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Congress Outlawed slave imports
The Constitution stated that the government can not outlaw the importation of slaves until 1808. So in January of 1808 Congress banned the international trade of slaves in America. If there is someone who is caught importing slaves then they would be brought to the Government and sold into slavery. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was a compromise relating to what states would be slave or non-slave states. The first part of this agreement was that Maine would be a free state and that Missouri would become a slave state. The other part of this compromise was that any states created above 36 degrees 30’ of the Louisiana Purchase would be in the Union and south of it would be in the Confederacy. -
Nat Turner Slave Riot
Nat Turner’s Slave Riot as it says is a slave riot led by Nat Turner. These slave riots normally had terrible consequences such as rebels being hanged and some family members being beaten. Nat Turner believed that God told him to lead the slaves out of their homes into a free land and on the morning of August twenty first he and his followers went to the master's house and slaughtered his family. He went to murder many more white slave owners. Nat was caught he was sentenced to be hanged. -
Compromise of 1850
National Archives states, “The Compromise was actually a series of bills passed mainly to address issues related to slavery. The bills provided for slavery to be decided by popular sovereignty in the admission of new states, prohibited the slave trade in the District of Columbia, settled a Texas boundary dispute, and established a stricter fugitive slave act.” -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was a suggestion by a Senator from Illinois (free state). This would reverse the Missouri Compromise. It would create the Mason Dixon line into two territories Kansas and Nebraska and this would then allow popular sovereignty for the new states to decide if there would be slavery or not. This caused a rush to Kansas by people wanting it to become a slave state. This also created the time period of bleeding Kansas. -
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas was essentially a miniature civil war. This came into being after the suggestion of the Kansas-Nebraska act which would reverse the Missouri Compromise that made sure there would be no slave states north of 36 degrees North latitude. This fight was a mob of pro-slavery people attacking anti-slavery people after the fact it spread to Congress. Where a senator spoke of how it was a crime against Kansas by slavery supporters, he was later beaten by a pro-slavery U.S. representative -
Fort Sumter
While Fort Sumter is the technical first battle it is not really a battle, it is more of a barrage from the confederates on a Union fort, Fort Sumter. The Union truly stood no chance only having only 80 forces while the Confederates had 500 forces. This battle kicked off a four year war that cost thousands of people their lives but freed 3.9 million slaves from captivity. Truly an important historical event in American history. -
Dred Scott
This case between a slave, Dred Scott, and his owner Sandford. This case that came into being after Dred Scott sued for his freedom due to him escaping into the Wisconsin territory where slaves were outlawed. His owner attempted to retrieve him. This turned into an eleven year argument. In the end Dred Scott was not granted freedom and it led to the development of the law that enslaved people are not citizens and do not get the rights of citizenship. Bringing us closer to the Civil War. -
John Brown (Part 1)
John Brown was an abolitionist that took things a smidge bit farther than they should have gone. After his pastor was murdered by a slave owner he decided that he would give his life to destroying slavery. During the time of Bleeding Kansas he went and slaughtered five people. He later decided he would get firearms to arm slaves so they could revolt. He needed it so he raided Harper’s Ferry, a federal armory. -
John Brown (Part 2)
He was later caught by the U.S. Marines led by Robert E. Lee (future Confederate General). He was executed with two thousand soldiers watching one of which was a fake soldier named John Wilkes Booth (future assassin of Abraham Lincoln). He is sometimes remembered as a martyr and other times as a terrorist. -
Abraham Lincoln is elected president (Part 1)
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States; he was elected in 1860 and took office in 1861. He did many things in his time as president like the Emancipation proclamation. While he did assume a war was coming his goal was to not make it come. -
Abraham Lincoln is elected President (Part 2)
This is proven more when in his Inaugural Address he stated, “... in the view of the constitution and the laws the union is unbroken, and to the extent of my ability, I shall take care, as the Constitution itself expressly enjoins upon me, ...” This is showing how he believes that what the constitution tells him is exactly what he may do. -
The Emancipation Proclamation
This came into action on January 1, 1863. As expected the rebellious states did not follow this law. This did not end slavery but it gave enslaved people hope and it changed the whole northern armies something more to fight for. -
Battle of Bull Run
“Bull Run was the first full-scale battle of the Civil War” states American Battlefield Trust. This statement is true since there is combat on both sides, not just one unlike Fort Sumter. This battle resulted in another win for the Confederacy after the fact the Union General Irvin McDowell was removed from the position and replaced with The Union was outnumbered by roughly four-thousand troops, In total the Union lost 2,986 men, while the Confederates lost roughly 2,000. -
The Emancipation Proclamation (Part 1)
The Emancipation Proclamation was the time where the reason for the war changed. It was changed from an issue of sectionalism and state’s rights to an issue of Slavery. This document is known as one of the best writings by Abraham Lincoln (apart from the Gettysburg Address). It stated that all slaves in states that are in rebellion would be free. -
Battle of Gettysburg Address
“The Battle of Gettysburg marked the turning point of the Civil War.” (American Battlefield Trust) It was a massive win for Union. It lasted nearly three days, and had slightly over 50,000 casualties and this resulted in about a third of Robert E. Lee’s army passes, ending in their retreat. Meade the Union general failed to capture the army as they retreated. This later led to the promotion of Ulysses S. Grant. This battle will go down as the most important battles in United States History. -
Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg address is known as one of the most prominent speeches in US history. It was a speech of giving remembrance for the people that gave their lives fighting to preserve the union. Then it went on to discuss liberty and equality for all people. This will go down as the most important speech in all of American history, as well as President Abraham Lincoln’s best speech ever spoken or prepared. -
Battle of Atlanta
The Battle of Atlanta was where it was considered that there was zero chance the Confederacy would win the war. It was a simple battle, General John Bell Hood for the confederacy attacked General William T. Sherman which was quickly denied. John Hood entered with roughly 40,000 soldiers, and Sherman had nearly 3,500. Although the casualties were much more detrimental to the Confederacy losing 5,500 people. -
Sherman's March to the Sea
This then caused William T. Sherman had his iconic event, Sherman’s march to the Sea where he led his soldiers from Fulton County, GA to Atlanta, GA where on the way they wrecked and destroyed farms, towns, railroad tracks, and anything that could help the south continue on in the war. This left the south in shambles giving no way for the south to come back. -
The Confederates surrender.
The Confederates surrendered at the Appomattox Court House, there was a minor battle before causing the battle. The confederates were trapped by Ulysses S. Grant’s army, then Robert E. Lee surrendered, it is considered the most important capitulation but, it was not the only and not all battles stop, Roughly 90,000 forces engaged all together, casualties were minimal, roughly 700. This marked the true end to the Civil War, the war with the most American blood spilt. -
The 13th Amendment is ratified
The 13th Amendment was passed by Congress on January 31st of 1865 and was ratified on December 6th of 1865, this addition to the constitution abolished slavery. -
14th Amendment is ratified
The 14th amendment was passed by Congress on June 13th, 1866 and was ratified on July 9th 1868 this addition to the constitution granted formerly enslaved people more rights like citizenship and due process. -
The 15th Amendment is ratified
The 15th amendment was passed by Congress on February 26th, 1869 and was ratified on February 3rd, 1870 this addition to the constitution gave black males the right to vote.