Discrimination Timeline

  • Massacre at Mystic

    Massacre at Mystic
    The initial victory of the English over the Pequot people occurred during the Pequot War, a three-year conflict initiated by the Puritans in order to take control of the tribe's ancestral territory.
  • The Scalp Act

    The Scalp Act
    The settlers on the frontier experienced numerous small-scale attacks, leading them to request help from the Pennsylvania legislature. As a result, $60,000 was allocated for the construction of forts, according to Houser. Instead, the funds were established to relocate the Indians living on the border. Governor Robert Morris implemented the Scalp Act on April 8, 1756.
  • The 3/5ths Compromise

    The 3/5ths Compromise
    The Three-Fifths Compromise counted three out of every five slaves in a state towards the population census. On June 11, 1787, the concept of the Three-Fifths Compromise was proposed by James Wilson and Roger Sherman.
  • Slave Trade Ends in the United States

    Slave Trade Ends in the United States
    Slavery remained legal in most of the United States until 1865, and enslaved individuals were still being bought and sold in the Southern states. However, the importation of new Africans to the country was permanently banned in January 1808.
  • Battle of Tippecanoe

    Battle of Tippecanoe
    The Battle of Tippecanoe occurred on November 7, 1811, between American troops led by William Henry Harrison and Native American fighters led by Tenskwatawa, also known as "The Prophet." The battle was considered a win for America, but it had significant and long-lasting effects on Native people.
  • The Missouri Compromise

    The Missouri Compromise
    The Missouri Compromise was a federal law in the United States that aimed to satisfy both the northern states' wish to halt the spread of slavery and the southern states' desire to increase its expansion.
  • Indian Removal Act

    Indian Removal Act
    President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act into law on May 28, 1830, which allowed him to offer land west of the Mississippi River in return for Indian lands located within current state boundaries.
  • Trail of Tears

    Trail of Tears
    Approximately 100,000 Native Americans residing in Michigan, Louisiana, and Florida relocated to the West following the forced treaties or military interventions by the U.S. government. Numerous people were subjected to harsh treatment. Approximately 3,500 Creeks lost their lives in Alabama and during their migration westward.
  • Nat Turner Rebellion

    Nat Turner Rebellion
    Nat Turner, a preacher who was enslaved and considered himself a prophet, initiated the deadliest slave rebellion in U.S. history.
  • The Fugitive Slave Act

    The Fugitive Slave Act
    The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was included in the Compromise of 1850. The law mandated the return of slaves to their owners, even if they were in a state of freedom.
  • Dred Scott Decision

    Dred Scott Decision
    The opinions were written separately by eight of the nine justices. Seven pro-Southern justices, each with their reasoning, collectively agreed that, legally, Dred Scott remained a slave.
  • Emancipation Proclamation

    Emancipation Proclamation
    President Abraham Lincoln released the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the country entered its third year of a brutal civil war. The announcement stated that all individuals who were kept as slaves in the rebellious states "will now and forever be considered free."
  • 13th Amendment

    13th Amendment
    The abolishment of slavery in the United States was achieved by implementing the 13th Amendment.
  • 14th Amendment

    14th Amendment
    The Fourteenth Amendment gave citizenship to anyone born or naturalized in the US, including former slaves, and ensured equal protection under the laws for all citizens.
  • 15th Amendment

    15th Amendment
    The 15th Amendment, approved by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870, gave African American men the ability to vote.
  • Battle of Little Bighorn

    Battle of Little Bighorn
    The Battle of the Little Bighorn took place in the hills, sharp cliffs, and gorges of the Little Bighorn River, in southern Montana on June 25-26, 1876.
  • Plessy vs. Ferguson

    Plessy vs. Ferguson
    Ferguson is a legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court, with a seven-to-one majority, upheld the contentious "separate but equal" doctrine for evaluating the constitutionality of laws regarding racial segregation.
  • Battle of Wounded Knee

    Battle of Wounded Knee
    The Wounded Knee Massacre, alternatively called the Battle of Wounded Knee, involved the killing of almost three hundred Lakota individuals by U.S. Army soldiers.