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Abolitionism dominates American Politics
Abolitionism stemmed from as early as the 1600's in America but after the Second Great Awakening in the early 1800's, abolition became a central issue in US Politics. This would be the serving basis of the anti-slavery faction and this led until the Civil War in which May 9, 1965, when the war is over, the pro-slavery faction was defeated. -
Missouri Compromise of 1820
In order to appeal both the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions, the new territory of Missouri was admitted into the Union as a slave state while the northern territory of what was then Massachusetts was admitted to become Maine. -
Nullification Crisis
South Carolina passed an ordinance of Nullification in response to the Tarriff Act of 1828. They threatened to secede from the Union if the tarriffs remained the same. -
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Mexican-American War
War broke out between the United States and Mexico over the annexation of Texas by the United States after 1846 Texas Revolution. Mexico considered Texas a part of its territory and war broke out over control of the Lone Star State. -
Wilmot Proviso
A failed attempt that would have banned slavery in any territory to be aquired from Mexico in the Mexican war, known as the Mexican Cession. It was one of the leading events that led to the American Civil War. -
Compromise of 1850
It allowed California to be admitted to the Union as a free state, the slave trade in District of Columbia is outlawed, the territories of New Mexico and Utah were organized under popular sovereignty, a harsher fugitive slave act was passed, and Texas gave up its claim of land in what is present day New Mexico. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Established both Nebraska and Kansas as designated territories of the United States. It repealed the Compromise of 1820 in which settlers had the right through popular sovereignty to allow slavery or not. This led to both pro- and anti-slavery factions to flood the two states in which a bloody civil war known as Bleeding Kansas occured over the issue of slavery. -
Dred Scott Case (Dred Scott v. Sandford)
A landmark legal case in which it was ruled that African-Americans cannot sue in a federal court because they are not citizens, and the federal government has no authority over the issue of slavery in any new territory that was acquired by the United States after it's creation. -
John Brown's Raid
An attempt by a white abolitionist, John Brown, to seige a federal arsenal on Harper's Island in Virginia. This led to increased paranoia and anxiety over the outbreak of a slave rebellion and forced the south to create even stricter "codes" to dominate the slaves. -
Presidential Election of 1860
Abraham Lincoln of the Republican Party defeated John C. Breckenridge in an election that further divided states. Seven southern states, strongly opposing Lincoln, seceded from the Union and formed the Confederacy. Four more states joined the Confederate cause after Lincoln made an ultimatum for these "border states" to pick a side. This led to the Civil War. -
Battle of Fort Sumter
The first crisis of the Lincoln Administration and the official start of the Civil War. The Confederate Army was victorius after the Confederacy demanded that the Union will withdraw from the strategic Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina. -
First Battle of Bull Run
The first major land battle of the Civil War. Fought near Manassas in Virginia, relatively unknown Thomas Jackson earned the moniker "Stonewall Jackson" after their resilience and their strong counterattack that led to a decisive Confederate victory. This battle made both armies realize that this War is going to be long and bloodier than expected. -
Battle of Antietam
The bloodiest single day battle in American History, this was a inconclusive battle but a strategic victory for the Union. This was also the first battle fought on Union soil. This was a part of Gen. Robert E. Lee's Maryland Campaign. This battle gave President Lincoln to announce the Emancipation Proclamation which deterred Great Britain and France to join the Confederate cause. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Using his constituional powers as Commander in Chief of the Union Army, he issued an executive order without consent of the Congress in which all those enslaved in captured Confederate states be made free. This effectively freed 3.1 million out of the 4 million slaves in the country. It did not immediately free the slaves in the states still under rebellion, though. -
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Period of Presidential Reconstruction
This period was marked as moderate social reform for the slaves but more of getting rid of the Southern Democrats from power and making sure the whole nation was unified. Memorable events from this era included: the Civil War, the Freedmen's Bureau, the passage of the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the constitution, and protection of freed men's suffrage. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
A major battle of the Civil War, this was known as Gen. Lee's "perfect battle" as his Confederate Army of Northern Virginia engaged an army that was twice its size, Union Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker's Army of the Potomac, to a decisive victory. This battle featured the second bloodiest day of the Civil war, May 3, when Lee's Army launched multiple attacks on the Potomac Army. -
Battle of Vicksburg
A decisive Union victory in which Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Tennessee sieged the strategic Confederate city of Vicksburg. Considered a turning point of the war, the Union now took over the Mississippi River and effectively split the Confederate Army into two parts along the river. This allowed the Union to take control fo the war. -
Battle of Gettysburg
Fought in Gettysburg, Pennsylvannia, this battle had the largest amount of casualties in the entire Civil War. Union Maj. Gen. George Meade's Army of the Potomac engaged the Confederate Maj. Gen. Robert Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. A Union victory, with the horrifying images of the battlefield (over 40,000 casualties), caused President Lincoln to visit the ceremony and honor the fallen Union soldiers and redefine the purpose of the war in the famous Gettysburg Address. -
Gettysburg Address
A speech by Abraham Lincoln after the immensely violent Battle of Gettysburg, the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. He honored fallen Union soldiers and redefined the purpose of the war as a preservation of human equality guaranteed by the Declaration of Independence. This was one of the most famous and most memorable speech in American history. It was also a morale boost for the Union cause. -
Battle of Atlanta
General Sherman led his army and conquered the defending Confederate army led by John Hood. This battle led to increase public morale for the Union effort in the North and was cause to President Lincoln's overwhelming victory over George McClellan after McClellan called for peace with the South admist fears of indecisive violence. -
Freedmen's Bureau
Created from the Freedmen Bureau Bill, this agency ensured protection of newly freed slaves and allowed African-Americans a source for education, labor training, and overall an oppertunity to assimilate into American culture and society. It lost most of it's funding by 1869 and was forced to cut back half of its employees. -
Appomattox Court House
The final engagement of the Confederate army before it surrendered to Lt. Gen. Grant's Army when it was cut off from retreating. Lee's Army's final stand was the Courthouse in the morning of April 9 to break through Union forces. It ultimately led to the surrender of Army of Northern Virginia. It was one of the final engagements of the American Civil War. -
President Lincoln's Assassination
President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by famous theatre actor John Wilkes Booth in Ford Theatre. Booth was a southern sympathizer and the election of Lincoln fueled his towards the president. His plan was also to murder Secretary of State Seward and Vice President Johnson, but neither was killed and only Seward was hurt. -
Black Codes
Starting right after the end of the Civil War, these codes are last ditch efforts of the south trying to maintain dominance over slaves. These codes limited a African-American's right to an education and other basic necessities. These laws are basically a counter towards Presidential and Radical Republican Reconstruction. -
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13th, 14th and 15th Amendments (Reconstruction Amendments)
The 13th Amendment outlawed any form of involuntary servitude, the 14th Amendment overruled Dred Scott v. Sandford in which Africans cannot be counted as citizens, and the 15th Amendment ensured that all men, regardless of color are allowed to vote. These three were the hallmark of the Reconstruction Era and as such are considered the Reconstruction amendments. -
Ku Klux Klan (formed)
A southern vigilante group which advocated white supremacy, segregation, and anti-immigration, the KKK sought to regain control of state governments in the south. They are known for their terrorist activities and active elimination of African-American rights. -
Impeachment of President Andrew Johnson
The first impeachment of a President in United States history, Congress, which were mostly Republicans after the end of the Civil War, found President Johnson to not fully fufill reconstruction and were growing sick of his neutral attitude. He was charged with "high crimes and misdeamenors" after he tried to remove Edwin Stanton, the Secretary of War, from office. It was a clear violation of the Tenure of Office Act. He was acquitted from the charges by 1 vote. -
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Period of Radical Repiblican Reconstruction
Period marked by intense corruption in public jobs due to patronage, the Ku Klux Klan "protecting" the south, strong military presence to maintain control and protection of freedmen's rights and Republican domination of the federal government. -
Presidential Election of 1876
This election was contested between Rutherford B. Hayes of the Republican Party and Samuel J. Tilden of the Democratic Party. The first election in 20 years in which a Democrat won the majority vote, and the only election in which a candidate for president received more than 50 percent of the popular vote but was not elected president by the Electoral College. This election was originally meant to be a victory for Samuel Tilden, but Rutherford was elected president after the Compromise of 1877. -
Compromise of 1877
A deal was struck between the Democrats and the Republicans in which Rutherford B. Hayes gained the electoral votes of Tilden, so long if the Republicans agreed to remove the military from the south. This effectively ended Reconstruction and began a dominance of Southern Democrats in Southern State governments. This allowed Republicans to once again gain control of the central government.
