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First issue of the Liberator
The Liberator was a weekly newspaper about anti-slavery. The newspaper was written by William Lloyd Garrison. -
Compromise of 1850-passed
The Compromise of 1850 was proposed by Henry Clay. California was added as a free state and slavery would be illegal in Washington DC. They passed a new Fugitive Slave Act which if anyone helped they could be fined or imprisoned. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin Published
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a book written that portrayed slavery as a cruel and brutal system. It was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act- passed
This act was proposed by Stephen A. Douglas, a senator from Illinois. Popular Sovereignty would decide to have slavery in Kansas and Nebraska Territories. -
James Buchanan sworn into office as the 15th President
James Buchanan won with 174 electoral votes. He was a diplomat and former congressman. He was nominated by the Democratic Party. -
Dred Scott decision
Dred Scott was an enslaved African American. He lived in Missouri owned by a Doctor. They moved to Illinois to Wisconsin free states. They returned to Missouri. He claimed he should be free because he had lived in a state were slavery was illegal. He went to court and was not free. -
John Brown's raid at Harper's Ferry
John Brown wanted to arm enslaved African Americans and start a revolt against slaveholders. He failed to get the weapons and got sentenced to death. Some saw him as a person who dies for a cause. Antislavery Northerners rejected Browns use of violence. He did manage to scare the Southerners. -
Abe Lincoln elected President
Abe Lincoln was part of the Republican party. He wanted to ban slavery in territories. -
Battle at Fort Sumter Begins
Fort Sumter was a fort guarding Charleston Harbor. It was Confederate territory. The fort was low on supplies so wrote a message to Lincoln asking for more supplies. Lincoln sent an unarmed group to the fort with supplies. Jefferson Davis ordered Confederate forces to attack. Fort Sumter surrendered and Lincoln issued a call for troops. -
South Carolina secedes from the Union
South Carolina was the first state to secede. Delegates from these states elected Jefferson Davis as their President. They called their new country the Confederate States of America. -
1st Battle of Bull Run
Union General Irvin McDowell attacked Confederate General Beauregard and his small forces. The troops of the Confederate General Thomas Jackson held their ground so Jackson earned the name ''Stonewall". The Union troops were forced to retreat. General McDowell was blamed and got replaced by General George McClellan. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg was in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle was about 2-3 days and was very bloody. General Robert E. Lee rushed 25,000 people and the Union army was pushed back. Many soldiers were dead, missing, and wounded. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation declaring all slaves in the rebellious states were free. It did not free a slave, it did have a turning point on the war, to preserve the nation into a battle for freedom. -
Sherman's March to the sea
Sherman burned many things while he was on his way to the Atlantic. As he went through Georgia he burned buildings and crops on his way. Sherman met up with Grant and tore up railroad lines, fields, and killed livestock. He thought if he affected the people the he would end the war. -
The surrender at Appomattox Court House
This is were the war officially ended. Lee's troops were tired, sick, and starving. Grant and Lee meet in a small town called Appomattox. They shook hands and made some deals. Lee would send food for the troops, they could go home unharmed, and they could keep their horses and firearms. -
Lincoln's Assassination
Abraham Lincoln was shot while attending a play at Ford's Theater. He was assassinated five days after General Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House.
