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Slaves Land In Colonies
Who: African slaves landed in Virginia. This issue would grow to affect the entire population of the US.
What: Slaves first landed in the US at this time. Although this is a fixed point on the timeline, slavery would continue in the US through the Civil War.
Where: Jamestown, but slavery would become widespread throughout the Southern US.
Why: The beginning of US history would be shaped by the issue of slavery. This event sets all following events into motion. -
The 3/5 Compromise
Who: Continental Congress made the decision; it would affect generations of slaves to come.
What: The Congress decided that slaves would count as 3/5 of a person for the purposes of representation in the government.
Where: Philadelphia, PA
Why: The 3/5 compromise would give southern states a disproportionate representation in the House of Representatives, this made it difficult for the true voices of people to be heard in the government. Slaves did not get to vote for the representation. -
The Connecticut Compromise
Who: The Continental Congress made the decision, and it has affected every American since it was voted into law.
What: "The Great Compromise" made it so each state has equal representation in the Senate and representation based on population in the House.
Where: Philadelphia, PA
Why: This is important because it will set the framework for how peoples' ideas are represented at the federal level and will impact how state and federal power is viewed. -
Cotton Gin Invented
Who: Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin that would revolutionize the cotton industry in the South. This negatively affected slaves. This helped slave owning cotton farmers and many textile businesses in the North.
What: Southern states were starting to consider abolition, but with this invention, farmers realized they needed slave labor to make their businesses boom.
Where: The cotton gin was used throughout the South.
Why: America was close to considering abolishment, but didn't. -
Cotton Gin Invented (Alternative)
I believe that if the cotton gin had been invented later, the South may have been more willing to abolish slavery in the late 1700s or early 1800s and the main cause of the Civil War would have been a moot point. The issue of states rights over federal rights may have still been an issue, but may have been able to be resolved without a war. -
Abolitionist Movement
Who: Many people in the North supported this movement, and it affected most in the US.
What: This movement started to really take off in the 1820s and continued to grow from there. Abolitionists believed that slavery should be illegal.
Where: Mostly in the North, but would grow into the western territories.
Why: This movement was so important to the freeing of the slaves and would continue their hard work would continue to fight for more rights for slaves after they became emancipated. -
Fugitive Slave Act
Who: Congress passed this law. It affected escaped slaves in the North and South.
What: This law stated that every citizen had to report escaped slaves. If they knew someone was running away from slavery, it was a crime to not report it.
Where: This was a federal; it applied to everyone in the US.
Why: This event is so important because it put escaped slaves' lives in even more danger and made the previously, relatively safe, North very unsafe for former slaves. -
Republican Party Founded
Who: Former Whig Party members founded the Republican Party, but the founding affected everyone in America.
What: This new party was founded in opposition of slavery spreading to the new western territories.
Where: The party was founded in Ripon, WI, and was mostly just in the North.
Why: This event is so important because it is the party that Abraham Lincoln would identify with and would become president. The Republican Party stood against slavery spreading. -
Abraham Lincoln Elected President
Who: Lincoln
What: Lincoln became the 16th President. His platform was very much not what the South wanted from the federal government and upset many in the South.
Where: Illinois
Why: Lincoln's election upset many who aligned themselves with the ideals of the South. In many ways, Lincoln's election was the "straw that broke the camel's back" in regards to the South seceding. -
Abraham Lincoln Elected (Alternative)
Abraham Lincoln was viewed by many in the South as the "nail in the coffin" for their ideas, as the North and those who shared their views had control of congress & now the presidency. Chances of getting anything from the South's agenda into law were slim. If Lincoln hadn't been elected, the South may have felt like they had a chance to get some of their agenda through congress & not have seceded. Without secession, the fighting between North and South may have remained in congress and in DC. -
South Carolina Secedes
Who: South Carolina, this affected the state, the rest of the South, and the Union.
What: South Carolina declared it was no longer part of the United States after the election of Lincoln.
Where: Charlotte, NC
Why: South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union, and would set the tone for the next few months leading to the Civil War. -
The (rest of the) South Secedes
Who: Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas & Louisiana; later Virginia, Arkansas, N. Carolina, & Tennessee followed. This affected the entire US, as it was one of the key events at the very beginning of the Civil War.
What: In April, a few months after SC seceded, these states all followed & declared they were no longer part of the Union.
Where: The South
Why: With the backbone of their economy threatened, the southern states separated from the Union, which directly led to the Civil War.
