-
The New York Draft Riot
In the middle of the American Civil War, Congress passed a conscription law making all men between 20 and 45 years of age liable for military service. The government tried to enforce the draft in New York City and it ignited the most destructive civil disturbance in the city's history. -
The Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was five bills that attempted to fix debates over slavery in new areas added to the US in the wake of the Mexican-American war. It admitted California as a free state, left Utah and New Mexico to decide for themselves whether to be a slave state or a free state and they defined a new Texas-New Mexico boundary. This made it easier for slave owners to recover runways under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin is a story about a black slave. Tom saves the life of a slaveowners daughter, Eva. Her father shows his gratitude by purchasing Tom. Evas health deteriorates, and on her death bed, she asks her father to free all his slaves. Her father plans to do so but then is killed. Tom's new owner has him whipped to death after he refuses to tell him where certain runaway slaves are. -
Bleeding Kansas
The Kansas-Nebraska Act revoked the Missouri Compromise’s use of latitude as the boundary between slave and free territory. Instead, using the principle of popular sovereignty, the residents would decide whether the land became a free state or a slave state. Proslavery and free-state settlers ran into Kansas to try to help the decision. Violence soon ensued as both sides fought for control. -
John Brown’s Raid
John Brown supported violent action against the South to end slavery. He and 19 supporters, armed with “Beecher’s Bibles,”(a rifle) and began a raid on the federal armory and arsenal at Harpers Ferry to capture and take the weapens there. -
Abraham Lincoln was elected
Abraham Lincoln, the candidate of the antislavery Republican Party was elected president. -
The Confederacy was formed
The CSA was made up of Southern slave states. These were people who believed that the federal government was making them second-class citizens and refused to honor their beliefs. They were concerned there would be an imbalance of power if every state admitted to the union was a free state. They chose to succeed from the union and create their own country, the Confederacy States of America. -
Fort Sumter-South Carolina
President Abraham Lincoln had plans to resupply Fort Sumpter in the Confederate state of South Carolina. Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard bombarded Fort Sumter. Starting the Civil War. The battle lasted 34 hours and the Union defenders surrendered. -
Battle of Bull Run
The first battle of Bull Run can also be called the Battle of Manassas, this was the first major land battle of the American Civil War. The battle started when 35,000 Union troops marched from the federal capital in Washington, D.C. to hit a Confederate force of 20,000 by a small river known as Bull Run. (The South saw it as an invasion by the North) -
Battle of the Ironclads
The Battle of the Ironclads is also called the battle of the Hampton Roads. This was the most famous core battle of the American Civil War. The two Ironclads, Monitor of the Union and the Merrimack of the Confederacy, fired cannonballs at each other, but neither could sink the other. Eventually, both ships left the battle. It was fought near Hampton Roads in Virginia. The battle was inconclusive as to which side won. -
Battle of Shiloh
The battle of Shiloh was also called the Battle of Pittsburg Landing. This was one of the main early engagements of the American Civil War. The Confederate Army launched a surprise attack on Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant. The Union was victorious, which allowed Grant to begin a massive operation in the Mississippi Valley later that year. -
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam was also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg. The battle Antietam was an opportunity for Abraham Lincoln to announce the Emancipation Proclamation. This document ensured freedom for slaves in the South, once the Union took back control. The battle left 3,500 soldiers dead and 17,000 wounded. The battle was an attempt from Lee to gain support from great Britain and France if victorious. -
The Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was the early battle of the civil war. It is one of the greatest Confederate victories. The army of Northern Virginia led by General Robert E. Lee routed the union forces which was led by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside. This victory for the Confederacy restored their confidence. -
Nat Turner’s Rebellion
A slave named Nat Turner encouraged a riot that spread through many plantations in southern Virginia. Turner and around seventy groups killed about sixty whites. -
Battle Of Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle and a massive victory for the Confederacy and General Robert E. Lee during the Civil war. This took place near the small town of Chancellorsville, Virginia. The South defeated the North in spite of having a much smaller army because of the superior tactics of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. -
Vicksburg
The Union won the Battle of Vicksburg. The Union's victory resulted in taking control of the Mississippi River which resulted in the confederacy getting cut in half. -
Gettysburg-Northern Virginia into Pennsylvania
The battle of Gettysburg was the largest battle of the American Civil War. It was also the largest battle fought in North America. The battle consisted of about 75,000 in the Confederacy’s Army of Northern Virginia. The battle was commanded by General Robert Edward Lee. -
Atlanta campaign
The Atlanta Campaign was a series of battles fought in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, through northwest Georgia and the area around Atlanta. Atlanta surrendered cutting off a major supply center for the South and impacted the Federal presidential election of 1864. The successful campaign helped Lincoln get reelected in 1864. -
Surrender at Appomattox
In Appomattox Court House, Virginia, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrenders his 28,000 troops to Union General Ulysses S. Grant. Ending the American Civil War. He was forced to give up the Confederate capital of Richmond. -
Lincoln assassination
On the evening of April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln was dead. John Wilkes Booth, a famous actor, and Confederate sympathizer, murdered President Abraham Lincon at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C. John Wikes Booth attacked only five days after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his massive army at Appomattox Court House, Virginia