Timeline
1850- Compromise of 1850
1850- Compromise of 1850
- California enters the USA as a free state
- Fugitive slave law established
- The end of slave trade in Washington DC
- Utah and New Mexico become open to slavery (popular sovereignty)
1854- Kansas Nebraska Act
- popular sovereignty
- slave free territories and abolitionists clash
- Missouri compromise revoked
1854- Bleeding Kansas
- Result of the Nebraska Kansas act
- A violent political confrontation between the abolitionists and the slave owners
- Would Kansas enter the Union as a free state or a slave state.
1857- The Dred Scott Decision
- The court decided that African Americans could not become US citizens and therefore could not sue in federal court.
- The federal government did not have the power to outlaw slavery in its territories
- Based off of the slave Dred Scott, who went to trial to sue for his freedom.
1850- Lincoln - Douglas Debates
- A series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas.
- The main issue that was discussed was slavery.
- Lincoln and Douglas were trying to win control of the Illinois legislature.
1859- Harper's Ferry
- The attempt by abolitionist John Brown to start an armed slave rebellion
- They were defeated by the US Marines led by Robert E Lee
1860- Lincoln's Election
November 6, 1860
November 6, 1860
- Immediate outbreak of the Civil War
- First republican to receive presidency
- Emancipation Proclamation "all persons held as slaves within any states...shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free"
1861- Bull Run
July 21, 1861
July 21, 1861
- First major battle of the civil war
- The Union feared that the Confederate would attack Washington DC
- Lincoln had to sign a bill for 500,000 more men to enlist
1862- Antietam
September 17, 1862
September 17, 1862
- Mainly in the south
- First battle in the civil war to take place on Union soil
- Bloodiest one day battle in American history
1863- Emancipation Proclamation
- An order by the President Lincoln to free slaves in the ten states that were still in rebellion
- This Proclamation did not outlaw slavery or make the ex-slaves citizens.
1863- The Gettysburg address
November 19,1863
November 19,1863
- A speech delivered by President Lincoln during the civil war dedicated to the Soldiers National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
- It became thought of as one of the greatest speeches in American history
1863-1868 Fort Sumner
- A military fort in southeastern New Mexico
- It was created to provide protection for the settlers in the Pecos River valley
- The purpose was for the fort to be self-sufficient and to teach the settlers how to become modern farmers
1864- Andersonville Prison
- This prison held more prisoners at any given time than any other Confederate military prisons.
- The Confederate government could not provide enough supplies to keep the prison running smoothly, as a result many of the prisoners died from malnutrition, overcrowding and poor sanitation.
1865- Surrender at Appomattox Court House
April 9, 1865
April 9, 1865
- After four years of the Civil War General Robert E Lee surrendered the Confederate army
- The surrender of the army allowed the Federal Government to redistribute forces and bring more soldiers to other parts of the south causing more surrenders.
1865- Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
April 14, 1865
April 14, 1865
- The assassination took place in Washington DC as the Civil war was coming to a close. (Five days after Robert E Lee surrendered)
- This intensified the hatred from the North towards the south and slowed down the reconstruction process.
1865- Reconstruction
- Freed slaves and gave them the right to vote for the first time
- Even though the African Americans were free they didn't have anywhere to live or work so work contracts were made so they would work for some of the harvest