Timeline of Key Events in the Abolitionist Movement and Women's Rights Movement (1815-1865)
By MrsHutto
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Early Abolitionist Efforts
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American Colonization Society
The American Colonization Society was a group started in 1816 that worked to help free Black Americans move to Africa, where they created a new country called Liberia. Some members of the group wanted to help Black Americans find new opportunities, but others just wanted them to leave America, showing how complicated race relations were during this time in history. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise of 1820 was an agreement in Congress that maintained the balance between free and slave states by admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, while also prohibiting slavery in the northern part of the Louisiana Territory. This historic agreement temporarily eased tensions between the North and South, but ultimately couldn't prevent the growing divide over slavery in America. -
William Lloyd Garrison and "The Liberator"
William Lloyd Garrison started an important newspaper called The Liberator that helped fight against slavery in America. His newspaper, which he wrote from 1831 to 1865, helped people understand why slavery was wrong and worked to end it completely. -
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Rise of Abolitionism
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The American Anti-Slavery Society Founded
The American Anti-Slavery Society was a group of people who worked hard to stop slavery in America in the 1800s. The group's leaders wrote in newspapers and gave speeches to tell others why slavery was wrong and needed to end. -
Frederick Douglass Escapes from Slavery
Frederick Douglass was a former enslaved person who became one of America's most important leaders in the fight against slavery by writing books and giving powerful speeches about his experiences. He taught himself to read and write while enslaved, which was against the law at that time, and later used these skills to become a famous writer and speaker who worked closely with President Abraham Lincoln to help end slavery in the United States. -
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Women's Rights Movement Emerges
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Seneca Falls Convention
The Seneca Falls Convention, held in 1848, was a historic meeting where women gathered to discuss and demand equal rights, including the right to vote. The meeting was organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, and they wrote an important document called the Declaration of Sentiments that said women should have the same rights as men in America. -
Women's Rights Convention of 1850
The first National Women's Rights Convention took place in Worcester, Massachusetts, where over 1,000 people came together to discuss women's right to vote and other important rights. This historic meeting, led by important leaders like Lucy Stone and Lucretia Mott, helped start a big movement for women's rights in America, with people coming from many different states to join the fight for equality. -
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Growing Tensions and Advocacy
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Uncle Tom's Cabin is published
Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote a powerful book called "Uncle Tom's Cabin" in 1852 that helped many Americans understand how terrible slavery was by telling the story of enslaved people and their struggles. This book became one of the most important books in American history because it made people feel strong emotions about slavery and helped build support for ending slavery in the United States. -
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Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas was a time of violence in the 1850s when people who supported slavery and those who opposed it fought over whether Kansas would be a free state or allow slavery. The territory became known as "Bleeding Kansas" because both pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers moved there to influence the vote, leading to deadly clashes in towns like Lawrence and Pottawatomie Creek. -
Dred Scott v Sandford
In 1857, the Supreme Court made a very important decision about slavery in the Dred Scott case. Dred Scott was a Black man who was enslaved and wanted to be free, but the Court said that Black people could not be U.S. citizens and had no rights under the Constitution. This decision made many people angry and helped lead to the Civil War, which started four years later. -
Harpers Ferry Raid
John Brown, who wanted to end slavery, led a group of men to attack a weapons storage building at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia) in 1859. Although the raid failed and Brown was later executed, his actions helped increase tensions between the North and South before the Civil War.