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Aug 3, 1492
Columbus Departs from Palos, Spain.
"On August 3, 1492, Columbus set sail from Palos, Spain, with three small ships, the Santa Maria, the Pinta, and the Nina" ("Columbus reaches the New World - Oct 12, 1492 - HISTORY.com," n.d.). -
Oct 12, 1492
Columbus reaches the new world
"On August 3, 1492, Columbus set sail from Palos, Spain, with three small ships, the Santa Maria, the Pinta, and the Nina. On October 12, the expedition reached land, probably Watling Island in the Bahamas" ("Columbus reaches the New World - Oct 12, 1492 - HISTORY.com," n.d.) -
First ship arrives in America carrying slaves.
In 1619 a Dutch ship brought ashore 20 slaves to the Jamestown colony in Virginia. Slavery eventually spread throughout the colonies ("Slavery in America - Black History - HISTORY.com," n.d.) -
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Northern States Abolish Slavery
"Between 1774 and 1804, all of the northern states abolished slavery, but the so-called “peculiar institution” remained absolutely vital to the South. Though the U.S. Congress outlawed the African slave trade in 1808, the domestic trade flourished, and the slave population in the U.S. nearly tripled over the next 50 years" ("Slavery in America - Black History - HISTORY.com," n.d.). -
The Declaration of Independance is signed
The Declaration of Independence is signed on July 4, 1776. It is signed by delegates representing the 13 former colonies. The men in the foreground are: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and others. (Trumbull, 1819) -
Henry Clay is born
On April 4th, 1777 Henry Clay is born to parents Elizabeth Watkins and John Clay. He would grow up to be a very prominent member of the U.S Senate and House of Representatives. He is also know as the "Great Pacificator." -
Invention of the Cotton Gin
In 1793 Eli Whitney created the cotton gin. The cotton gin was a simple mechanical device that would remove the seeds proficiently. His design was widely copied an replicated. In the next couple years the south would transition from production of tobacco to that of cotton which only reinforced the area's reliance on slave labor ("Slavery in America - Black History - HISTORY.com," n.d.). -
Grabriel Prosser's planned revolt
"The assault planned for August 30, 1800, however, never came together. Torrential rain caused confusion and a traitor from within the group warned white authorities of the impending attack." The careful planning conducted by Gabriel showed that slaves actively resisted slavery, however the conspiracy ended in severe repression. No whites were killed but they executed 27 blacks, including Gabriel, by public hanging. ("Gabriel's Rebellion: Another View of Virginia in 1800 [ushistory.org]," n.d.). -
Henry clay joins the House of Representatives
"Over the next few years, Clay served out the unexpired terms in the U.S. Senate. In 1811 Clay was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he eventually served as Speaker of the House. In all, Clay would come to serve multiple terms in the U.S. House (1811–14, 1815–21, 1823–25) and Senate (1806–07, 1810–11, 1831–42, 1849–52)" ("Https://Henry Clay," n.d.). -
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Debate over Missouri's admission
The debate over the admission of Missouri as a slave state ran from December, 1819 to March, 1820. "Northerners, led by Senator Rufus King of New York, argued that Congress had the power to prohibit slavery in a new state. Southerners like Senator William Pinkney of Maryland held that new states had the same freedom of action as the original thirteen and were thus free to choose slavery if they wished" ("Missouri Compromise - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com," n.d.). -
Maine is admitted to the union
One of the provisions of the Missouri Compromise was that where Missouri would be admitted as a slave state, Maine would be admitted as a free state. "...Missouri was admitted to the Union as a slave state, Maine as a free state and all western territories north of Missouri’s southern border were to be free soil" ("Slavery in America - Black History - HISTORY.com," n.d.). -
Missouri Compromise Passes
With the threat of a deadlock caused by two opposing bills, a compromise bill was created with these provisions: Missouri would be admitted as a slave state, while Maine (part of New Jersey) would be admitted as a free state. Slavery would be excluded (except for Missouri) from the lands gained by Louisiana Purchase north of latitude 36°30′ ("Missouri Compromise - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com," n.d.). (Missouri Compromise of 1820, n.d.). -
Missouri is admitted to the union
Missouri was admitted to the union as a slave state on August 10, 1821. Maine was admitted as a free state the previous year in March. -
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Abolition movement gains traction
"From the 1830s to the 1860s, a movement to abolish slavery in America gained strength in the northern United States, led by free blacks such as Frederick Douglass and white supporters such as William Lloyd Garrison, founder of the radical newspaper The Liberator, and Harriet Beecher Stowe, who published the bestselling antislavery novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” (1852)" ("Slavery in America - Black History - HISTORY.com," n.d.). -
Nat Turner's Revolt
"The slave revolt that most terrified white slaveholders was that led by Nat Turner in Southampton County, Virginia, in August 1831. Turner’s group, which eventually numbered around 75 blacks, murdered some 60 whites in two days before armed resistance from local whites and the arrival of state militia forces overwhelmed them." ("Slavery in America - Black History - HISTORY.com," n.d.) -
Kansas-Nebraska Act passed
On May 30, 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act proposed by Stephen A. Douglas was passed. "To gain the southerners’ support, Douglas proposed creating two territories in the area–Kansas and Nebraska–and repealing the Missouri Compromise line." Whether the states would be slave or free would be up to the settlers under his concept of popular sovereignty.
