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Dred Scott, a slave, had went to court against his owner. Both had appealed to a higher level of court. It had gone all the way to the Federal Supreme Court. The verdict would now be set-in-stone. Dred Scott lost his case because, according to Chief Justice Robert Taney, he was considered 'property'. Therefore, the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional because denied people of their 'property'. This increased the tension between abolitionists and supporters of slavery.
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Important events leading up to and during the Civil War.
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John Brown led a group of abolitionists to Harper's Ferry, Virginia, to raid the town. According to him, violence was the only way to make any progress.
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Southern responses to Lincoln's victory reflected horror, which started the momentum of many states seceding from the Union. The Civil Was would be right around the corner.
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South Carolina secedes from the Union. Within 2 months, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas have seceded as well.
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With Jefferson Davis as president, the Confederate States of America are formed. This splits the United States in half.
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The first shot is fired at Fort Sumter.
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After being bombarded by over 3,000 cannon shells, Fort Sumter is left in ruins.
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Clara Barton coordinates donations and forms an independent nursing corp, later known as the American Red Cross (Scholastic Encyclopedia of the Civil War, Clinton, page 31). Dorothea Dix is made Superintendent of the Army of Nurses which provides medical help to both Union and Confederate wounded.
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37,000 Union troops met 35,000 Confederate troops at the first Battle of Bull Run. Colonal Robert E. Lee and Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson sent the Union army back to Washington in digrace and defeat. This is where the Union learned that this was not going to be a quick war, and showed President Lincoln that he needed a better military leader to lead his troops.
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The Union military gets a 'new set of rules', as well as more soldiers, and a new commander. Former Union Commander Irvin McDowell is replaced by George B. McClellan. A new commander means new, unpredictable strategies.
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The Confederacy didn't want slaves to be educated. Mary Peak used the Union's Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia to teach slaves hohw to read and write.
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The USS Monitor will be the first iron clad ship for the North. This new ship will be a turning point in the war. Now, both the North and the South have iron clad ships.
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Both the Monitor and the Merrimack face each other in a naval battle at Hampton Roads, Virginia. Both ships received heavy damage, but in the end it was declared a draw. Even though neither side won that battle, it was clear that wooden ships were no longer effective.
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The Battle of Shiloh was a fierce and bloody battle that reinforced the disturbing idea that this would not be a quick war. The South was very determined and would do nearly anything to defend their way of life.
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In a master stroke of political and military strategy, Abraham Lincoln changed the face of human rights forever by freeing all of the slaves in the rebelling states. This act defined the war as a conflict over slavery, and forced the whole world to choose a side.
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President Lincoln's famous dedication at Gettysburg soothes the heart of the nation, givng his war torn country hope and the belief that their fathers and sons did not die in vain.
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With Lincoln reelected, he could now continue leading his country to a resolution to this war, where both North and South could live as one nation in peace.
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General Sherman lead his men at a steady 15 miles a day, heading to the Atlantic ocean. They destroyed everything in their path, committing total warfare. This left most of the state of Georgia without any means of transportation, and starving.
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The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States forever.
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General Robert E. Lee surrenders after years of battle. Hundreds of thousands of his men were now dead, and he was left with a handful of starved and weary soldiers. The Civil war that had lasted for four years was now over.
