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The Undergroun Railroad (Approximate start date)
The underground railroad was run by many people. The idea was to help fugitive slaves escape to freedom either in the North or in Canada. A estimated 100,000 slaves escaped the south between 1810-1850 mainly due to the underground railroad. Runaway slaves would move at night generally walking 10-20 miles from station to station where they rested and ate. Harriet Tubman a former slave herself was a well known conductor of the underground railroad. She made 19 trips to the south escorting over 300 -
The Underground Railroad(part 2)
slave to help them gain their freedom. The Undergroun railroad is said to start in the 1780's and in 1789 George Washingto reported he had a runaway escape in the same type of fashion the Underground railroad escapers did. -
The Invention Of the Cotton Gin (increased need for slavery)
The invention of the cotton gin revoultionized the cotton industry.The cotton gin seperates the cotton seeds and cotton fibers from eachother. The cotton gin was invented by Eli Whitney. His invention was the turning point for the southern economy. The invention boosted the economy and made cotton sales expand tromendously. The machine picked the seeds and left only the usable fibers. Saaving a lot of time and man power. Without the cotton gin the south would have never begun to prosper. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an attempt to keep the peace between the north and South over the issue of slavery. The compromise said that slavery could not exist above the 36° 30´ line. At the time the Compromise kept the number of states that were non and slave states equal. -
Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso was attatched to James K. Polk's request to have 2 million dollars to get the new mexico territory. This occured during the mexican war. David Wilmot attatched the Wilmot Proviso to the bill and the House passed it. David Wilmot was from Pennsylvania. The wilmot Proviso said that in the new territory slavery would not exist unless punishment for a crime. The Wilmot Proviso was based off Jefferson's Northwest Ordinance. -
Wilmot Proviso (part2)
Slavery was an issue and some states did go by popular sovereignty. -
Compromise of 1850
The compromise of 1850 was faive bills to keep both the north and south happy. The first was California was a free state. The second was New Mexico and Utah were both popular soveriegnty states with the power to choose to be slave states or not. The third was the republic of Texas joined the US and payed Mexico ten million dollars of debt. The fourth was that the slave trade was ended in the District of Columbia. fifth was if one did not arrest run away slaves they could be fined. -
Uncle Toms Cabin (part 2)
because it opposed slavery and made those in the south begin to question the morals of slavery. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin (date published)
The book was written by Harriet Beacher Stowe. The first publication of the book was a two volume book and three hundred thousand copies of the book was sold in the first year in the US alone. The book acknowledged slavery for the evil it was and opened eyes of many people around the world. The book commemerates the life of Rev. Josiah Henson. The book refers to memories of Henson's in his work as a abolitionist. The book was read world wide includin in Great Britian. The book was banned in the -
The Caning of Charles Sumner
Charles Sumner had made some remarks about Andrew P. Butler and some other senators in his speech "Crime Against Kansas". Sumner had not known that the results from some critical statements over popular sovereignty would end in such pain. Sumner didn't know he ticked off Butler's cousin who was a senator Preston Brooks. Preston Brooks got back at Sumner by repeatedly striking him in the head with his walking cane. It took 3 years for sumner to feel able to resume his duties. The caning signalled -
The Caning of Charles Sumner(part 2)
the need for sectional compromise in the senate. -
Dread Scott Decision ( date of decision)
TheChief Justice was Roger B. Taney during the time of the case. The case took place in St. Louis Old Courthouse.Dred Scott had lived in the free stat of Illinois with his master therefore making him free. But his master saw it as him taking his property to the north and felt like Dred Scott was still his. The Missouri compromise had said no slavery would exist up in that area.The decision declared that Congress had no power to prohibit slavery in the federal territories. -
Dred Scott Decision (part 2)
This made the Republicans very angry over the sectionalism of slavery. This was one of the steemed events that led to the civil war because of the tension that this injustice caused. -
19. Lincoln-Douglas Debates (Include Freeport Doctrine…use year)
Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas went through a series of debates around Illinois in order to win a seat in senate. The debates drew crowds from all over the state and even near by states. The audiences participated in the debates by asking questions and laughing/ cheering for the two men. Douglas supported "popular sovereignty" which Lincoln said went against the Dred Scott Decision. Douglas stated the Freeport Doctrine which says that no matter what Supreme Court decided over slave states -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates (Include Freeport Doctrine…use year )(part 2)
was not as important as the actions of the citizens. Neither Lincoln nor Douglas won the popular election. But many people saw a leader in the fallen Lincoln and awaited him for his presidency election. -
Raid On Harper's Ferry, Virginia
Abolitionist John Brown and his followers seized the national armory at Harper's Ferry Virginia. Brown had plans to create a colony for runnaway slaves and to accomplish this he needed weapons therefore he captured the arsenal for his weaponry. John Brown raided the night of October 16th but was caught. By the next morning the 17th the armory was surrounded by the local militia. Many of Brown's men were killed and He was taken prisoner but was allowed to recover from injury. After recovering he -
Raid Of Harpers Ferry, Virgina (part 2)
appeared infron of the court in the Jefferson County Courthouse. He was declared guilty and was sentenced to death because he had committed treason. He was hung December 2nd in Charles Town. Abolitionist viewed Brown as a hero for dieing for the cause. Abolitionist also used the case as ammunition saying that the government liked slavery. -
Election of 1860
Abraham Lincoln won the election with 40% of the popular vote and 108 out of 303 electoral votes. His opponents were Stephen Douglas, John C. Breckinridge, and John Bell. Abraham Linccoln was a Republican. He grew up poor and was representing Illinois. He believed that if you left slavery alone it would die out on its own. He did not plan on ending slavery but he personally did not believe slavery was morally right. -
Formation of the Confederate States of America
In February of 1861 six of the original seceded states joined together in Montgomery Alabama. Jefferson Davis was chosen as president. The confederates had hoped for a peaceful succeeding from the Union. At first the Confederate chose Montgomery as their capital but by May moved it to Richmond Virginia. The CSA were believers of states rights. Each state had their own armies. The CSA lacked in population with about half of the population the north had. -
Fort Sumnter
In the Charleston Harbo fort sumnter was located as a Federal fort. The confederate army started the Civil War by opening fire upon the fort. After 34 hours of holding off the Confederate army the Union surrendered the fort. No one was killed but this was the first official attack of the Civil War. General Beaureguard was in charge of the confederate troops while Major robert Anderson was in charge of the Union. The first shots were fired at 4:30 AM that started the war. -
First Battle of Bull Run
This was the first battle of the Civil War.The battle ended in a confederate victory. Winfield Scott was the General-in-Chief. The defensive strategy proved to be a advantage for the Confederates. 878 soldiers were killed and another 2,489 were wounded. The battle field was around 5 miles wide. The confederates had 14,000 troops and the Union had 15,000 troops. -
Battle of Shiloh
The battle was fought in southwestern Tennessee. It was a planned surprise attack on the Union by the Confederate. The first day the Confederates were successful. The second day the Union army came back because the Confederates got confused and went the wrong way. Because they were in Northern territory instead of fighting in a defensive potition the confederates lost. From this point on the Confederates did not try to fight in the North because of the battle. -
Battle of Antietam
This battle is sometimes reffered to as "the bloodiest battle" of the civil war with numbers up to 23,000 soldiers killed. The North won the battle giving Abraham Lincoln confidence that his country would accept the Proclamation of Emancipation. Two weeks after the battle Lincol toured the battle ground and visited with wounded soldiers of both sides. -
The Emancipation Proclomation (went int effect)
Abraham Lincoln declared all slaves were free except in the states that were boarder states and stayed loyal to the Union. This speech gave Lincoln the nickname "The Great Emancipator". -
The Battle of Gettysburgh
Robert E. Lee was the general of the Northern Virginia army while George G. Meade controlled the Union army that outnumbered the Confederates by 12,000 men. This was not the last battle of the Civil War but it was the point of the war that marked the Union supreme over the Confederates who after this battle became weaker and weaker. The most casualties of American soldiers in American history occured at Gettysburgh. -
Seige at Vicksburgh (date ended)
The Union ended with the victory. There were35,825 total cassaulties 4,550 from the Union and31,275 from the confederacy.Grant showed superior with one of the most brilliant military campaigns of the war. Because of Grant success he was named the General-in-Chief of the Union army. Due to the surrender the Confederacy lost the Mississippi river. Due to the loss the Confederate army was split in half. -
Seige at Vicksburgh (part 2)
Grant gained the reputation of being one of the best leaders during the war because of this seige of Vicksburgh. -
Gettysburgh Adress (part 2)
The speech only lasted a short two minutes. But the speech went down in history as won of the most important speeches in American History. -
Gettysburgh Address
President Lincoln gave one of his most famous speeches the Gettysburgh Address in Gettysburgh Pennsylvania. Given at the National Cemetary.He drew inspiration from his favorite historical document the Decloration of Independence. Lincoln reffered to how the Decloration of Independence stated that all men were created equal and that was inspiration for the Civil War. The Speech was given around four months after one of the most famous battles the Battle of Gettysburgh occured in the same area. -
Sherman's "March to the Sea" (date started)
William T. Sherman was in charge of the march hiniting the name "Sherman's "March to the Sea". Sherman's army unleashed a total war which they didn't kill any cavilian but burned their cities down and destroyed their property and food supplies and even their animals.Sherman began in Atlanta destroying everything between him and the coast. After reaching the coast he went North destroying more land. Sherman's army lived off the land while on their march. Sherman's men became known for "shermans -
Shermans march part 2
Sherman's men were known for "Sherman's Neckties" which were railroads that they bent up in order to keep the rail road system non exsistent in the south. During Sherman's march he pretty much burnt all of the south to the ground especiall Atlanta. -
Election of 1864
Up until Lincoln a president had not been elected two terms in a row nine straight presidents. Lincoln ran against the Democratic canidate former general George B. McClellan. Lincol had thought his former general would defeat him as did most Americans. That was until Sherman took Atlanta which made the war turn very much in favor to the North. Now that the North was winning people wanted to keep Lincoln. Lincoln ended up winning ellectoral college 221-21. The republican won 3/4 of congress. -
Freedmen's Bureau
The Freedmen Bureau was primarily to help freed slaves after the Civil War. They typically gave freed slaves clothing,food and medicine. The Bureau was startted by congress, The Bureau was part of the Department of War. Seventeen hundred dollars was spent by the bureau to create 4,000 schools, 100 hospitals, and to provide homes and food. Education was the biggest thing they did for former slaves. -
Siege of Richmond (date started)
As Union troops drew closer to Richmond Robert E. Lee sent a message to Jefferson Davis to evacuate Richmond. Meaning the city would be taken by the Union. The two armies were currently fighting at Petersburgh when this message was sent and Grant's army was hitting Lee hard. Petersburgh was only 50 miles away from Richmond and Lee sent the message because the city could no longer be defended. The confrederates had lost their capitol. -
Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia
After a four year war Lee and Grant finally met in the house of the McLean's in the rural town of Appomattox Courthouse Virginia. They agreed to the terms which they would reunify the nation. Lee had surrendered to Lee and was not even forced to give away his sword. In a way this settled that the federal government would for then on out have more power over state governments. -
Abraham Lincoln's Assassination
Very few days after the civil War had ended Lincol was assassinated in Ford's Theatre. John Wilkes Booth was Lincoln's killer.Lincoln was watching a comedy in a private box when Booth snuck in the shot Lincoln in the back of the head with a 44-caliber single-shot derringer. Booth the jumped out of the box hit the stage broke his leg and managed to escape. Lincoln was taken to a house accros the road where he died. He died at 7:22 AM the next morning.Booth was shot in the neck on April 26. -
13th Amendment (date ratified)
The 13th amendment abolished slavery in every state of the United States. The Emancipation Proclamation had abolished it in every state that went against the Union in the Civil War but this abolished slavery for the boarder states therfore ending it everywhere. The amendment was passed on January 31, 1865 by congress. Lincoln had wanted this ammendment passed but had already been assasinated before it was ratified. The 13th amendment officially finished the abolition of slavery started by the -
13 Amendement (part 2)
Emancipation Proclamation give by Abraham Lincoln. The senate passed the 13th amendment in 1864 but the house did not. Lincoln played an active role in convincing the house to accept the amendment and they did in 1865 officially putting an end to slavery. -
The 14th Amendment (date Ratified)
The 14th amendment is mainly for citizenship. It granted citizenship to all former slaves. The amendment also denied any state from denying anyones life, liberty, and property. Due procces was declared to make sure that states did not violate civil rights. It garunteed everyone had equal protection of laws. The amendment protected all citizens civil rights. The amendment also had clauses dealing with confederacy official and their ability to recieve citizenship(by apology). -
15th Amendment (date ratified)
The amendment gave the right to vote to African American men. The amendment was the last reconstruction amendment. The amendment was supposed to keep discrimination of race away from the ability to vote as a citizen.The right to vote southern states used poll taxes, literacy test, and other things to make sure blacks in the south did not vote. Republican wanted the ammendment in -
The 15th Amendment (2nd part)
order to gain power in the North and South and black votes in the end would ensure that. -
Election of 1876 (Include compromise of 1877)
Both political parties wanted canidates that could win over the public's trust after the Grant era of corruption. The democrats chose Samuel J. Tilden from new york. Tilden's key point to his platform was that he wanted to get all federal soldiers out of the south. The Republicans chose Rutherford B. Hayes as their presdential canidate
