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"54-40 or Fight"
Oregon Dispute-- "54-40 or Fight!"
The United States and Britain established a joint claim over the Oregon Territory. The dispute over the territory lasted for about a decade and a half before the two parties decided to split the territory because the joint occupancy wasn't working as well as originally imagined. Polk used war as a electorial view point and won the election. Boundary line was set at 49. -
Missouri Compromise
Missouri Compromise
Presenting Maine as a state unbalanced this. Pairing Maine and Missouri rebalanced the sides. The Senate combined two bills witha clause forbidding slavery in Missouri replaced by prohibitng slavery in the area north of 36 30 lat. The House rejected this, seperating the bills, allowing Maine to become a state and Missouri to have restrictions on slavery. -
Texas Annexation
Annexation of Texas
The southern people were anxioius to have Texas annexed from the U.S.; the North opposed thsi because of the fact that this would increase the area and political strength of slave power. It also led to the war with Mexico. The South persued but was rejected by the Senate. The South tried again during the following session of Congress. President Tyler adopted the new bill and went into effect. -
Wilmot Proviso
Wilmot Proviso
An amendment to a bill that allowed President Polk to negotiate a territorial settlement with Mexico. David Wilmot introduced an amendment stating that any territories gained from the Mexican War should be open to slavery. The next session of Congress introduced a new bill and once again Wilmot proposed an antislavery amendment. The Wilmot Proviso created a great dispute between the North and South. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Treaty of Guadalope Hidalgo
Brought an end to the Mexican-American War. After the defeat of Mexico's army and fall of the capital, the government surrendered to America in 1847. Peace talks were negotiated by Nicholas Trist and and General Winfield Scott. They figured the only way to negotiate with Mexico was as a conquered enemy. -
Compromise of 1850
Compromise of 1850
Consisted of 5 laws that dealt with the issue of slavery. One was restoring the Fugitive Slave Act, slave trading in Washington, D.C. was abolished. California was entered into the Union as a free state and a territory government was created in Utah. The last part of the compromise consisted of settling the line disputes between Texas and New Mexico, which consisted of government in New Mexico. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Started out as a newspaper written by Harriet Breecher Stowe. She wrote of the demands that America fulfill it's promise of freedom and equality. It was published as a book in 1852, within the first week of selling it sold 10,000 copies. The book's stories of the brutality towards the slaves is said to have played an important role in bringing about the Civil War. -
Gadsden Purchas
Gadsden Purchase
A strip of land purchased by the United States from Mexico. Although the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo described the US/Mexico boundary, President Pierce wanted ensure the possession of Mesilla Valley. James Gadsden negotiated the purchase and the Senate ratified it. The purchase cost $10,000,000. -
Republican Party Founded
Republican party
The Whig party met in Wisconsin to talk about estblishing a new to deal with the national crisis over slavery. After allowing the states to choose by popular sovereignty, the Whigs disintegrated. By February of 1854 the Whig party was meeting in upper midwest states to discuss creating a new party. The republicans quickly gained supporters in the North. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Pro-slavery and Anti-slavery settlers went to kansas to find out the results of the election. Opponents of the Act found the Republican party. They opposed the spread of slavery into the territories. -
Brooks-Sumner Incident
Canefight- Brooks and Sumner
In a speech given by Charles Sumner gave a speech degrading Missouri and South Carolina. Part of his speech bashed Senator Andrew Butler; representative of South Carolina, Brooks who was also a distant cousin of Butler, thought Sumner went a little too far. Brooks decided he should teach Sumner a lesson and two days after the speech he went to the senate and beat Sumner over the head repeatedly with his cane. -
Harper's Ferry Raid
John Brown and Harper's Ferry
John Brown and seceral followers took over the United States Arsenal. This brought national attention to the emotional divisions concerning slavery. First the men needed to capture the weapons and escape before word reached D.C., and secondly Brown expected local slaves to rise up against their owners and join the raid. This failed, but was not the only problem; the townspeople started to shoot at raiders -
Election of 1860
Election of 1860
Consisted of four presedential candidates. Republican, Abraham Lincoln won the election. A republican winning led to the secession of states -
Firing on Fort Sumter
The Battle of Fort Sumter
General Beauregard opened fire on the Union holding Fort Sumter which lasted for about 34 hours. This battle was the start of the Civil War. The Union did not return fire for the first 2 hours. The fort's ammunition was not suitable for an equal fight and Maj. Anderson lacked fuses for his exploding shells. The next day Anderson surrendered the fort. -
First Battle of Bull Run
Battle of Bull Run
On July 21 the Union Army assaulted the Confederates. The battle went back and forth but Johnson's last brigade forced the Federalists inot a messy retreat to Washington. The victor's were exhausted and did not pursue them. There was 3,000 casualties from the North and around 1,700-2,000 from the South -
Monitor v. Merrimac
Monitor v. Merrimac
As the Virginia ironclad (merrimac) was returning to Norfolk for supplies, the Monitor ironclad arrived for battle. The Virginia tried to take the Monitor out but as it was during the night, they only had shells instead of shots. The fight ended in a tie; the Monitor took enough damage that they pulled into shallow waters so Virginia could not follow; Virginia took too much damage requiring them to retreat. -
Battle of Antietam
Battle of Antietam
Known as America's bloodiest day; Robert Lee moved his troops north into Maryland where McClellen who was following Lee came across Lee's Special Orders. The two armies met near the town of Sharpsburg on the sides of Antietam Creek. The battle lasted all day and was so far the most ferocious of the war. Neither sides won; with casualties of 12,410 for the Federalists and 10,700 Confederates. -
Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
Largest battle in the American Civil War as well as the largest fought in North America. Involved around 85,000 men in the Union's Army and about 75,000 men in the Confederacy Army. Total casualties were 23,049 for the Union and 28,063 for the Confederates. The war continued for another 2 years after this battle and was considered a turning point in the Civil War. -
Sherman's March
William Tecumseh Sherman
Sherman led 62,000 men in two wings on an overland march to Savannah, which cut himself off from his line of supply and sustaining himself army on the land. In December of 1864 Sherman took Savannah, and later turned north for the Carolinas. The results of the march justified Sherman's strategic strategy and with the victories in Virginia, they destroyed the Confederacy's ability to carry on the war. -
Appomattox Court House
battle of appomattox court house
Fitzugh Lee's cavalry formed the line of battle at Appomattox Court House. At dawn the Confederattes advanced, closing in on Sheridan's cavalry. The arrival of the Union's infantry stopped the advance in it's tracks. This surrounded Lee's army on three sides. Lee surrendered to Grant; this was the final battle to take place in Virginia.
