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Massacre at Mystic
After conflict rose between the Pequot tribe and the English puritans, the English tried to destroy the entire Pequot tribe, killing men, women, children, and selling the survivors into slavery. -
The Scalp Act
This act made it legal to scalp natives for money from the Pennsylvania government. This was put into place with the hopes of getting rid of the Delaware tribe. -
The 3/5ths Compromise
This decided that 3 out of every 5 enslaved people would be counted when determining a state's total population. This was a compromise between northern and southern states, as the southern states wanted more representation in politics, while the northern states knew that adding slaves to the population count would give the south disproportionate power in politics. -
Slave Trade Ends in the United States
The U.S. followed Britain in banning the slave trade. While illegal smuggling still occurred, this law being put into effect was a huge step in ending slavery in the United States for good. -
Battle of Tippecanoe
A chief named Tenskwatawa broke a cease fire treaty between his and William Henry Harrison's soldiers. Harrison's army won and this lead to Tenskwatawa's army questioning his leadership and to Harrison giving up his goal of having a Native American confederacy. -
The Missouri Compromise
Missouri was decided to be a slave state at the same time that Maine was decided to be a non-slave state, in order to keep the balance between the two groups. This was ruled unconstitutional in the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision. -
Indian Removal Act
More than 46,000 Native Americans were forcibly moved to "Indian territory" in was is now Oklahoma. This is where the trail of tears took place. -
Trail of Tears
The U.S. Army forced the Choctaw nation out of their land first, marking the beginning of several years of Native American displacement. Thousands of Native Americans died on the trip, as they were exposed to the cold, disease, and a lack of food and water. -
Nat Turner Rebellion
Nat Turner took the eclipsing of the sun as a sign that it was time for a revolt. He and around 80 other enslaved people killed as estimated 55 white people. This lead to around 200 black people being massacred, due to the convictions of anti-abolitionist white people. -
The Fugitive Slave Act
This allowed states to capture runaway enslaved people and to punish others that helped them escape. Resistance led to the act being worsened with harsher punishments for runaways and those that helped them. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott and his wife sued for their freedom, as they were in a free state. They lost the case and it was decided that enslaved people could not be protected by the government, that they weren't citizens, and that congress could not ban slavery on a federal territory. This moved the country closer to civil war and was overturned by the 13th and 14th amendments. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The proclamation declared that all enslaved people are, and henceforth, shall be free. It only applied to certain states, but still had an effect of strengthening the union, and inspiring people to fight for freedom in the civil war. -
The 13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery and indentured servitude, except as punishment for a convicted crime. -
The 14th Amendment
Granted citizenship to everyone born in the United States and guaranteed all citizens equal protection in the government. -
The 15th Amendment
Gave black men the right to vote by stating that the right to vote cannot be denied on the basis of race. -
Battle of Little Bighorn
After a discovery of gold on a reservation lead to an invasion of native land, those natives joined forces with tribes lead by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, leading them to have a strong resistance against federal troops. This became known as the troops lieutenant, George Armstrong Custer's, last stand. It was a big victory for the native Americans. -
Battle of Wounded Knee
Nearly 150 Native Americans, almost half being women and children, were killed after a fight broke out between a U.S. soldier and a native and a shot was fired from one of them. -
Plessy vs. Ferguson
Homer Plessy pleaded that his constitutional rights were being violated when he was only allowed to sit in a train car for black people. It was ruled that it was not unconstitutional to have a legal distinction between black and white people. It was decided that segregation was constitutional.