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Dred Scott, a slave, tries to sue for his freedom. The Supreme Court rules that since slaves are not US citizens, they do not have the right to file a lawsuit and that Congress has no right to decide on slavery in the states or US territories.
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This is the worse economic crises in US history, at the time. Leads to tension between the North and the South, because the latter was not as greatly affected.
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A potential constituition written for Kansas. Its extreme anti-slavery position made it unpopular with both the public and Congress.
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This is when he delivers his 'House Divided' speech. It's regarded as one of his best, second only to the Gettysburg Address.
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The two are running against each other for Senate. These debates will allow Lincoln to demonstrate his speaking prowess.
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John Brown leads a mob in attacking the Harper's Island Armory in Virginia, hoping to start a slave rebellion. It is a failure
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He is hanged for the begining the raid on Harper's Island
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He won by only a narrow margin and became the 16th President of the United States.
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It's the first state to leave the Union. Over the course of the next year, SC will be followed by: Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Arkansas soon follow.
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Jefferson Davis is the first President of the Confederate States of America.
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He warns that he will not accept secession
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The battle of Fort Sumter is seen as an agressive attack on the South by the Union.
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Confederate troops take over, this loss is devestating to the Union.
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Lincoln orders that the Union troops begin a blockade of the southern coastline. This will prove to be a wise decision, because without access to the rest of the world, the Confederacy cannot sell cotton or get many supplies.
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After getting Congress' approval, Lincoln then calls for 500,000 men to enlist in the Union Army.
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Ends in a Union defeat with the troops retreating into Washington. Those pinickers who were watching the battle made this retreat difficult.
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Confederate Merrimack and Union Monitor are two ships that meet for battle, which ends in a draw. Because both ships were ironclad and makes wooden ships obsolete.
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Another Confederate victory thanks to General "Stonewall" Jackson. Union's General John Pope is blamed for the loss and fired.
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Bloodiest day of the war with about 26,000 killed or wounded. Declared a draw, but caused Lee and the Confederates to retreat back to Virginia from Maryland.
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Though it is not yet in effect, the Emancipation Proclamation promises to free all Confederate slaves.
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Frees all slaves in the Confederate states. From here on, the Civil War is about slavery.
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Men either have to serve in the army, send in a substitute, or pay the government $300.
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Battle lasted from July 1 to July 4. Not recognized as such at the time, but the Battle of Gettysburg would serve as a turning point in the war.
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General Ulysses S. Grant leads the Union in a take over of Vicksburg following a long siege. This allows the Union to take over the Mississippi River and cut the Confederacy in two.
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Lincoln gave a two minute speech during the opening of the National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Virginia. It's regarded as one of the greatest speeches in American history.
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Under the guidance of General Grant, Union troops begin a march towards Richmond. The march would last six weeks.
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General Sherman and Union troops invade Atlanta, Georgia and then burn it to the ground.
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Cutting across Georgia, General Sherman leads his troops to Savannah and orders them to "make Georgia howl" in the process.
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Sherman sends Lincoln the following in a telegraph: "I beg to present you, as a Christmas gift, the city of Savannah."
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Once added to the Constituition, the 13th Ammendment forbids slavery and indentured servitude in the United States and its territories.
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He wins in a last minute landside against the Democratic canidate, George Meade (the former Union general).
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Union Army finally captures Richmond. In the process, they nearly burn the city to the ground.
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After being surrounded by Union troops, General Lee signs a contract of surrender with General Grant. This officially ends the war.
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He was shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth as he watched a play at Ford's Theater. Booth was part of a larger conspiracy that originally wanted to kidnap the president and hold him for ransom.
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Found in a tobacco barn in Virginia, Booth is shot to death by one of the soliders Corporal Corbett, despite the fact that Booth's warrant asked for him to be brought back alive.
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With the 13th Ammendment ratified, slavery is officially abolished in the United States.
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One of the many secret societies set up to terrorize African Americans.. Its methods become more cruel as whites feel their old way of life is being threatened.
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Tenneessee becomes the first Confederate state to be readmitted into the Union.
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Only applies in the District of Columbia,
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Among other things, it promises full citizenship to African Americans. Also creates the idea of "seperate but equal"