 a mob broke open the jail doors and killed the prisoners. Two years later the Mormons resolved to leave the States. They made a toilsome march to the far West; crossed the Rocky Mountains; reached the Great Salt Lake; and founded Utah Territory.

Fall of Crockett in the Alamo.