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Introduction of slavery to the U.S.
Hundreds of thousands of Africans, free and enslaved, built and aided the 13 colonies. However, the official starting point of slavery was in 1619, when a privateer called The White Lion brought 20 enslaved Africans to the British colony of Jamestown, Virginia. Slaves were considered a better labor source than indentured servants, because they were cheaper and more plentiful. 6 to 7 million slaves were transported to the 13 colonies during the 18th century. -
Declaration Of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is a very important document in U.S. history. It declared independence from British rule. John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman formed it in the summer of 1776. The final draft was created on July 4th, 1776, and the actual signing was on August 2nd, 1776. -
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Fugitive Slave Acts
The fugitive slave acts were federal laws that allowed runaway slaves to be captured and returned. The first fugitive slave act stated that local governments could return escapees to their owner and had punishments for anyone who helped the slaves. Resistance to that law led to another act being passed in 1850. This time, the rules were even more harsh. -
Abolitionist movement
The 1820 Missouri Compromise, which declared Missouri a slave state, influenced a lot of anti-slavery action in the North. The abolitionist movement began in 1830 as a more organized, immediate effort to end slavery than earlier movements. Abolitionism started in states like New York and Massachusetts and was quickly picked up by other northern states. Many think the movement ended after the 13 Amendment, but others argue that it didn't disappear until after black men were given voting rights. -
Abraham Lincoln is elected
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States and the first republican president. In the 1858 debates, he was against Steven Douglass, who believed each state should have the right to decide if it wanted slaves. Lincoln lost, but gained the attention of the republican party. In 1860, Lincoln faced Douglass again and won. -
Southern states secede / North's response
Abraham Lincoln being elected caused a lot of Southern states to leave the union. By February of 1861, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina had all voted to secede and formed the Confederate States of America. Northerners felt secession was illegal and Lincoln spoke out against it. -
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Civil War
The Civil War began because of slavery. The South, known then as the Confederate States of America, and the North battled until the Confederates surrendered in 1865. It was America's most expensive and deadly war. 620,000 American soldiers were killed, millions more were injured, and most of the South was in ruins. -
U.S. forces turn back confederate invasion
In early July, 1863, the two armies converged in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It started as a small fight between parties, both of which were searching for supplies, but it quickly became one of the deadliest battles of the Civil War. In the end, the union was victorious. Abraham Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg Address about this battle. -
Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address was the speech Lincoln gave after the battle of Gettysburg. It was mostly dedicated to the soldiers who lost their lives in the battle, but he brought up two other important issues. One was the preservation of the nation and the other was the importance of winning the war, no matter what it took. The speech was delivered in only three minutes, but it had a very powerful impact. -
Slavery Is Abolished
On January 1st, 1863, Lincoln officially stated that all slaves were now free. This freed three million enslaved people in rebel states, taking away a large portion of the Confederate labor forces, making things even easier for the Union. This event is known as the Emancipation Proclamation. However, this did not free all slaves. That didn't happen until the 13th Amendment was passed and the Civil War ended.