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Birth of Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was born in February, 1818. The actual day is not known because he was born into slavery. -
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Frederick Douglass's Life
This is the time period that Frederick Douglass was alive. He was born sometime during 1818, and died February 20, 1895. -
Planned Escape
Douglass made a resolution that he would be free by the end of the year, so he planned an escape. He is later discovered and jailed, but is then released. -
Escape to Freedom
By borrowing papers from a free black sailor, Frederick Douglass escapes to New York for freedom, where he changes his last name to Johnson. He made his way to New York, travelling by train and steamboat. He arrived in New York City on the following day. -
Frederick Douglass marries Anna Murray
Shortly after his escape to freedom he married Anna Murray, a free black woman, in 1838. -
Meets William Lloyd Garrison
Sometime in 1841 Douglass speaks at an antislavery meeting, where he meets William Lloyd Garrison and becomes closely associated with Garrison and his views. -
Joins Anti-Slavery Lecturers
Frederick Douglass joined a group of anti-slavery lecturers on a tour that included stops in New York, Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. The tour was called the "One Hundred Conventions." -
Published First Book
In May 1845, 5,000 copies of the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave were published. His book contained details about his life that could jeopardize his freedom. The book was a big success though and was translated into 3 different languages. -
Move to England
During August of 1845, Frederick Douglass left for a lecture tour of England, Scotland and Ireland. He fled to England to avoid being captured and returned to slavery after the publishing of his book. -
First Issue of North Star Published
Frederick Douglass decides to publish the North Star, his own newspaper or journal, in Rochester. -
Published Positive Editorial on "The Rights of Women"
Frederick Douglass published a positive editorial on "The Rights of Women," after attending the first Women's Rights Convention. This article was published in the July 28, 1848 issue of the North Star. -
Escape to Canada
Frederick Douglass helped in raising funds for John Brown's abolitionist activities. He was then forced to flee to Canada during October of 1859 to avoid being punished for helping Brown. -
Lecturing in England
Frederick Douglass sailed to England from Canada in November to lecture against slavery. -
Confederacy Formed
The Confederacy is formed after 7 states secede. Those states were South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas.
This event is important because if the Confederacy never formed then there would have been no war. -
Attack on Fort Sumter (Start of Civil War)
Lincoln didn't want to be responsible for the start of the war by attacking but didn't want to treat the Confederacy as a nation by surrendering. He did neither; he supplied the men at the fort with food. Jefferson Davis now faced the same tough decision. He chose to attack and start the Civil War. This event is important because it is the start of the Civil War. And it shows that the Confederacy made the decision to start the war. -
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The Civil War
The Civil War started on April 12, 1861 and after many battles and 4 long years it was finally over on April 9, 1865. The Civil War started with a Confederate attack and ended with a Confederate surrender. -
1st Battle of Bull Run
Union General McDowell led 30,000 men against Confederate General Johnston's 22,000 troops. The South inspired by Stonewall Jackson won. The Union troops panicked and retreated to the capital. McDowell was then replaced by General McClellan. This battle is important because it is the first major blood-shed of the war. -
Battles of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson
February 6-15, 1862 Union army invaded western Tennessee. Union troops captured 2 Confederate forts that had strategic positions on the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers. The forts were Fort Henry and Fort Donelson. This is an important event because these two forts had strategic positions on important rivers and these two forts were important for the plan of splitting the Confederacy in two. -
Battle of Shiloh
April 6th thousands of Confederate soldiers surprised and shot many Union troops. One-fourth of the battles 100,000 troops were killed, wounded or captured. The Battle of Shiloh may not seem that important but it had a major impact on the war. It was important because the Confederate failure to hold the Ohio-Kentucky frontier showed that the Union's plan to take the Mississippi and split the Confederacy might succeed. The battle also taught both sides that they needed to prepare before battles. -
The Seizing of New Orleans
David G. Farragut rand his fleet of around 40 ships approached the Mississippi River from Louisiana. He directed his fleet past two Confederate forts to seize New Orleans. Five days later the U.S. flag was flying over New Orleans. This was an important event because it was a major part in splitting the Confederacy in two. -
Seven Days' Battles
June 25- July 1, 1862 McClellan finally moves his army toward the Confederate capital encountering and wounding Confederate General Johnston on the way. Robert E. Lee is appointed in Johnston's place. Lee was determined to save Richmond so he moved against McClellan in battles known as the Seven Days' Battles. Lee's determination and tactics upset McClellan so he retreated. This was an important event because it was a major battle won by the South. -
2nd Battle of Bull Run
August 29-30, 1862 General Robert E. Lee moved against the Union capital. He and his troops defeat the Union as they retreat to Washington. The only good point for the Union was that a Union corporal found a copy of Lee's army orders. This event set the battle at Antietam into motion. It was an important battle because the South won a resounding victory against the North. Then the North found Lee's army orders, also an important event associated with this battle. -
Antietam
After finding Lee's army orders McClellan acted and ordered his men after Lee. The two armies fought by a creek called the Antietam. It was one of the bloodiest single-day battles in American history. This could have been the end of the Civil War, but McClellan didn't pursue the Confederate army. Soon after McClellan was fired. Antietam is important because it could have been the end of the Civil War, but McClellan did nothing. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. This was an executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln, freeing the slaves in all regions behind Confederate lines that the Union did not occupy. This was a very important document that for many gave the war moral purpose by turning the struggle into a fight to free slaves. -
1st day at Gettysburg
Confederate soldiers in search of a shoe supply ran into some brigades of Union cavalry. The Union took defensive positions and both sides called for reinforcements. The Confederates made a huge attack and took control of the town. Confederate General Robert E. Lee knew that he could not win the battle unless the Northerners were forced off their position on Cemetery Ridge. It was important because it was the most decisive battle in the Civil War. -
2nd Day at Gettysburg
Confederate General Lee ordered troops to attack Cemetery Ridge. Union Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain led his troops to meet the Confederates. The Union succeeded in stopping repeated attacks from the Confederates. Chamberlain and his troops successfully saved the Union lines from the Confederate attacks. This was the most decisive battle of the Civil War. -
3rd Day at Gettysburg
Confederate General Lee thought he could break Union lines, he ordered an attack and the armies fired at each other for hours. Union fire fell silent so Lee ordered another attack on Northern lines. When they had nearly reached the line, the Union as well as Yankee infantry fired at the Confederates. The North had once again successfully held the high ground at Gettysburg. This was the most decisive battle of the Civil War. The South would never recover from the Battle of Gettysburg. -
Surrender of Vicksburg
The city of Vicksburg finally fell after a long siege from the Union. The siege lasted from the last week of May to the first week on July. The siege forced people to take cover in caves and even eat mules and dogs. Finally the Confederates had had enough and surrendered. Five days later Port Hudson fell and the Union was successful in splitting the Confederacy in two. This event is important because the Union had successfully split the Confederacy in two. -
Surrender at Appomattox
Lee and Grant arrange a Confederate surrender on April 9, 1865, after nearly 4 years of war. This is important because the South finally surrendered to the North. The Civil War was over. -
Served as U.S. Marshall
During 1877- 1881 Frederick Douglass served as a U.S. Marshall for the District of Colombia under President Rutherford B. Hayes. -
Served as District of Colombia's Recorder of Deeds
After being U.S. Marshall, Frederick Douglass was then appointed as District of Colombia's Recorder of Deeds by President James A. Garfield. He served from 1881 to 1886. -
Remarried
His first wife dies and he gets remarried to Helen Pitts, a white woman who had been his secretary. -
U.S Minister of Haiti
Frederick Douglass was appointed U.S. Minister of Haiti under President Benjamin Harrison. He served in this position from 1889 to 1891. -
Death of Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass dies suddenly from a heart attack after speaking at a meeting.