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Missouri Compromise
The pro-slave territory of
Missouri applies to join the Union as a state in 1819. Until this time, pro-slavery and anti-slavery states had joined the Union in pairs to keep the balance in the US Senate. Missouri spoils the balance. The dispute is settled by letting the Northern ‘free’ state of Maine into the Union at the same time. The Missouri Compromise does not solve the problem; it simply postpones it for forty years. -
Nat Turner Rebellion
Turner (an enslaved African American)
and a group of followers kill 60 Whites. After the
rebellion is put down, Turner and a hundred
others are executed. The state government
in Virginia starts to talk about abolishing slavery. -
South Carolina Defiance
South Carolina defies the Federal Government over a
national tariff law citing states’ rights. President Andrew Jackson threatens to use the army to force South Carolina to accept the law, and the state backs down. This illustrates the views held by Southern states about their rights in relation to the Federal Government. -
US-Mexico War
The United States goes to war with Mexico and gains
land in the south-west. -
Compromise of 1850
Land taken from Mexico creates new problems – should people in the new land be allowed to have slaves? The result is another compromise. California joins the Union as a ‘free state’, while the rest become territories and decide for themselves whether they will allow slavery. Again, the problem is put off until another time. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin Published
Harriet Beecher Stowe writes the novel Uncle Tom’s
Cabin, attacking slavery. It has great influence in
the North and causes resentment in the South. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas–Nebraska Act: As people move west, arguments increase about whether slavery should go with them. The new territories of Kansas and Nebraska attract a great deal of attention. Stephen Douglas, a Northern Democrat who wants to be president, argues that the new territories should
make the decision for themselves. This is called ‘popular sovereignty’. Pro- and anti-slavery groups flood the new territories with their supporters and this leads to violence. -
Republican Party is Formed
The Republicans are outraged by the Kansas–Nebraska Act and oppose the idea of extending slavery any further. Abraham Lincoln becomes
one of the early leaders of the new party. -
Dred Scott Case
This case, heard by the US Supreme
Court, holds that slaves are always the property of
their masters, even if they are taken into ‘free states’ or territories. This decision is greeted with approval in the South, but with increased calls from the North to make slavery illegal. -
John Brown's Raid
Brown, an anti-slavery campaigner, raids the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, to steal guns and start a slave rebellion. The Union army stops him and Brown is hanged. -
Democratic Party Splits
The Democratic Party splits over slavery into Northern and Southern Democrats. This ensures the election of Abraham Lincoln, the Republican candidate, to the sixteenth presidency of the United States. When Lincoln is elected, South Carolina becomes the first of the Southern states to leave the Union. -
Battle of Bull Run
The Battle of Bull Run is the fi rst battle of the Civil War and the South wins. The North realises it will be a long war. -
Confederates Fire on Fort Sumter
The Confederates fire upon Fort Sumter, the Union
fort in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, and the
Civil War begins. -
Formation of the Confederacy
The South forms the Confederate States of America
(also known as the CSA or the Confederacy) and leaves the Union. -
Jefferson Davis becomes President of the Confederacy
Jefferson Davis becomes President of the confederacy. -
Period: to
US Civil War
The civil war between the Union and the Confederacy -
Robert E. Lee commands Northern Virginia
Robert E. Lee is given command of the army of Northern Virginia. -
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam, repelling an invasion of the
North by Lee, is called a Union victory, but at a great
cost of lives. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
At the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Union attacks at the strongest point of the Southern line, suffers heavy losses and is forced to withdraw. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg is perhaps the last real chance of success that the South has in the war. Gettysburg is a Union victory. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Lincoln announces the Emancipation Proclamation, which frees all slaves. -
Ulysses S. Grant takes command of the Union Forces
Lincoln appoints Ulysses Grant as general-in-chief of the Union Army. -
Lincoln is re-elected President.
Lincoln is re-elected President. -
Civil War Ends
The Civil War ends. -
Lincoln is Assassinated
Lincoln is assassinated. Vice-President Andrew Johnson becomes President. -
13th Amendment is Passed
The 13th Amendment to the US Constitution makes the abolition of slavery official. -
Ulysses S. Grant is elected President
Ulysses Grant, the most successful Union general of the war, is elected as the eighteenth President of the United States.