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The Liberator goes into print
William Lloyd Garrison was an abolitionist who took a stand against slavery by starting a newspaper called "The Liberator". Garrison didn't like compromise. Garrisons first part of "The Liberator" was published in 1831. -
Compromise of 1850 passed
Things that happened according to the Compromise of 1850 would be consist of The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, slave trade in Washington DC was abolished, but sadly slave ownership continued. Some other important things that happened during this time was California was accepted in the Union as a free state and Governments in Utah and New Mexico were organized. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin published
Harriet Beecher Stowe published this anti-slavery novel on March 20, 1852. This novel helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War. This also shows and helps people understand the ability to illustrate slavery's effect on families, and to help readers emphasize with enslaved characters. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act passed
This Act was used to repeal The Missouri Compromise of 1820 which was used to prohibit slavery north of the 36 30` latitude. As the North of the U.S. was against slavery and held the Missouri Compromise to be a valid ad long-term agreement, this caused quite a tension. -
James Buchanan sworn in as President
James Buchanan was born on April 23, 1791 in Pennsylvania. At age 23, Buchanan began what would be a long political career when he was elected as a member of the Federalists Party to the House of Representatives. He was the 15th President during times of March 4, 1857 and March 4, 1861. -
Dred Scott Decision- Dred Scott vs. Sanford
Dred Scott was an African American born into slavery in 1795. He moved from his home Virginia, to move with his slave master Peter Blow eventually settling in Saint Louis, Missouri in 1830. Chief Justice Roger Taney gave the opinion of the court declaring that Dred Scott was a slave. The decision implied that a slave was his master's property even in free states. -
John Brown's Raid at Harper's Ferry
John Brown's Raid at Harper's Ferry lasted three days, October 16, 1859- October 18, 1859. John Brown was a radical abolitionist who believed in the violent overthrow of the slavery system. Their goal was to capture supplies and use them to arm a slave rebellion. Brown was captured during the raid and later hanged, but not before becoming an anti-slavery icon. -
Lincoln Elected 16th President
Lincoln received only 40 percent of the popular vote but handily defeated the three other candidates which were Southern Democrat John C. Breckinridge, Constitutional Union candidate John Bell, and Northern Democrat Stephen Douglas, a U.S. senator for Illinois. In 1860, Lincoln again faced Douglas, as well as Breckinridge and Bell. -
South Carolina Secedes from the Union
South Carolina, which became the first state to secede during the Civil War, also had threatened secession, in 1828, over tariffs that were harming the states economy. On December 20, 1860, by a vote of 169-0, the South Carolina legislature enacted an "ordinance" that "the union now subsisting between South Carolina and other States, under the name of 'The United States of America,' is hereby dissolved." -
Battle at Fort Sumter
This battle was the first battle of the American Civil War. The battle happened at Fort Sumter, Charleston Harbor, South Carolina from April 12 and 13 in the year of 1861. There were 80 Union soldiers and 500 confederate soldiers involved in the battle. The confederate won the whole battle. -
First Battle of Bull Run
The battle was called Manassas by the Confederates and Bull Run by the Union. A major factor in turning the battle into a Southern victory was Thomas J. Jackson who reinforced General Bee's men who were retreating. The Union retreat would turn into a panicked rout leaving Northern soldiers fleeing for their lives back to the safety of Washington D.C. -
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh was fought on April 6-7 of 1862. The battle was fought at Pittsburgh landing which is along the bank of Tennessee River in Tennessee. The Confederate Commander was General Albert Sidney Johnston and the Union commander was General Ulysses S. Grant, who led this battle. -
Battle at Antietam
With 23,000 casualties, this was the bloodiest single day of the Civil War. General George McClellan was fired not long after the battle, despite the victory. President Lincoln was unhappy that McClellan let the over matched Confederates retreat back to Virginia rather than destroying the army completely. Still, the battle was declared a Union victory and Lincoln followed it with the Emancipation Proclamation, which officially made slavery the primary cause of the war. -
Battle at Fredericksburg
The battle took place from December 11 through December 15, 1862. This battle happened at Fredericksburg, Tennessee and surrounding areas of Spotsylvania County. The Union's Army of the Potomac, under the command of Ambrose Burnside, fought Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. -
Emancipation Proclamation goes into effect
Actually Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation twice. The Emancipation Proclamation paved the way for African-Americans to fight for their freedom. The Emancipation Proclamation led the way to total abolition of slavery in the United States. -
Battle at Chancellorsvile
The Battle of Chancellorsville was the result of a Union attack on the Confederacy in May 1863. The two sides met in Spotsylvania County in Virginia. It was a Confederate victory but it came at a great cost as Stonewall Jackson was killed in action. The result was the Battle of Gettysburg later that year. -
Battle at Gettysburg
Ten roads led into Gettysburg, which is a main reason that the battle was fought there. It was easy to locate. The Confederates were confident they would win the battle because Robert E. Lee had just led his army to victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia in May. -
Vicksburg Surrenders to Union
This happened on July 4th, 1863. In the summer of 1863, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Tennessee converged on Vicksburg on the Mississippi River, investing the city and trapping a Confederate army under Lt. Gen. John Pemberton. Grant's victory boosted his reputation, leading ultimately to his appointment as General-in-Chief of the Union armies. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
From November 15 until December 21, 1864, Union General William T. Sherman led some 60,000 soldiers on a 285-mile march from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia. The purpose of this “March to the Sea” was to frighten Georgia’s civilian population into abandoning the Confederate cause. Sherman’s soldiers did not destroy any of the towns in their path, but they stole food and livestock and burned the houses and barns of people who tried to fight back. -
South Surrenders at Appomattox Courthouse, VA
On April 9, 1865, near Appomattox Court House, Virginia, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia to Union General Ulysses S. Grant. Days earlier, Lee had abandoned the Confederate capital of Richmond and the city of Petersburg; his goal was to rally the remnants of his beleaguered troops, meet Confederate reinforcements in North Carolina and resume fighting.
