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Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act required slaves to be returned to their owners even if they were in a free state. The act made the federal government responsible for finding, returning, and trying escaped slaves. This violated the liberties of free white northerners. CITATION:
Fugitive slave act. American Battlefield Trust. (n.d.). https://www.battlefields.org/learn/primary-sources/fugitive-slave-act#:~:text=Passed%20on%20September%2018%2C%201850,returning%2C%20and%20trying%20escaped%20slaves. -
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" Published
Harriet Beecher Stowe published "Uncle Tom's Cabin" which became the most influential works for anti-slavery sentiments. CITATION:
Uncle Tom’s cabin. Harriet Beecher Stowe Center. (n.d.). https://www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/harriet-beecher-stowe/uncle-toms-cabin/#:~:text=Uncle%20Tom’s%20Cabin%20opens%20on,%2C%20and%20Eliza%2C%20Harry’s%20mother. -
Frederick Douglass Speech
Fredrick Douglass gave his famous speech “This Fourth of July is yours, not mine, you may rejoice, I must mourn”. CITATION:
The declaration of independence: Lesser-known facts. The Declaration of Independence: Lesser-known Facts | Richard Nixon Museum and Library. (2021, July 9). https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/news/declaration-independence-lesser-known-facts -
Dred Scott Case
The case was about Dred Scott and his wife who were sued for their freedom in St. Louis Circuit Court. The conclusion on this date, stated that enslaved people were not citizens of the United States and therefore could not expect any protection from the federal governments or the courts. CITATION:
VanderVelde, L. (2023). The Dred Scott Case in Context. Journal of Supreme Court History, 40(3), 263–281. -
Capture of the Federal Arsenal
John Brown and 21 followers captured the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia in an attempt to start a slave revolt. Brown fought a lot against pro-slave groups CITATION:
John Brown. American Battlefield Trust. (n.d.-c). https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/john-brown?ms=googlepaid&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmOm3BhC8ARIsAOSbapVZQjvSPnywnmemL_A2t7lVhSQgGf0FsGTPUkHWwqqaq70R9m93PysaAiP_EALw_wcB -
Lincoln Gets Elected
The Republican party elected Lincoln as the President. CITATION:
Civil War begins. U.S. Senate: Civil War Begins. (2023, September 8). https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Civil_War_Begins.htm#:~:text=At%204%3A30%20a.m.%20on,beginning%20of%20the%20Civil%20War. -
Lincoln Enters Office
Abraham Lincoln officially enters office in the midst of multiple secession threats and a country that is on the verge of a civil war. CITATION:
Civil War begins. U.S. Senate: Civil War Begins. (2023a, September 8). https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Civil_War_Begins.htm#:~:text=At%204%3A30%20a.m.%20on,beginning%20of%20the%20Civil%20War. -
Start of the Civil War
The Civil War started when Confederate troops open fired on Fort Sumter at 4:30AM, proceeded by a rough 34 hours in which the end of the hours resulted in a Union surrendered. CITATION:
Civil War begins. U.S. Senate: Civil War Begins. (2023a, September 8). https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Civil_War_Begins.htm#:~:text=At%204%3A30%20a.m.%20on,beginning%20of%20the%20Civil%20War. -
Jefferson Davis Election
Jefferson Davis is elected provisional President of the Confederate States of America. CITATION:
U.S. Department of the Interior. (n.d.). Jefferson Davis (U.S. National Park Service). National Parks Service. https://www.nps.gov/people/jefferson-davis.htm -
Lincoln's Second Confiscation Act
This act emancipated slaves in the federal territory and forbids the return of fugitive slaves. CITATION:
Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address. American Battlefield Trust. (n.d.-a). https://www.battlefields.org/learn/primary-sources/abraham-lincolns-second-inaugural-address?ms=googlepaid&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmOm3BhC8ARIsAOSbapXZKSVYNP7CDvaQ3-9pN0e_OOFXBHzUWe5BryRgp2NyZsXo8qZkIWoaAkweEALw_wcB -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation, which stated that all enslaved people in rebellious areas to be free, went into effect CITATION:
10 facts: The emancipation proclamation. American Battlefield Trust. (2024, September 6). https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/10-facts-emancipation-proclamation?ms=googlepaid&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmOm3BhC8ARIsAOSbapUZ0HNo_iZ2_1vSaTvlNO4rvye6-a3e1ZuJRuQx9gU39w4244DKUewaAja4EALw_wcB -
The Battle of Gettysburg
Union forces under the command of George G. Meade repelled Robert E. Lee and his troops. This was the largest battle in the war, amounting for over 50,000 casualties. The battle lasted 3 days and is considered to be the bloodiest battle of the war. CITATION:
Gettysburg. American Battlefield Trust. (n.d.-d). https://www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/gettysburg?ms=googlepaid&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmOm3BhC8ARIsAOSbapXPN95k2Xks9nNGJdTC5WQnTFvsAvumOdT8sJMrwb_PhAfALFLPFhgaAqJuEALw_wcB -
Gettysburg Address
This address was by President Lincoln to give meaning to the sacrifice of the soldiers who died during the war. CITATION:
Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. American Battlefield Trust. (n.d.-a). https://www.battlefields.org/learn/augmented-reality/abraham-lincolns-gettysburg-address?ms=googlepaid&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmOm3BhC8ARIsAOSbapUonNJmDnV0dFMHtZ36LU5U1hpn1deJjwTWRamueb6osP4VB9p659QaApUJEALw_wcB -
End of the Civil War
The Civil War ended when General Robert E. Lee surrendered his troops to General Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia. CITATION:
Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (2024c, September 25). American Civil War. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/American-Civil-War#:~:text=The%20war%20effectively%20ended%20in,%2C%20Texas%2C%20on%20June%202. -
Lincoln's Assassination
President Lincoln is assassinated. Although he was killed, he did a lot for racial equality and encouraged others to do so as well. CITATION:
Lincoln’s assassination. Ford’s Theatre. (n.d.). https://fords.org/lincolns-assassination/ -
Confederate Cabinet Dissolves
Jefferson Davis, the president of the confederacy, and the Confederate Cabinet dissolve the confederate government. CITATION:
Civil War on the western border: The Missouri-kansas conflict, 1854-1865. Remaining Confederate Cabinent Dissolves | Civil War on the Western Border: The Missouri-Kansas Conflict, 1854-1865. (1865, May 5). https://civilwaronthewesternborder.org/timeline/remaining-confederate-cabinent-dissolves -
13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment to the Constitution was added which abolished slavery. CITATION:
Constitutional amendments – amendment 13 – “The abolition of slavery.” Ronald Reagan. (n.d.). https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/constitutional-amendments-amendment-13-abolition-slavery#:~:text=Amendment%20Thirteen%20to%20the%20Constitution,except%20as%20a%20criminal%20punishment. -
The Civil Rights Act
This act gave citizens of every race and color equal rights to make contracts, testify in court, purchase, hold and dispose of property, and enjoy full and equal benefit of all laws. CITATION:
APA Citation was too long, link is provided:
https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/historic-document-library/detail/civil-rights-act-of-1866-april-9-1866-an-act-to-protect-all-persons-in-the-united-states-in-their-civil-rights-and-furnish-the-means-of-their-vindication -
14th Amendment
The 14th amendment to the Constitution was added which granted American citizenship to everyone born in the United States, including formerly enslaved persons. CITATION:
National Archives and Records Administration. (n.d.). 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Civil Rights (1868). National Archives and Records Administration. https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/14th-amendment#:~:text=No%20State%20shall%20make%20or,equal%20protection%20of%20the%20laws. -
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment of the Constitution was created which prohibits states from denying citizens the right to vote on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude CITATION:
National Archives and Records Administration. (n.d.-b). 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Voting Rights (1870). National Archives and Records Administration. https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/15th-amendment -
“The Compromise"
12 years after the close of the Civil War, three southern states were still occupied by the federal troops. These states disputed the election of President Rutherford B. Hayes. In exchange for the withdrawal of federal troops, the states accepted Hayes’s win. This was the end of Reconstruction. CITATION:
A&E Television Networks. (n.d.-a). Compromise of 1877 ‑ definition, results & significance. History.com. https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/compromise-of-1877 -
Plessy v. Ferguson
This landmark Supreme Court decision holds that racial segregation is constitutional, paving the way for the repressive Jim Crow laws in the South. Plessy v. Ferguson (Jim Crow laws): Topics in Chronicling America: Introduction. Introduction-Plessy v. Ferguson (Jim Crow Laws): Topics in Chronicling America - Research Guides at Library of Congress. (n.d.). https://guides.loc.gov/chronicling-america-plessy-ferguson#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20Supreme%20Court%20changes,for%20the%20next%20fifty%20years.