-
Period: to
Abby Daley- APUSH Timeline
Each date is based on the start dates of the event. For example, the proposal of a bill instead of the ratification.
G --> Green, relieved tensions
R --> Red, increased tensions
S --> Social
E --> Economic
P --> Political -
Northwest Ordinance E+ P+R
Who: Nathan Dane, Rufus Kane
What: In this ordinance it said these territories were now a district under Congress’s jurisdiction, stated 60,000 people for statehood, guaranteed religious toleration and abolition of slavery in these territories.
Where: The Northwest territory, the land near/around the Great Lakes.
Why: It allowed for more territories to be added as states into the United States and was a step for the abolitionists to create more territories that abolished slavery. -
Missouri Compromise, P+S+G
Who: President James Monroe, Henry Clay, Senate
What: Admitted Missouri to the Union as a state that would allow slavery and Maine as a free state it balance it out. The remaining section of the Louisianna Purchase was banned from becoming a territory that allows slavery
Where: Louisiana Purchase, Senate
Why: In an attempt to relieve sectional tensions between the North and the South and to admit new states into the Union. -
Nat Turner Rebellion, S + R
Who: Nat Turner, Enslaved free blacks, Benjamin Phillips, federal troops and militia
Ended on August 23, 1831
What: A rebellion led by Nat Turner and enslaved blacks, Goal was to kill as many white people involved in slavery as possible (60 people), wanted to reach the town of Jerusalem
Where: Southampton County, VA
Why: To destroy the myths from the South that slaves were happy with their lives -
Gag Rule, P+ S+ G
Who: Representative James Hammond of SC, Speaker James Polk of Tennessee, Henry L. Pinckney, John Quincy Adams
What: It was a resolution that postponed on all actions that were about slavery without having to hear each petition.
Where: In the House of Representatives, trying to abolish slavery in Washington, D.C
Why: Abolitionists were sending Congress petitions to try and abolish slavery in Washington, D.C. The total amount of petitions reached 130,000. -
Amistad Case, S+P+R
Who: Pedro Montes, Jose Ruiz, President Van Buren, John Quincy Adams, Lt. Thomas R. Gedney
What: Africans aboard the ship Amistad took control and drove the ship.The Supreme Court determined that the Africans were illegally kidnapped and were not property, granting their freedom instead of being extradited to Cuba.
When: Case 1841
Where: New London, CT
Why: African’s held as slaves, and were taken from freedom and were being illegally held so John Quincy Adams had them immediately released -
Annexation of Texas, P+S+R
Who: President Tyler, and President Polk
What: Tyler began negotiations with the Republic of Texas and Texas was admitted into the United States on December 29.
When: Texas was it's own republic since 1836, admitted as state December, 29 1845
Where: Republic of Texas
Why: This was significant because it was one of the large contributions that led to the Mexican War, and it also admitted Texas as a part of the Union, further expanding the United States and furthering the tensions with slavery. -
Mexican War, R+P+E
Who: President Polk, Sidell, Taylor
What: It was a war with Mexico where the US was able to win 500,000 square miles of Mexican territory after trying to annex Texas. The war ended in Mexico City after the US army was able to seize the capital which forced a surrender.
When: April 1846- February 1848
Where: Texas, New Mexico, California, Mexico and Mexico City.
Why: It occurred because of the United States attempt to annex Texas in 1845, and a dispute based on where the Texas boundary ended. -
Wilmot Proviso, E+P+S+ R
Who: President Polk, and Southerners, David Wilmot
What: Polk was asking Congress to give $2,000,000 for peace with Mexico. Wilmot introduced an amendment to be appropriated, which had the purpose of prohibiting slavery in any territory that was acquired by Mexico.
Where: This passed in the House and failed in the Senate
Why: Prohibited the extension of slavery into these new American territories and to establish a peaceful boundary with Mexico. -
Dred Scott Decision, S+P+ R
Who: Dred Scott (slave), Roger Taney (Chief Justice of the Supreme Court), John Sanford (Dr. John Emerson’s brother)
What: Sanford that he should have rights to his slaves and that Dred Scott did not have the right to sue to gain the freedom he was granted in the Missouri Circuit Courts.
Where: Missouri Circuit Court and Supreme Court
Why: Dred Scott and his wife believed that they should not be free due to the 2 Missouri Statutes that granted them freedom. -
California Gold Rush, E+S+R
Who: Native Americans, Chinese laborers, gold miners
What: News of gold in California spread throughout the US and immediately thousands went in search of gold
When: James Marshall of Sutter’s Mills discovered gold
Where: Sacramento Valley, California. People traveled to San Francisco
Why: This was important because it brought a diverse society to California; it also helped secure California as a piece of American land during the Mexican-American War -
Fugitive Slave Act E+P+S+R
Who: Henry Clay, Southern Slave Owners, Slave Hunters
When: September of 1850
Where: Passed in Congress
What: Built onto the Compromise of 1850, it required slaves to be returned to their owners even if they were in free states
Why: The South demanded more effective legislation due to loss of profit and it was formed in hopes to ease the sectional tensions -
Compromise of 1850, E+P+S+R
Who: Henry Clay (Whig)
What: California would be admitted as a free state
Leave the option of legality of slavery to the New Mexico and Utah territories
Enactment of stronger fugitive slave laws
Allow new territory gained after the Mexican American War either to prohibit or to permit slavery in the territory
Abolition of slave trade in District of Columbia
Where:
Why: Created to seek compromise and prevent conflict between the north and the south -
Publication of "Uncle Tom's Cabin", S+R
Who: Harriet Beecher Stowe
What: It was an anti-slavery book that had the purpose of teaching American citizens the truth behind how slaves were being treated in the South.
Where: She wrote this book while she was living in Cincinnati after she encountered fugitive slaves that were escaping by using the Underground Railroad.
Why: This book was written in reaction to the tightened Fugitive Slave Laws. Which had a very large impact on the way that American’s saw slavery. -
Kansas Nebraska Act, Bleeding Kansas, S+P+E+R
Who: Stephen Douglas, President Pierce, Preston Brooks, Charles Sumner, John Brown
What: Douglas opened the territory to white settlement, forced Native Americans out of the settlement and would open Nebraska up to the transcontinental railroad.
When: Bleeding Kansas: 1855-1859
Where: The Louisiana Purchase, Kansas and Nebraska
Why: Divided the Whig and Northern Democratic parties, Formation of the Republican party, Free Soil Ideology, LeCompton Constitution -
Ostend Manifesto, S+P+E+R
Who: Antislavery Northerners, Southerners, William L. Marcy (Secretary of State),
What: Effort to buy Cuba from Spain by force. Both territories opposed this if it went against their ideals
Where: Secretary of State wanted to obtain Cuba as another slave territory.
Why: This is important because it made the annexing of Canada fail. The Secretary of State was trying to buy this territory in order to expand the United States and turn this land into more slave territory. -
John Brown and Raid on Harpers Ferry, S+P+R
Who: John Brown and a small group of followers, state and federal officials
What: Brown hoped to inspire a slave uprising, but he was put down by state and federal armies. They tried to seize control of the US arsenal.
Where: Harpers Ferry, VA
Why: In an attempt to start an armed revolt of enslaved people to destroy the institute of slavery -
Crittenden Compromise, P+S+G
Who: John Crittenden,
What: It was a series of proposed constitutional amendments, such as drawing a line at the Missouri Compromise.
Where: Congress, Missouri Compromise Line
Why: By still allowing slavery by drawing this line it was an attempt to preserve peace in the country.