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Period: to
1818-1850
The relevant events that occured between 1818-1850 which is the time span of Douglass' slave narrative. -
Frederick Douglass' Birth (Assumed Date)
Douglass didn't know his exact date of birth due to the terms of slavery which attempted to keep slaves ingnorant in all aspects of life. -
Missouri Compromise
All U.S. territory above the 36'30 Mark would be admitted as a free state, so Missouri could be admitted a slave state. -
John Quincy Adams begins his term as President
He only served one term as the President of the U.S. He was the son of the famed John Adams who was the 2nd president of the U.S. -
Sent to Baltimore
He was sent to Baltimore by Lucretia Auld to work for Hugh Auld (Lucretia's brother-in-law) and this was the first time he began to gain a formal education, as Hugh's wife taught him the alphabet and a few small words. -
Andrew Jackson began his term of Presidency.
He was again re-elected in the 1832 election and served four more years as the president from 1829-1837. -
Underground Railroad Established
The Underground Railiroad was established to help free slaves from the South and transport them to the North and Canada. Harriet Tubman conducted many of these dangerous transportation helping to free 100's of enslaved blacks. -
Nat Turner Rebellion
Nat Turner leads a slave rebellion with over 70 other free/enslaved blacks which goes on for about 24 hours in which over 50 whites were killed and possibly over 200 blacks died, including Nat Turner after he was convicted (and hung). -
Nullification Crisis
After the passage of the Tariff of 1832 (and earlier the Tariff of 1828) South Carolina ruled these passages as "unconstitutional" and attempted to nullify (decline) it. South Carolina even went as far as threatening to secede, however it was shut down by President Jackson when he brought military troops into S.C. Ironically, almost 30 years later South Carolina was the first of the Confederate states to secede which lead to the Civil War. -
Mark Twain is born
On this day one of the nation's most coveted authors was born. Samuel Clemens (who changed his name to Mark Twain) wrote the controversial novel "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" which is still in our society to this day. -
Martin Van Buren begins his term as President
He begins his first and only term as President of the U.S. He was the President when the Amistad situation occured. -
Panic of 1837
Banks shut down at a rapid pace due to overspeculation of new land. -
Escape from Slavery
He escapes to New York and later to New Bedford, MA where he married his first wife and changed his name to Douglass. -
Publication of Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, an American Slave
He published his autobiography in which he explained what life was like for a slave and gave intricate details of his life as a slave. The book ranges many topics from the cruel nature of slavery to his gory descriptions of whippings and life on the plantation. -
James K. Polk begins his term as President.
He was the first President who introduced the idea of "Manifest Destiny" and was a key part in the Mexican Cession which was one of the largest land gains in American history. -
Texas Annexation
Texas becomes the 28th state of America. Texas between 1836-1845 was an independent republic after it declared its independence from Mexico. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Puts an end to Mexican-American War which lasted from 1846-1848. -
Seneca Falls Convention
The first true convention for women's rights. At this convention many significant female figures were in attendance to address women's suffrage as well as increasing the role of women in society. Ironically, the only African-American in attendance was Frederick Douglass who was a women's rights advocate (as well as abolitionist). -
Zachary Taylor begins his term as President
He died after only 1 year in office. -
Compromise of 1850
The Missouri Compromise of 1820 was repealed. California was admitted as a free state, Utah and New Mexico settled the slavery issue by popular sovereignty, the slave trade was abolished in D.C. and the Fugitive Slave Law was passed. -
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is Published
This novel was written to ridicule the Puritan society of the 1600's in which there was a very strict moral/religious code. Hawthorne takes you through the life of a woman who committed adultery and is punished by having the letter 'A' stitched into her clothes.
