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Polk is Elected
When James K. Polk accepted the Democratic Party's nomination for the presidency, he was not very well known. He was called a "dark horse" candidate because he was not expected to beat his opponent, Henry Clay of the Whig Party, to become the 11th president of the United States. -
Gold Rush Starts "49ers"
California Gold RushThe California gold rush started on January 24. 1848 when James w marshal found gold at sutters mill. The finding of gold brought over 300,000 people. Half of them came from the states and the other half came from abroad. The whole state was in a boom. Towns grew by over 30,000 people in only 3 or 4 years. -
President Taylor
President Taylor was the 12th president on the United States. He was in the army wand was rising to me a major general. He was considered a hero after the victory of the Mexican American war. But made no progress because he was only in the office for 17 months. -
The Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad, a network of people who helped fugitive slaves escape to the North and to Canada, it was not run by any single organization or person. It consisted of many people who knew only of the local efforts to help fugitives and not of the overall operation. It effectively moved hundreds of slaves northward each year. The South lost 100,000 slaves between 1810 and 1850 in one estimate that was taken. -
President Fillmore
President Fillmore was the 13 president of the United States and the last president to where a wig. He was a very big against anti slavery and abolished demands to exclude it. He founded the buffalo university and created the buffalo hospital. -
The Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act was part of the group of laws referred to as the "Compromise of 1850." This law stated that if you caught a slave that has been accused of escaping, you must take them into custody and take them to the federal commissioner. If you help a slave in anyway or dont report a runaway it is punishable by a big fine or jail time. -
President Pierce
President pierce was the 14th president of the United States. His polarizing actions in championing and signing the Kansas–Nebraska Act and enforcing the Fugitive Slave Act failed to stem intersectional conflict, setting the stage for Southern secession. -
The Caning of Charles Sumner
On May 22, 1856, the "world's greatest deliberative body" became a combat zone. In one of the most dramatic and deeply ominous moments in the Senate's entire history, a member of the House of Representatives entered the Senate chamber and savagely beat a senator into unconsciousness. -
The Dred Scott Decision
James Buchanan suggested that the supreme court should decide the question of slavery in the territories. Buchanan had contacted the supreme court and thus knew that the decision was about to happen. The southern members of congress had quietly pressured the supreme court to make a ruling on slavery in the territories. The court released its decision of the Dred Scott vs. Sanford case and it was in favor of the south. -
President Buchanan
President Buchanan was the 15 president of the United States. Buchanan was nominated by the Democratic Party in the 1856 presidential election. Throughout most of Pierce's term, he had been stationed in London as a minister to the Court of St. James's, so was not caught up in the crossfire of sectional politics that dominated the country. His subsequent election victory took place in a three-man race with John C. Frémont and Millard Fillmore. As President, he was often called a "doughface" -
John Brown's Raid
John Brown was an abolitionist who believed that he was supposed to "break the jaws of the wicked". He planned to free and arm the enslaved people in virginia and begin a rebellion against slaveholders. One night with his followers he seized the arsenal. He threatened to burn xown the town if the citizens interfered, but soon he had the U.S. marines there and it ended with his capture. The Virginian court tried and covicted him and he was sentenced to death. -
Lincoln is Elected
On November 6, 1860, Lincoln was elected the 16th president of the United States, beating Democrat Stephen A. Douglas, John C. Breckinridge of the Southern Democrats, and John Bell of the new Constitutional Union Party. He was the first president from the Republican Party. -
South Carolina secedes from the Union
South Carolina acted first, calling for a convention to secede from the Union. State by state, conventions were held, and the confederacy was formed. Within three months of Lincoln's election, seven states had seceded from the Union. -
The Civil War Begins
Abraham Lincoln is sworn in as 16th President of the United States of America. April 12, 1861 at 4:30 a.m. Confederates under General Pierre Beauregard open fire with 50 cannons upon Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. This is the start of the Civil War. -
Fort Sumter Bombarded
On April 12, 1861, General P.G.T. Beauregard, in command of the Confederate forces around Charleston Harbor, opened fire on the Union garrison holding Fort Sumter. At 2:30pm on April 13 Major Robert Anderson, garrison commander, surrendered the fort and was evacuated the next day.
