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The First African Slaves Arrive in America
Twenty Black slaves were aboard a Dutch man of War, and were traded for supplies, in Jamestown. -
Federal Slave Law
A federal fugitive slave law is enacted, providing for the return slaves who had escaped and crossed state lines. -
Congress Bans Importation of Slaves From Africa
Congress bans the importation of slaves from Africa. -
Harriet Tubman escapes
Harriet Tubman escapes from slavery and becomes one of the most effective and celebrated leaders of the Underground Railroad. -
The Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an agreement between the North and the South and passed by Congress in 1820 that allowed Missouri to be admitted as the 24th state in 1821. -
Denmark Vessey Tries to Revolt.
Denmark Vesey, an enslaved African American carpenter who had purchased his freedom, plans a slave revolt with the intent to lay siege on Charleston, South Carolina. The plot is discovered, and Vesey and 34 coconspirators are hanged. -
Nat Turner Leads rebellion
Nat Turner, an enslaved African American preacher, leads the most significant slave uprising in American history. He and his band of followers launch a short, bloody, rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia. The militia quells the rebellion, and Turner is eventually hanged. As a consequence, Virginia institutes much stricter slave laws -
William Garrison Publishes the Liberator
William Lloyd Garrison begins publishing the Liberator, a weekly paper that advocates the complete abolition of slavery. He becomes one of the most famous figures in the abolitionist movement. -
The Wilmont Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso, introduced by Democratic representative David Wilmot of Pennsylvania, attempts to ban slavery in territory gained in the Mexican War. The proviso is blocked by Southerners, but continues to enflame the debate over slavery. -
Release of Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin is published. It becomes one of the most influential works to stir anti-slavery sentiments. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
1854 Congress passes the Kansas-Nebraska Act, establishing the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. The legislation repeals the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and renews tensions between anti- and proslavery factions -
Dredd Scott Case
The Dred Scott case holds that Congress does not have the right to ban slavery in states and, furthermore, that slaves are not citizens. -
Civil War Begins
The Confederacy is founded when the deep South secedes, and the Civil War begins. -
Emancipation Proclamation
President Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring "that all persons held as slaves" within the Confederate state "are, and henceforward shall be free. -
Civil War Ends
The Civil War ends. Lincoln is assassinated. The Thirteenth Amendment abolishes slavery throughout the United States. On June 19 slavery in the United States effectively ended when 250,000 slaves in Texas finally received the news that the Civil War had ended two months earlier.
