-
Mexican-American War
A conlfict occurred as a result of Mexican resentment over the US annexation of Texas. Many major battles were fought between the Americans and Mexicans. The American army was victorious. This resulted in the Treaty of Guadeloupe-Hidalgo, where Mexico considered Rio De Grande as souhtern border of Texas. Mexican American War also led to Mexico giving up claims on California, Nevada, Utah and New Mexico. The US increased in size due to the Mexican American War -
The California Gold Rush
Many gold rush migrants or "Forty-Niners" traveled to northern california after the news reports about the discovery of gold at Sutter Mills spread around the world. These migrants left their families, jobs, and farms behind. The Gold Rush also attracted many Chinese immigrants to the US. The prospects of finding gold caused a serious labor shortage in California and many Chinese immigrants took these jobs. The issue of allowing or not allowing slavery in CA became a major problem. -
Compromise of 1850
This compromise was a set of five different bills passed by the Congress. This eased out the confrontation between slave and free states about what needs to be done with the newly acquired territory. The Compromise stated that California will be a free state and the status of Utah and New Mexico would be determined by popular sovereignty. It also attempted to stop the slave trade in Washington D.C. This compromise leans a little toward opposition to slavery. -
Pottawatomie Massacre & John Brown
John Brown was an abolitionist who moved to Kansas and claimed that God gave him the right to destroy slavery. John Brown and his sons murdered five pro-slavery settlers to discourage other settlers who supported slavery to enter Kansas. This event came to be known as the Pottawatomie Massacre and Kansas gained the infamous name of "Bleeding Kansas." -
Election of 1860
In the Election of 1860, 3 major candidates were nominated for the presidency. The Northern Democrats nominated Stephen Douglas and he ran on the platform of popular sovereignty in deciding whether or not to accept slavery in the new territories. The Southern Democrats nominated John C. Breckenridge and he wanted to expand slavery in the new territory. The Republicans nominated Abraham Lincoln on the platform of prohibiting slavery. And Lincoln won with 180 electoral votes. -
Fort Sumter (Beginning of the Civil War)
The South begins to secede from the Union toward the end of 1860. U.S major Robert occupied the unfinished fort after the secession of South Carolina from the Union. President Abraham Lincoln annuounced plans to resupply the fort, Conferedate General P.G.T Beauregard bombarded Fort Sumter. The first shots of Civil war took place in Fort Sumter, South Carolina. -
Emanicipation Proclamation
It was issued by president Lincoln. It was important because it freed slaves in only the states of rebellion. It allowed free slaves to join the Union Army. It showed that abolition was one of the motives for the Civil War. -
Battle of Ghettysburg
This war becomes the major turning point of the Civil War. This war is known to have the highest number of casualities in the Civil War. There were around 46,000 casualties including nearly 8,000 deaths. At this War the army of General Meade of the Union defeats the attacks of the Confederate army led by Lee. The Confederate army retreats. -
Wade-Davis Bill
The Wade-Davis Bill of 1864 was created by Radical Republicans in Congress. It allowed a governor to be appointed for every state of rebellion and required a majority of white males in the state to pledge allegiance to the Union. The states had to abolish slavery and disenfranchise confederate leaders under the Wade-Davis Bill. The Wade-Davis bill left the topic of Black political rights in the hands of the individual states. -
Thirteenth Amendment
The thirteenth amendment is one of the most important amendements because it abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime, in the United States. It formally freed the slaves from slavery and officially recognized that all people, especially slaves, are hereby free people. -
The Freedmen's Bureau
Congress established the Freedmen's Bureau and Oliver Howard directed it. This bureau helped in the distribution of food to millions of freed slaves. It also established schools for former slaves in the South. The Freedmen's Bureau was not a permanent solution to the problems in the South and could only operate for an year, but other plans for reconstructing were developing. -
Lee Surrenders to Grant
Grant's army captures a major railroad junction in Petersburg. Lee was not able to defend Richmond without rail access. The Union army pursued Lee and Lee decided to meet Grant in Appotamox Court House, Virginia to surrender on April 9. This surrender ensured a Union victory and officially concluded the Civil War. -
Lincoln's Assasination
On April 14, Abraham Lincoln and his wife attended a play at Ford's Theatre. On this day, a famous actor and confederate sympathizer, John Wilkes Booth, fatally shot the president Abraham Lincoln at a play in Ford's theatre in Washington D.C. This incident occured just after Lee's surrender at the Appomattox, effectively ending the Civil War. -
Reconstruction Acts
The Radicals passed three Reconstruction Acts in 1867. One of them combined the ten Confederate states into five military districts. The next act stated that the state's constitution should be approved and the state legislature had to ratify the 14th Amendment. The third act stated that the confederate states had to ratify the 15th amendment. -
Fourteenth Amendment
The Fourteenth Amendment was one of the Reconstruction Amendments. This amendment allowed citizenship rights to all the persons born or naturalized in the United States and also equal protection of laws. It recognized recently freed slaves as the citizens of the United States and granted them the equal protection of the laws. -
Fifteenth Amendment
In order to be readmitted into the Union, the Congress during reconstruction added the requirement of ratifying the Fifteeth Amendment for readmission into the Union. This amendment is also considered as one of the most important amendments established after the Civil war. In this amendment the federal and state governments were prohibited from denying a citizen's right to vote.They were not to be judged by their color, race or previous condition of servitude. -
Inauguration of R.B. Hayes
Congress created a special electoral commision which composed of five senators, five representatives, and five justices of the Supreme Court to break the deadlock between Tilden and Hayes. After two days, Hayes was inaugurated as president, but the leaders of the two parties were furious and met in secret to work out terms. The Republicans promised to withdraww the federal troops from the South in order for the Democrats' cooperation. Many other pledges were also agreed to by the Republicans.
