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Compromise of 1850
Series of amendments introduced by Henry Clay, addressing the conflict between the north and the south. In it included changes to the Fugitive Slave Act, as well as the abolishment of slave trade in Washington D.C. -
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Civil War Key Events
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Kansas Nebraska Act
Determined that the territories of Nebraska and Kansas were allowed the choice to be a free or slave state. Once passed, pro-slavery and anti-slavery people flooded in these two territories. -
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas was the period of time in which people in seek of expressing their opinion on the matter of slavery traveled to Kansas and Nebraska. Because of the crowds of people with mixed views, violence erupted and lasted several years. -
Dred-Scott Decision
Dred Scott was a black slave who sued against his owner after spending time in a free territory under the claim that he was a free man because of his location. The Supreme Court rejected his plea on the grounds that blacks were not considered human beings. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates were a series of debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas for a seat in the Illinois senate. Topics of focus were slavery and states' rights. -
Lincoln's Election
Abraham Lincoln's fierce presidential campaign eventually ended victoriously, earning him the title of first Republican president. He proceeded to lead the Union to victory in the American Civil War and emancipated slavery. -
Battle at Fort Sumter
Considered the first battle of the American Civil War, confederate forces open-fired at Union troops stationed at Fort Sumter at Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. Resulted in a Confederate victory. -
First Battle of Bull Run
The Battle of Bull Run was the first MAJOR battle in the American Civil War. Union troops attacked the Confederate soldiers along the Bull Run river, but the Confederates were able to outflank the northerners, reigning victorious. -
Battle of Harpers Ferry
General Robert E. Lee's army invaded Maryland, capturing the Union troops at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. There was very little cost at the expense of the Confederate army, which boosted morale amongst the southern states. -
Battle of Antietam
22,717 soldiers lost their lives from this conflict. The first battle on Union soil, it reigned the bloodiest assault over the duration of the war. Though it resulted in a draw, Abraham Lincoln and the rest of the Union took pride in the fact that the Confederates had been the ones to retreat. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Abraham Lincoln freed slaves from southern states to weaken the Confederacy. He promised the protection of the newly free black men in exchange for military service. -
Battle of Gettysburg
In 1863, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's invasion of Gettysburg, PA failed, resulting in a hard-hitting loss on the confederacy. The invasion was originally meant to shift the war off of Virginia soil and to gather supplies, but instead led to 51,000 casualties for the south. -
Andersonville Prison
Known officially as Camp Sumter, it was the largest Confederate military prison for captured Union solders. It had a reputation for its horrific conditions, slaughtering 13,000 northern prisoners. -
Reconstruction
'Reconstruction' refers to the era following the resolution of the war. Andrew Jack passed a series of "black codes", outraging the north. Ultimately, this led to a growing support for black slaves, empowering them to take a larger part in the United States government. This period lasted for a couple of years. -
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Five days after the confederacy's defeat, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C., Maryland. The murderer's name was John Wilkes Booth, an American stage actor. -
Battle of Appomattox Court House
When Union General Ulysses S. Grant skillfully cut off Confederate troops mid-retreat, he thus forced Robert E. Lee to surrender, ending the war and earning a victory for the north
