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Massacre at Mystic
This massacre occurred late at night when English colonists and some Native American allies tried to wipe out the Pequot tribe. The Natives that sided with the English weren't prepared for the mass murder that would occur when the Pequot people were slaughtered and burned to death in their sleeping quarters. The ones that survived were sold to slavery or killed. -
The Scalp Act
This Act legalized the taking of scalps. Those who brought in scalps were awarded money from the Pennsylvania government. The different types of scalps, such as men or women, were awarded different amounts of money. -
The 3/5ths Compromise
When it was declared that representation would be based on population, the South wanted their slaves to count. This caused a compromise since counting all the slaves was considered unfair. This stated that every 3 out of 5 slaves counted towards a state's total population. The slaves still had no right to vote, and this compromise just ensured that the South would get partially what they wanted to prevent them from rebelling. -
Slave Trade Ends in the United States
Congress passed an act that made engaging in the slave trade between nations illegal. This gave the U.S. the right to seize slave ships and keep the "cargo". This did not ban slavery, just the imports of slaves to the United States. The people on the seized ships were often sold into slavery. -
Battle of Tippecanoe
This was a battle between Americans (led by William Henry Harrison) and Native Americans (led by "The Prophet" and Tecumseh) fought in what is now Indiana. The Americans won this battle over land expansion. This battle hurt the relationship between the Natives and the Americans and was a cause of the War of 1812. -
The Missouri Compromise
This was passed as a way to please both the anti-slavery North and pro-slavery South. It declared that the states North of the 36th parallel were "free states", and those below it were "slave states". This was done to prevent the further spread of slavery, while not completely taking it away to please everybody. However, it just further divided the country. -
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears describes the route taken by almost 60,000 Indians from 5 different tribes out West. Many would die from the brutality and the diseases, or get killed by the Americans escorting them because they were "too slow". This was a result of the Indian Removal Act and forced many tribes to Oklahoma on a long and devastating journey. -
Indian Removal Act
This Act stated that the president could grant Native American tribes land west of the Mississippi River if they gave up their homeland. This pushed many Eastern tribes out West, negatively affecting their quality of life. There was barely enough land granted to each tribe, opposing tribes were put together, and it was difficult for the Natives to grow crops. -
Nat Turner Rebellion
This was a slavery rebellion led by Nat Turner. He and many others went on a rampage and murdered around 60 white people. This event gave the white people of Virginia a sense of fear of the slaves that would eventually spread across the South. -
The Fugitive Slave Act
This act required that all escaped slaves had to be returned to their owners, even if they were in a free state. Plantation owners would hire bounty men to scout out the North for slaves that had escaped. The captured slave was then taken to ensure their identity, and then shipped back to their "owner". This was apart of the bigger Compromise of 1850, which was created to help please both the free and slave states. -
Dred Scott Decision
This was a Supreme Court case that stated a freed slave who lived in a state where slavery was prohibited, was not a citizen of the United States. It also stated that African Americans couldn't be American citizens and declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional. This decision just added more fuel to the fire pushing the country into a Civil War. -
Emancipation Proclamation
This was a proclamation made by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. This proclamation declared that all enslaved people in the rebellious states were officially free. This upset the Southern states and was a changing movement in the country because it abolished slavery. -
The 13th Amendment
This amendment officially abolished slavery across the country. It states that slavery will not take place unless somebody is serving time for a crime. This also included all U.S. territories along with the states. -
The 14th Amendment
This amendment gave all people born or naturalized in the United States citizenship. This included slaves. Everybody was granted their rights as citizens and equal protection under the laws. -
The 15th Amendment
This amendment gave African American men the right to vote in the United States. This meant that all men could now vote, no matter their ethnicity or previous slave status. This created an uproar in women because they still did not have the right to vote. -
Battle of Little Bighorn
This battle is also known as "Custer's Last Stand". This was an important victory for the Native American Lakota and Cheyanne. The death of the American military leader Custer pushed the United States to increase the effort to force Natives into reservations. -
Battle of Wounded Knee
Also called the Wounded Knee Massacre, nearly 300 Native Americans were killed by U.S. troops. This occurred while the Natives participated in a religious movement, called the Ghost Dance. This dance made the U.S. government feel threatened because they believed that the Indians would try to rebel against them. -
Plessy vs. Ferguson
This case ruled that the separation by race was constitutional as long as the places for people of color were the same quality as white people's facilities. This made many have the mindset of "separate but equal". This occurred after Plessy was arrested for being in a white-only train car.