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Civil War events
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The Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an effort by Congress to defuse the sectional and political rivalries triggered by the request of Missouri late in 1819 for admission as a state in which slavery would be permitted. -
The Mexican War
Mexican cavalry attacked a group of U.S. soldiers in the disputed zone under the command of General Zachary Taylor, killing about a dozen. -
Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
The Fugitive Slave Acts were a pair of federal laws that allowed for the capture and return of runaway slaves within the territory of the United States.o -
The Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 consists of five laws passed in September of 1850 that dealt with the issue of slavery. In 1849 California requested permission to enter the Union as a free state, potentially upsetting the balance between the free and slave states in the U.S. Senate. -
Battle of Fort Sumter, 1861
Fort Sumter is an island fortress located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. Originally constructed in 1829 as a coastal garrison, Fort Sumter is most famous for being the site of the first shots of the Civil War. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebrask Act was an 1854 bill allowing settlers of a territory to decide whether slavery would be allowed within a new state’s borders. The conflicts that arose between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers in the aftermath of the act’s passage led to the period of violence known as Bleeding Kansas, which lead to another affect for the Civil War. -
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas is the term used to described the period of violence during the settling of the Kansas territory. -
John Brown’s Raid on Harper’s Ferry, Virginia
On May 21, 1856, proslavery men raided the abolitionist town of Lawrence, and Brown personally was looking for revenge. On May 25, Brown and his sons attacked three cabins along Pottawatomie Creek. They killed five men with swords and triggered a summer of fighting in the troubled territory. One of Brown's sons was killed in the fighting. -
‘Bleeding Sumner’ Brooks-Sumner fight
Preston Brooks beat Charles Sumner with his cane for "You've libeled my state and slandered my white-haired old relative, Senator Butler, and I've come to punish you for it."- Brooks said, later he was fined for the assult $300 and sent back to the south where he was greatly respected afterwards. -
Dred Scott Decision
In March 1857, in one of the most controversial events preceding the American Civil War, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in the case of Dred Scott vs. Sanford. The case had been brought before the court by Dred Scott, a slave who had lived with his owner in a free state before returning to the slave state of Missouri. -
Election of 1860
in April 1860 to select their candidate for President in the upcoming election. It was turmoil. Northern democrats felt that Stephen Douglas had the best chance to defeat the "Black Republicans." Although a supporter of slavery, southern Democrats considered Douglas a traitor because of his support of popular sovereignty, permitting territories to choose not to have slavery. Southern democrats stormed out of the convention, without choosing a candidate. Six weeks later, the northern Democrats ch -
South Carolina secedes from 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. -
The Union’s ‘Anaconda Plan’
The first military strategy offered to President Lincoln for crushing the rebellion of Southern states was devised by Union General-in-Chief Winfield Scott. From April 1 through early May 1861 Scott briefed the president daily, often in person, on the national military situation. The results of these briefings were used by Scott to work out Union military aims.
