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U.S. Constitution Ratified with Slavery Clause
The United States Constitution is ratified; slaves are counted as three-fifths of a person and enjoy no rights of citizenship. -
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the United States. -
"The Liberator" First Published
William Lloyd Garrison begins publication of a radical abolitionist newspaper, The Liberator. -
Turner Rebellion
Fifty-five whites are killed in a Virginia slave revolt led by Nat Turner. -
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" First Published
Harriet Beecher Stowe's international best seller, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, exposes the evils of slavery. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act allows incoming settlers to decide for themselves whether to permit slavery. -
Republican Party Founded
Anti-slavery northerners found the Republican Party. -
Dred Scott Decision
The Supreme Court decides that a slave, Dred Scott, has no rights a white man is bound to respect. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas debate issues in the campaign for Illinois United States Senate seat. -
John Brown Executed
John Brown is executed for treason against the state of Virginia after his unsuccessful attempt to incite a slave uprising at Harpers Ferry. -
Lincoln Elected President
Abraham Lincoln is elected president of the United States. -
Confederate States of America Form
The Confederate States of America is formed, with Jefferson Davis sworn in as president. -
Battle of Fort Sumter
Confederates fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. -
Battle of First Manassas
The Battle of First Manassas (Bull Run) in Virginia; 4,878 casualties. -
Merrimac v. Monitor
The Battle of the Ironclads, the Confederate Merrimac vs. the Union Monitor, Hampton Roads, Virginia. -
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg, Maryland; 23,000 casualties in the bloodiest day of combat in American history. -
Writ of Habeas Corpus
Abraham Lincoln suspends the writ of habeas corpus for individuals deemed guilty of "discouraging volunteer enlistments, resisting military drafts, or guilty of any disloyal practice offering comfort to Rebels." -
Emancipation Proclamation
Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania; 51,000 casualties. -
Riots in New York City
50,000 people (mostly Irish) riot in New York City in opposition to the draft, attacking and beating blacks. -
Gettysburg Address
Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address dedicates a battlefield cemetery at Gettysburg Pennsylvania. -
Ulysses S. Grant Assumes Leadership
Ulysses S. Grant is named general-in-chief of the Union armies. -
Lincoln Re-Elected
Abraham Lincoln is re-elected to a second term winning more than 55 percent of the popular vote. -
Sherman's March
Sherman captures Savannah, Georgia. -
13th Amendment
Thirteenth Amendment abolishes slavery -
Ku Klux Klan Founded
The KKK is founded in Tennessee. -
Freedmen's Bureau Established
The Union Congress creates the Freedmen’s Bureau. -
Lincoln Arrives in Richmond
Jefferson Davis flees Richmond, hoping to escape to the South; Abraham Lincoln arrives in the city. -
Robert E. Lee Surrenders
Robert E. Lee surrenders at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. -
Lincoln Assassinated
Abraham Lincoln is assassinated. -
14th Amendment Ratified
The Fourteenth Amendment guarantees American citizens equal protection under the law -
Ulysses S. Grant Elected President
Former Union General Ulysses S. Grant becomes president. Although allied with the Radical Republicans in Congress he does not provide strong leadership for Reconstruction. -
Fifteenth Amendment Ratified
The Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gave the vote to all male citizens regardless of color or previous condition of servitude. -
Freedman's Bureau Abolished
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Rutherford B. Hayes Elected President
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Jim Crow Laws
Jim Crow Laws enforced racial segregation in the South after Reconstruction until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 -
Last Federal Troops Leave the South
Last federal troops leave South Carolina effectively ending the Federal government's presence in the South. -
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2nd Ku Klux Klan
In 1915 the film The Birth of a Nation was released, mythologizing and glorifying the first Klan and its endeavors. Its growth was based on a new anti-immigrant, Anti-Catholic, prohibitionist and anti-Semitic agenda, which reflected contemporary social tensions, particularly recent immigration. The new organization and chapters adopted regalia featured in The Birth of a Nation; membership was kept secret by wearing masks in public. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.