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Invention of the cotton gin
Eli Whitney was born on December 8, 1765 in Massachusetts. In 1792 Eli graduated from Yale college and went south, originally planning on working as a private tutor but then he got into the study of cotton production. Then in 1794 Eli invented the cotton gin which separated the seeds from the cotton about fifty times faster than a human could and produced more cotton.[http://www.history.com/topics/inventions/cotton-gin-and-eli-whitney] -
Missouri Compromise
In 1819 Missouri requested an admission to the Union as a slave state, this upset the balance between slave and free states. Congress trying to keep peace, made a two-part compromise granting Missouri's wishes and also made Maine a free state. Congress passed an amendment drawing an imaginary line across the Louisiana Territory which made a boundary between free and slave states. [http://www.history.com/topics/missouri-compromise] -
Uncle Tom's Cabin is published
Uncle Tom's Cabin was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1852. This book was looked at as one of the reasons the Civil War happened. Harriet even met Abraham Lincoln who called her the little lady who started a war. (http://www.historynet.com/uncle-toms-cabin) -
Tariff of 1828 & Nullification Crisis
In 1828 a highly protective tariff was placed on cloth which infuriated the South because it only benefited the North. This tariff lowered English demand for the southern raw cotton and raised the cost for finished goods for American buyers. If a state found a law to be unconstitutional they can nullify it or void the law. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
Nat Turner's rebellion was one of the largest slave rebellions to take place in the U.S. Turner's rebellion had visions in the 1820's that god wanted him to prepare for battle against the evil. on August 22, 1831, Turner and his crew of six other slaves began their attack. They killed 55 people and inspired other slaves to join their attack which eventually came to an end when the whites made a militia hunting the slaves apart of the rebellion down. (http://bit.ly/2qUxBOv) -
The Liberator is published
In 1831 a man named William Lloyd Garrison published the first edition of the Liberator. Garrison was the voice of Abolitionism. in the Liberator Garrison talked about how he would be heard and how he was against slavery. He founded the New England Anti-Slavery Society. (http://www.ushistory.org/us/28a.asp) -
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Underground Railroad
The earliest date know of the underground railroad was because of a man named Tice Davids who escaped from Kentucky into Ohio and the owner of Tice blamed it on the underground railroads. In 1793 there was a Slave Act that made catching escaped slaves almost like a business. Slaves who did escape were on there own until they got far enough North where there were conductors who gave the slave escapes a place to live/hide. (http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/underground-railroad) -
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Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso was made with the intentions of eliminating slavery within land acquired as a result of the Mexican War. David Wilmot feared the addition of a pro-slavery territory so he proposed his amendment to the bill. (http://www.history.com/topics/wilmot-proviso) -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 consisted of laws making California a free state and creating Utah and New Mexico a territories. Texas lost its boundary claims in New Mexico and then compensated with 10 million dollars. There was a Fugitive Slave Law passed requiring Northerners to return runaway slaves to their owners. (https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/Compromise1850.html) -
'Bleeding Kansas'
Bleeding Kansas is described as a period of violence during the settling of Kansas as a territory. Free-state settlers and Proslavery settlers flooded Kansas, soon violence broke out as both sides fought for control. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
In the early 1850's settlers wanted to move to a land now known as Nebraska. Settlers would not move there until it was a territory because they could not legally hold claims on land. Representatives from Southern states were in no hurry with permitting Nebraska a territory because of the parallel line (36,30') where slavery was outlawed by the Missouri Compromise of 1820. (http://www.ushistory.org/us/31a.asp) -
Brooks-Sumner Event
Charles Sumner gave a speech called "The Crime against Kansas" which he talked about "murderous robbers" and "hirelings" from Missouri. The representative of South Carolina Preston Brooks thought that Sumner had went too far. Brooks was raised to live by an unwritten code, Brooks made a visit to Sumner a couple days after his speech and told him what he said was wrong. He then beat him repeatedly over the head with a cane stick. (http://www.ushistory.org/us/31e.asp) -
Dred Scott Decision
U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in the Dred Scott case that allowed slave owners to take their slaves in the Western Territories. The most asked question was should slavery be aloud in the West? Residents of the new territories could vote on if slavery should be aloud or not. Dred Scott was looked at as property and not a citizen according to the Constitution therefor he can not be taken from a person with out a due process of law. (http://bit.ly/1cdi9ni) -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
There were 7 debates between Lincoln and Douglas during the Illinois state election. Issues that were discussed at these debates were over slaver and states' rights. Douglas who was a member of the Democratic party wanted a reelection for a third term for himself but Lincoln was running for his Senate seat as a Republican. Lincoln lost the election but the republican party had the popular votes. (http://www.history.com/topics/lincoln-douglas-debates) -
John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry
John Brown led a small army of 18 men in to Harper's Ferry, Virginia with a plan to have a huge slave rebellion in the South. John Brown had no escape route therefore the plan was going to go bad before it even happened but he achieved to deepen the divide between the North and South. (http://www.ushistory.org/us/32c.asp) -
Election of 1860
Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860 as the 16th president and the first Republican president. Lincoln ended up facing Douglas again winning 40% of the popular vote. One month later a Civil War broke out when Confederate forces opened fire on Fort Sumter in South Carolina. 1863 the tide turned against the Confederates and Lincoln emancipated the slaves and won the reelection in 1864. Lincoln was later assassinated by John Wilkes Booth only 5 days after the Civil War ended. (http://bit.ly/1eUBzvU) -
Secession of Southern States
During the Civil War 11 states seceded from the Union along with seven other states of the deep South from 1860-61. On April 12, 1861 they were joined by 4 other states. (http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/confederate-states-of-america) -
Fort Sumter is fired upon
Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860 bringing ahead the issue of slavery in the United States. Seven states seceeded from the union and demanded all U.S. property to be turned over to them including military property. Lincoln resupplied Fort Sumter when needed instead of turning over military property. On the morning of April 12, 1861 shots were fired upon Fort Sumter and Garrison surrendered the fort. (https://www.civilwar.org/learn/civil-war/battles/fort-sumter)
