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Comprimise of 1850
California was formed from the Comprimise, and Texas surrendered its claim to New Mexico, where they had threatened war. -
Underground Railroad
The Railroad was a passage to free states and Canada lead by Harriet Tubman for slaves owned by slave masters. -
Harriet Beecher Stowe and Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin changed American's view on slavery. It demanded for the protection of rights and freedoms and started the abolishment movement. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott was an African American that had lived in free states of his life. He was forced back into a slave state, where his master died and he sued for his freedom, but was declared a non-citizen and had to remain a slave. Congress declared that they could not stop slavery. -
Harper's Ferry
John Brown was an abolitionist that tried to start an armed slave revolt by seiging an armory belonging to the U.S. at Harper's Ferry. He was defeated by U.S. marines lead by Robert. E. Lee. -
Abraham Lincoln's Election
Abraham Lincoln's election to presidency began a chain of events that lead up to the Civil War. He was popular with the free states, but not the slave states. He was the first Republican to be voted into office. -
Secession of the South
Upon the election of Abraham Lincoln, South Carolina called for a convention to secede from the Union. Within 3 months, 7 states had seceded, and eventually joined together to form the Confederacy. -
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter was bombarded and seiged by Confederate forces and eventually surrendered. This battle raised a lot of support for military actions and started the Civil War. -
Period: to
Civil War
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Income Tax
Salmon Chase told the Senate that he needed $320 million to help finance the war for the Union. Lincoln eventually passed the first income tax, with 3% taken from incomes between $600-$1000. -
Conscription Act
Jefferson Davis of the Confederacy passed the first conscription act, but it was met with fierce resistance, some violent. The union had a conscription act as well, however it was not successful either. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order by Abraham Lincoln that stated all slaves in the Confederacy had their freedom. Any slaves that were in states retaken by the Union were given their freedom. -
The Gettysburg Address
Abraham Lincoln delivered one of his most famous speeches after the Battle of Gettysburg. He proclaimed the Civil War as a new birth of freedom that would bring true equality. -
Surrender at Appomattox
Robert E. Lee's Confederate forces were cut off by the Union, and with one of the last battles of the Civil War, had no choice but to surrender to the Union. -
Assassination of Lincoln
Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathiser in a desperate bid to revive the war. Lincoln was killed in Ford's theater.
