1795 The University of North Carolina becomes the first state university in the U.S.; the U.S.’s first Naturalization Act establishes how immigrants can become U.S. citizens; & the U.S. agrees to pay tribute in order to keep American ships safe from piracy.

1805 Love triumphs; a large water monster lurks in Lake Ontario; the Michigan Territory is established; & Thomas Jefferson begins his second term as president.

• Love Triumphant; or, Constancy Rewarded, by Abner Reed (1797) presented to Anna Mills by her teacher in 1805

1815 Changes in the weather, both historical and climatic, as the War of 1812 ends; Mount Tambora explodes, causing 1816’s Year Without a Summer; & what may have been a hurricane pounds New England.

• accounts of the gale of September 22-23
• The Present; or, Fragments from Celebrated Modern Poets, with marginalia

1825 The U.S. House of Representatives elects John Quincy Adams president (it’s complicated); Adams snubs competing presidential candidate Andrew Jackson at a subsequent party (it’s not that complicated); the Erie Canal is finished (so that we’ll always know our neighbor; we’ll always know our pal); & Blair makes absolutely no attempt to fit the fossil record into his history of the world.

• extract from Blair’s Outlines of Chronology

1835 Beginnings mingle with endings, as the second war between the U.S. and the Seminole nation begins; Samuel Clemens is born; the Great Moon Hoax begins in The New York Sun; American settlers revolt against the Mexican government to begin the Texas Revolution; & a fire destroys much of New York City’s business district (and decimates insurance companies). & the U.S. debt is zero. (When will that ever happen again?)

• The Token & Atlantic Souvenir
• The Slave’s Friend #1, 2, 3
• “Devouring Books”
• “Story of Peter Brown” (Parley’s Magazine)
• “About Edwin Finley” (Parley’s Magazine)
• on unusually bright aurora borealis seen in Cincinnati, Ohio
• Fire destroys much of New York City’s business district (Parley’s Magazine)
• The Juvenile Polyanthos, by Henry Wightman
• Rollo Learning to Read, by Jacob Abbott

1845 Frederick Douglass publishes his riveting autobiography; two slave states are admitted (temporarily) to the Union; Alfred Poole goes to school (so does Eliza Piatt); & Sylvester Judd imagines a temperance utopia.

• “Confinement of Children in School,” Dr. James Jackson
• “Treatment of Children at School,” Dr. S.B. Woodward
• “Dangers of Childhood, and Means of Obviating Them,” George Whippel
• “Family Education,” Lavinia H. Pillsbury
• “Vicious Novels: Cause of Their Increase,” F. C. W.
• “Moral Poisons: The Antidote,” F. C. W.
• “The Morality of Pictures,” William A. Alcott
• “What Books Shall I Read?,” Simon Brown
• “Alfred Poole” (Robert Merry’s Museum)
• Eliza Piatt’s copybook
• Wonders of Geology, by Samuel Goodrich
• Margaret, by Sylvester Judd

1855 The U.S. finances a camel corps (which … may not be the best idea anyone ever had); Kansas Territory becomes the focus of violence both physical and political as forces try to determine whether it enters the Union as a slave state (which certainly wasn’t the best idea); a future editor of Robert Merry’s Museum publishes her first work for children (which was sort of a good idea); & the Youth’s Companion gives parents advice that’s something other than unbiased (which is an understandable idea).

• “Carrier’s Address” (Robert Merry’s Museum)
• “Mrs. Warner’s Prejudice,” by Lesina (Youth’s Companion)
• “Give Your Child a Paper” (Youth’s Companion)
• “Singular Adventure of a Lost Child” (Youth’s Companion)
• Harper Story Books: The Harper Establishment; or, How the Story Books are Made, by Jacob Abbott
• Star Papers, by Henry Ward Beecher

1865 The U.S. gets an end to slavery; cities with over 50,000 inhabits get free mail delivery; Wisconsin gets a meteorite; the U.S. gets its first train robbery; Barnum’s American Museum ends in fire (Barnum’s New Museum begins a few months later); Abraham Lincoln is assassinated (the Youth’s Companion blames bad literature); & Mrs. Bonney reminds boys that education is key to success.

• “Elva Seeking Her Fortune,” by Sophie May (Robert Merry’s Museum)
• Eye and Ear Notes, by “Uncle James” (James Redpath) (Youth’s Companion)
• Science & technology notes (Youth’s Companion)
• Animals in the Civil War (Youth’s Companion)
• Children & changing times (Youth’s Companion)
• assassination of Abraham Lincoln (Youth’s Companion)
• premium portrait of Abraham Lincoln (The Little Corporal)
• “The Volunteer’s Thanksgiving,” by Lucy Larcom (Our Young Folks)
• “The Color-Bearer,” by John Townsend Trowbridge (Our Young Folks)
• “The Capture of Savannah” (Youth’s Companion)
• “Our Exchanged Prisoners” (Youth’s Companion)
• “The Veteran’s Farewell,” by “Blue-Eyed Lora” (Robert Merry’s Museum)
• memorial page for Adelbert Older (Feb 1865), with poetry by Belle P. R. and Adelbert Older (Robert Merry’s Museum)
• “Adventures of a ’Merry’ Boy” (Robert Merry’s Museum)
• “White Slaves (Youth’s Companion)
• “The Inauguration of President Lincoln” (Youth’s Companion)
• “A True Story” (Youth’s Companion)
• “Turn About, Fair Play,” by Augusta Moore (Youth’s Companion)
• “The Great National Tragedy” (Youth’s Companion)
• “Booth and Bad Literature” (Youth’s Companion)
• advertisements for Dr. Brown’s Baby-Tender (Robert Merry’s Museum)
• two poems for July 4, 1865 (Robert Merry’s Museum)
• “July 4, 1865,” by “Lulie” (Student & Schoolmate)
• “The Boys’ Fourth-of-July,” by Julia Pratt Ballard (Robert Merry’s Museum)
• “The American Flag,” by Mrs. P. A. Hanaford (Student & Schoolmate)
• “The Army of the American Eagle” (The Little Corporal)
• editorial comment on July 4, 1865 (Robert Merry’s Museum)
• editorial from “The Teacher’s Desk” (Student & Schoolmate)
• “Willie Lincoln,” by Emily J. Bugbee (The Little Corporal)
• “Victory at Last,” by C. C. (Robert Merry’s Museum)
• “The Conspirators” (Youth’s Companion)
• “The Execution” (Youth’s Companion)
• “A Soldier To-night is Our Guest” (Youth’s Companion)
• “Going into Business for Himself,” by Mrs. P. P. Bonney (Youth’s Companion)