33rd United States Congress

The Thirty-third United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1853 to March 3, 1855, during the first two years of the administration of U.S. President Franklin Pierce. During this session, the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed, an act that soon led to the creation of the Republican Party. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Seventh Census of the United States in 1850. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.

Major events

• March 4, 1853: Franklin Pierce became President of the United States
• April 18, 1853: Vice President William R. King died
• July 8, 1853: Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in Edo Bay with a request for a trade treaty
• December 30, 1853: Gadsden Purchase: The United States bought land from Mexico to facilitate railroad building in the Southwest
• February 28, 1853: Republican Party founded

Major legislation

• May 30, 1854: Kansas-Nebraska Act, ch. 59,
• March 3, 1855: The U.S. Congress appropriates $30,000 to create the U.S. Camel Corps

Treaties

• March 31, 1853: Convention of Kanagawa signed with the Japanese government, opening the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American trade
• January 26, 1854: Point No Point Treaty signed

Territories organized

• May 30, 1854 - Kansas Territory was organized.
• May 30, 1854 -...... ...
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