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Massacre at Mystic
The Massacre at Mystic was a violent attack during the Pequot War, where English settlers and their Native American allies brutally killed around 500 Pequot villagers in Mystic, Connecticut. This event is significant to early American discrimination as it marked a brutal beginning to the violent treatment and displacement of Native American populations by European colonists. -
The Scalp Act
The Scalp Act offered bounties for the scalps of Native Americans, specifically targeting the Delaware and Shawnee tribes. This event is significant to early American discrimination as it showcased the violence and discrimination Native Americans faced during the early years of American expansion as well as displaying the lengths some settlers would go to secure land and assert control over others. -
The 3/5ths Compromise
The 3/5ths Compromise was an agreement that allowed states to count slaves as three-fifths of a person when determining population and through this representation in Congress through the House of Representatives. This event is important to early American discrimination as it gave Southern slaveholding states greater representation and power in the federal government, deepening the roots of discrimination and slavery in the country. -
Slave Trade Ends in the United States
The end of the slave trade in the United States was a crucial moment in the country's history, as it legally prohibited the importation of slaves from abroad. This event is important to early American discrimination as it furthered the fight against slavery, showcased the continued growth of slavery across the nation, and highlighted the persistence of racial discrimination and the ongoing struggle for equality. -
Battle of Tippecanoe
The Battle of Tippecanoe was a battle between the U.S. Army and Native Americans, resulting in a crushing defeat for the Native Americans. This event is significant to early American discrimination as it highlights the violent resistance against the U.S. government's encroachment on Native American lands and it weakened Native resistance, paving the way for further expansion. -
The Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an agreement that admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, maintaining the balance of power between slave and free states in the country. This event is important to early American discrimination as it highlighted the deepening division over slavery and showcased an early attempt to manage the conflict that would ultimately cause to the Civil War. -
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act was a law that authorized the forced relocation of Native American tribes from their ancestral lands in the southeastern United States to territories west of the Mississippi River. This act was significant to early American discrimination as it facilitated the expansion of US settlements at the expense of Native populations, leading to the Trail of Tears and battles between the US government and the Native Americans who resisted their forced relocation. -
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears was the forced relocation of Cherokee and other Native American tribes from their ancestral homelands to designated Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. This act was significant to early American discrimination as it highlights the U.S. government's disregard for Native American sovereignty and rights, showcasing the extent prejudice had in shaping the policies that led to the suffering and displacement of thousands of Native Americans. -
Nat Turner Rebellion
The Nat Turner Rebellion was a violent slave uprising led by Nat Turner in Southampton County, Virginia. This event is significant to early American discrimination as it heightened Southern fears of slave revolts, leading to harsher laws and increased oppression of African Americans both enslaved and free. -
The Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act was a law that required the return of escaped slaves to their enslavers, even if they were found in free states. This event is important to early American discrimination as it reinforced the place of slavery in the country, intensified the conflict between what would one day be the Union and the Confederacy, and contributed to the overall events leading up to the Civil War. -
Dred Scott Decision
The Dred Scott Decision was a Supreme Court ruling that declared African Americans, whether enslaved or free, were not citizens of the United States and lacked the legal ability to sue in federal courts. This decision reinforced the place of slavery in the country and intensified the national conflict over slavery, contributing to the tensions that led to the Civil War. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln, declared that all enslaved people in Confederate-held territories were free. This event is significant to early American discrimination as it weakened the Confederate economy and strengthened the Union’s stance while also laying the groundwork for the broader abolition of slavery in the United States. -
13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States. This event is significant to early American discrimination as it legally ended slavery, setting the stage for future civil rights advancements and highlighting the ongoing struggle for racial equality in the country. -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment granted citizenship and equal protection of the law to all people born or naturalized in the United States, including former slaves. This event is significant to early American discrimination as it addressed the issue and established legal rights for former slaves and other people experiencing racism, furthering the struggle for racial equality. -
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment prohibited the denial of the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. This event is significant to early American discrimination in how it aimed to protect the voting rights of former slaves and other people experiencing racism and in how it was mostly ineffective as many states employed tactics such as literacy tests and poll taxes to stop them from voting, highlighting continuous racial inequality. -
Battle of Little Bighorn
The Battle of Little Bighorn was a battle between the U.S. Army and a coalition of Native American tribes, resulting in a significant victory for the Native Americans. This event is significant to early American discrimination as it further highlights the violent resistance against the U.S. government's encroachment on Native American lands and the continued expansion of the country despite this. -
Battle of Wounded Knee
The Battle of Wounded Knee was a 'battle' between the U.S. Army and the Lakota Sioux that resulted in the massacre of around 300 Native Americans, including women and children. This event was significant to early American discrimination as it highlights the US government's use of extreme violence and complete disregard for Native American lives. -
Plessy vs. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson was a Supreme Court case in which the Court approved the continuation of racial segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine. This event is significant to early American discrimination as it legitimized racial segregation and discrimination across public facilities in the country, significantly harming the struggle for racial equality.