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Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 strengthened the Fugitive Slave Act. The balance of power between free states and slave states was retained following gaining new territory in the Mexican American War. The debate over slavery was temporarily calmed. -
Bleeding Kansas
This was the first battlefield between slave supporters and slave opposers. A civil war between these two sides began. -
The Kansas Nebraska Act
The congress acted to abolish the Missouri Compromise. The territories of Kansas and Nebraska now saw organization and the Union was kept from falling. Citizens within the territories of Kansas and Nebraska could decide whether or not they wanted slavery. -
The Dred Scott Decision
After living in the free states, Dred Scott sued his master's widow for freedom. The case reached the United States Supreme Court, which rejected the right for territories to ban slavery within their borders. This increased popularity for anti slavery in the Republican Party. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
Lincoln asked Douglas if people could legally exclude slavery before achieving statehood. Issues of slavery were and state rights were discussed. Douglas won as Republican candidate for president, causing the South to be stripped of power in the Senate and increasing division of the Democratic Party. -
Lincoln's Election
Abraham Lincoln won the presidential election in 1860 against his running mate, Stephan A. Douglas. The republican candidate was against the expansion of slavery into the new territory to the west. Contrary to public opinion, Lincoln could not abolish of slavery in the southern states. The President's anti-slavery-expansion posed a significant threat to the economic and political interest of the slaveholding south. Seven of the southern states seceded, forming the Confederate States of America. -
Fort Sumter
An island fortification in Charleston, SC most famously noted as the site of the first shots of the American Civil War. The Battle of Fort summer was the first battle of the Civil War where the Confederate artillery bombarded a small Union garrison. President Lincoln tried to stop the rebellion by sending militia, however this pushed more states to join the Confederacy. -
Bull Run
The Battle of Bull Run (aka Battle of First Manassas) was the first major land-based encounter of the opposing sides in the American Civil War. This battle (along with the second battle) gave the Confederates an advantage. The Union was delayed and unorganized, allowing the Confederates to arrive to the battle early and become stationed. The battle ended in Confederate victory, with the Union soldiers retreating back to Washington D.C. in an unorganized form. -
Harper's Ferry
John Brown, an abolitionist, led raids against a federal armory in Virginia. The goal of this action was to start a slave revolt and ultimately abolish slavery. -
Antietam
The Army of Potomac attacked Robert E. Lee's Confederate forces through a series of assaults. This is remembered as the single bloodiest day in American military history. The Confederates retreated, and Lincoln gained the victory he wanted, including the Emancipation Proclamation. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation was given by President Lincoln to prohibit slavery in the southern states. This encouraged the path to complete abolishment of slavery. The goal of the war shifted to freeing all slaves, as well as preserve the Union. -
Andersonville Prison
This was the largest military prison during the Civil War. It served as a Confederate prisoner-of-war camp. The Confederates wanted to move their Union prisoners away from the war. The North became outraged with the conditions at Andersonville. -
Surrender at Appomattox Court House
Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered his troops to Union general Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia. This essentially ended the Civil War. -
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
At Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C. On April 15th, Abraham Lincoln was fatally shot by John W.Booth. Five days prior, Robert E. Lee's confederate army surrendered to General Grant's union forces, ending the Civil War. A significant majority of North and South political leaders felt blacks should not be gained equal status as whites. Had Lincoln lived, he would have been a threat to White dominance throughout America. Lincoln's assignation delayed the effort against white dominance for decades. -
Reconstruction
This was a period of rebuilding following the war. The South was readmitted to the Union, and African Americans began to experience more impoverished circumstances. The Southern States were completely transformed by the Congress.
