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Uncle Toms Cabin
Uncles Toms Cabin is an anti-slavery novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. She wanted to bring awareness to the unfairness of slavery. Stowe shared ideas about the injustices of slavery. She became a leading voice in the anti-slavery movement. She herself was a teacher. -
Lincoln elected sixteenth U.S. President
In 1860 Abraham Lincoln was elected the 16th president of the United States for the first time. He became the first Republican to win the presidency. Abraham Lincoln won against Democratic Party nominee Senator Stephen Douglas, Southern Democratic Party nominee John Breckinridge, and Constitutional Union Party nominee John Bell. He received 40% of the popular vote. -
The south states secede
The states succeeded quickly after the election of Lincoln winning. South Carolina acted first, calling for a convention to SECEDE from the Union. The reason why the south seceded because they wanted to keep the institution of slavery. Texas, Mississippi, Georgia, and South Carolina all issued additional documents, usually referred to as the “Declarations of Causes," which explain their decision to leave the Union. state by state, conventions were held, and the confederacy was formed. -
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter is an island located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. It is famous for being the site of the first shots of the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln announced that he was going to resupply the fort. Shortly after he announced this, Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard invaded Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. This started the Battle of Fort Sumter. -
First battle of Bull Run
The first battle of Bull Run was one of the first major battles of the civil war. Early on July 21, two of McDowell's divisions crossed at Sudley Ford and attacked the Confederate left flank on Matthews Hill. General McDowell ordered the Union to attack. The Union's plan was too complex for the soldiers to follow. The confederates won. There were a lot of injuries on both sides. The union had almost 3000 injuries and 460 killed. The confederate had about 2000 deaths and 387 deaths. -
Battle of the Ironclads
This battle was the first clash between ironclad warships. This battle changed the future of naval warfare. The battle was fought between two famous ironclad ships called the Monitor and the Merrimack. The ships were more difficult to sink because they were protected with iron amour. The Merrimack was commanded by Flag officer Franklin Buchanan and the Monitor was commanded by Captain John Worden. No side really won this battle. -
Battle of Shiloh
The battle of Shiloh was the earliest war. It lasted two days. It was the bloodiest battle in American history. It ended with 23,000 people dead and wounded. The battle of Shiloh ended with a Union victory over Confederates in Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee. The battle allowed Grant to begin a massive operation in the Mississippi Valley later that year. -
Slavery ends on US territories
On January 1, 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. This states Union army to liberate all enslaved people in states still in rebellion as “an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity.” These 3 million enslaved people were declared to be freed. On June 19, 1862, slavery was abolished on all US territories. June 19 is now known as Freedom Day. It is celebrating the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States. -
Battle of Antietam
The battle of Antietam allowed the Union to hold off the first Confederate invasion of the North because they couldn't afford to attack. This battle allowed President Abraham Lincoln to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation, which ended slavery. Also during this war, Britain, and France having a cotton shortage, recognizing the independence of confederate states. It also enabled the Union to repel the first Confederate invasion of the North and lifted the sagging Union morale. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
The battle of Fredericksburg was a major loss on the Union Army. There were 120,000 soldiers on the Union and 85,000 on the confederates. The union had more than double injuries than the confederates. On December 15, Burnside called off the attacks and recrossed the river, ending the battle. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
The battle took place over several days. The battle took place in a town called Chancellorsville, Virginia. The battle took place April 30, 1863, as Union General Hooker planned. He led his troops to the confederate side and they had him trapped. They were sure he would retreat. After days of fighting, on May 7, 1863, the Union Army was forced to retreat. The battle ended and the Confederates won. -
Siege of Vicksburg
Vicksburg was one of the Union Army’s most successful campaigns of the American Civil War. It was a really long war that lasted from May 18, 1863, until July 4, 1863. The union had 35,000 soldiers and the confederates had 18,000 soldiers. The Union victory gave them control of the Mississippi River. At the same time, the Confederate army under General Lee was defeated at the Battle of Gettysburg. These two victories marked the major turning point of the Civil War in favor of the Union. -
Battle of Gettysburg
Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee began his second attack on the North. He wanted to defeat the Union army on the north's land. The opposing forces met at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on July 1. Lee's second attack on the North didn't go as he hoped and had resulted in an estimated 51,000 casualties on both sides. This was the bloodiest single battle of the entire war. Because of this, the battle was the turning point of the war, and the union won. -
Fall of Richmond
On April 2, Gen. Robert E. Lee sent a message to President Jefferson Davis that he couldn't hold the Union army at bay anymore. Petersburg and Richmond would have to be evacuated. On April 3, Richmond evacuated quickly. Looting of stores and homes occurred throughout the city. The Confederate government ordered troops to set fire to all of the cotton, tobacco, and munition warehouses to keep them from falling into the Union hands. The warehouse fires soon raged out of control. -
Battle of Appomattox Court House
In Appomattox County, Virginia, on April 9, 1865, General Robert E Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses. The terms of surrender included that confederate soldiers would not rebel again and Confederate soldiers would have to turn in their rifles. On August 20, 1866, President Andrew Johnson signed a document saying the Civil war was over. This was one of the last battles of the American Civil War -
Lincoln Assassination
John Wilkes was an actor who supported the confederates. John Wilkes planned on kidnapping Abraham Lincoln but he never showed up. John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln at the Ford's Theatre in Washington DC. The assassination was 5 days after confederate General Robert Lee surrendered his army at the Appomattox Court House, ending the war. -
John Wilkes booth killed in virginia
John Wilkes Booth was hiding out at Richard Garrett’s farm in Locust Hill in Caroline County. He and David Herold were sleeping in there. The Union cavalry detachment snuck up on them. Herold surrendered, but Booth refused to come out. The soldiers set the barn on fire and fired shots into it. Booth died from gunshot wounds several hours later. -
U.S. Congress passes Fourteenth Amendment
On June 13, 1866, the US Congress passed the fourteenth amendment. The fourteenth amendment affirms citizenship for African Americans. The 14th Amendment forbids states to deny any person “life, liberty, or property, without due process of law” or to deny any person. The amendment was designed to grant citizenship to and protect the civil liberties of people recently freed from slavery. -
Ulysses S. Grant inaugurated as president
Ulysses S. Grant's inauguration as the 18th President of the United States. It took place on March 4, 1869, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 21st inauguration and celebrated the first four-year term of Ulysses S. Grant as President. Outgoing president Andrew Johnson did not attend the inaugural ceremonies -
Fifteenth Amendment ratified : granting all male citizens the right to vote
The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted African American men the right to vote by declaring that the "right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.". It would take the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 before the majority of African Americans in the South were registered to vote.
