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Virginia & Kentucky Resolutions Written
These were political statments made by Virginia and Kentucky's said that the federal Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional. It argued that the states had the ability to declare unconstitutional when congress made acts that weren't authorized by the Constitution. -
Hartford Convention meets during War of 1821
Delegates were sent from New Hampshire, Massachussetts, Conneticut, Rhode Island, and Vermont were sent to Hartford Conneticut where they met in secracy for 3 weeks. They met there to discuss how to ask the Federal Government for money and financial aid to help New England's trade economy. This convention made the delegates look suspicious and the meetings eventually stopped. -
Missouri Compromise
This was an agreement passed between the people for slavery and the people against slavery. This marked territories of where people owned slaves and where people didn't. It also divided up the unowned territories like the Missouri Territory and the Unmarked territory to either the North or the South. At this time it allowed Missouri to become a slave state. -
Tariff of Abominations Passed
This was a Tariff that was designed to protect industry in the Northern States. It was labeled the Tariff of Abominations because of how it effected the Southern States. This was made to protect the Northern industries because they were being run out of business by low priced imported goods. -
South Carolina tries to Nullify
This was a crisis during the time of Andrew Jacksons presidency. This was created by South Carolina's Ordinance of Nullification. This stated that the Tariff of 1828 was unconstitutional. The nation suffered an economic downturn during the 1820's and South Carolina was really affected. -
Abolition of Slavery Act
This was an act created by the British Parliament abolishing slavery in all British colonies. Since the United States at the time was British colonies, it applied to them too. It gave slaves all freedom at the time . Britian actually paied compensation to the people that owned slaves. Depending on how many slaves they actually owned, affected how much money they got paid. -
Texas Declares Independence form Mexico
The Texas Declaration of Independence was the formal break away of the Republic of Texas from Mexico in the Texas revolution. Texas wanted independence from Mexico. That was the result of the war. When they ended up getting independence, they wanted to join the United States, and they did. -
James Polk Elected
He was the eleventh president of the United States. He was running against Whig Henry Clay. The election was a close contest. James Polk was a democrat and was very popular in the Texas region because he was favoring the annexation of Texas. -
Mexican War
This was also known as the First American Intervention. This was an armed conflict between the U.S and Mexico during 1849 to 1848. America invaided New Mexico, the California Republic, and parts of Northern Mexico. -
Wilmot Proviso
This is one of the major events leading to the Civil War. This would have banned slavery from any land that the Americans had gotten during the Mexican War. Devid Wilmot introduced this idea to the United States House of Representatives. It was passed in the house, but it did not make it in the Senate. The South had a greater Representation. -
California enters the Union
In February of 1848, Mexico and the United States signed a treaty which ended the Mexican War and gave up the Southwest including present day California. Several days before on January 24th gold was discovered in Sacramento which lead to the Gold Rush. -
Fugitive Slave Law Enacted
This act was passed by the United States Congress as a part of the Compromise of 1850. This was one of the most controversal acts durring the compromise. This declared that all run-away slaves are to be returned back to their masters even if they had escaped to a free state. This created a problem because it got the states that didn't want anything to do with slavery involved. -
Publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin
This was an anti-slavery novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This helped lay the groundwork for the civil war. This was one of the best-selling novels of the 19th century. It opened the public eye to slavery and stereo types against blacks. It made the Southern states angry, but in the Northern states, it made their reasoning for being against slavery stronger. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act Passed
This act created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. It opened new areas for settlement. Through Popular Sovereignty that would decide if the new territories allowed slavery or not. The purpose of this was to open more farms. Because of Popular Sovereignty, this created a mini civil war in these territories because anti and pro slavery people moved into these territories and tried to fight for them, -
Formation of Republican Party
The Republican party emerged because of the Kansas Nebraska act. It is the second oldest political party in the United States. During the election of Abraham Lincoln it took iff because of him trying to abolish slavery. This party was not popular in the South, but was in the North. This party was pro-bussiness, supporting banks, and so on. -
"Border Ruffians" Attack Lawrence
The "Border Ruffians" were people that were pro-slavery that flooded into the Kansas Nebraska territory. On the morning of MAy 21st, an army of about 800 men went to the newly formed town of Lawrence in Kansas and began to destroy it. This attacked occured because of slavery. Since California had been released as a free state, angry people went to Kansas to try to make it become a slave state. -
Carles Sumner Attacked
Charles Sumner was a famous Republican. He was attacked by Preson Brooks who was a congressman from South Carolina. A few days before his attack, he made an anti-slavery speech and used language that was offensive to the southern people. So Brooks attacked him when he saw him. He ended up beating him with a cane. Sumner didn't fully recover from this attack. -
Pottawatomie Creek
This was also known as the Pottawatomie Massacre. In reaction to the Border Ruffians attacking Lawrence, John Brown and a crew of abolitionists killed 5 settelers North of Pottawatomie. This was just one of the many bloody incodents that happened in Kansas before the Civil war had happened. All together these episodes were known as "Bleeding Kansas". -
Dred Scott Decision Announced
Dred Scott was sueing for his freedom. During the coarse of his life, Scott was sold to different people and moved around to different states. At one point he was moved into a free state and he believed since it was free that it meant he was free. "Once free, always free." That's why he sued because he believed he could win since he was free at one point of his life. -
Lecompton Constitution passed
This was the second of four constitutions that were written for Kansas. The document was written as a responce to the anti-slavery 1855 Topeka constitution. This constitution encoraged slavery but also gave people the ability to vote if they want to allow more slaves into the new territory. The Topeka and the Lecompton constitutions were layed infront of the people to vote over. Both were boycotted by the opposing side though. -
Lincoln-Douglass Debates
This was a series of debates between Lincoln and Douglass. They were held in different cities like Ottowa, Freeport, Jonesboro, Charleston, Galesburg, Quincy, and Alton. These debates previewed the issues that Lincoln faces when he won the election. The main issue that was discussed during the debates was slavery. -
Raid at Harper's Ferry
This was an attempt made by John Brown to start an armed slave revolt. His raid was defeated by the U.S. Marines. Brown had actually asked Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass to join him. Neither of them actually did. -
Formation of Constitutional Union Party
It was a political party in the United States created in 1860. It was created by the people that wanted to avoid the issues over slavery. The name of this party is pretty straight forward. They created it because they simply didn't believe in recognizing anything else but the Constitution. -
Democrats Split in 1860
The democrats split into two groups. One known as the Southern Democrats, and the other knows as the Northern Democrats. Mapy people blame the Southern Democrats for Abraham Lincoln making it into office. It was also said that the split of the party could lead to a new Republican Party to grow. -
Election of 1860
This election actually helped the Civil war occur. The nation had already acted divided over the acts of slavery and the rights of slave owners. The tow parties were also divided. The Republican party was very popular in the North and the Democratic party was very popular in the South. the North eventually won because they had enough votes to put Abraham Lincoln into office. -
South Carolina Secedes
This was when South Carolina had left the Union and joined the other southern states that wanted to leave the Union. On February 8, 1861 was when South Carolina had successfully left the Union and joined the Confederacy. -
Virginia Secedes
Following the Attack on Fort Sumner, most of the Southern states that had refused the first Secession began to change their minds. Following the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, the Govenor of Virginia had organized a special session to hold a secession convention. During this convention, he had organized a peace convention too. The first Secession failed. There was eventually a vote which was in favor of the Secession. -
Abraham Lincoln Inaugurated
During the time President Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated, Jefferson Davis had been inaugurated as the President of the Confederacy two weeks earlier. He had talked about benefiting the states as a whole and protecting their rights. He also brought up liberty to all which was a main point he wanted to make. There was actually a copy of his speech printed the day before it was made. -
Attack on Forth Sumter
This was the bombardment and surrendor of Fort Sumter near Charleston South Carolina that helped start the Civil War. During the early months of 1861 the situation around Fort Sumter was starting to get chaotic. On April 12, 1861 43 Confederate guns surrounded Fort Sumter in a ring to start the bombardment. This was known as one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. -
Robert E. Lee Surrenders Commission
When Virignia withdrew from the Union, he resigned his commission rather than assisting in surpressing the insurrection. He then went to Richmond to be commander-in-chief of the miliraty forces. -
First Battle of Bull Run
Just months after the start of the Battle of Fort Sumner the North Marched against the Confederate capital Richmond Virginia. Union troops under General Irvin McDowell advanced across Bull Run against the Confederate army under General P.G.T Beauregard near Manassas. McDowells plan to surprise the Confederates was not well executed because of his inexpirienced officers. At the end of the batttle both sides knew that the war would be long from now on. -
Battle of the Monitor and the Merrimac
When the Confederates evacuated Manassas a mysterious naval battle had occured known as the Battle of the Monitor and the Merrimac. The Confederates had destroyed the ships Congress and Cumberland at the mouth of the James River. -
Battle of Shiloh
As the result of the fall of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson General Albert Sidney Johnston was forced to leave behind Kentuckey and Middle and West Tennessee. He then chose Corinth as a major transportation center and as a staging area for an offensive position against General Ulysses S. Grant. There were many launched attacks and the Confederates continued to fall back until launching their mid August attack. -
2nd Battle of Bull Run
In order to draw an army in, Jackson had ordered an attack on a federal column that was passing across the front of Warrenton Turnpike. The fighting had only lasted a few hours until the army had thought they had had Jackson trapped. The attacks that the army had made resulted in many calsualties on both sides. -
Battle of Antietam
This was the bloodiest one day battle of American history. 23,000 soldiers were either dead or wounded after just twelve hours of fighting. This battle ended the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia's first invasion into the North that led to Abraham Lincolns Emancipation Proclamation. Confederate Major General A.P. Hill's army arrived from Harpers Ferry and launched surprised counterattacks on the North. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
This was one of the largest and deadliest battles of the Civil War. It was also one of the first major opposed river crossings in America. the Union and the Confederate troops fought in the streets of Fredericksburg for about a day. There was close to 20,000 casualties making this one-day battle one of the shortest but deadliest battle of the American Civil War -
McClellan Returns to Washington after the Peninsula Campaign
This campaign actually ended in a fail. This was when he attpemted to seize the Confederate capitol of Richmond Virginia. General Robert E. Lee's army had attacked McClellan and they had to retreat a few times. His leadership skills were beinning to be questioned by Ambraham Lincoln and he was soon removed from the position of comander-in-chief. -
Emancipation Proclamation Takes Effect
This was issued by President Abraham Lincoln during the time of the Civil War. This stated that all slaves were now free from all ten of the rebellion states. This immediatly freed 50,000 slaves and the rest had to be freed by advancing Union armies. Slave owners in the rebellion states didn't take action to this. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
This began by the crossing of the Rappahannock River by the Union army. On May 1st, Hooker advanced from Chancellorville toward Lee, but the General had split his army. Lee launched multiple attacks on the Union resulting in heavy losses on both sides. During this battle, Jackson was actually wounded by a fire shot from his own men. -
Battle of Gettysburg
This was an engagement between the Confederate and Union armies. The army of Northern Virginia marched out of Virginia towards the Potomac River hoping to invade Maryland and Pennsylvannia. The main reasoning for invading was the hope of food and supplies the Confederates lacked in the South. The result of the end of the battle was Lee pulling his army back towards Williamsport. -
Surrender of Vicksburg
This was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In multiple maneuvers Ulysses S. Grant and his army crossed the Mississippi River and drove the Confederate Army into the defence lines. Major assults were taken and results of that were heavy calsulties numbers. The Confederate Army had surrenderd and the next day, they lost at Gettysburg. -
Battle at Fort Wagner
After the assult on July 11th Fort Wagner had failed. At dusk on July 18 Gillmore launched an attack spearheaded by the Massachussetts infantry. The unit's Colonel, Robert Gould Shaw, was actually killed in this battle. Many black troops became crutioal to this battle. In the end, this battle was a Confederate victory. -
Lincoln Delivers Gettysburg Address
This was the speech made by Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg after the battle had finally ended. It was supposivley one of the most well-known speeches in American History. It was a dedication to a cemetary to the soldires who had fought in this battle and died. It was delivered four and a half hours after the Union had defeated the Confederacy. The Chicago times, who had once supported Frederick Douglass, had tried to contridict what he had said which lead to arguments. -
Fighting Styles at Cold Harbor
The battle at Cold Harbor was faught between Union General U.S Grant and Confederate General Robert E. Lee at cold harbor in Virginia. It is remembered as one of the most bloodiest, yet weird battles in history. It lasted from May 31 to June 12 when Grant's armt had advanced to the James River. There, his army crossed the river. -
Atlanta Burns to the Ground
The start of this chaos was from the Battle of Atlanta. Continuing with the campaign to seize the important supply center of Atlanta, Union forces overwhelmed Confederate sources. Atlanta in the 1860's became the industrial and commercial center of the South. The Union marched into Georgia. Around 8 months later, they had captured Savannah, and along thw way they had fought many other battles which lead to Atlanta left destroyed. -
Sherman Set out for the Sea
Late in 1864, General William Sherman left Atlanta to head towards the Atlantic Ocean. He moved through Macon and Augusta and ended up in Savannah. There were few troops to stop him and his forces on the way and they left destruction in their wake. His hope was to destroy the South's economy and wanted to start a campaign for it. When getting approval, him and him men cut loose of supply lines and would live off the land. -
Sherman Reaches Savannah
Sherman and his army had reached Savannah from his march to the sea. Following his sucess of the capture of Atlanta, he began talking to Leutenent General Ulysses S. Grant that allowed him to march to Savannah while campaigning against Confederate sources in Georgia. Approved by Grant, Sherman moved 62,000 troops advancing to Savannah. -
Lincoln Delivers 2nd Inagural Address
He delivered this during his second inauguration. When the end of the Civil War was near and the victory over the Confederates, he did not speak of happiness. Some people thought of his speech as a defense of the way he approached reconstruction. He saught to avoid harsh punishment for the South and reminded people of how wrong both sides were when they imagined what would happen when the war began. -
The Confederate Capital Falls
The war could not last much longer because the South had already been defeated.General Robert E. Lee had still had control of Richmond Virginia, and around it but believed he couldn't hold it much longer. The Confederate troops had been very weak and there weren't enough men to defend the Capital. Lee's hope was to let go of the Capital and meet up with General Joe in North Carolina and they could defeat the Union. The Union eventually took over the Capital. -
Surrender at Appomattox
On Palm Sunday, 1865, Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House, Virginia signaled the end of the Southern States attempt to create a separate nation. It set the stage for the emergence of an expanded and more powerful Federal government. In a sense the struggle over how much power the central government would hold had finally been settled.
