-
Harper's Ferry
John Brown raided Harper's Ferry in an attempt to stir up a slave uprising, however it failed miserably and Brown was sentenced to death. This gave northerners the idea that they could abolish slavery but it also unified the south and gave them an identity. -
Licoln's First Election
Abraham Lincoln is elected as the 16th president of the United States of America. His election would angered the south and caused the first wave of secession. -
South Secedes
South Carolina secceds first followed up by Mississipi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisianna, and Texas. Eventually Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee would also join the Confederacy. -
Confederate States of America Established
The 11 seceeded states form their own goverment and refer to themselves as the Confederacy. They kept the same basic democratic principles and protected themselves from the old federal government which was surely going to take away their slaves. -
Writ of Habeus Corous suspended
John Merryman is arrested for trying to stop Union troops from moving from Baltimore to Washington. Licoln suspends Habeus Corpus so he must be tried, saying that this was the only way to defeat the South. -
1st Battle of Bull Run
This was the first ground battle of the Civil War and resulted in a Union loss. This battle showed that both sides needed to improve their military ability and that the war would not be as easily won as the North thought. -
1st Confiscation Act
This act made any property belonging to confederates, used in war, could be seized by federal forces and that any slaves used by their masters to benefit the war would be freed. -
Trent Affair
Charles Wilkes, a Navy officer, captured two confederate envoys on the British ship, the Trent. Great Britain accused the U.S of violating their neutrality which caused diplomatic conflict between the two. -
Monitor v. Merrimac
The first battle between the revolutionary ironclad ships. The North had built the Monitor to contrast its southern counter-part, the Merrimac. The Monitor defeated the Marrimac near Hampton Roads, Virgina. -
Shiloh
The second great battle of the war. The North won but both sides suffered heavy casualties which caused low morale amonst both armies. -
Capture of New Orleans
On this key date in the war Union Troops took over New Orleans. The capture was a massive blow to the Confederacy. They lost important trade routes from the Mississipi River and their largest banking center. -
Homestead/ Morrill Land Grant Acts
The Homestead Act encouraged Western migration by providing settlers 160 acres of public land. In exchange, homesteaders paid a small filing fee and were required to complete five years of residence before receiving ownership of the land. The Morrill Land Grant Act was a major boost to higher education in America. The grant was originally set up to establish institutions is each state that would educate people in agriculture, home economics, mechanical arts, and other practical studies -
2nd Confiscation Act
It stated that slaves of civilian and military Confederate officials “shall be forever free,” but it was enforceable only in areas of the South occupied by the Union Army. This was a precursor to the emancipation proclamation. -
First Income Tax
The Goverment levied the first income tax sometime during the summer of 1861. This increased the rates on all goods and services and was necessary for financing the war. -
Antietam
This was bloodiest battle in American history that only occupied one day, but also a turning point in the war for the Union. It allowed Lincoln to authorize the Emancipation Proclamation. Antietam took place in Maryland. -
The Emancipation Proclamation
After the Union victory in Antietam, Lincoln announced that all slaves in the seceeded states would be free. His goal was to injure the confederacy, threaten its property, heighten its dread, and hurt its morale. -
National Draft Law instated
This was the first nation-wide draft in the North, and it came almost exactly a year after the draft was installed in the South. Many states begann drafting in 1862, but this was the first law that was officially passed by congress. The difference in times between the North and South, and when they passed the conscription acts, may be an insight into the enthusiam for the war on both sides. -
Vicksburg
This battle marked the end of a long seige of Vicksburg, one of the last Confederate strongholds on the Mississippi River. It partnered with the win at Gettysburg and was mostly just a major moral booster for the Union Troops. -
Capture of Atlanta
Union forces defeated Confederate forces defending Atlanta. They proceeded to burn down the whole city, regardless if the infasctructure was involved militarily. This began Shermans March to the Sea. -
Lincoln's Re-election
Lincoln won the election of 1864 with overwhelming support for his policies. His re-election solidified the fact that there would be no negotiated end to the war and that slavery would definitely be abolished if the Union won. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
From this date until December 21, 1864, Sherman marched his troops over 200 miles from Atlanta to Savannah. His goal was to frighten the Georgian people into abondoning the Confederacy. Sherman used the old Scorched Earth tactic and burned down almost everything in sight. -
Capture of Richmond
After ten months of trying to capture the Confederate capital, General Grant finally succeeds. This is a sure sign to the Union that the Confederacy is weak and is nearing it's last stand. -
Surrender at Appomattox
General Lee realized there was little hope, and that he may have to surrender his army to General Grant. They two met at Appomattox Courthouse where General finally surrendered. This was a sign that the war was about to be over. -
Lincoln's Assassination
Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth, an actor and Confederate supporter, on the night of April 14, 1865 in Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C. It came just days after Lee surrendered at the Appottomax Courthouse. Lincoln would die in the morning hours of the 15th of April, 1865. -
13th Amendment
This was the amendment which officially abolished slavery in the US. "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."