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State of the Union
Map of 1819In the US there were 22 States and the number of slave owning States was equal to the number of States that did not own slaves. The Slave owning States were DE, MD, VA, KY, TN, NC, SC, GA, AL, MS, and LA -
Period: to
Build up to the Sucession
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Fugitive Slave Act 1850
Fugitive Slave Act - 1850
The Fugitive Slave Act was passed as part of the Compromise of 1850. This act forced any federal official who did not arrest a runaway slave liable to pay a fine. This was the most controversial part of the Compromise of 1850 and caused many abolitionists to increase their efforts against slavery. This act increased the Underground Railroad activity as fleeing slaves made their way to Canada. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Online Text from VAU Library This book, which was a best seller at the time, had a huge impact on the way that northerners viewed slavery. It helped further the cause of abolition and even Abraham Lincoln recognized that this book was one of the events that led to the outbreak of the Civil War. -
Bleeding Kanas
Kansas had a civil war over whether or not they were going to be a slave owning or free state. By 1856, Kansas had become a hotbed of violence as pro- and anti-slavery forces fought over the state's future. The widely reported violent events were a small taste of the violence to come with the Civil War. -
John Brown
Harpers FerryJohn Brown planned an unsuccessful raid to free the slave. All were caught and killed. The South took this as a sign that the North was trying to send force to take away their free slaves and livelihood. -
Lincoln's Victory
Election of 1860Lincoln was elected as the 16th President. This was the last straw for the Southern States. South Carolina followed by six other states seceded from the Union. Even though his views about slavery were considered moderate during the nomination and election, South Carolina had warned it would secede if he won -
South Carolina's Announcement
150 Years LaterSC announced they were seperating for the Union. AL, FL, GA, LA, KS,VA,TN MS& TX followed South Carolina and formed the Confederation and name Jefferson Davis as their President. NC was the last State to follow. -
Fort Sumter
The first shot at Fort Sumter was fired . Soon after Virginia joins the Confederacy. The Northern felt this to be a slap in the face because they were just trying to deliver supplies. -
Surrender
April 13- 14t 2:30 pm, April 13, Major Anderson surrendered Fort Sumter, evacuating the garrison on the following day. The bombardment of Fort Sumter was the opening engagement of the American Civil War. Although there were no casualties during the bombardment, one Union artillerist was killed and three wounded (one mortally) when a cannon exploded prematurely while firing a salute during the evacuation on April 14.
