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Harriet Tubman escapes to Philadelphia
In 1849, fearing she and other family members would be sold (the fate of several sisters), Harriet Tubman and two of her brothers escaped slavery in Maryland's Eastern Shore. The men turned back but she walked the 90 or so miles to Philadelphia to freedom. -
The Fugitive Slave Act
A law passed that meant any slaves that escaped north were considered fugitives, and it was legal to capture them and bring them back. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin Published
Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly, is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. The novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the U.S. and is said to have "Helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War" -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed by the U.S. It allowed people in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether or not to allow slavery within their borders. (popular sovereignty) -
Dred Scott Decision
The Dred Scott decision was the Supreme Court ’s ruling that having lived in a free state and territory did not entitle a slave, Dred Scott, to his freedom. In essence, the decision argued that as a slave Scott was not a citizen and could not sue in a federal court. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
The Lincoln–Douglas debates were a series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln, the Republican Party candidate for the United States Senate from Illinois, and incumbent Senator Stephen Douglas, the Democratic Party candidate. -
John Brown Attacks Harper's Ferry
Abolitionist John Brown leads a small group on a raid against a federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), in an attempt to start an armed slave revolt and destroy the institution of slavery. -
Abraham Lincoln Elected
Abraham Lincoln is elected- this means that slavery would be abolished -
South Carolina Secedes
South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union and was one of the founding member states of the Confederacy in February 1861. The bombardment of the beleaguered U.S. garrison at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor on April 12, 1861 is generally recognized as the first military engagement of the war. -
The Confederacy is Formed
The states farthest south, where slavery and plantations agriculture were dominant, formed the Confederate States of America with Jefferson Davis as President. They established their capital at Montgomery, Alabama and took over federal forts on their territory.
