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Period: to
Civil War
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The Idea of Secession
Jefferson Davis comes out in favor of secession for the first time. -
Shoe Workers go on Strike
20,000 northern shoe workers go on strike for higher wages. -
Louisiana State of Seminary Learning
Classes begin at the Seminary of Higher Learning at Pineville. -
Democratic National Convention of 1860
Southern delegates hold a National Democratic convention in Richmond. Party leaders urge a "wait and see" approach. -
Democrats nominate John. C. Breckinridge
Southern Democrats hold a convention in Richmond where they select John C. Breckinridge as their nominee for President. -
Election of 1860
Abraham Lincoln is elected president. Northern colonies are pleased with the new president, while Southern colonies feel angry and threatened with the new president. -
James Chesnut Resigns From Senate
James Chesnut becomes the first Southerner to resign from the Senate. He is quickly followed by James H. Hammond. -
Robert Anderson Reports Fort Sumter
Major Robert Anderson reports Fort Sumter is being threatened in Charleston as federal forces begin to improved Fort Moultrie and Fort Sumter in the harbor. -
Buchanan Sends a Distressed Message to Congress
Outgoing President James Buchanan sends a distressed State of the Union message to Congress. In it he states that secession is unconstitutional, says the federal government lacks the authority to prevent it and calls for a constitutional amendment allowing Southern states to retain slaves as property. -
South Carolina Secession
South Carolina officially leaves the country. South Carolina is the first colony to leave the country. -
Mississippi Secession
Mississippi officially leaves the country. -
Florida Secession
Florida officially leaves the country. -
Alabama Secession
Alabama officially leaves the country. -
Georgia Secession
Georgia officially leaves the country. -
Louisiana Secession
Louisiana officially leaves the country. -
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America is formed. Jefferson Davis was sworn in as president. -
Texas Secession
Texas officially leaves the country -
Inauguration
Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated as president of the United States. -
Fort Sumter
Confederates fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. -
Virginia Secession
Virginia officially leaves the country. -
Arkansas Secession
Arkansas officially leaves the country. -
North Carolina
North Carolina officially leaves the country. -
Tennessee Secession
Tennessee officially leaves the country. -
First Battle of Bull Run
This was the first major land battle in the Civil War. There was a Confederate victory. -
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh was one of the major early engagements of the Civil War. The result was a Union victory. -
Conscription Act
Confederate Congress passed the Conscription Act. The Conscription Act was a drafting method of civilians (including any white aged 18-35) to serve in the army. -
Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau dies of tuberculosis. -
Homestead Act
The Homestead Act (signed into law by Lincoln) encouraged Western migration by providing settlers 160 acres of public land. -
Robert E. Lee named Commander
Robert E. Lee is named commander of the Army of Northern Virginia. -
Morrill Land-Grant Acts
The Morrill Land-Grant Acts were United States laws that allowed for land-grant colleges -
Second Battle of Bull Run
The Second Battle of Bull Run was fought from August 28 to August 30. The result was a Confederate victory. -
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam was one of the reasons why McClellan was removed from his commander position. The results aren't clear over who the winner was. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought in Fredericksburg, Virginia on December 11-15, 1862. The result was a Confederate victory. -
Dakota War
The Dakota war that began in August between bands of Sioux and the U.S. government over late payments of annuities culminates in the jailing in Minnesota of over one thousand Dakota Sioux, and the hanging of thirty-eight in Mankato. It was the largest mass execution in U.S. history. -
Emancipation Proclomation
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation as the United States approached its third year in the Civil War. The proclamation states "that all persons held as slaves are, and henceforward shall be free. -
National Banking Act Passes
Congress passes the National Banking Act, which was designed to create a national banking system to help resolve the financial crisis. -
West Virginia enters the US
West Virginia becomes the 35th state to enter the United States of America -
Lincoln Relieves Burnside
Abraham Lincoln relieves General Ambrose Burnside [US} from command of the Army of the Potomac, replacing him with General Joseph "Fighting Joe" Hooker. -
Conscription Act Passes
Congress passes the Conscription Act, which requires states to draft men to serve in the Civil War if individual states did not meet their enlistment quotas through volunteers. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville is considered to be Robert E. Lee's greatest victory during the Civil War. The result was a Confederate victory. -
Siege of Vicksburg
In the Siege of Vicksburg, the Union Army surrounded the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi and eventually took control. The result was a Union Victory. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg is considered the most important engagement of the Civil War. The result was a Union victory. -
Draft Riots
Draft Riots take place in New York City. There were 119-120 deaths and 2,000 injuries. -
Order of Retaliation
The Order of Retaliation ordered the intentional killing of captured Confederate prisoners of war. -
Libby Prison Escape
109 Union officers led by Colonel Thomas Rose escape from Libby Prison on the banks of the James River in Richmond. -
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness was Ulysses S. Grant's first battle as general. The result is inconclusive. -
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes more simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania, was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. The result was inconclusive. -
The First Burial
The first burial takes place at Arlington National Cemetery. -
Battle of Pickett's Mill
The Battle of Pickett's Mill was fought on May 27, 1864, in Paulding County, Georgia, during the American Civil War between Union and Confederate forces. Union Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman attempted an attack on the right flank of Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. The result was a Confederate victory. -
Battle of Cold Harbor
The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. The result was a Confederate victory. -
Battle of Atlanta
The Battle of Atlanta led to the Union capture of Atlanta. The result was a Union victory. -
Battle of Mobile Bay
The Battle of Mobile Bay of August 5, 1864, was an engagement of the American Civil War in which a Union fleet commanded by Rear Admiral David G. Farragut, assisted by a contingent of soldiers, attacked a smaller Confederate fleet led by Admiral Franklin Buchanan and three forts that guarded the entrance to Mobile Bay. The result was a Union Victory. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
Sherman's March to the Sea was a military campaign of the American Civil War conducted through Georgia from November 15 until December 21, 1864, by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union Army. -
Battle of Nashville
The Battle of Nashville was a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting west of the coastal states in the Civil War. The result was a Union victory. -
Capture of Columbia
The capture of Columbia occurred February 17–18, 1865, during the Carolinas Campaign of the American Civil War. Columbia was captured by the Union Army. -
Capture of Fort Stedman
General John B. Gordon captured Fort Stedman, a Union outpost on the line around besieged Petersburg, eventually punching a hole 3/4 of a mile wide. Confederate units then made a desperate attempt to hit the federal supply base at City Point. -
Battle of Five Forks
The Battle of Five Forks was fought on April 1, 1865, southwest of Petersburg, Virginia. The result was a Union victory. -
Official end to the CIvil War
The official end to the Civil War took place at the Appomattox Court House, where Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant. The result of the Civil War was a Union victory. -
Lincoln is Shot
Abraham Lincoln shot Ford's Theatre by John Wilkes Booth -
Lincoln Dies
Abraham Lincoln dies due to the shot in his head. -
Booth Dies
John Wilkes Booth is shot by Union soldiers and dies. -
Shenandoah Seized Ships
The Confederate ship Shenandoah seized eleven American whaling ships in the Bering Strait, Alaska. -
Thirteenth Amedment is Ratified
The Thirteenth Amendment is ratified, which declared the slavery is abolished. -
The KKK Founded
The Ku Klux Klan was founded in Pulaski, Tennessee. The KKK is an American white supremacist hate group. -
Johnson vetos the Civil Rights Act of 1866
President Johnson vetos the Civil Rights Act of 1866 on the grounds that it was unconstitutional -
House Overrode Johnson's Veto
The House of Representatives vetoed Andrew Johnson's veto and passed The Civil Rights Bill of 1866 -
Congress Approve the Fourteenth Amendment
Thirty-ninth Congress approves the 14th Amendment to the Constitution -
Congress Overrides Veto of Freedman's Bureau Bill
Congress overrides Andrew Johnson's veto of the Freedman's Bureau bill -
David Farragut is Appointed to Admiral
Congress creates the rank of Admiral. David Farragut is appointed to that rank -
U.S. Secret Service Investigates the Ku Klux Klan
The U. S. Secret Service begins an investigation into the Ku Klux Klan -
A Proclamation of Peace with Texas is Issued
A proclamation of peace with Texas is issued by United States President Andrew Johnson -
New Jersey Ratifies the Fourteenth Amendment
New Jersey ratifies the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to African Americans. -
Fire in Philadelphia
A fire in the Philadelphia ship-yard accidentally destroys a number of ships used during the Civil War -
South Carolina Rejects the Fourteenth Amendment
On the 6th anniversary of secession, South Carolina rejects the 14th Amendment -
Reconstruction Acts
The Reconstruction Acts laid out the process of bringing the South back into the Nation. -
Ohio Ratifies the Fourteenth Amendment
Ohio ratifies the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to natural born persons or persons who undergo naturalization, African Americans. -
Kentucky Rejects the Fourteenth Amendment
Kentucky rejects the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to African Americans. -
Virginia Rejects the Fourteenth Amendment
Virginia rejects the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to African Americans. -
New York Ratifies the Fourteenth Amendment
New York ratifies the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to African Americans. -
Kansas Ratifies the Fourteenth Amendment
Kansas ratifies the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to African Americans. -
Pennsylvania Ratifies the Fourteenth Amendment
Pennsylvania ratifies the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to African Americans. -
Illinois Ratifies the Fourteenth Amendment
Illinois ratifies the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to African Americans. -
West Virginia Ratifies the Fourteenth Amendment
West Virginia ratifies the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to African Americans. -
Alaska is Purchased
William Seward purchases Alaska from Russia.
