-
Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions written
www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0827416.htmlThe Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions were written by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in 1798. These resolutions were written to argu e that the states are allowed to delcare any unconstitutional acts committed by Congress. They were written secretly and showed the importance of the state's ability to declare laws unconstitutional and generally just to protects the states rights. -
Hartford Convention meets during War of 1812
http://civilwar.bluegrass.net/secessioncrisis/hartfordconvention.htmlThe Hartford Convention met from Decemeber 15- January 4 1814 during the War of 1812 held in Hartford Connecticut to discuss the problems occuring in the states including Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Here, the delegates discussed such issues as: secession frmo the Union, lack of money, and they drafted proposals for ammendments. -
Missouri Compromise
http://civilwar.bluegrass.net/secessioncrisis/200303.html
Following the Revolution the slave states and free states were able to manage the power between themselves. In 1818, Missouri asked Congress to be added toUnion. In February of 1819 a New York Rep. proposed make Missouri a slave free state even though already 2000 slaves resided there. Maine became it's own free state, and Missouri a slave keeping the balance. -
Tariff of Abominations passed
http://www.historycentral.com/Ant/Tariff.html
In 1828, Congress passed the first important tariff or tax as a protective tax. This tax increased the price of imported goods which helped protect some new industries forming in the North. Meanwhile, the South opposed these new taxes because they had only one major exporter which was cotton. The taxes gotten the name of Tariff of Abominations because the South saw them as one. -
South Carolina tries to nullify
http://www.ushistory.org/us/24c.asp
Vice President John C. Calhoun of South Carolina was determined to keep a good reputation while in office and new that his slave state did not approve of the new Tariff of Abominations. He knew that it was the right of a state to nullify any law that they found unconstitutional which is exactly what he tried to do and what at first seemed to work. When President Jackson found out he disregarded it. -
Aboliton of Slavery Act
http://www.tshaonline.org/day-by-day/30565
In 1807 an act was passed to abolish the trade/importation of slaves through British ships and any slaves found on them would result in a fine of the ships captains. In 1833 Parliament passed the Abolition of Slavery Act which gave all the slaves in the British Empire their freedom back. RBtisih slaveholders received compensation depending on the amounts of slaves in which they had held. -
Texas declares independence from Mexico
http://www.tshaonline.org/day-by-day/30565
On March 1 delegates from Mexico met with U.S. delegates in Washignton to disucss whether Texas should become a republic or not. A Declaration of Independence was written for Texas and signed by 58 delegates admitting Texas to the United States on March 2, 1836. -
James Polk elected
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h157.html
James K. Polk was elected as a representative for Tennesse in the House of Representatives where he served until 1839. He was elected governor but shut out in two presidential elections. When it was time for the election of 1844 he was the leading Democratic choice and beat Henry Clay becoming the 11th president of the United States. -
Dred Scott decision announced
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=334
A Missouri Slave named Dred Scott tried to sue his slaveholder in 1846 for his freedom. He was born a slave and bought by a U.S. surgeon who traveled through both slave and free states with Dred Scott. Scott's reasoning was he had lived in free states so he should be free. Many slaves had won before but Dred Scott was not granted his freedom -
Mexican War
[www.historyguy.com/Mexican-American_War.htm](www.historyguy.com/Mexican-American_War.htm)The Mexican War was the fight between America and Mexico due to the Americans desire to expand their borders. Texas had recently become apart of the United States being independent from Mexico. This caused military confrontation and tensions to rise between the opposing countries. President Polk also wanted to go to war because he desired some Mexican lands. the United States was victorious in this war and all conflicts between Mexico and Texas ended. -
Wilmot Proviso
http://www.ushistory.org/us/30a.asp
On August 8, 1846 congressman David Wilmot introduced a bill to end the Mexican-American War. It was passed twice in the House but not in the Senate in 1847 and 1848. They even tried to make it part of the Treaty of Guadalupe. The Billl propsed to end any slavery in the land the United States would gain from Mexico or any other land. -
California enters the Union
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=23856In February 1848 the Mexican and Americn war had officialy ended. Soon after this the Gold Rush in California emerged which brought along increasing amounts of money and its need for a stable government which lead it to the choice of joining the United States. In the year of 1849, California had many heated debates in Congress before it was finally admitted into the Union as a nonslave state in 1850 after great compromise. -
Fugitive Slave Law enacted
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USASfugitive.htmIn 1850 Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Law with only 4 people who were against it. The Law stated tha any official who did not arrest/bring a runaway slave back to its owner could be fined up to $1,000. You could also be convicted of a felony if you aided, gave food, or shelter to a slave which you knew was a runaway. Among the many people who advocated against this law were Frederick Douglass, a runaway slave. -
Publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin
http://www.anti-slaverysociety.addr.com/hus-utc.htm
Uncle Tom's Cabin is an anti-slavery novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe anti-slavery paper. The novel included slave stories that she had heard when she visited the slave state of Kentucky. It did not get much attention until it was published as a novel in 1852. She was hated by many for her work but was also believed to be a key factor to the abolition of slavery. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act passed
http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/kansasnebraska-act-passed
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was an act that repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820. This act sought out to the white men, only residents legal to vote, to vote for these territories on whether they would or would not have slavery. As a result many pro-slavery and anti-slavery citizens entered this territory and tried to make it theirs. -
Border Ruffians attack Lawrence
http://www.ushistory.org/us/31c.asp
Lawrence Kansas was a major center for Border Ruffians to gather. Border Ruffians were anti-slavery abolitionists who wanted to protect their borders. By this time in 1856 both sides of the slavery movement were armed and on May 21 they sprung into action. The mob of men from Kansas and Missouri attacked and burned printing presses to the ground. -
Charles Sumner Attacked
http://massmoments.org/moment.cfm?mid=151
On May 22, 1856 a South Carolina Congressmen named Preston Brooks attacked Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner. Brooks reasoning for doing so was three datys prior to this attack Sumner made a speech that many Southerners found offensive and rather that pitter-patter around the situation Brooks decided to take it head on and attack Sumner. This event only divided the country even more. -
Pottawatomie Creek
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/hns/kansas/jbrown.html
Three days after the Border Ruffians attacked Lawrence a group of Free Staters led by John Brown attacked and murdered five men who lived near the Creek at random believed to be involved in pro-slavery acts. The victims however were not slave owners. The victims were James Doyle, his two sons William and Drury, Allen Wilkinsons, William Sherman and James Harris. -
Formation of Republican Party
http://www.ushistory.org/gop/origins.htmhttp://www.ushistory.org/gop/origins.htm
After the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed in 1854 many anti-slavery leaders of the North refused to sit back and allow pro-slavery leaders to cross into their borders so they decided to create their own group. They held many conventions during 1854-1856. -
Lecompton Consitution passed
http://history.howstuffworks.com/american-civil-war/lecompton-constitution.htm
The Lecompton Constitution was a Constitution created by activists who supported slavery which wanted to add the territory of Kansas into the Union as a slave state. It was proposed in 1857 in Lecompton but was boycotted by the people of Kansas who wanted to be a free state. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
http://www.illinoiscivilwar.org/debates.html
In 1858, Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln were both running in the election for a U.S. senator seat on behalf of Illinois. Douglas was a well known democrat. On the other hand Lincoln was not well-known and believed the divided country would not survive. There debates attracted the nation. Lincoln lost the campaign in 1858 but became president in 1860. -
Raid at Harper's Ferry
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2940.html
On this night, John Brown, an antislavery man and a group of men set out to Harper's Ferry to launch an attack. They stole weaponry and cut telegraph wires. They also capture 60 hostages hoping slaves would join the fight but none did. A local militia set out to capture the men and shot one of Brown's sons. The resulting men were executed in Virginia and inspired many. -
Democrats split in 1860
http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=2136
The Deomcratic Party was split on whether who to support on the subject of slavery after the Presidential election of 1860. It created Northern Democrats who didn't support slavery and Southern Democrats who did support slavery. Stephen Douglas represented the Northerners and John Breckinridge represented the Southerners. -
Election of 1860
http://www.ushistory.org/us/32d.asp
In April of 1860, election for th next president of the United States took place. The candidates were Stephen Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, John Bell, and John Breckenridge. The country was divided now more than ever and after Abraham Lincoln was elected president it imeediately resulted in the Civil War. -
Formation of Constitutional Union Party
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/wac01
The Constitutional Union Party was a political party created of activists who wanted to avoid the seperation of the United States due to the slavery issue. This group felt that if they didn't take a firm stand on specifically one of the sides that the issue would be forgotten and pushed aside. -
South Carolina Secedes
http://civilwar.bluegrass.net/secessioncrisis/601220.htmlThe United States had been a conflicting nation between then Northerners and Southerners ever since the issue of slavery became a much larger one. States such as South Carolina were sick of having to compromise about something they didn't see a problem with. On November 10, 1860 Senators from South Carolina met for the first time to discuss seceeding. Then about a month later they announced their decision to secede claiming they were now their own independent country from the United States. -
Abraham Lincoln inagurated
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/abraham-lincoln-elected-presidentAbraham Lincoln was inagurated on March 4, 1861 as the 16th president of the United States. At this time 7 states had seceeded from the United States and become their own nation known as the Confederate States of America. Jefferson Davis was the elected president of the Confederate States of America. -
Attack on Fort Sumter
http://history1800s.about.com/od/civilwar/a/fort-sumter-attack.htmIn November of 1860, James Buchanan ordered Major Robert Anderson to Charlestown to guard a harbor post. The Major felt like he was in danger and on Demeber 26 ordered his troops to move to Fort Sumter. the recently seceded nation of South Carolina was angered by this and demanded they leave. Anderson's troops could obviously not hold out and ships had already fired upon them. On April 12th, both sides fired for 34 hours and resulted in no casualties. The South surrendered due to bombardment, -
Virginia Secedes
http://americancivilwar.com/documents/ordinance_secession.html#virginiaOn April 16th, 1861 Virginian officials met to discuss plans of secession. Lime many of the other Lower South states they were trying to decide whtether secession would be the right choice or not. Many of the other states had decided to seperate themselves from the United States and on April 17th, Virginia officially seceded. -
Robert E. Lee Surrenders Commission
http://www.historyplace.com/civilwar/ Shortly after the battle of Fort Sumter, Robert E. Lee resigned his commission for the United States army. He says I cannot raise my hand against my birthplace, my home, my children." He then goes on to Virginia where he was offered command of the military and naval forces. -
1st Battle of Bull Run
http://library.thinkquest.org/3055/netscape/battles/bullrun.htmlOn July 16th, Union soldiers left Washington D.C. for Virginia in high spirits wanting to give the rebels a pounding. People from Washington D.C. traveled and set up camps anticipating an easy win. At first, the Union was winning and all seemed to be lost for the Confederates until General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson brought in reinforcements which le the Confederates to a victory. This shows just how hard and long the Civi; War was going to be. -
Battle of the Monitor and the Merrimac
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Battle_of_Monitor_and_MerrimackFrom March 8-9 in 1862 near the mouth of Hampton Roads, Virginia a famous naval battle took place among the first two ironclad warships: the USS Monitor and the CSS Virgnia (Later named the USS Merrimac). On the first day the CSS Virginia denominated over the Union's wooden ship but the USS Monitor came out on the second day and havoc took palce among the warships. The Union suffered most out of this naval battle. No side is said to have "won" but the Virginia withdrew first. -
McClellan returns to Washington after the Peninsula Campaign
http://www.frontiernet.net/~lws/Peninsular%20Campaign.htm`
The Peninsula Campaign began in March of 1862 and was not a successful advance towards Richmond, Virginia by the Union. McClellan thought his troops could move around with strong gunboats which would weaken the South. McClellan moved his troops towards Yorktown and captured it. At the end of the Campaign McClellan was forced to retreat by Washington authorities. -
Battle of Shiloh
http://americanhistory.about.com/od/civilwarbattles/p/cwbattle_shiloh.htmIn Shiloh, Tennesse, a group of Confederate sodiers led by General Johnston attacked Union soldiers led by Ulysses S. Grant who were very unprepared for this attack. However, they were able to put up a good fight until the battle eneded when General Johnston of the Confederates was killed by a stray bullet. Over 23,000 men were killed while 13,000 of them were Confederates. This outcome showed both sides that even how devastating the human loss, neither would give up quickly. -
2nd Battle of Bull Run
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0857066.html Union soldiers were led by General John Pope and the Confederates were led by General Stonewall. Pope invaded a railroad junction town were Colonel Lee sent Stonewall to defend and hold them off. This battle was fought on the same ground as the first but resulted in much higher casulaties with another victory for the Confederates. -
Battle of Antietam
http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/antietam.htmlGeneral Lee of the Confederates marched into the border state of Marylan hoping to gain the attention of England so perhaps they would join on their side. General Mclellan of the Union was marching to Maryland when they stumbled upon a piece of paper that happened to be Lee's battle plans. It was a single day battle that took place in Antietam and was the single bloodiest day in American history resulting in about 23, 000 casualties. The victory for who was inconclusive but Lincoln claims Union. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/fredericksburg.htmlThe Battle of Fredericksburg was one of the deadliest battles fought during the Civil War. It was fought in the streets of Fredericksburg and in rivers. Over 200,000 soldiers were used in this battle under the control of Lee and Stonewall. The soldiers fought on and on with new waves of Union members coming while the Confederates were able to fight them off. It finally ended when the day grew dark and it was an obvious Confederate win. -
Emacipation Proclmation takes effect
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h119.html The Emacipation Proclalamtion was a document created by Abraham Lincoln which ended slavery in the rebelling states. It freed all slaves when enacted which was not a reality because the states slaves were freedin did not consider themselves apart of the Union. -
Battle of Gettysburg
http://americancivilwar.com/getty.html After watching his trroops be mowed down in the previous battle, General Lee decided it necessary to win a battle in the North. He moved his troops towards Gettysburg and suprisingly met a Union force there. Reinforcements were sent in and the fores lined upalong the seminary line. Most of the fighting was done on Little Round Top. It was a clear Northern Victory. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/chancellorsville.htmlSoon after the horrendous Battle of Fredericksburg Major Hook of the Union took control of the army of the Potomoc where he took the srping the rehabilitate his men. They made a plan to sneak up on General Lee and his troops. They crossed the Rappahannock but Lee was able to drive them out back across the River and win the battle. He considered it one of his greatest victories. -
Surrender of Vicksburg
http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/ms011.htmGeneral Ulysses S. Grant of the Union met the Confederates led by Lt. Gen. John Pemberton in Vicksburg. From May to July of 1863 the armies fought near Warren County, Mississippi. Pemberton gave up on July 4, 1863. Through this battle the Union gained control of the Mississippi River and boosted Grant's reputation and confidence greatly. He beame General-in-Chief of the Union army soon afterwards. -
Battle at Fort Wagner
http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/sc005.htmOn July 10, Union soldiers (led by Rear Adm. John Dahlgren) on Folly Island broke fire on Confederates (led by Brig. Gen. George C. Strong) on Morris Island. Boats landed on the end of the island where Strong and his troops advanced and captured some soldiers. Strong was now in range of Fort Wagner. Strong attacked the fort in the early morning of July 11th and the soldiers were soon defeated. -
Lincoln Delivers Gettysburg Address
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/lincoln-delivers-gettysburg-addressOn November 19, 1863 President Abraham Lincoln gave an inspiring speech known as the Gettysburg addresed which prupose was to motivate nd remind the Union why it was os neccessary to win the Civil War. It was also inspired by the Battle of Gettysburg that was a horrific turning point of the war fought four months earlier which started the Southerner's army decline. According the www.history.com "Civil War was not just a fight to save the Union, but a struggle for freedom and equality for all". -
Lincoln Delivers 2nd Inaugural Address
http://www.angelfire.com/my/abrahamlincoln/Inaugural2.htmlAbraham Lincoln had been issued as President of the United States for a second time and henceforth gave his second inaugural address on March 4, 1864. Many new that the war would soon be over and Lincoln spoke of how he wanted the South to be treated not harshly once they were all joined together again. His Vice president was Andrew Jackson. -
Grant Displays Fighting Style at Cold Harbor
http://americancivilwar.com/civil_war_summary.htmlThe Battle of Cold Harbor took place in Virginia between the Confederates led by Lee and the Union led by Grant. This battle began in May and lasted until June 12th of 1864. It was a very bloody battle that resulted in a total of about 18, 000 casualties. It ended when General Grant and his army crossed the James River. -
Atlanta Burns to the Ground
http://testmobile.theonion.com/articles/civil-war-enthusiasts-burn-atlanta-to-ground,1109/
Atlanta was a small city but an imnportant one when it came to railroad and and commercial oppurutnities. The Union demanded an evacuation of the city on September 7th, 1864 when the city was then abruptly destroyed by Union-er's. -
Sherman Sets out for the Sea
http://americanhistory.about.com/od/civilwarbattles/p/cwbattle_sherm.htmAfter Atlanta, General Sherman led his armies towards the Atlantic Ocean in December of 1864. He moved throughout Georgia passing though Macon, Augusta and finaly reaching Savannah Georgia which he captured. It is said that he gave Savannah to Lincoln as a "Christmas present". This victory was just another step towards the end of the Confederacy. -
Sherman Reaches Savannah
http://militaryhistory.about.com/b/2008/12/10/american-civil-war-sherman-reaches-savannah.htmAs Sherman and his troops marched toward the Atlantic Ocean they traveled through many Georgia towns including Savannah which they eventually captured. He had 62, 000 troops which he marched in two columns that destroyed everything in their path. He encountered 10, 000 troops led by Lt. Gen. William Hardee which he defeated in three days and advanced to capture Savannah which he gave to Lincoln as a "Christmas present". -
Richmond, the confederate captial, Falls
http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/warfare-and-logistics/warfare/richmond.htmlRichmond Virginia was the capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War. It had had many failed attempts of takeover by the Union and they finally succeeded in early April of 1865. Grant and troops invaded and held up a long siege against Robert E. Lee until they finally gave up. -
Surrender at Appomattox
http://www.nps.gov/apco/the-surrender.htmOn April 9, 1865 General Lee officially surrenderd to the Union. On this day at the Appomattox Court House in Virginia he announced that the South would no longer be fighting to create their own nation. The war had lasted 4 long years and resulted in over 630, 000 casualties. General Lee and General Grant shook hands after a meeting at a house owned by the McLean's which lasted about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
