xx Chronology 1822 Ashanti War Begins The Ashanti War begins in West Africa between the Ashanti and the Fante 1822 Brazil Independent On September Dom Pedro, the Portuguese regent, declares Brazil independent from Portugal 1822 Ecuador Free from Spain On May 24 Antonio José de Sucre, Simón Bolívar’s lieutenant, defeats the Spanish at the Battle of Mount Pichincha near Quito 1823 French Forces Restore Ferdinand VII The French intervene in the Spanish revolution They invade Spain and force the rebels to hand over King Ferdinand VII, whom they then restore to power 1823 Monroe Doctrine The Monroe Doctrine issued by U.S president James Monroe states: “The American continents are henceforth not to be considered the subjects for future colonization by any European powers.” 1824 First Anglo-Burmese War On February 24 the first Anglo-Burmese War begins when the British declare war on Burma 1825 Decembrist Uprising Young Russian aristocrats stage a brief uprising against Romanov rule The revolt is short-lived but is a sign of things to come 1828 Uruguay Independent Uruguay becomes independent under a peace treaty between Brazil and Argentina over Banda Oriental 1829 Baltimore and Ohio Railroad On December 22, the first passenger railroad in the United States opens for business 1830 Belgium Adopts a Constitution The July Revolution in France inspires Belgian revolutionaries to rise up against Dutch rule They demand independence In late September the Dutch are forced out of Brussels, and Belgium is declared independent 1832 First Reform Act Passes in Britain The Reform Act of 1832 passes the House of Lords It doubles the number of eligible voters to million This begins a series of reforms that will eventually lead to universal suffrage 1833 The First Carlist War Begins A civil war foments in Spain when Ferdinand VII dies 1835 Second Seminole War Under the leadership of Chief Osceola, the Seminoles refuse to move to the Oklahoma Territory They retreat to the Florida Everglades 1835 The Great Trek The Dutch settlers of South Africa, known as the Boers, begin a Great Trek northward Now known as the Voortrekkers, they leave the Cape Colony to free themselves of British control 1836 Texas Independent The settlers of Texas, a Mexican territory, declare their independence in 1836 1837 Deere Invents Plow John Deere invents the steel plow, which greatly improves the ability of farmers to plow fields 1838 First Anglo-Afghan War Begins The First Anglo-Afghan War begins when the British governor of India launches an attack on Afghanistan He fears growing Russian influence in Afghanistan 1829 Treaty of Adrianople The Russian-Turkish War that had begun in 1828 ends with the Treaty of Adrianople 1838 Underground Railroad Begins in United States The Underground Railroad starts as a means for escaped slaves to be moved through the North until they reach sanctuary in Canada 1830 The July Revolution The July Revolution breaks out in Paris when Charles X, king of France, attempts to suspend the constitution to overturn the recent French election The revolutionaries gain control of Paris and force Charles X to abdicate 1839 Opium War The Opium War between China and Great Britain begins when the Chinese order the destruction of illegal opium stored by foreign merchants The East India Company had promoted the use of opium by its Chinese workers