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Period: to
Lead up and Civil War
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New Technology
The first railroad in America was in Ohio and started laying tracks in 1830. This new technology was very important during the Civil War. The North entered the Civil War with about 22,000 miles of railroad track and the South only about 9,000 miles, so the North definately had an advantage for transporting war equipment back and forth. The biggest effect on the railroad on warfare was the ability to supply vast armies. -
Henry Clay Ran For President
Clay played the role of a great compromiser. Victory in the Mexican War brought bitter division over whether slavery would be allowed in the Southwest. Clay also helped persuade the congress to accept the Compromise of 1850. -
Dred Scott Case
Dred Scott went to a trial to sue for his freedom in 1847. Ten years later his case was brought up and after a lot of thinking, the court decided that all African-Americans, even those who were free, could not sue in federal court. He remained a slave. This case was famous because it made the Northerners angrier and it was another thing that was added on to their list of hatred against the South. -
New Technology
A french army officer invented a cone-shaped lead bullet with a diameter smaller than the rifle barrel. Soldiers could also load these quickly. Rifles with "Minie" bullets were more accurate and more deadly, which forced both the North and South to charge the way they fought in the war. -
The Compromise of 1850
On March 5th, 1850 the Compromise of 1850 was completed. The Compromise of 1850 consists of five laws that dealt with slavery. California wanted to enter the Union as a free state, this upset the balance between the free and slave states. -
Personal Liberty Laws
The Personal Liberty Laws were passed by the Northern American States to protect the blacks within their borders. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 aroused the most violent opposition in the North. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Tensions between the North and South were growing, mostly about slavery. Since the North hated slavery and wanted it to end because of the harsh conditions, the South came up with a solution called the "Happy Slave." They lied about the way the slaves lived and Harriet Beecher Stove wrote "Uncle Tom's Cabin" telling how the slaves really lived. -
Kansas- Nebraska Act
The act was created with the purpose of allowing people to settle in Kansas and Nebraska with the choice if they wanted to be a slave or non-slave county. But that did not work what so ever! It made it worse! Not there's fighting going on and was a leading event to the Civil War -
Southern Congressman Attacks Northern Senator
Southern congressman, Preston Brooks, beats Northern senator, Charles Sumner, in the halls of congress as tensions increase over the expansion of slavery. Sumner didn't return to the senate for 3 years so he could recover. Brooks got a lot of attention from the South and was very supported. On the other hand, the North grew with furry against the South. -
Pottawattamie Massacre
A small group of abolitionists, led by John Brown, murdered 5 pro-slavery men. The massacre in "Bleeding Kansas" was one of the most famous events leading up to the Civil War. -
Harper's Ferry
Abolitionist John Brown and several of his followers seized the U.S. Armory and Arsenal at Harper's Ferry. The actions of all Brown's men brought national attention to the divisions concerning slavery. -
Election of 1860
When Lincoln was elected president in 1860 the South was very angered and the central issue of the election was slavery. Battles over the spread of slavery to new territories and states were going all over the U.S. -
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln became president on November 8th, 1860. During the four years of the American Civil War, he steered the North to victory and authored the Emancipation Proclamation, which was a huge deal to the institution of slavery in the U.S. -
Balance
For years the North and South were splitting because of slavery and there were compromises which were based on the understanding of balance between the North and South. Suddenly all of the compromises fail and led to the Civil War. -
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis was elected president of the Confederate States on Febuary 18th, 1861. As president he acted as his own Secretary of War. Davis's policies were not good enough to provide the South with a stable currency or industrial capacity to prevail in war. This might have been why the Confederates were not as successful in the war. -
Civil War Begins
The South took the fisrt shot in Fort Sumter. -
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Civil War
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Clara Barton
Clara Barton's civil work began on April 18th, 1861 she established an agency to help wounded soldiers in the war. She delieverd aid to soldiers in both the North and South. In 1881 she established The American Red Cross. -
Suspending of Habeas Corpus
Abraham Lincoln decided to suspend "Habeas Corpus" which stated that no one could be punished unti they had a fair hearing in court and a chance of self defence. Rodger B. Taney called that unconstitutional and many others did too. Especially the South because they already hate Lincoln -
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant fought for the Union and was promoted by Lincoln to be a brigadier general on August 7th, 1861. Grant was a great general and brought the Union many victories. Grant's campaign of 1864 was the bloodiest and most horrible of the entire Civil War. He engaged Lee in the terrible Battle of the Wilderness. -
Medicine
Doctors did not fully understand infection and did little to prevent it. Twice as many men died of disease than of gunshot wounds in th Civil War, these affected both the North and the South. In order to try to make the conditions in camp better the sanitary commision report was issued in 1861. This included many guidelines to improve sanitation and reduce disease. -
Use of Conscription
The South took advantage of Conscription way more than the North did. The North used it too but not as fast as the South The use of volunteer soldiers meant a lot to the South because it made them a lot bigger. The North and South both used volunteer soldiers to fight the war. -
George McClellan Raises Union Army
George McClellan raised a well trained and organized army for the Union. He was very good at making plans and logical thoughts when fighting the south. One of the main things he does that makes him better is never underestimate the opponents. -
Stonewall Jackson
Stonewall Jackson was a general for the Confederates. Promoted to major general on October 7th, Jackson was given command of the valley. In January 1862, he conducted an abortive campaign near Romney with the goal of recapturing much of West Virginia for the Confederates. -
Monitor v.s. Merrimack
The Confederate ironclad warship, Merrimack, and the Union ironclad warship, Monitor, were used in a naval battle between the North and South. With the new technology Merrimack was made. It used to be a wooden frigate but was raised and had iron plates put over it. The Monitor was made just for war purposes and that's exactly what it was used for. -
Battle of New Orleans
During this battle, the Union army occupied all of New Orleans and told the city to surrender and they did on April 28th. This marked a very significant time because one of the largest Confederate cities had fallen. -
Battle of Antietam
The significance of this battle was that it forced the Confederate Army to retreat back across the Potomac River. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Lincoln warned the Confederate states. He told them He told them he would free their slaves if they did not return to the Union by January 1, 1863. The c=Confederates ignored him, so in 1863, President Lincoln put his Emancipation Proclamation, something he had written in secret, to work. He declared the slaves in all Confederate areas to be "forever free". This of course angered the South. -
Underground Railroad
Harriet Tubman escaped slaves into the underground railroad. She was hired by the Union Army to capture the slaves and take them up North for a free life. This upset the South greatly and grew more angry at the Union Army -
Vicksburg
Ulysses Grant's armies went to Vicksburg and entrapped s Confederate army. After a while of operations, Vicksburg surrendered and turned to be one of the biggest military campaigns. The Confederacy was effectively split in half. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The battle had the longest number of casualties and is also described as the war's turning point. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac defeated the attacks from the Confederates.
