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1850 Census
The results of the 1850 census show that 14% of the population are slaves. Slaves are practically non-existent in northern states yet as high as 58% of the population in the South. -
The Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act opens the Northern territory to slavery. Pro-slavery and abolitionist groups frantically begin settle there hoping to influence the future status of these areas. -
Dred Scott Case
The Dred Scott DecisionThe Supreme Court rules in Scott v. Sandford that blacks are not U.S. citizens thus allowing slaveholders to take existing slaves into free areas of the county. -
John Brown Attacks
John Brown attacks the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. -
John Brown is Hanged
John Brown is hanged for murder and treason at Charles Town, Virginia. -
Abraham Lincoln is Elected as 16th President
Abraham Lincoln is elected as the first Republican President, receiving 180 of 303 possible electoral votes. -
South Carolina Secedes
South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the Union. They are soon followed by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas within 2 months. -
Kansas Becomes a State
Kansas is admitted to the Union as a state, with a constitution prohibiting slavery. -
Confederate States of America Formed
The Confederate States of America is created in the South with Jefferson Davis as president. -
Abraham Lincoln is Inaugurated
Lincoln's First Inaugural AddressAbraham Lincoln is inaugurated and sworn into office as the sixteenth President of the United States. -
Period: to
Civil War
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Fort Sumter
Fort SumterLed by Beauregard, South Carolina takes control of the bombarded and surrendered Fort Sumter. -
Blockade of Southern Ports
Lincoln orders a blockade of all Confederate ports. -
Colonel Robert E. Lee's Resignation
Robert E. LeeColonel Robert E. Lee officially resigns his commission in the United States Army to join Confederates. -
Richmond
Richmond becomes the capital of the Confederate States. -
Confederate Victory at First Battle of Manassas
The Confederate General, Thomas Jackson, earns the nickname "Stonewall" for his tenacity during the Confederate victory at the First Battle of Manassas. -
Union Captures Fort Henrey
General Ulysses S. Grant captures Fort Henry and accepts the “unconditional and immediate surrender” of Fort Donelson10 days later, allowing for Union advancement in the state of Tennessee. -
USS Monitor vs. CSS Virginia
The ironclads, USS Monitor and CSS Virginia, battle at Hampton Roads, Virginia, demonstrating the superiority of vessels made of steel. -
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of ShilohUnion Army lead by General Ulysses S. Grant prevails at the Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee. -
Conscription in the Confederacy
Conscription becomes necessary and is adopted by the Confederacy. -
Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee takes over command of the Confederate army from Joseph E. Johnston who was wounded during the Battle of Seven Pines in Virginia. -
Seven Days War
Confederate General Robert E. Lee forces McClellan’s army to retreat, thus ending the threat to Richmond by the Union Army during the Seven Days’ campaign. -
Second Battle of Manassas
The Confederacy is once again victorios at the Second Battle of Manassas. -
Battle of Antietam
AntietamBoth the Union and Confederacy exhibit heavy casualties at the Battle of Antietam, Maryland. -
General McClellan
General McClellan is relieved, by President Lincoln, of commanding the Army of the Potomac. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of FredericksburgLee's Confederate Army decisively wins the Battle of Fredericksburg. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation ProclamationPresident Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation declaring that all slaves in the seceded states are now free. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Army of Potomac suffers another serious loss at the Battle of Chancellorsville. Lee's army is decisively victorious however "Stonewall" Jackson is wounded. -
"Stonewall" Jackson Dies
After being wounded at the Battle of Chancellorsville, "Stonewall" Jackson develops pneumonia and dies. -
Battle of Gettysburg
GettysburgThe Union Army is victorious at the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania. General George G. Meade allowes Lee's army to retreat South across the Potomac. -
Vicksburg
Battle of VicksburgUlysses S. Grant's army secures the Mississippi River for the Union with the Confederate surrender at Vicksburg, -
New York City Riots
Violent riots and protests break out in New York City in response to the emancipation draft. -
Gettysburg Address
Gettysburg Address SpeechPresident Lincoln delivers his Gettysburg Address, in which he reiterates The Union's principles of freedom and equality. Furthermore, Lincoln calls upon "the people" to fight for the great task before them. -
Chattanooga
By winning the battle at Chattanooga, Tennessee, the Union opens the way for facilitated advancement into the core of the Confederacy. -
Ulysses S. Grant
March 10, 1864
Lieutenant general, Ulysses S. Grant is placed in charge of commanding all of the Union's armies. -
Battle at Spotsylvania Court House
The Battles at Spotsylvania Court House and Yellow Tavern demonstrate Grant’s will to capture Richmond -
Fugitive Slave Laws
Lincoln denounces the Fugitive Slave Laws and signs a bill repealing them. -
Attack on Washington
Confederate forces attempt offensive campaign by attacking Washington, D.C. and sending the Capital into a state of high alert. -
Atlanta, Georgia
General William T. Sherman captures the city of Atlanta, Georgia- a fundamental city for the confederacy that serves as a major munitions center for the South. -
Lincoln's Reelection
Abraham Lincoln is reelected as President, with Andrew Johnson as the Vice President. -
Savannah and William Sherman
During Sherman's "March to Sea," he successfully captures Savannah giving it to president Lincoln as a Christmas present. Another successful attempt at demoralizing the South and hastening Confederate surrender. -
The 13th Amendment
The 13th AmendmentThe 13th Amendment is passed by congress abolishing slavery throught the United States -
Lincoln's Second Inauguration
Lincoln's Second Inaugural AddressPresident Lincoln is inaugurated as President for his second term -
Appomattox
The Appomattox campaign is initiated with General Grant’s attack against Confederate General, Lee’s defenses at Petersburg, Virginia. -
The Fall of Petersburg
Petersburg falls, and the Union forces the Confederate government to evacuate its capital, Richmond. -
Richmond
Union occupies Richmond- Confederate Capital -
Robert E. Lee's Surrender
Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrenders the Army of Northern Virginia to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox -
Lincoln's Assassination
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qAeFjCscRY](Lincoln's Assassination)Confederate Sympathizer, John Wilkes Booth shoots President Lincoln at Ford’s Theater. An assassination attempt on Secretary of State, William H. Seward leaves him wounded. -
Andrew Johnson
President Lincoln dies, and Vice-President Andrew Johnson is inaugurated. -
Joseph E. Johnston, William T. Sherman, John Wilkes Booth
Joseph E. Johnston surrenders to Union army leader William T. Sherman in North Carolina. John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln's murderer is shot in Virginia and dies. -
Jefferson Davis
Confederate President, Jefferson Davis is captured by the Union and taken prisoner near Irwinville, Georgia. -
Civil Rights Act of 1866
This act gives citizenship to African Americans and guarantees equal rights. -
Ku Klux Klan
The Klu Klux KlanThe Ku Klux Klan, a secret organization to intimidate African Americans and to ensure white supremacy is founded in Pulaski, Tennessee. -
Reconstruction Acts
The American Congress divides the former Confederacy (South) into five military districts. -
Andrew Johnson's Impeachment Trial
President Andrew Johnson's ImpeachmentBy one vote, the U.S. Senate fails to remove Andrew Johnson from office. -
14th Amendment
The 14th AmendmentThe ratification of the 14th amendment guarantees due process and equal protection to African Americans making it the federal government's responsibility to enforce equality. -
President Ulysses S. Grant
The former Union general, Ulysses S. Grant becomes the 18th president of the United States. -
Hiram Revels
Hiram Revels of Mississippi is elected to U. S. Senate as the first ever black senator. -
15th Amendment
The 15th AmendmentThe 15th Amendment extends the right to vote to all male citizens regardless of race or previous condition of servitude. -
Democrats Control Congress
For the first time since before the Civil War errupted in the United States, the Democrat Party control both houses of Congress. -
Civil Rights Act of 1875
This act guarantees equal rights to African Americans in public accomodations. -
President Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes is inaugurated as President after the Electoral Commissoin awards the disputed electoral votes to the republican candidate. -
End of Reconstruction
Reconstruction Era ends when President Rutherford Hayes withdraws federal troops from the South.
