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Period: to
Civil War Era
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Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Helped delineate and establish the immoral actions of the southerners to the northerners. Some say it could have been the greatest American propaganda novel ever written. It is supposedly said that Lincoln made a remark to her saying, “So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war”. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
Along with the addition of the acquired territory, came the question of the 36’ 30” latitude, and what to do with it. This act repealed the missouri compromise of 1820, and established a doctrine of congressional nonintervention in the territories. Rather, the disruption of the territory's stance on pro slavery or anti slavery was based on the vote of the people (popular sovereignty) in Kansas and Nebraska fate. -
“Bleeding Kansas”
Also known as the Kansas Border war. Violent clashes between pro- (from Missouri “Border Ruffians”) and anti-slavery advocates (ie, John Brown). 200 deaths result as settlers pour in to Kansas on both sides. -
Election of 1860: Abraham Lincoln elected
The Election of 1860 presidential candidates were John Bell, John Breckinridge, Stephen Douglas, and Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was elected as president, to be our fearless leader throughout the Civil War for the Union. Despite the fact that he was Republican and very unpopular in the South, and his election angered some states enough to cause them to secede from the Union. -
First state leaves the Union
South Carolina secedes from the Union. They demanded that all federal property in the State be surrendered to State authorities. Their seceding is consider illegal and not legally legitimate to Lincoln. -
Formation of the Confederacy
The confederacy was officially formed when delegates from South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana met in Alabama. Jefferson Davis became the president. In the Confederate's minds, they were separate and of equal status as a sovereign nation.. -
Fort Sumter- Beginning of Civil War
Lincoln sends supplies to the fort in Charleston harbor, knowing the South would attack. On April 12, 1861, the Confederate Army began bombarding the fort, which surrendered on April 14, 1861. Congress declared war on the Confederacy on April 15,1861. -
Battle of Bull Run
Known as the first official battle of the war. It took place in Northern Virgina by a clash between the Confederate and Union forces. When Confederate backups arrived unexpectedly the Union soldiers fled back to the homeland, but the Confederates didn’t act quick enough chase them down. The Confederates won. Although both the Union and Confederates were ill prepared going into this battle. It was a wake up call to the Union, and a ruffle to the Confederate forces ego. -
Emancipation Proclamation
It is proclaimed after the Union victory at the Battle of Antietam (known as the “bloodiest battle of the war”). The Emancipation Proclamation was not technically legally effective anywhere, because it only states to relieve southern slaves. This proclamation changed the attitude and morale of the war publicly, from just having the goal to preserve the union, to also the abolishment of slavery as well. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Confederate cause and effort was broken at this war, with General George Pickett’s costly charge. This battle was the last real chance for them to win the war, but with their lost they were doomed. Although the war continued on for 2 more years. In the autumn of 1863, the Gettysburg Address was delivered by Lincoln. -
Battle of Vicksburg
The Union surrounded Vicksburg for 5 days until they surrendered. Union victory led by General Grant. Which ended up giving control of the Mississippi River to the Union and most of the west through other conquests. -
Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction
Lincoln announced his 10% plan following the victories of Vicksburg and Gettysburg. These victories were the deciding factors that the south states would rejoin the Union, it was just a matter of when. Therefore Lincoln went ahead and announced it reconstruction plans sooner rather than later. Congress highly opposed Lincoln’s plan. -
Election of 1864
Lincoln is re-elected as president for the Union Party (temporarily changed from Republican party to attract voters that were War Democrats and from the border states). He ran against former general McClellan who was apart of the Northern Democrat Party. He won drastically in the electoral vote, but only by 55% of the popular vote. When Lincoln was reelected the hope for a Confederate Victory, was straight down and unreachable. Lincoln almost wasn’t elected, but the Union victories that occurred -
Lincoln is assasinated
John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln in the back of the head five days after Lee’s surrender. On April 15, 1865 he died. Therefore Andrew Johnson took over in office. -
13th amendment is ratified
It states, “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." This was the amendment that formerly abolished slavery. This amendment was the first of the three Reconstruction amendments. -
Lee surrenders to Grant at Appomattox
Lee surrendered his army at the Appomattox Court House to Grant. After being caught up in siege by Union forces at Richmond. This surrender marked the end of the Civil War, the brother war. -
Civil Rights Act
This Bill was passed despite the fact that Andrew Johnson Vetoed it. It gave all equal rights to men.This bill aimed to counteract the Black Codes that were taking place in the South by saying it was a crime to deprive blacks of their rights to sue, testify in court, or hold property. -
Attempted Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
Johnson was said to be in violation of the Tenure Office Act which was set in 1866 by radical republicans of congress. He had removed Edwin M. Stanton, the Secretary of War, from office and replaced him with Adjutant General Lorenzo Thomas. It was decided that despite Johnson’s high unpopularity the impeachment was opposed. -
14th amendment ratified
This vital amendment expanded and balanced the protection of civil rights to all Americans equally. By granting citizenship to anyone who is born in the United States, therefore granting all (even blacks) their rights of life, liberty, or property. The fourteenth amendment is the second of the three Reconstruction amendments. -
15th amendment ratified
The 15th amendment states that the “right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude”. The purpose of the passage of this amendment was in order to grant voting rights to African-American men. Although unfortunately in the South, the whites found a way around this amendment by the passage of Black Codes, and voting wasn’t clearly established until the Voting Rights Act -
Election of 1876
Republican candidate was Rutherford B. Hayes and Democrat candidate was Samuel J. Tilden. Tilden had beaten Hayes in the popular vote, however only received 184 of the needed 185 votes from the electoral college. So Congress instead set up a 15-member Electoral Commission. In this deadlock the vote was 8-7 favoring Republican, therefore Hayes was decided as winner. There are many suspicions on the level of fraud that occurred during this Election. -
Compromise of 1877
Since the Election of 1876 was highly suspected to have involved fraud, many southern democrats were angry and opposed to Rutherford. In order to calm this opposition, Rutherford promised internal improvements in the South, appointing of a democrat to the cabinet (David Key-postmaster general), and the removing of federal troops from the South. With the removal of the troops from these states, Reconstruction was officially said to be over and that the reunification of the nation was complete. T