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Invention of the Cotton Gin
The cotton gin was a very important to the south. With this new invention farmers were able to plant and produce more cotton. They could produce more because now the helpers wont have to pick out each cotton seed by hand. Cotton is easy to grow but not easy to clean. The cotton gin was invented by Eli Whitney who was born in Massachusetts on December 5, 1765. Whitneys new invention would clean up to fifty pounds of cotton daily. -
Invention of the Cotton Gin
Since Eli Whitney could not patent his invention until 1807 there were several copies of it made by other people. This caused Whitney to lose the money that he would have made for his newly added invention to the south. -
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Civil War Time Line
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Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad is a large network of people that helped fugitive slaves escape to the North. Harriett Tubman made 19 trips to into the South and helped over three hundred slaves to freedom. John Fairfield, who was the son of a slave holder. He made very daring rescues to help slaves. Levi Coffin helped more than 3,000 slaves to the underground railroad. For a slave, running away was the toughest task. First they had to escape from the slave holder, this would be very difficult. -
Underground Railroad
Some conductors of the underground railroad would pretend to be slaves on a plantation to help the fugitives move north during the night. Generally the slaves would have to travel 10 to 20 miles just to reach the next station of safety. -
Missouri Compromise
decide whether or not California should enter as a slave state or a free state. The free states had larger populations and therefore had more power in the House of Representatives (105 to 81). -
Missouri Compromise
The purpose of this compromise was to keep balance between the number of slave states and states without slaves in the union. This compromise allowed Missouri to enter as a slave state while Maine entered as a free state. The Missouri Compromise involved 11 free states and 11 slave states. This law did not allow slaves north of the 36° 30´ line. Three years later the supreme court declares the compromise to be unconstitutional. California was cut in half by this line and congress couldn't -
Wilmont Proviso
The House of Representatives passed this idea of David Wilmont but it never turned into a law. Wilmont believed that California should be a free state.That way the blacks will not take the jobs that white people could have. This proviso would state that all states gained from mexico would be free states. In free states, no slavery is allowed. The Proviso caused a split among the democrats because northerners supported while southerns did not. Congress denied after a bitter debate. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 kept the nation united, which is what it was set out to do. This solution did not last long though. The passing of the Fugitive Slave Act all the more interested in ending slavery for good. Millard Fillmore wanted to please both sides to prevent the division of the two. This Compromise resulted in popular soverignty, slave trade ended in Washington DC and Texas recieved ten million dollars because of the loss of land. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
This is a book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, it was this novel that brought her international fame. The novel was based on accounts of slaves that had runaway. Uncle Tom's Cabin includes the conditions that the slaves were going through. The book wasn't very popular until 1852 when it was published as a novel. In the first five years over 500,000 copies were sold in the US. This novel showed people how bad slavery actually was. -
Caning of Charles Sumner
The Canning of Charles Sumner was brought on by the speech that Sumner gave about whether or not Kansas should be a free state or a slave state. During this speech Sumner mentioned somthing about Andrew Butler and Brooks was unhappy about it. Canning of Charles Sumner is when Preston Brooks continuously hit Sumner on the top of the head with a metal-topped cane. Brooks struck Sumner in the head over and over again for a minute. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott was a African American slave who lived in Illinois, which was a free state, and then moved to Wisconsin which is another free state.Dred Scott tried to sue his owner for enslaving him. Before moving to Missouri, Scott appealed his freedom to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court denied him this request because he was an african american. No former slave or slave decendant can have US citizenship granting them their freedom. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott did not think that he should be a slave since he lived in a free state. He believed that the surpreme courts ruling was wrong, just because he is an african american doesn't mean he shouldn't have the right to a trial. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
Lincoln was born on Febuary 12, 1809 in Kentucky. Douglas was born on April 23, 1813. The Lincoln- Douglas debates were debates between Lincoln and Douglas throughout the running for the position as senator of Illinois. There was seven debates between these two individuals. These debates were on topics such as social status of african americans,popular soverignty, the status of black Americans. These debates were brought into very sharp focus. The most drastic difference between the two -
Lincoln- Douglas Debates
candidates was the issue on black americans legal rights. Douglas only wanted citizenship for white americans. Lincoln insisted that black americans shall be equal to white americans. -
Raid of Harpers Ferry, VA
In 1859, John Brown and several other abolitionists took over the United States Armory and the Arsenal at Harpers Ferry. John Brown was born in Conneticut in 1800. John Brown trained twenty-two men and brought his three sons. Everyone marched to Harpers Ferry except three men to capture the watchmen. Two key objectives of the men was to first: capture every weapon and get away before Washington got word of it. Second Brown wanted the slaves to rebel against their owners and join the raid.
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Raid of Harpers Ferry, VA
This was a complete fail and the slaves did not go against their owners. People of the town even began shooting at the raiders. Brown was found guilty and hung. -
Election of 1860
The Democratic party chose John C. Breckenridge and the Republican party chose Abraham Lincoln. The Election was really focused on slavery. Lincolns view on slavery was that it would end on its on eventually. He believed that only states with slaves already could have them. While the Democrats wanted to protect slavery. Lincoln's plan was to "Preserve the Union". -
Formation of the Confederate States of America
South Carolina was the first state to join the Confederate States of America. The Provisional Confederate President at the time was Jefferson Davis. In 1861 six states seceded from the American Union. The south wanted a peaceful split, not out to start a war. The south made their own constitution very similar to the union constitution, Confederates wanted the President to serve 6 years and also use federal money for internal improvements. The seccesion of the six states after South Carolina, -
Formation of the Confederate States
went in this order: Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. After Lincoln called for troops more states seceded. -
Fort Sumter
Anderson sent word to Lincoln saying that Fort Sumter needed supplies. Fort Sumter is located in Charleston County. On April 12th Confederates opened fire on the fort. On April 13th Major Anderson surrendered Fort Sumter. This firing on Fort Sumter was the opening start of the American Civil War. This bombardment had no casualties. One person from the union was killed and three were wounded. The Confederates resulted in a win. The evacuation of the fort was on April 14, 1861. -
First Battle of Bull Run
This was the first head to head battle of the American Civil War. It was also known as the First Manassas.There is an estimated total of about 4,700 casualties. The Principal Commanders were General Irvin McDowell (Union States), General Joseph E. Johnston and General P.G.T. Beauregard (Confederate States). Because of this battle, Lincoln's administration concluded that this would be a long and costly war. The union was set out to defeat the confederacy and head to the capital of the Confederate -
First Battle of Bull Run
states. Confederacy came out on top with a win. -
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh is also known as Pittsburg Landing. The estimated number of casualties is 23,746. The union lost about 3,000 more men than the confederate states. The commanders at the time were General Ulysses S. Grant and General Don Carlos Buell for the union states. -
Battle of Shiloh
General Albert Sidney Johnston and General P.G.T. Beauregard for the confederate states. Johnston launches a surprise attack. -
Battle of Anietam
Sharpsburg, Maryland. There were a total of 23,100 casualties in the Battle of Antietam. -
Battle of Antietam
This battle was brought on by many events. It was a collaboration of the Maryland Campaign of 1862, first invasion by the Confederate Robert E. Lee and the army of northern Virginia. This battle was the bloodiest battle in American history. There were repeated attacks from both sides, neither showing any mercy. The union had an advantage of bodies to put out to fight. Once the union started weakening the Confederate Center they found a halt in their progression. This battle was fought near -
Emancipation Proclamation
The main purpose was to restore peace and union control. Congress compensated the slave owners that released their slaves from bondage. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Abraham Lincoln started this proclamation so that slaves would be freed gradually. The Emancipation Proclamation freed all slaves except those apart of the union. The Proclamation allowed black slaves to take part in the war and fight for the union. Lincoln believed that slavery would die out on its on at first, that it didn't need to be bothered. This did not end slavery completely, slavery was not completely ended until the 13th amendment. More than 200,000 ex- slaves joined that army. -
Battle of Gettysburg
Lee sent his men out in groups while Meade led his into northern Maryland. Lee's plan was to attack and capture Pennsylvania's capital. On July 3rd Lee called for a cannon attack on the whole North America continent. The battle showed the victory of the North over the South very clearly. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg lasted from July 1- July 3. At the beginning of the battle there were 158, 300 total men. This was a battle between Robert E. Lee’s army and George G. Meade’s union army. This is the furthest North that the confederate army ever got. There were a total of 51,000 casualties. More men fought and died in this battle than in any other battle in American History. This battle was the turning point of the Civil War. -
Siege at Vicksburg
Ulysses S. Grant was in charge of capturing Vicksburg. He struggled to get his army on to the dry ground. He attempted to travel on the side of the river but this was ruined by the supply lines being broken. Grant had to figure a way to bypass Vicksburg, which would involve building a canal through the Mississippi swamps. On the water around Vicksburg there were guns protecting the river. -
Siege at Vicksburg
Geography was protecting the grounds from being taken over. This put Grants reputation in a bad spot in the North. -
Gettysburg Address
Abraham Lincoln was the second speaker at the cemetery for the soldiers at Gettysburg. He followed Edward Everett who spoke for two hours, with the Gettysburg Address. This is one of the most well known speeches in US history. This speech lasted about two minutes and covered human equality and redefined the Civil War as “a new birth of freedom”. This is one of the most quoted speeches in US history. -
Gettysburg Address
The cemetery that this speech was held at is over 17 acres of coverage. Democracies around the world have taken Lincolns definition of democracy in his speech. Martin Luther King viewed the Gettysburg Address as hope to million. -
Election of 1864
Lincoln had a slim chance of winning because of the way he went about treating the war and the suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus. Lincoln won the popular vote; he won in the Electoral College 212 to 21. Now Lincoln had the power in his hands and it was up to him to deal with the concluding of the war. -
Election of 1864
The democrats chose George McClellan as their candidate for the election. The republicans chose Abraham Lincoln for his second term. Lincoln wins and Andrew Johnson serves as his vice president. McClellan did not come to any party events except two, not doing so proved that he was not a good candidate. Others discussed Lincoln’s tyranny and the northerners still had a problem with the Emancipation Proclamation. -
Sherman's "March to Sea"
Sherman divided his 60,000 men into two wings, he also brought along 2,500 supply wagons and 600 ambulances. The right wing went for Macon while the left wing went towards Augusta. They only faced two battles with any significance on their march. Sherman became a hero in the north and the villain in the south. -
Sherman’s “March to the Sea
The most destructive campaign against a population is Sherman’s “March to the Sea”. It started in Atlanta and ended in Savannah. William Tecumseh Sherman left his supply line to prove to the confederate people that the government could not keep out invaders. He believed that marching with his army across the state would show that the Union had power. He referred to this as statesmanship. The Union tore apart and destroyed the two southern states that they marched through. -
Freedmen’s Bureau
The first and most important commissioner was General O.O.Howard. The purpose of this Bureau was to help black and white Americans make the transition from slavery to freedom. The tasks that the Freedmen’s Bureau included: free labor, schooling for free people, settling disputes, making contracts between owner and black labor and making sure blacks have equal justice in state courts. -
Freedmen's Bureau
President Andrew Johnson did not believe that blacks should be reserved these rights. The Bureau had a hard time meeting their goals because they had no military back up. Education suffered from this lack of support. Also the bureau failed to bring blacks and whites together in the south because they had hardly any political back up. -
Siege of Richmond
Robert E. Lee had two goals: protect Richmond and preserve his army. Grant knew that Lee would fight for Richmond. When Grant was ready to catch Lee he went straight to Richmond. Richmond would only survive for a little while without Petersburg because they have the railroads with the supplies coming in. Grant would ruin the railroads in Petersburg, taking out Petersburg and Richmond at the same time. -
Appomattox Courthouse
There were a total of 700 casualties. The Union resulted in a victory. This was the final event of the war in Virginia. Lee wanted to attempt to escape and reach his supplies at Lynchburg. Lee and his crew were gaining ground until the union infantry stopped them in their tracks. Lee was surrounded on three sides and finally surrendered to Grant on April 9, 1865. -
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865. He was shot in the back of the head by John Wilkes Booth in Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. This attack was five days after Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse. John Wilkes Booth was born in Maryland and remained in the North. Booth and several followers planned to kidnap the president and take him to the confederate capital, but Booth's plan failed. John Wilkes Booth planned another go at the president but this time he -
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
succeeded and ran away without being caught. He broke his leg running away from the scene. Lincoln was rushed to the hotel that his wife and him were staying at. A doctor saw him immediately but their was no way he would live.Abraham Lincoln died in the night. -
13th Amendment
The thirteenth amendment was added to put an end to slavery in the United States. The abolition of slavery started with Emancipation Proclamation and was finally abolished with this amendment. Congress has the power to enforce this legislation. This amendment was proposed by the House of Representatives and passed by congress on January 31, 1865. Abraham Lincoln wrote this amendment and said that slaves shall be free as of January 1. The thirteenth amendment was the first of the reconstruction -
13th Amendment
amendments after the Civil War. This amendment was ratified on December 6, 1865. -
14th Amendment
The 14th amendment guarantees automatic state citizenship and due process. Also it promises citizens equal protection and privileges of citizenship. This amendment is considered to be the second most important amendment, other than the first amendment. The 14th amendment greatly impacted the American System. The main purpose was to provide citizenship to former slaves. The impact was that promised all citizens equal protection before the law. -
14th Amendment
. It is a very important amendment because everyone deserves to be treated equal as people, not as a race. -
15th Amendment (ratified)
The 15th amendment assures all men the right to vote. This amendment gave black men there first chance at voting in an election. This new amendment would not be recognized for almost a century. The 15th amendment was passed by congress on February 26, 1869 but was not ratified until February 3, 1870. There was successful and not so successful impacts from this amendment. This amendment encouraged blacks to vote in the south and provided the vote of blacks in the north. -
15th Amendment
Republicans still remained in control over the government in the south. The main purpose behind this amendment was to make sure that Republicans controlled power in both the north and the south. The votes of the blacks would contribute to this. -
Election of 1876
The Democrats nominated Rutherford B. Hayes, he recieved 165 electoral votes and then 20 votes from South Carolina, Louisiana, and Florida. The republican party chose Samuel Tilden as their nominee. Tilden recieved 180 electoral votes. Hayes wins the election of 1876. The first thing that Hayes does is pull federal troops out of the south. Reconstruction is now complete. Tilden favored the removal of soldiers with federal occupations from the south. Haye's platform was to assure black equality.
