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Kansas-Nebraska Act
This act was drafted by Democratic Senator Stephen A. Douglas. It created Kansas and Nebraska as territories and let the people in those territories decide if slavery was going to be allowed there. -
The Dred Scott Case
An enslaved person named Dred Scott tried to sue for his freedom because he had lived in states that were free. The case ruled that as someone's property, slaves could not sue for their freedom regardless if they traveled to a free state with their owner. The trial began on February 11, 1856. -
John Brown's Raid at Harper's Ferry
John Brown and other abolitionists attacked the U.S military arsenal -
Abraham Lincoln's Election
Abraham Lincoln was elected as president. The south feared his policies since he ran with a party that opposed the expansion of slavery. -
7 Southern States Seceded
South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas secede from the United States 3 months after Abraham Lincoln's election. -
Civil War Begins
On April 12, the first shots of the civil war are fired by the Confederate artillery at Fort Sumter. -
First Battle of Bull Run
On July 12, 1861, Confederate soldiers forced Union soldiers to retreat to Washington, D.C. -
Second Battle of Bull Run
On August 29, Jack Pope led Union soldiers to attack the Confederate forces. Ended the next day. -
Battle of Antietam
On September 17, the Union led an attack on the Confederates. It was the bloodiest day of fighting. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Issued by Abraham Lincoln on January 1. This freed all slaves in the Confederacy. -
Battle of Gettysburg
This battle began on July 1. The South planned to invade the North but were not successful. The battle ended on July 3. -
The South Surrenders
On April 9, Ulysses S. Grant accepts Robert E. Lee's surrender at the Appomattox Court House -
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
President Lincoln is assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, a confederate sympathizer, at Ford's Theatre on April 15.