Civil War Timeline

  • Compromise of 1850

    • Newly acquired Western territory was fought over which led to a compromise
    • Texas was paid $10 Million to scale back land claims
    • California was now a free state, Washington D.C. had to end the slave trade within the city
    • Stricter Fugitive slave act passes
  • Compromise of 1850

    Compromise of 1850

    -Newly acquired Western land led to compromise
    -California was now a free state, and Washington D.C. had to end slave trade within the city
    -Stricter Fugitive Slave Act passed
  • Fugitive Slave Act

    Fugitive Slave Act

    -Act that said all slaves must be returned to their masters
    -Any person that was caught helping a slave could subject up to 6 months of jail time
    -Congress made it illegal to assist then and the North felt this was a way of expanding power and reach of slavery
  • Uncle Tom's Cabin

    Uncle Tom's Cabin

    -Harriet Beecher Stowe sold over 3000,00 copies in the first year and 2 million+ copies within five years
    -About a kind slave treated terribly by his master
    -Changed peoples views and opened their eyes, many joined the abolitionist movement
  • Kansas Nebraska Act

    Kansas Nebraska Act

    -This act allowed each territory to decide the issue of slavery with popular sovereignty
    - Kansas isn torn in half between pro and anti slave. Became known as "Bleeding Kansas"
  • Dred Scott Decision

    Dred Scott Decision

    -Dred Scott was ruled as property not a citizen by the Supreme Court
    - This ruling it declared the Missouri Compromise prohibited slavery in the Northern territories was unconstitutional
  • Harper's Ferry

    Harper's Ferry

    -Group of men were led by John Brown to attack the weapons arsenal at Harper's Ferry
    -The raid failed and Brown was captured and hanged
    -Becomes and martyr in the North and the Souths see how far they will go to end slavery
  • Lincoln's Election

    Lincoln's Election

    -Was the only candidate against slavery, and won. But the election show how divided the country was.
    -None of the southern states voted for him, and the South started to secede
    -The election pushed the nation to the brink of war
  • Attack on Ft. Sumter

    Attack on Ft. Sumter

    -The South fired on the fort in South Carolina as the Union was trying to resupply it
    -The Union was outnumbered and were almost out of food and supplies
    -The war had begun, and Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers