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Compromise of 1850
In an attempt to obtain a compromise and avoid a crisis between the South and the North, Senator Henry Clay, created a series of revolutions. These revolutions resulted in many things such as, the admission of California as a free state and the Fugitive Slave Act became amended along with the slave trade in Washington, D.C., becoming abolished. This was a very significant event, for it caused many new opportunities for people that had been in-slaved and many others. -
The Kansas Nebraska act
The Kansas Nebraska act of 1854, allowed territories of Kansas and Nebraska to choose wether or not they wanted to allow slavery within their borders. Senator Stephen Douglas was the one who introduced the bill which would split the west of Missouri in what is now known as Kansas and Nebraska. -
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Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas was a series of very violent confrontations in the United States, this created more tension between the North and South and was the crucial event leading up to the Civil War. The confrontations involved Anti-slavery, Free-Staters,and pro-slavery. -
The Dred Scott Decision
The Dred Scott decision was a case in which the court was to decide wether or not Dred Scott, who resided in a free slate, would be allowed to have his freedom. The U.S supreme court ruled 7-2 that he wasn't pronounced free. This was significant to many others and the Civil War because it affirmed the right of other slave owners to take there slaves into the Western territories. -
Lincoln- Douglas Debates
The Lincoln- Douglas Debates were a series of 7 total debates between Abraham Lincoln and senator Stephen Douglas. They were debating for the privilege of having a seat in the senate. Lincoln had challenged Douglas to a war of ideas, Douglas advocated popular sovereignty. Abraham Lincoln won the debate which is now considered a very significant event because, if Douglas had won, there would have still been a choice of wether or not people could own slaves. -
Harper's Ferry
A town in West Virginia, Harpers Ferry was the site of a raid by abolitionists on a US military base. While the attack was dismantled and the instigator was hanged, it enraged Southerners who then felt even more threatened by the abolition of slavery, thus leading to increased tensions leading up to the Civil War. -
Lincoln's Election
The election of Abraham Lincoln for president in 1860 sparked the formation of the Confederate States of America as a cause of fear for the abolition of slavery everywhere in America. Southerners distrusted and feared Lincoln because of his beliefs and intentions. -
Bull Run
Fought on July 26, 1861 in Virginia, the first battle of Bull Run was the first real battle fought of America’s civil war. Each side consisted of many inexperienced and poorly trained soldiers, eventually leading to the Confederate army’s victory. -
Fort Sumter
As a sea fort in Charleston, South Carolina, Fort Sumter was the birthplace of the first shots fired in the Civil War. The military fort was initially attacked by Confederate soldiers in 1861 after Abraham Lincoln announced the fort would be restocked in supplies. It was then inhabited by Confederate troops for four years before it was recaptured by the US army. -
Antietam
Fought on September 17, 1862 in Maryland, the Battle of Antietam was the first battle of the Civil War that was fought on Northern land. As a Union victory, the battle was also the deadliest one-day battle in the history of America with a total of 22,717 either missing, wounded or dead. -
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Emancipation Proclamation
On January 1st, 1863 Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. This said that all slaves in the rebellious states “shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” This did not free any slaves but it was the turning point in the war. -
Gettysberg Adress
In 1863 Abraham Lincoln delivered a speech. This speech later became known as the Gettysburg address, because it took place at the Gettysburg cemetery, where arguably one of the most bloody and decisive battles of the Civil war took place. This speech would, later on, be known as one of the most important speeches in history. -
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The Battle of Gettysberg
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Andersonville Prison
From February 1864 to the end of the civil war, the confederates hosted a prison located in Andersonville, Georgia. This prison was infamous for its terrible conditions for captured Union soldiers. The death rate was very high due to these unhealthy conditions, approximately 13,000 union soldiers lost their lives in this prison. -
Surrender at Appomattox Court House
On April 9th, the commander of the Confederate army, Robert E. Lee surrendered his army. Lee surrendered to the commander of the Union army, Ulysses S. Grant. This all happened near the Appomattox courthouse and this finally ended the Civil war. -
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
On April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was watching a play at Ford’s theater when the shot was fired. This attack had come 5 days after the end of the civil war. -
Reconstruction
The reconstruction period brought significant changes with it. The Southern legislature passed “black codes” which limited the labor and behavior of former slaves. However, the North was furious and with that brought voices for many former slaves.
