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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta signed
The Magna Carta was what first reigned in the kind's power and didn't give him absolute control. The lords gave it to King John to sign, which by doing so he guareenteed more power dispersed between the lords and guerenteed more freedoms for the English people. This would later serve as a basis for the American freedoms. Click here! -
Mayflower Compact signed
Upon arriving in the New World from Europe, the adult male members of the Mayflower formed and signed the compact. Within it, they stated what the authority would be like within the settlement, and that it would be free from English law. Click here! -
Formation of New England Confederation
Due to the Pequot War, the New Englad colonies felt that it was neccessary to create a union between them. This Confederation, made up of represenetives, were granted the power to declare war. Click here! -
French and Indian War begins
The French and Indian War is the name for the battles of the Seven Years' War that happened on American soil. It began with George Washington leading an expedetion to take French lands over the Appalachians, due to their lack of land to grow tobacco. The skirmashes that arised from this led to the French and Indian War. Click here! -
Albany Plan of Union announced
The Albany Plan of Union was formed when represenetives from the colonies and delegates from the French Canadian Pronvinces met. Bejamin Franklin created the "plan of union" to prevent conflict on who would have control over the North American continent. Click here! -
Treaty of Paris (1763) signed
The Treat of Paris was what ended the French and Indian War once and for all. France had to give up its territories on the North American continent, as well as land overseas. With this resoltion and Britian's growing disinterest for the colonies, the Americans began to think more about independence. Click here! -
Royal Proclamation (1763)
After the French and Indian War, King George passed the Royal Proclamation. Even though the American colonists fought on the side of the British to win the land from the French, this proclamation forbade them from settling there. England decided that they would reserve this land for the Native Americans as a preserve, rather than give it to the colonists. Click here! -
The Sugar Act
On April 5th, 1764 Parliament passed the "American Revenue Act of 1764" also known as the Sugar Act. With this act, they put a higher tax on sugar and other foreign luxuries that the colonists wanted. This was one of the acts that started the ideas of boycott and revolt. Click here! -
The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act, passed by Parliament after their original Sugar Act, required everyone to pay a tax on paper goods. This allowed the British government to gain money after the French and Indian War, but the colonists were unhappy with the burdensome tax. Click here! -
Stamp Act Congress
The colonists were angry after the Sugar and Stamp Acts placed on them, and in response they formed the Stamp Act Congress. It met from October 7th to October 25th, 1775 and the purpose was for representives to discuss what action to take. Eventually, they signed the Stamp Act Resolves and boycotted the English products. Click here! -
Townshend Acts
England had lost a lot of money during the French and Indian War, and to pay off their debt they decided to tax the colonists. This tax was placed on day to day neccesites, paint, paper, lead, glass, and tea. This tax was what orginally started the Americans cry, "no taxation without representation." Click here! -
Boston Massacre
The event took place infront of the Custom House in Boston, where, supposedly, five innocent Bostonians were killed. However, the Patriots had been throwing snowballs at the the guard, who called for reinforcements. Shots went off, and the tensions from previous events led to the violence. Click here! -
Boston Tea Party
On the night of December 16th, 90,000 pounds of tea were dumped off of the British ships into the Boston Harbor. The event, lead by the Sons of Liberty, was meant to take a stand against the British Parliaments "taxation without representation." As a result, the Intolerable Acts were passed. Click here! -
First Continential Congress
Delegates from almost every colony met in Pennsylvania to discuss what actions to take against Britain. They spent most of their time together debating a seperation from Britain, which many people were for. Together, they made a list of grievances and demands and they promised to meet the next year if they were not attended to. Click here! -
Patrick Henry "Give Me Liberty"
Patrick Henry closed his speech to the Second Continential Congress on March 23rd by saying these famous words - "Give me liberty or give me death!" People were still unsure at this point if they should attack the invading British forces, and his words were part of what made them decide to fight back. Click here! -
Midnight ride of Paul Revere
Once two lanterns were hung in the Old North Church, four riders took off to warn the countrymen that the British were coming by sea. One didn't leave the city, but three made it to warn the towns of Lexington and Concord of an incoming battle. Even though Paul Revere was captured, his legacy lived on in Longfellow's poem "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere." Click here! -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The first shot of the Revolutionary War was shot here, the "shot heard round the world." The British advanced on the town, planning to have the essence of surprise on their side. However, they were warned by the midnight riders and they fought back againt the British, claiming the higher ground and eventually driving them back to Boston. Click here! -
Fort Ticonderoga
Green Mountain Boys led by Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold captured Fort Ticonderoga on May 9th, 1775. The fort was strategically placed and held by the British force up until that point. They surprised with an attack, and later looted it as a sign of their victory. Click here! -
Second Continetial Congress meets
The Second Continental Congress met after the starting battles of the Revolution. However, many of the delegates were still wary about breaking free from Britain, and instead of declaring independence they created the Olive Branch Petition. When this was not reconized, they eventually drafted our Declaration of Independence. Click here! -
Battle of Bunker Hill
Overnight before June 17th, the American soldiars fortified the higher ground on Breed's Hill, preventing the British from taking it themselves. In return, they assulted their lines, sending them fleeing back over the hills. Even though the colonists lost, they still proved themselves a worthy opponent to the British. Click here! -
"Common Sense" published
"Common Sense" was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine, who strongly believed that the colonies needed to seperate from Britain. Since it was written for everyone to understand, lots of people adopted the idea of a revolution. James Chalmer's "Plain Truth" was written in response. Click here! -
British evacuate Boston
The colonists had Boston under siege for eleven months before the British surrendered the city. The artillary captured at fort Ticonderoga was used to fortify the area around Boston and ensure victory. This was the first major win for the colonies, and it was a turn around in morale. Click here! -
Declaration of Independence announced
On July 2nd, delegates from all thirteen colonies voted in favor of declaring independence from Britain. On July 4th, they then approved of Thomas Jefferson's official Declaration of Independece, announcing once and for all that America would fight to be an independent nation from Britian. It wasn't publically announced, however, until the eighth of July. Click here! -
"The Crisis" published.
"The Crisis" was yet another pamphlet written by Thomas Paine, who wholeheartedly agreed with an independent America. Throughout the Revolution, his simply-written arguments for a better government inspired many, including George Washington and his troops. Click here! -
Washington captures Trenton
The day after Christmas in 1776, George Washington and his troops sailed across the frozen Delaware River to surprise the Hessian force on the other side. The Hessians were defeated during the battle, completely overhwhelmed, and the colonists earned prisoners and ammunition from the loot during the battle. Click here! -
British defeated at Saratoga
Burgoyne and his British troops were trying to reach upper New York when they met the American force. Burgoyne attacked first, and he was crushed with 86% of his force taken. This was a turning point during the Revolution, since it was a huge victory for the colonists. Click here! -
Articles of Confederation Signed
The Articles were what provided stability in the government while the US was at war with Britain. They did not ensure a strong central government and left most of the power to the states, which would be changed when it was replaced by the Constitution later. Click here! -
Winter at Valley Forge, PA
The winter at Valley Forge was brutal. There was shortages of food and clothing, things that Washington's foce sorely needed. However, through the cold weather and terrible conditions, the army grew more confident, as they learned traditional English military tecniques from Baron von Steuben. Click here! -
John Paul Jones defeats the Serapis
John Paul Jones was America's first well-known naval hero. He was the commander of the ship "Bonhomme Richard", and he was caught up in a battle with the British ship "HMS Serapis." This was the battle where the fanous words, "I have not yet begun to fight!" were uttered. The American force won against the Serapis. Click here! -
Benedict Arnold plans found out
Benedict Arnold, a close comrade of George Washington and a military commander, had truned traitor when he felt undervalued and the British offered him large sums of money. He was in charge of West Point, and he left it at its weakest so the British forces could sweep in. When Major John Andre was caught in the act of spying, Arnold fled to the British. Click here! -
Cornwallis surrenders
The American and French troops surronded Yorktown, where Cornwallis's troops were camped. Cornwallis was outnumbered and he knew it, leaving them to siege Yorktown until Cornwallis's surrender. Any fighting they did ended up in Cornwallis's failure, and he was finally forced to surrender on October 19th, 1781. Click here! -
Newburgh Conspiracy
The men located in Newburgh, New York with George Washington were angry that they weren't getting their pay, and issued a petition. They refused to fight as long as their demands weren't met, which could ean they would loose the war to the British. Washington gave a speech to the army March 15th, and the petition was withdrawn. Click here! -
Treaty of Paris (1783)
This was the document that officially ended the Revolutionary War. The American colonists had won, securing independence from Britain. Also with the Treaty of Paris, they earned the right to settle on the land they had won west of the Appalachians, that they had won during the French and Indian War. Click here! -
Spain closes Mississippi River
Spain held control of the Mississippi River, which was crucial to American trade. By cutting off the Americans from the Mississippi, they guarenteed themselves the west of America and that they could not trade back and forth across it. Click here! -
Land Ordinance of 1785
The Land Ordinance was what set up and maintained the public school system. It was what made attending school mandatory and essential to holding a high ranking profession in the US, solidifying the seperation between church and state. Click here! -
Ordinance of Religous Freedom
The beginning of allowing freedom of religion in the new country. This contained Thomas Jefferson's ideas on seperation of church and state and a man's right to his own religion. Click here! -
Shays' Rebellion
Farmers in Massachusetts suffered from newlaws passed, with many forced to leave their farms or sent to jail. Led by Daniel Shays, they began to protest against the high taxes and the government they couldn't relate to. The Governer eventually crushed any full blown rebellion. Click here! -
Annapolis Convention
Twelve delegates met from five states to fix the government and resolve issues surronding it. Their main objective was to improve trade and commerce, which they felt was not benefited by the Articles of Confederation. Click here! -
Constitutional Convention opens
At first the objective of the Constitutional Convention was to update the already published Articles of Confederation, yet soon after it opened they realized that they needed to change them into something new altogether, therefor creating the Constitutionl Convention. Click here! -
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
After the drafting of the Constitution was drafted, the government was eager to spread their boundaries towards the Ohio River. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 allowed the Constitution and the rights it guarenteed to apply to any new states that would be formed in the future. Click here! -
Great Compromise agreed to
The Great Compromise set the representation system that we have in our government today. Either side of the argument 'proportional or equal representation?' agreed to compromise and form the two houses of Congress. This compromise is also known as the 'Connecticut Compromise' or the 'Sherman Compromise.' Click here! -
Constitution sent to states for ratification
Congress sent out the Constitution to be debated and ratified in the States in September, after the delegates had labored over it for months. This was the first the states had heard of a new government, and it needed their approval to be put into action. Click here! -
Anti-Federalist articles appear
There were two different opinions on the new Constitution - the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. Once the idea of a new government went public, papers were published by the Anti-Federalist side who argued that the ideas were too weak and that it lacked a Bill of Rights. Click here! -
Federalist Papers appear
Compared to the Anti-Federalist papers that spoke against the new Constitution, the Federalist Papers supported the new government. The majority of the papers were written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. They urged the states to ratify. Click here! -
Delaware ratifies
Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution after several months of debate. They decided to ratify it after a unanimous vote by the delegates. Click here! -
Massachusetts ratifies
Massachusetts was the sixth state to ratify the Constitution after holding a Convention and debates focused around it. They proposed changes that would like to see to the Constitution along with their agreement. Click here! -
New Hampshire ratifies
New Hampshire was the ninth state to ratify the new Constitution, ensuring that it would be used. They, along with other states, were looking for changes to be made to it. Click here! -
Congress meets for the first time
Congress net for the first time in New York in 1789, and wnt on for 210 days. Since then, Congress has met in washington D.C. and has been held in December. Click here! -
George Washington elected President
Due to the leadership skills he demonstrated during the Revolutionary War and the Constitutional Convnetion, the people of the US wanted him for their leader, the first president. He was sworn into the office in April 1789. Click here! -
Bill of Rights sent to the states for ratification
The First Congress of the United States finally approved and sent the Bill of Rights for ratification on September 25th. It took two years for them to be officially put in place after debate and meetings in the states. Click here! -
Bill of Rights ratified
After Virginia - the tenth out of fourteenth states - ratified the Bill of Rights, the first ten ammendments were added to the US Constitution, leaving two other proposed ammendments aside. Click here! -
Virginia & Kentucky Resolutions written
The response to the Alien and Sedition Acts, also passed in 1798. These resolutions were written by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, and argued that the government couldn't excersize any powers that were not given to them in the Constitution. Click here! -
Hartford Convention meets during War of 1812
Many people were unhappy with the War of 1812 happening in America, and the Haartford Convention was called to discuss the problems they faced with this. Major topics discussed during the Convention included the 3/5 Compromise and the Lousiana Purchase. Click here! -
Missouri Compromise
In order to keep the balance between slave and free states in the Senate, the Missouri Compromise allowed Maine and Missouri in as additional states for each side. This compromise also marked the 36'30 line as the boundary for the spread of slavery. Click here! -
Tariff of Abominations passed
The Tariff of Abominations, so named by the Southerners, was created to assist struggling buisnessmen in the North. It, however, increased the cost of imported goods, which the South greatly relied on. They campaigned to have it nullified. Click here! -
South Carolina tries to nullify
After the Tariff of Abominations was passed, South Carolina really began to struggle. It's main buisness had to do with importing and exporting, and they couldn't handle the tax. They claimed that the Tariff was unconstitutional and they only repealed their Nullification Ordinance when threatened. Click here! -
Abolition of Slavery Act (1833)
The Abolition of Slavery Act was passed in Britain in 1833 by the British Parliament. This act made it illegal to own a person and it made clear their efforts to end it in Europe, even though it still continued in some of Britain's colonies. Click here! -
Texas declares independence from Mexico
Before Texas joined the Union, it became its own republic, seperate from Mexico. They were unhappy with the way they were being treated, and they created their own revolution. The Texas Declaration of Independance was written and signed on March 2nd, 1836. Click here! -
James Polk elected
James Polk, the eleventh president of the United States, was elected on November 5th, 1844. Even though he was relatively unknown, he won with his ideas about spreading westward, He served as president throughout the Mexican war and oversaw the new territories being added to the US. Click here! -
Mexican War
At the time of the Mexican War, the United States was trying to move westward as much as possible, and the idea of "Manifest Destiny" led the Americans to believe that it was their divine right to take the land from Mexico. After their was a dispute over Texas's borders, fighting broke out. With the American's victory, they won a large chunk of territory which would be disputed over for may years to come. Click here! -
Wilmot Proviso
After the Mexican War, David Wilmot proposed closing the territory the US won from Mexico to slavery. This would have prevented slavery from spreading any further to the west, therefore causing it's eventual doom. However, though it was passed in the House of Represenetives, it was never made a law. Click here! -
California enters the Union
California came to be a state during the 1850 Compromise, which also gave New Mexico and Utah, land recieved from Mexico, the right to decide whether or not they would like to have slavery. Due to this, and other laws passed during the 1850 Compromise, California was able to enter the Union as a free state. Click here! -
Fugitive Slave Law enacted
The Fugitive Slave Law, a part of the Compromise of 1850, beat down on slaves who ran away to the North. Anyone who was caught aiding or hiding a fugitive slave could be imprisoned, and slaves were denied the right to a jury trial. Slaves now could not be bought and sold in Washington D.C., but most people would argue that this was not a fair trade. Click here! -
Publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe's famous book was officially published in March of 1852, but it was originally printed in a newspaper between June of 1851 and April of 1852. This book was immensly popular, and it was what first introduced many people to the horrors of slavery in our country. Click here! -
Formation of Republican Party
The Repulican Party was orginally formed as a political party that was opposed to slavery. After the Kansas-Nebraska Act, abolitionist formed the party in order to gain more control politically. Abraham Lincoln became our first Republican president. Click here! -
Kansas-Nebraska Act passed
The Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise, making the slavery decision to be made by popular soveriengty rather than the 36'30 line like before. Kansas and Nebraska were split into two territories with this act, giving it its name. Click here! -
"Border Ruffians" Attack Lawrence
The Border Ruffians, a proslavery group from Missouri, were infamous for crossing the border into Kansas. Due to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the land was controlled by popular sovereinghty, and they came to vote illegally and attack Free-State strongholds, like Lawrence. They essentially destroyed the capital of the Free-State nation. Click here! -
Charles Sumner attacked
Charles Sumner, the Massachusetts Senator greatly opposed to slavery, was attacked on May 22, 1856 three days after a fiery speech to Congress. Preston Brooks, who was the nephew of pro-slavery Senator Butler, then beat him with his metal cane. almost to death. Both men were regarded as heros for their cause. Click here! -
Pottawatomie Creek
After the Border Ruffians attack on Lawrence, the Free-States decided to fight back. John Brown, and abolitionist, and other settlers including his sons beat five pro-slavery settlers to death. This attack was a part of the time that would become known as Bleeding Kansas. Click here! -
Dred Scott decision announced
Dred Scott, a slave, sued his master after he was transported across state lines and his proposal to work on his own terms was denied. While he could have won this case just years earlier, the Supreme Court justice ruled that he could not be free, and the the Missouri Compromise that stated this was incorrect. Clik here! -
Lecompton Constitution passed
This Constiution was written into response to the Topeka Constitution, which prohibited slavery in Kansas, by those who believed that slavery should be allowed. They proposed a vote between a "constitution with slavery" and a "constitution without slavery." The former one in the vote. Click here! -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
Abraham Lincoln and Stephan Douglas, who would both run for president later, were both fighing for control of the Illionois legislature. The main issue in the debates was slavery, and the two had opposing ideas. Lincoln was against the spread of slavery while Douglas never chose a side, wanting to please everyone, which backfired in his face. Click here! -
Raid at Harper's Ferry
John Brown, the same abolitionist from the Pottawatomie Creek Massacre, led an ambush to free slaves and take the armory at Harper's Ferry. There, they were cornered in a barn by the opposing forces. Two of his sons died, and he was handed over to the state of Virginia for trial. He was found guilty and killed, dying a martyr for his cause. Click here! -
Democrats split in 1860
The Democratic party split into the Northern Democratic Party and the Southern Democratic Party in the year 1860. This was mainly because of slavery, and issue of the presidential candidates. Southerners supported Breckenridge, was strictly pro-slavery, while Northerners wanted Douglas, who chose niether. Click here! -
Formation of Constitutional Union Party
This fourth party in the United States was founded by conservative Southerners who were against the split of the United States. Despite any of their views on slavery, they were desperate for the US to stick together. Their presidential candidate for the 1860 election was John Bell. Click here! -
Election of 1860
There were four presidential candidates for president in 1860; Abraham Lincoln, Stephan Douglas, John C. Breckenridge, and John Bell, each one representing a political party. While in the South it wasn't even an option to vote for Lincoln, he won the majority of the electoral votes for the North, winning him the precidency. Click here! -
Abraham Lincoln announces plans for Reconstruction
Abraham Lincoln never really believed that the South had left the Union in the first place, and therefore he was very lenient in any plans he had of piecing back the nation after the war. With his announced plans of Reconstruction came the Ten Percent Plan, which only required ten percent of Confederates in each state to announce their allegiance for it to be readmitted. Click here! -
Wade-Davis Bill receives pocket veto
The Wade-Davis Bill, written by two radical Republicans, opposed the Ten Percent Plan of President Abraham Lincoln, since they believed that the South was to blame for the war. Lincoln, however, felt that the South never left the United States and wanted to repair the damage, so he vetoed the bill. -
Lincoln re-elected president
The Civil War was still taking place during President Lincoln's re-election, and therefore the "states in rebellion" didn't participate. He had already secured the votes of all the Union Republicans, and he selected Andrew Johnson, a Democrat from Tennessee, as his vice president. He won in a landslide. Click here! -
"Jim Crow" enters the American cultural language
Jim Crow Laws were laws institutued after the Civil War that were put in place t segregate blacks fro whites, forbidding any mingling between the two races in public places. They were not allowed to do anything that would suggest that the two were socially equal. The first Jim Crow laws were passed in Click here! -
Formation of the Freedmen's Bureau
The Freedmen's Bureau, short for the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, was created orginally after the Civil War to ease the former slaves out of Southern plantations and find them jobs. It was orginally created with the Freedmen's Bureau Bill under President Lincoln, and it was extended under President Johnson. Click here! -
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
On the night of April 14th, 1865, Abraham Lincoln was shot during "Our American Cousin" by John Wilkes Booth, an actor who felt very strongly for the Confederate cause. He escaped with the help fro accomplices, but he was eventually caught in a barn, where he was shot and died later. Click here! -
President Andrew Johnson announces plans for Reconstruction
President Andrew Johnson was orginally the Democratic Vice President from Tennessee, and after the assassination of President Lincoln his goals were to favor the South in Reconstruction. The radical Republicans, however, had control of the Senate and could overthrow any plans he might have had. Click here! -
Black Codes created in Mississippi
The Black Codes were created to limit the liberties of blacks in the South after they had been granted their freedom with the end of the Civil War. They were similar to the slaves codes in the South, since it gave them very little wiggle room. Blacks were later granted more equality under the Civil Rights Acts. Click here! -
Ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment
The ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment was one step into changing America during Reconstruction. This amended the original constitution to outlaw slavery and unvoluntary servitude. It was what once and for all freed slaves from their previous bonds after the Civil War. Click here! -
Klu Klux Klan created
The Klu Klux Klan was formed by a group of Confederate veterans who were angry with the control Republicans had in the government, and essentially created a terrorist group. They used violence against blacks to promote their message and large groups of armed Southerners would prove their point with violence. Click here! -
Civil Rights Act (1866) enacted
This act was created to protect the rights of African Americans after the Civil War, stating that anyone who was born in the United States was a citizen despite race, color, or previous servitude. It was orginally vetoed by President Johnson, but they ovrcame the veto to put the act in action. Click here! -
Reconstruction Acts enacted
In passing these Acts, the Union hoped to reestablish the government in states that had previously rebelled against them. With these acts, former Confederate states could only be readmitted into the Union if they ratified the Fourteenth Amendment, allowed for division, swore an oath to the Union, and allowed black men all the privaleges of citizens. Click here! -
President Andrew Johnson impeached
Andrew Johnson was backed mostly by Radical Republicans, who disagreed with his political views. They created a trap to remove him from office, creating laws that made him check with them everytime he wanted to change an office position. They held court in the Senate, and he kept his position by one vote. Click here! -
Ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment
The Fourteenth Amendment wasn't well liked in the Southern states, but it still passed, granting African Americans and other color folks the same rights as white citizens. While it worked on paper, however, but in actuality they didn't recieve the same treatment though they had the same rights. Click here! -
Ulysses S. Grant elected President
President Ulysses S. Grant was hugely popular in the North due to his victory over Robert E. Lee in the Civil War, and he was an obvious choice for the Republican candidate. He won against the Democratic candidate Horatio Seymour, and kept the Radical Republicans in control of the executive office. Click here! -
Ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment
With the passing of the Fifteenth Amendment, it became illegal to stop anyone from voting due to their race, their color, or previous condition of servitude. Even though Congress orginally passed it, it took almost a year for all the states to except it. Click here! -
Klu Klux Klan Act enacted
This act, part of the Enforcement Acts, were passed in order to stop the terrorist acts of the infamous Southern group the Klu Klux Klan. This act prevented anyone from using violence or terror to prevent a freed man from voting due to their race, color, or previous servitude. Click here! -
Hiram Revels elected to Senate
Hiram Revels was a minister and a politician for Mississippi. He was elected to the Senate in 1870, and represented his state unil 1871. His signifigance was the fact that he was the first colored person to serve in the U.S. Senate, and the entire Congress. Click here! -
Freedman's Bureau abolished
The Freedmen's Bureau was created to help blacks earn and education and find jobs after the Civil War. Many people thought this was unconstitutional and favoritism, and due to an act of Congress it was disbanded in June of 1872. Click here! -
Civil Rights Act (1875) passed
After the Fifteenth Amendment and the acts of the Klu Klux Klan, Congress passed the Act which guarenteed equal treatment for blacks in public places like theaters, libraries, trains, and ferries. After much debate by Supreme Court Justices, however, it was decided that they were unconstitutional. Click here! -
Rutherford B. Hayes elected President
Rutherford B. Hayes was the Republican candidate in the year 1876, going against the popular New Yorker Samuel J. Tilden. Tilden was expected to win, and he did pull through in the popular vote. In the electoral college and in the tie breaker, however, Hayes won 185 to 184 to become the nineteenth president. Click here! -
Last national troops leave South Carolina
The last of the troops stationed in the rebellious South left with the election of Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876. As part of the compromise between the Democratic and Republican parties, Hayes had to release the last of the troops from the Southern states. Click here! -
Civil Rights Act overturned (1883)
The Civil Right Act orginally passed in 1875 was determined unconstitutional in the Civil Rights Cases of 1883, 10 seperate cases on black people discriminated against in places like trains and theaters. The Supreme Court Justices decided that no discrimination in public places was not decided in the 13th and 14th Amendments. Click here! -
Florida requires segregation in places of public accomadation
With new events like the overturning of the Civil Rights Act and the Jim Crow laws, Florida required segregation of colored and white people in public places. They argued that as long as the conditions were equal, then it shouldn't matter if they're seperate. Click here! -
Case of Plessey v. Ferguson
Homer Plessey, a black shoe salesman, bought a first class ticket for a train going across Lousiana, and was arrested for sitting in the while compartment, since it violated the Lousiana code that stated blacks and whites could have seperate train cars as long as they were equal. Ferguson, the judge, decided that it was constitutional since they were, technically, equal. Click here!
