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The Liberator
The Liberator was a very popular antislavery newspaper. It was started by William Lloyd Garrison. He was an abolitionist who was calling for an immediate end to slavery. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was proposed by Henry Clay. It said that California was to be added as a free state. It also stated that the slave trade but not slavery itself would be illegal in Washington D.C.. The compromise also would pass a new Fugitive Slave Act which could fine or imprison anyone who helped a fugitive. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a book that was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It portrayed slavery as a cruel and brutal system. The book started of as publications in newspapers but later got made into a book. It was a best seller in America, Britain, Europe, and Asia. It was also translated into 60 languages. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was proposed by Stephen A. Douglas. It was to repeal the Missouri Compromise and allow states to vote on whether or not to allow slavery, which he called Popular Sovereignty. This upset Northerners because this could lead to free states that have been free for a long time to become slave states. Southerners liked the act because they thought Kansas would be settled by Missouri slave owners causing Kansas to be a slave state. -
James Buchanan is sworn into office
James Buchanan was the fifteenth president of the United States. He was from the Democratic party. Buchanan beat out John C. Fremont and Millard Fillmore with 174 electoral votes. -
The Dred Scott decision
Dred Scott was an enslaved African American who sued for his freedom. He said since he had lived in places that were free he should be free. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney said that Scott was property and the fifth Amendment prohibited the taking of property without due process. Taney also said that just because Scott had lived in free places that did not make him free. He also said that Scott was not a citizen and had no right to make a lawsuit. -
John Brown's Raid at Harper's Ferry
John Brown was trying to take over a federal arsenal to arm African Americans and attack slaveholders. Federal troops stopped Brown. He was later convicted for treason and hung. -
Abraham Lincoln is elected
Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth President of the United States. He was from the Republican party, he was the first Republican president to become president. -
South Carolina Secedes from the Union
South Carolina was the first Southern state to secede from the Union. They felt that since they had voluntarily joined the Union they could voluntarily leave the Union. They also said that the Constitution was a contract and the North was not holding up their end of the deal. -
Battle of Fort Sumter
The Battle of Fort Sumter was the first battle of the Civil War. Fort Sumter was an island off the coast of South Carolina. Lincoln received a message from the captain at the fort and was told they were low on supplies. Lincoln sent unarmed troops to the fort with supplies. Before the troops could get there Jefferson Davis ordered Confederate forces to attack. Fort Sumter then surrendered and Lincoln then issued a call for troops. -
1st Battle of Bull Run
The Battle of Bull run was the first major battle of the Civil War. This battle was a victory for the Confederates. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation declared that slaves in the Confederate states would be free. The proclamation did not apply to Union border states or previous Southern states who rejoined the Union. The Emancipation Proclamation would only be efficient if the Union won the Civil War. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg is considered the most important engagement of the Civil war. This battle was eventually won by the Union after many deaths on both sides. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
Union General William T. Sherman led 60,000 soldiers on a 280 mile march from Atlanta to Savannah Georgia. The goal was to frighten Georgia civilians to quit the Confederate cause. -
Surrender at Appomattox Court House
The Battle and Surrender at Appomattox Court House was a Northern victory. This battle unofficially ended the American Civil war. -
Lincoln is assasinated
The assassination of Abraham Lincoln came only five days after the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Court House. Lincoln was shot and killed by John Wilkes Booth. John Booth was an actor who supported the Confederate cause. Lincoln was killed while watching a play at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C.
