What Happened in February?

Spain cedes Florida to the United States via the Adams–Onís Treaty whereby Spain ceded East Florida to the United States and renounced all claim to West Florida. Spain received no direct compensation, but the United States agreed to assume liability for $5 million in damage done by American citizens who rebelled against Spain. The Treaty (also called the Transcontinental Treaty and ratified in 1821) also defined the western limits of the Louisiana Purchase and Spain surrendered its claims to the Pacific Northwest. In return, the United States recognized Spanish sovereignty over Texas.

The United States adopts a new flag, featuring 24 stars to represent the number of states in the union after Missouri's admission.

The Treaty of Yandabo is signed on on February 24, 1826,, ending the First Anglo-Burmese War and ceding Assam, Manipur, and Arakan to Britain.

The city’s new Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday in French), tradition began in 1827 when the group of students,  donned masks and costumes and staged their own Fat Tuesday festivities. Over time, Mardi Gras grew into a more formal event, one now deeply embedded in New Orleans culture. 

George Washington's birthday is declared a federal holiday in the United States, later becoming Presidents' Day.

The Battle of the Alamo begins in San Antonio, Texas, between Texan rebels and Mexican forces during the Texas Revolution.

New Zealand's national day is Waitangi Day, celebrated on February 6th. It commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, which established a formal agreement between the indigenous Māori and the British Crown. The day is observed with various events, including ceremonies, cultural festivals, and debates surrounding the Treaty's ongoing significance.

John Quincy Adams begins arguments in La Amistad case - The U.S. Supreme Court case of the 53 Africans captured in the Spanish ship Amistad opens and John Quincy Adams begins his oral arguments for the defense, speaking for four hours and a half. More

The Dominican Republic declares independence from the Republic of Haiti. The War of Independence ended twelve years later on January 24, 1856. Before the war, the island of Hispaniola had been united for 22 years when the newly independent nation, previously known as the Captaincy General of Santo Domingo, was unified with the Republic of Haiti in 1822. The criollo class within the country overthrew the Spanish crown in 1821 before unifying with Haiti a year later. More

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which brought an official end to the Mexican-American War (1846-48), is signed at Guadalupe Hidalgo, a city to which the Mexican government had fled with the advance of U.S. forces. By its terms, Mexico ceded 55 percent of its territory, including the present-day states California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, most of Arizona and Colorado, and parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming. Mexico also relinquished all claims to Texas, and recognized the Rio Grande as the southern boundary with the United States.

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels publish "The Communist Manifesto." More

The first British public toilets for women are opened in Bedford Street, London.

The Pennsylvania State University is founded as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania.

Fourteen-year-old Bernadette Soubirous (Later St. Bernadette) claims to have seen the Virgin Mary in a small town located near Lourdes in the foothills of the Pyrenee mountains. in southern France. This was the first of 18 reported encounters, the last one took place on July 16, 1858. More

Oregon is admitted to the United States Union as the 33rd State.

Seven seceding states — South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas meet in Montgomery, Alabama, and create the Confederate Constitution, a document similar to the United States Constitution, but with greater stress on the autonomy of each state.  Expand +

Abraham Lincoln signs the Joint Resolution endorsing the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution, abolishing slavery which Congress had passed on January 31, 1865. The 13th Amendment was then sent to the states for ratification, which was completed by December 6, 1865, making it the law of the land and officially abolishing slavery in the United States.

The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Voting Rights, is ratified allowing suffrage for all races and colors. More

Hiram Rhodes Revels, a Republican from Mississippi, becomes the first African American to serve in the United States Senate. Revel was sworn in to fill the Senate seat once held by Jefferson Davis, two days after Mississippi was granted representation in Congress for the first time since it seceded in 1861. More

University College London becomes the first university in England to admit women.