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Period: to
The Civil War
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Democratic Convention
The Democratic Convention was held where Stephen Douglass was chosen to be the Democratic candidate. -
Lincoln Nominated as Republican Candidate
Lincoln was nominated as the Republican candidate on May 18, 1860, beating William Seward and Salmon Chase. This makes southerners nervous that if he is elected they will loose their "right" to own slaves -
Stephen Douglas Campaigns Against Succession
Douglas, one of the four candidates for president went to Atlanta to speak against the idea of succession feeling that splitting the nation would be devistating for both sides. -
Lincoln Elected President
Lincoln was elected president, and this event set the south over the edge and they felt there was no hope no preserve their way of life. -
James Buchanan Adresses Congress
President Buchanan tells congress that abolitionists are the reason that his nation is falling apart. -
Committee of 33
One representative from each state met to deal with the possible secession crisis. Leader, Thomas Corwin later suggests the Slavery Protection Amendment. -
Howell Cobb Resigns
Then Secretary of Treasury Howell Cobb resigned from his position on December 8, 1860 to powerfully promote the succession of Georgia from the USA. -
South Carolina Secession Convention
South Carolina holds convention to decide whether or not to secede. Unanimous decision to seceed is made. -
South Carolina Secedes
South Carolina seceded from the United States following the election of Abraham Lincoln the previous month. -
South Carolina Suggests Confederacy
South Carolina suggests the Southern states hold a convention to create a constitution for the Southern states. -
Delaware Votes to Stay With Union
Delaware became the first of only 4 slave states that chose to remain with the Union despite how their lifestyle was being threatened. -
Mississippi Secedes from the Union
Mississippi became the second state to secede from the United States over the issue of slavery -
Star of the West Attacked
The Star of the West, an unarmed Union merchant ship was attacked on 1/9/1861 by Confederates while trying to deliver Union recruits to Fort Sumter which was cut off 2 weeks ago due to South Carolinas secession. -
Florida Secedes
Florida Seceded from the Union with a vote of 62-7 making them the 3rd state to seceed -
Alabama Secedes
Alabama became the 4th state to secede with a vote of 61-39 -
Mass Resignations in Congress
All congressman from seceding states chose the 21st of January 1861 to resign from Congress and carried this out as planned. One by one they all gave resignations speeches. -
Kansas Joins Union
Kansas joined the USA as the 34th state after years of fighting about slavery. They joined the nation as a free state. -
Jefferson Davis Elected Confederate President
Jefferson was the first and only President of the Confederate States of American, he was in office for 4 years -
Attack Of Fort Sumter
Due to Andersons lack of compliance with Confederate demands the fort was attacked early on April 12, 1861 -
Richmond Named As Confederate Capital
Richmond Virginia was named the official capital of the Confedrate States of America. -
Battle of Fort Henry
Battle of Fort Henry took place in Tennessee where Grant, Foote, 7 ships and 15,000 troops faced off against Tilghman and 3,400 confederates leading to a substantial victory for the Union -
Surrender of Nashville
After the loss of Ft. Henry and Ft. Donelson Confederate General Johnston gave up Nashville knowing he stood no chance of holding onto it. -
Andrew Johnson Appointed Governer of Tenn.
Following the capture of Nashville Johnson was given the title of military governer of Tennessee and given the rank of Brigadier General -
McClellan Removed As Leader of Army
Lincoln officially removed McClellan as leader of the Union Army due to disagreements about strategies. -
New Orleans Taken Over
On April 28, 1862 David Farragut took control of New Orleans and Ben Butlers troops arrived on May 1st to occupy the city. New Orleans was the largest city in the Confederacy so this was a huge loss. -
Capture of Memphis
Memphis was captured on June 6, 1862 by Union troops after a naval battle on the Mississippi river. By losing Memphis the Souths chances of regaining Tennessee became even slimmer. -
Slavery Prohibited in Territories
All territiories in the United States lost the "right" to own slaves in 1862 which widened the gap between the North and South because now no one in the North owned slaves -
Lincoln Calls for More Troops
On this day Lincoln asks the United States to provide 300,000 more troops, each enlisting for 3 years -
Lincoln Calls for More Troops...Again
After a weak turnout in July Lincoln asks for 300,000 9 month militia men hoping the lesser term would be more appealing to people and still provide the much needed troops -
West Virginia Becomes State
On December 30, 1862 Lincoln admits another state into the Union, that being West Virginia, strengthening the Union even more -
Emancipation Proclomation
On January 1, 1863 Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclomation which freed slaves in Confederate terratories and promoted former slaves joining the Union military -
Grant Placed in Control of Western Army
Lincoln places Grant in charge of the army in the west to ensure that Vicksburg is successfully captured -
March Conscription
Lincoln enacts a lottery draft for all men 20-45 excluding those who pay the contraversial $300 fee or provide someone to fight in there place -
Death of Andrew Jackson
Confederate general Andrew "Stonewall" Jacckson died due to a sickness stemming from an amputation that was performed on his arm earlier that week due to a bullet wound. He was 39. -
Seige of Vicksburg Commences
On May 18, 1863 General Grant began his seige of VIcksburg where he cut off Confederate troops for over a month before they surrendered -
Lee Starts Second Invasion
On June 3, 1863 Lee began invading the Union for a second time, this time with 75,000 men and a destination of Pennsylvaina which will lead to the battle of Gettysburg. -
Battle Of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg took place from July 1 through July 3, 1863 where 75,000 Confederates battled 90,000 Union soldiers to gain the high ground. After a grueling 3 days the Confederates lost the battle, that being the last time Lee ever invades the North. -
Official Surrender of VIcksburg
After over a month of seige the leader of Confederate forces at Vicksburg, John C. Pemberton surrendered to Union General Grant, claiming yet another loss for the South -
Lincoln Meets With Douglass
On August 10, 1863 President Lincoln met with northern abolitionist Frederick Douglass to discuss the issue of racial bias in the Union Army, which he viewed as a serious issue. -
Gettysburg Address
Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863 following the Battle of Gettysburg to dedicate the sight as a cemetery for both northern and southern troops to promote unity. Despite being only a few minutes in length the speech is one of the most famous in history. -
The Hunley Submarine
On February 14, 1864 The Hunley Submarine attacked the USS Hustatonic with a large torpedo and sank the ship. It did in fact surface after the attack but sank shortly after and took over 100 years to be found -
Andersonville Prison Established
Andersonville Prison was by far the harshest of all military prisons in the Civil War and claimed the lives of 13,000 Union Troops in less than a 2 year span, many of those deaths due to severe mistreatment -
Republican Convention
Republicans held convention and chose to run Lincoln for a second term. Rather then keep his first running mate, they chose to run Lincoln with governer of Tennessee, Andrew Johnson -
Founding of Arlington National Cemetery
On June 15, 1864 Arlington National Cemetery was founded on the grounds where General Robert E Lees house stood prior to it being confiscated by the Federal Government. -
Internal Revenue Act
The Internal Revenue Act was passed by President Lincoln on July 1, 1864, taxing all homes 3% on annual incomes of $600-$10,000 and 5% on incomes $10,000-$50,000 -
Wade Davis Bill
On July 2, 1864 The United States Congress passed the Wade Davis bill which gave Congress the right to control reconstruction rather then the President. -
Democratic Convention
On August 29, 1864 Northern Democrats decide to choose George McClellan as their candidate for the United States Presidency. McClellan was the head of the Union army before being fired by now rival Abraham Lincoln -
Capture of Atlanta
On September 2, 1864 Union general William T. Sherman led his men to Atlanta where he wired to Lincoln informing him of the victory. In only a few months he burned the city to the ground -
Nevada Enters Union
Nevada entered the Union on Halloween of 1864 becoming the 36th state to enter the nation, including those who seceded. Nevadas enterance only further strenghtened the Union and made it easier to cripple the already failing Confederacy. -
Lincoln Wins Election
Lincoln won the election on November 8, 1864 being the first president to win reelection since 1832 when Jackson won reelection. Lincoln carried 55% of the popular vote and held 212 of 233 electoral votes. -
Congress Enacts the 13th Amendment
After Lincolns ratification of the Emancipation Proclomation Congress proposed the 13th Amendment to provide a constitutional backbone to the Proclomation. On the 31st of January 1865 Congress passed the Amendment and submitted it to states for radification. -
Freedmens Bureau Founded
Freedmens Bureau was founded on March 3, 1865 to assist former slaves in getting an education, find family, receive medical treatment and food. The Bureau is shut down in 1872. -
Lincoln's Second Inaurgaration
Lincoln was sworn in as President for a second, and final time on March 4, 1865. Lincoln won the presidential election of 1864 and died shortly after being sworn in. -
African Troops Join Confederate Army
On March 13, 1865 Confederate President Jefferson Davis legalised the enlistment of Aftricans into the army, purely out of desperation. Few joined and none saw action. -
Confederates Surrender
On April 9, 1865 Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Grant at Appomattox Virginia. The Union allowed the Confederates to surrender on very generous terms. Confederate troops were given the right to keep their horses and given food for a few days, in addition to not being charged with any crimes. -
Lincoln Assassinated
On April 14, 1865 President Lincoln attended a play at Fords Theater titled "OurAmerican Cousin". At 10:13PM John Wilkes Booth fired upon Lincoln, wounding him in the back of the head. Lincoln died the following morning at 7:22AM. -
Death of John Wilkes Booth
On April 26, 1865, 12 days after murdering President Lincoln Booth was shot and killed by Boston Corbett in Bowling Green, Virginia. -
Explosion and Sinking of Sultana
A steamship named the Sultana exploded and sank on April 27,1865 killing 1,700 of its 2,300 passengers, most of them being Union survivors from Andersonville -
Burial of Abraham Lincoln
On May 4, 1865 the late president Abraham Lincoln was buried after travelling to Illinois in a train car. On his trip across the nation 1/3 of the United States population went to see his casket. His death marked the end of an era. -
Capture of Jefferson Davis
Former President of the Confederacy was arrested on May 10, 1865 after fleeing to Georgia following the collapse of his nation. He was held prisoner at Fortress Monroe and eventually charged with treason. -
Johnson Vetoes Civil Rights Bill
On March 27, 1866 President Johnson vetoed the Civil Rights Bill, feeling that though he sympathized for the freedmen that federal assistance was unnecessary. -
Civil Rights Act
On April 9, 1866 Congress overrode President Johnson's decision to veto the Civil Rights Act which protected the rights of African Americans in the years following the Civil War. -
Race Riots In Memphis
On May 1, 1861 race riots broke out in Memphis leaving 48 people dead, hundreds of black homes, schools and churches were turned to ashes -
Connecticut Becomes 1st State to Ratify 14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment gave all former male slaves the right to vote and was put into effect in 1868 following the ratification of many states starting with Connecticut -
Tennessee Rejoins Union
On July 24, 1866 Tennessee becomes the first Confederate state to rejoin the Union following the end of the Civil War. -
Congress Allows "General Of Army" Title
On July 25, 1866 Congress ratifies a new title in the military, the General of the Army, now known as a Five-Star General. The first American to receive this status is General Grant, Civil War hero. -
National Union Convention
Between August 14, 1866 and Augus 16, 1866 President Johnson met with Radical Republicans in Philidelphia to try to promote the reconstructionalist ideas he believes in. -
Swing Around the Circle Tour
On August 27, 1866 Johnson commences his Swing Around the Circle Tour hoping to gain support of democrats and promote his reconstructionalist ideas. The campgain was extremley unsuccessful. -
Texas Refuses to Ratify Amendment 14
Texas becomes the 1st state to refuse to ratify the 14th amendment and refuse to give voting rights to African American men. -
Congressional Elections
On November 5, 1866 thousands of men went to the polls to vote for their representatives. Despite Andrew Johnson's hard work and campgaining the Republicans gained 37 seats which only made Johnson's job more difficult and intensified the battle between the President and congress -
District of Columbia Legalizes Voting of African Americans
On January 08,1868 the District of Columbia made it possible for African Americans to vote, something that the country had been torn apart about for years. -
New York Ratifies the 14th Amendment
On January 10,1867 New York becomes the first state from the mid-atlantic states to permenantly pass the 14th Amendment as well as the 1st state to permenatly pass the 14th amendment in 1867 -
Ohio Ratifies 14th Amendment
On January 14, 1867 Ohio became the first state to ratify the 14th amendment that year. The amendment gave black men the right to vote. It recanted its vote the following year. -
Maine Ratifies Amendment 14
On January 19, 1867 Maine becomes the northern most state to pass the 1th amendment legalizing voting rights to black men in their state. -
Louisiana Denies Amendment 14
On February 6, 1867 Louisiana became the 10th State to reject the Amendment because of their beliefs that slavery should still exist. -
Rhode Island Ratifies 14th Amendment
On February 7, 1867 Rhode Island jumped on the bandwagon and ratified the 14th amendment and became the smallest state to do so. -
Pennsylvania Ratifies the Constitution
On The 12th day of February in the year 1867 Pennsylvania ratified the 14th amendment of the constitution and gave African Americans the right to vote. -
Nebraska Becomes State
On March 1, 1868 Nebraska becomes the 37th United State, making it the first new state since the official end of the Civil War showing that people still want to be part of the nation despite the changes. -
Reconstruction Acts Passed
On March 2, 1867 the Reconstruction Acts were passed creating 5 military districts in the south, each controlled by a general. These acts also gave a plan of how states can be readmitted to the Union, including how they must draft a new constitution -
Massachusetts Ratifies Amendment 14
Massachusetts joins its surrounding states and decided to ratify the 14th amendment and give African Americans the right to vote on March 20, 1867
