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Massacre at Mystic
The massacre at Mystic was an attack on Mystic Fort that left 500 adults and children of the Pequot tribe dead. This was the first defeat of the Pequot people by the English in the Pequot War. -
The Scalp Act
Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Robert Morris enacted the Scalp Act; anyone who brought in a male scalp above the age of 12 would be given $150. Females above the age of 12 or males under the age of 12 would be paid $130. This gruesome procedure generally occurred during warfare with the scalp being taken as a trophy. It is considered part of the broader cultural practice and is a sign of dominance. -
The 3/5ths Compromise
The 3/5ths Compromise was a compromise where every 5 enslaved people counted as 3 in the state's population. This gave southern states more representation, which had lasting impacts, leading to the Civil War. -
Slave Trade Ends in the United States
An act of Congress passed in 1800 made it illegal for Americans to engage in slave trade between nations and gave U.S. authorities the right to seize slave ships that were caught transporting slaves and confiscate their cargo. After the Civil War and the loss of slave labor, U.S. production rapidly recovered. By 1871 the U.S. had exceeded its 1859 levels of cotton exports and was just short of its 1860 record. -
Battle of Tippecanoe
The Battle of Tippecanoe was a victory between American forces led by Major General William Henry Harrison and Shawnee Indians led by Tecumseh's brother, Laulewasikau (Tenskwatawa), known as the Prophet. The battle marked the turning point in relations between American and Native American cultures, whose conflicting understanding and religious views made co-existence unlikely. -
The Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a non-slave state at the same time to keep the balance between slave and free states in the nation. It also outlawed slavery above the 36º 30' latitude line in the remainder of the Louisiana Territory. While it effectively settled the question of slavery, it began the conflict that eventually brought the nation into the Civil War. -
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act gave the president the right to grant unsettled land in exchange for Indian land in existing state borders. Few tribes went peacefully but many resisted the policy. More than 46,000 Native Americans were forced to abandon their homes and relocate to Indian Territory which became present-day Oklahoma. More than 4,000 died on the journey of disease, starvation, and exposure to extreme weather. This impacted U.S. economy due to high profits from trade. -
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears was the deadly route Native Americans were forced to follow when they were pushed off their ancestral lands and into "Indian Territory," which is now present-day Oklahoma. The Trail of Tears has become a symbol in American history that signifies the harshness of American policymakers toward Native Americans. Indian lands were held hostage by the states and the federal government, and Indians had to agree to removal to preserve their identity as tribes. -
Nat Turner Rebellion
Nat Turner's Rebellion was a rebellion of enslaved Virginians in Southampton County, Virginia. The rebels – led by Nat Turner – killed between 55 and 65 White people, making it the deadliest slave revolt in U.S. history. Nat Turner's rebellion led to the passage of a series of new laws. The Virginia legislature actually debated ending slavery but chose to impose additional restrictions and harsher penalties on both enslaved and free African Americans. -
The Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act was passed by the U.S. Congress as part of the Compromise of 1850. It required that slaves be returned to their owners even if they were in a free state. The act also made the federal government responsible for finding, returning, and trying escaped slaves; It threatened the safety of all blacks, slave and free, and forced many Northerners to become more defiant in their support of fugitives. The act was one of the disputes that led to the Civil War. -
Dred Scott Decision
The Dred Scott decision was one of the most important events in this time. When slavery was newly unbanned, some states still fought against it. This is shown in The Dred Scott Decision where the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that living in a free state and territory did not entitle an enslaved person to freedom, in this case, Dred Scott was the victim -
Emancipation Proclamation
Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863 as we approached the third year of the Civil War. The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves are, and henceforward shall be free." This allowed for the beginning of the permanent abolition of slavery in the United States. -
13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery in all U.S. states and territories. In addition to banning slavery, the amendment outlawed the practice of involuntary servitude and peonage (this is when a person is coerced to work in order to pay off debts.) This amendment was the first of three Reconstruction Amendments (three amendments – the 13th, 14th, and 15th – abolished slavery and guaranteed equal protection of the laws and the right to vote.) -
The 15th Amendment
The 15th amendment is the right of citizens of the United States to vote without being denied by the United States or any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. The 15th Amendment guaranteed African American men the right to vote and almost immediately after ratification, they began to take part in running for office and voting. -
Battle of Little Bighorn
The battle was a momentary victory for Native Americans and it was also the worst U.S. Army defeat during the Plains Wars. It became a rallying point for the United States to increase its efforts to force native people onto reservation lands. The Battle of the Little Bighorn is significant because it proved to be the height of Native American power during the 19th century. -
14th Amendment
the 14th Amendment granted citizenship to all people "born or naturalized in the United States including priorly enslaved people and, for the first time, provided all citizens with equal protection under the laws. This amendment, along with the rest of the Reconstruction Amendments, changed the way our government works today. -
Battle of Wounded Knee
The Battle of Wounded Knee is the slaughter of approximately 150 to 300 Lakota Indians by United States Army troops in the area of Wounded Knee Creek in southwestern South Dakota. The massacre was the climax of the U.S. Army's late 19th-century efforts to repress the Plains Indians. -
Plessy vs. Ferguson
Plessy vs. Ferguson was a case in which the Supreme Court ruled that segregated public accommodations for blacks and whites did not violate the 14th Amendment. This ruling made segregation legal. It upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the saying "separate but equal."