From the Revolution of 1800 and Louisiana Purchase to the War of 1812, Monroe Doctrine, Indian Removal, and Seneca Falls.
Golden rules (General American pronunciation): vowels and silent or glide letters (w, h, y) carry no digit · silent letters are ignored (knife /naɪf/ → 28) · doubled letters count once (bell → 95, hammer → 34) · sound, never spelling, decides.
| Date | Event | Peg word | IPA | Digits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 | "Revolution of 1800": Thomas Jefferson elected in the first peaceful transfer of presidential power between parties | seesaw /ˈsi.sɔ/ | /ˈsi.sɔ/ | 00 |
| 1803 | Louisiana Purchase doubles U.S. territory; Marbury v. Madison establishes judicial review | saw +ham /sɑ/ + /ˈhæm/ | /sɑ/ + /ˈhæm/ | 03 |
| 1807 | Embargo Act restricts foreign trade; Robert Fulton's Clermont demonstrates commercial steamboats | sock /sɑk/ | /sɑk/ | 07 |
| 1812 | War of 1812 breaks out between the United States and Great Britain | hat +hen /hæt/ + /hɛn/ | /hæt/ + /hɛn/ | 12 |
| 1820 | Missouri Compromise balances free and slave states along the 36°30' latitude line | hen +saw /hɛn/ + /sɑ/ | /hɛn/ + /sɑ/ | 20 |
| 1823 | Monroe Doctrine warns European powers against new colonization in the Western Hemisphere | gnome /ˈnoʊ̯m/ | /ˈnoʊ̯m/ | 23 |
| 1830 | Indian Removal Act signed by President Andrew Jackson, initiating forced relocations on the Trail of Tears | moose /muːs/ | /muːs/ | 30 |
| 1831 | William Lloyd Garrison founds The Liberator; Nat Turner leads enslaved rebellion in Virginia | ham +hat /ˈhæm/ + /hæt/ | /ˈhæm/ + /hæt/ | 31 |
| 1846 | Mexican-American War begins; Oregon Treaty fixes northwestern border at the 49th parallel | arch /ɑɹtʃ/ | /ɑɹtʃ/ | 46 |
| 1848 | Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends Mexican-American War; California Gold Rush begins; Seneca Falls Convention launches the women's rights movement | arrow +hive /ˈæ.ɹoʊ/ + /haɪv/ | /ˈæ.ɹoʊ/ + /haɪv/ | 48 |
1800 — On the grassy terrace of the new capital, a wooden seesaw balances evenly in midair as Thomas Jefferson wins the Revolution of 1800 in the first peaceful transfer of presidential power. (s·s → 00)
1803 — Along the expanding frontier, a carpenter's steel saw stands on the left and a glazed bone-in ham sits on the right as the Louisiana Purchase doubles the nation and Marbury v. Madison establishes judicial review. (s → 0 · m → 3)
1807 — On the quiet Hudson River wharf in 1807, a single knitted wool sock rests beside idle dock pilings while Robert Fulton's paddle steamboat Clermont puffs past halted merchant ships during the Embargo Act. (s·k → 07)
1812 — Along the Atlantic coast in 1812, a tall black felt hat rests on the left while a plump brown farm hen struts on the right as war breaks out between the United States and Great Britain. (t → 1 · n → 2)
1820 — On the wide frontier in 1820, a russet hen stands on the left and a steel carpenter's saw rests on the right across an even border line, balancing free and slave states under the Missouri Compromise. (n → 2 · s → 0)
1823 — Standing on a rocky Atlantic bluff in 1823, a red-capped garden gnome holds out one steady hand toward distant ocean ships to proclaim the Monroe Doctrine against European colonization in the Americas. (n·m → 23)
1830 — Beside a quiet autumn woodland path in 1830, a towering dark-brown moose with broad flat antlers stands solemnly as the Indian Removal Act forces Native nations westward onto the Trail of Tears. (m·s → 30)
1831 — On a weathered wooden porch step at sunrise in 1831, a glazed bone-in ham sits on the left and a tall black felt hat rests on the right as William Lloyd Garrison launches The Liberator and Nat Turner leads rebellion in Virginia. (m → 3 · t → 1)
1846 — Across the vast western red-rock frontier of 1846, a towering natural sandstone arch spans the valley as the Mexican-American War begins and the Oregon Treaty settles the 49th-parallel border. (ɹ·tʃ → 46)
1848 — Beside a sunlit western creek in 1848, a feathered wooden arrow lies on the left and a golden straw hive stands on the right, marking the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the California Gold Rush, and the Seneca Falls Convention. (ɹ → 4 · v → 8)