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The first issue of The Liberator
The first issue of The Liberator came out on January 1st, 1831. Its motto was “Our country is the world – our countrymen are mankind.” The goal of the newspaper was to help bring the end of slavery. -
The Compromise of 1850
It was proposed by Henry Clay, a senator from Kentucky. California was added to the Union as a free state. As part of the Compromise of 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act was amended. It stated that if anyone helped a fugitive, they could be fined or imprisoned. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was released on March 20th, 1852. It helped to show how bad slavery really was. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 was proposed by Stephen A. Douglas. It was officially passed on May 30th, 1854. Popular Sovereignty would decide if slavery was allowed in Kansas and Nebraska Territories. It repealed the Missouri Compromise. -
James Buchanan, the 15th President
The Democratic Party nominated James Buchanan of Pennsylvania for President. He was a diplomat and former member of Congress. Buchanan tried to appeal to Southern whites. With 174 electoral votes Buchanan won. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott claimed he should be free since he had lived in areas where slavery was illegal, but Chief Justice Roger B. Taney decided the since Dred Scott was still an enslaved person he had no right to bring a lawsuit. So Dred stayed as a slave. -
John Brown's Raid at Harpers Ferry
John Brown and some other people attempted to raid an arsenal at Harpers Ferry, and attempted to arm the African Americans with guns. They failed, but they did cause abolitionists to rally. The raid went from October 16th to October 18th. -
South Carolina Secedes from the Union
Shortly after the election of 1860, South Carolina seceded from the Union because it did not like Lincoln's ideas on slavery. -
Abraham Lincoln is elected President
Lincoln won over every single Northern state which caused him to win the election. In addition, the Democratic party was divided due to the debate over whether slavery was right or wrong -
Battle of Fort Sumter begins
Fort Sumter was low on supplies and the South wanted it to surrender. Lincoln tried to send an unarmed group to the fort with supplies, but the South attacked it before the group could get there. -
The Battle of Bull Run
Both the North and South thought they would win the battle. The Union launched an explosive attack at the beginning, but the South countered with another explosive attack. The North retreated in fear. Also, many people traveled just to go have a picnic and watch the battle. -
Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation
In 1863, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free." -
The Battle of Gettysburg
The Confederates clashed with the Union at the crossroads town of Gettysburg. The next day, the Confederates attacked the Federals on both left and right. On July 3 the Confederates attacked with fewer than 15,000 troops. It managed to pierce the Union lines but eventually failed, and the cost the Rebels thousands of casualties. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
From November 15 until December 21, 1864, General Sherman led 60,000 soldiers on a 285-mile march from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia. The purpose of this March was to scare Georgia’s citizens into abandoning the Confederate cause. Sherman’s soldiers did not destroy any towns in their path, but they stole food and livestock and burned the houses and barns of people who tried to fight back. -
Surrender at Appomattox Court House
Generals Lee and Grant met, and one wrote out the terms of an agreement which stated that all officers and men would be pardoned, officers would keep their side arms, and Lee’s starving men would be given Union rations. -
Lincoln is Assassinated
On April 14th, 1865 while Abraham Lincoln was watching the play, “Our American Cousin”, he was fatally shot by John Wilkes Booth. He died shortly afterward.
