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Seneca Falls Convention
The Seneca Falls Convention was held in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York. It was one of the first attempts to give women more rights. This doesn't do much for women's rights at the time but, it does bring up the topic and it will be picked up after the civil war ends. -
The Compromise of 1850
As California applied for statehood, the question of slavery was brought up once again in congress. To appease the North, California would be admitted as a free state. To appease the South, congress put in a more effective fugitive slave law. Congress also put popular sovereignty into place, which gave states the right to choose whether to have slavery continue in their state or not. This event could have done much more to solve the slavery issue but, it simply didn't. -
The Kansas Nebraska Act of 1854
The Kansas-Nebraska Act attempted to undo the Missouri Compromise by dividing this territory into two states; Nebraska in the North and Kansas in the South. This event would lead to feuds in the territory, earning the territory the name "Bleeding Kansas", and further frustration with the U.S Government. -
The Republican Party forms
Abolitionists came together to form their own party in congress. This new party in congress will grow in popularity in the North and anger the South. If the Republican candidate Fremont won in the election of 1856, the South might have seceded a few years earlier. -
The Dred Scott Decision
The Dred Scott Decision was a court case that ruled slaves as property. The man in question was a slave who went to court to argue that when he lived in free territory he should have been deemed a free man. However, this court case ruled against him and heightened the tension between the North and the South. -
Lincoln's Election and South's Secession
Lincoln is elected president in 1860, even though he wasn't even shown on the ballots in some southern states. In a direct response to this, South Carolina secedes from the union on December 20th, 1860. By 1861, six others had followed South Carolina's lead.They formed the Confederate states of America and elected Jefferson Davis as their president. -
First Shots at Fort Sumter
The official first shots of the civil war were fired at Fort Sumter, Confederate forces burned as much as they could at this first battle.The winner of this battle was the Confederate forces as Lincoln decided to not defend this fort, merely to feed the soldiers there. -
Battle of Bull Run
The first battle that shed blood took place 25 miles away from D.C. The union army gained the upper hand but, "Stonewall Jackson" increased their morale greatly which allowed them to win this battle. Fortunately for the Union, the Confederacy didn't follow this up with an attack on Washington D.C like they had planned. -
The Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam took place between the U.S capital and the Confederate capital. McClellan left the battlefield the following day and Lincoln removed him from his position. This battle produced the single bloodiest day in American history with over 26,000 casualties. -
Emancipation Proclaimation
Lincoln gave freedom to the slaves behind confederate lines by authorizing his army to emancipate the slaves in the south. He did this to give his men morale and to ensure that a compromise was not happening. -
The Freedmen's Bureau
The Freedmen's Bureau was established in 1865 to help freed slaves get an education and a place to live. This association was very helpful to the new black citizens but, also very costly to the U.S Government, especially after a war. -
Surrender at Appomattox
Once Union troops conquered Richmond, the Confederate capital, Southerners burned it to the ground in hopes that they wouldn't take it from them. They took Lee's army to Appomattox six days later and Lee formally surrendered to Ulysses S Grant. This marks the end of the four long years spent fighting. -
Lincoln's Assasination
Five days after the surrender, Lincoln and his wife went to Ford's theater to see the British comedy, Our American Cousin. During the third act, John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln in the back of the head. The reconstruction that Lincoln was planning would never happen. -
The formation of the KKK
On Christmas Eve in 1865, the Ku Klux Klan formed. This southern hate group's goal was to prevent as many black men, women and children from receiving their rights as they could and to kill those who exercised these rights. They also wanted the downfall of the republican party and to throw out the government's reconstruction plan. They killed upwards to 20,000 and still exist today. -
Andrew Johnson Impeachment
The radical republicans attempt to impeach Andrew Johnson by putting a Tenure of Office act in place, which made it a violation of the law for the president to switch out cabinet members. He replaced his secretary of war and was put on trial. He stayed in office by one vote. While this didn't remove him from office, it sent a clear message to Johnson and the American people. -
Ulysses S Grant is Elected
In 1868, the civil war hero Ulysses S Grant was elected as president. He had no prior experience in politics. However, that didn't stop over 500,000 new southern black voters from voting for the man that freed them. After this, the 15th amendment was ratified as the radical republicans saw the importance of black voters. -
The 14th and 15th Amendment
The 14th and 15th amendment changed the meaning of a citizen and gave black males the right to vote. The 14th amendment overruled and nullified the mistake of the Dred Scott case and was drafted in 1866. The 15th Amendment was put into place in 1870 and was an important victory for the radical republicans
