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Dred Scott vs. Sanford
Dred Scott, a slave, tries to sue for his freedom. The Supreme Court rules that since slaves are not US citizens, they do not have the right to file a lawsuit and that Congress has no right to decide on slavery in the states or US territories. -
Panic of 1857
This is the worse economic crises in US history, at the time. Leads to tension between the North and the South, because the latter was not as greatly affected. -
Lecompton Constitution
A potential constituition written for Kansas. Its extreme anti-slavery position made it unpopular with both the public and Congress. -
Abraham Lincoln becomes the Republican nominee for US Senate
This is when he delivers his 'House Divided' speech. It's regarded as one of his best, second only to the Gettysburg Address. -
First Lincoln-Douglas debate
The two are running against each other for Senate. These debates will allow Lincoln to demonstrate his speaking prowess. -
John Brown's Raid
John Brown leads a mob in attacking the Harper's Island Armory in Virginia, hoping to start a slave rebellion. It is a failure -
John Brown executed
He is hanged for the begining the raid on Harper's Island -
Lincoln wins presidency
He won by only a narrow margin and became the 16th President of the United States. -
South Carolina secedes
It's the first state to leave the Union. Over the course of the next year, SC will be followed by: Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Arkansas soon follow. -
Jefferson Davis elected
Jefferson Davis is the first President of the Confederate States of America. -
Licoln inaugerated
He warns that he will not accept secession -
Civil War officially begins
The battle of Fort Sumter is seen as an agressive attack on the South by the Union. -
Fort Sumter is lost.
Confederate troops take over, this loss is devestating to the Union. -
Blockade of the Confederacy
Lincoln orders that the Union troops begin a blockade of the southern coastline. This will prove to be a wise decision, because without access to the rest of the world, the Confederacy cannot sell cotton or get many supplies. -
Lincoln requests an Army
After getting Congress' approval, Lincoln then calls for 500,000 men to enlist in the Union Army. -
First Battle of Bull Run
Ends in a Union defeat with the troops retreating into Washington. Those pinickers who were watching the battle made this retreat difficult. -
Monitor vs. Merrimack
Confederate Merrimack and Union Monitor are two ships that meet for battle, which ends in a draw. Because both ships were ironclad and makes wooden ships obsolete. -
Second Battle of Bull Run
Another Confederate victory thanks to General "Stonewall" Jackson. Union's General John Pope is blamed for the loss and fired. -
Antietam
Bloodiest day of the war with about 26,000 killed or wounded. Declared a draw, but caused Lee and the Confederates to retreat back to Virginia from Maryland. -
Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation
Though it is not yet in effect, the Emancipation Proclamation promises to free all Confederate slaves. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Frees all slaves in the Confederate states. From here on, the Civil War is about slavery. -
Draft begins
Men either have to serve in the army, send in a substitute, or pay the government $300. -
Battle of Gettysburg begins
Battle lasted from July 1 to July 4. Not recognized as such at the time, but the Battle of Gettysburg would serve as a turning point in the war. -
Vicksburg is captured
General Ulysses S. Grant leads the Union in a take over of Vicksburg following a long siege. This allows the Union to take over the Mississippi River and cut the Confederacy in two. -
Gettysburg Address
Lincoln gave a two minute speech during the opening of the National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Virginia. It's regarded as one of the greatest speeches in American history. -
Virginia Campaign
Under the guidance of General Grant, Union troops begin a march towards Richmond. The march would last six weeks. -
Burning of Atlanta
General Sherman and Union troops invade Atlanta, Georgia and then burn it to the ground. -
Sherman's March to the Sea begins
Cutting across Georgia, General Sherman leads his troops to Savannah and orders them to "make Georgia howl" in the process. -
Savannah is captured
Sherman sends Lincoln the following in a telegraph: "I beg to present you, as a Christmas gift, the city of Savannah." -
13th Ammendment ends slavery
Once added to the Constituition, the 13th Ammendment forbids slavery and indentured servitude in the United States and its territories. -
Lincoln's Second Inaguration
He wins in a last minute landside against the Democratic canidate, George Meade (the former Union general). -
Fall of Richmond
Union Army finally captures Richmond. In the process, they nearly burn the city to the ground. -
Lee Surrrenders at Appomattox
After being surrounded by Union troops, General Lee signs a contract of surrender with General Grant. This officially ends the war. -
Lincoln assassinated
He was shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth as he watched a play at Ford's Theater. Booth was part of a larger conspiracy that originally wanted to kidnap the president and hold him for ransom. -
Booth and accomplice captured
Found in a tobacco barn in Virginia, Booth is shot to death by one of the soliders Corporal Corbett, despite the fact that Booth's warrant asked for him to be brought back alive. -
Slavery abolished
With the 13th Ammendment ratified, slavery is officially abolished in the United States. -
Ku Klux Klan founded
One of the many secret societies set up to terrorize African Americans.. Its methods become more cruel as whites feel their old way of life is being threatened. -
Reconstruction: Tennessee
Tenneessee becomes the first Confederate state to be readmitted into the Union. -
African American men given the right to vote
Only applies in the District of Columbia, -
14th Ammendment
Among other things, it promises full citizenship to African Americans. Also creates the idea of "seperate but equal"