-
Republican party forms
Founded by anti-slavery activists in 1854, it dominated politics nationally for most of the period from 1860 to 1932. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
This created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, opening new lands for settlement, and had the effect of repealing the Missouri Compromise of 1820. -
The Tariff of 1857
The Tariff of 1857 lowered duties on imports in response to a high Treasury surplus and pressure from Southern farmers. -
The Panic of 1857
The panic of 1857 was the economic downturn caused by over speculation of western lands, railroads, gold in California, grain. Mostly affected northerners, who called for higher tariffs and free homesteads. -
Lecompton Constitution rejected
The constitution was drawn up at Lecompton, the territorial capital, in 1857. After much controversy it was rejected by Congress. -
Lincoln takes office
Abraham Lincoln took office after running for presidency and getting elected on March 1861. He won the Presidential elections thus becoming the 16th president. -
The Morrill Tariff Act passed
The Morrill Tariff Act was the 1861 tariff that boosted duties to about the level of the Walker Tariff of 1846. -
First Battle of Bull Run
The 1st Battle of Bull Run was the 1st major battle of Civil War, and the Confederate's victory. -
Trent affair
This was the incident in which a Union warship stopped a British steamer and removed two Confederate diplomats. -
Homestead Act
The Homestead Act of 1862 allowed a settler to acquire 160 acres by living on it for five years, improving it and paying about $30. -
Seven Days' Battle
The Seven Days Battles was a series of six major battles over the seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia during the American Civil War. -
Battle of Antietam
Antietam was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with almost 23,000 deaths. -
National Banking System established
The National Bank Act of 1863 was designed to create a national banking system, float federal war loans, and establish a national currency. -
Thirteenth Amendment ratified
The 13th Amendment was the amendment that freed all slaves without compensation to the slave owners. It legally forbade slavery in the United States. -
Lincoln assassinated
John Wilkes Booth was an American stage actor who, as part of a conspiracy plot, assassinated Abraham Lincoln.