Early American Discrimination Timeline

  • Massacre at Mystic

    Massacre at Mystic

    Massacre at Mystic happened during the Pequot War. When the American colonists and their Native American allies attacked a pequot village in Connecticut. This caused around 500 to 600 deaths.
  • Battle of Tippecanoe

    Battle of Tippecanoe

    The Battle of Tippecanoe was a clash between U.S. forces, led by Governor William Henery Harrison, and Native American warriors, led by Tecumsehs brother Tenskwatawa. The U.S. won, which weakened Native American resistance in northwest territory.
  • Indian Removal Act

    Indian Removal Act

    The Indian Removal Act authorized the U.S. government to force Native American tribes to relocate west of the Mississippi River, leading to forced migration known as the Trail of Tears.
  • Nat Turner Rebellion

    Nat Turner Rebellion

    The Nat Turner Rebellion was a 1831 slave uprising in Virginia lead by Nat Turner. Around 70 enslaved people killed about 55 white people. The revolt was quickly suppressed and Turner was executed. This lead to stricter laws against enslaved people.
  • Dred Scott Decision

    Dred Scott Decision

    The Dred Scott decision was a Supreme Court ruling that declared African Americans were not U.S. citizens and that Congress couldn't ban slavery in the U.S. territories. This would eventually lead to the Civil War.
  • Emancipation Proclamation

    Emancipation Proclamation

    The Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Lincoln in 1863, it declared all enslaved people in Confederate states to be free, shifting the Civil Wars focus to ending slavery.
  • 13th Amendment

    13th Amendment

    The 13th Amendment was ratified in 1865 to abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States, except as a punishment for crime.
  • 14th Amendment

    14th Amendment

    The 14th Amendment was ratified in 1668. It granted citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the U.S. and guaranteed equal protection under the law.
  • 15th Amendment

    15th Amendment

    The 15th Amendment was ratified in 1870. This gave African American men the right to vote by prohibiting voting discrimination based on race.
  • The Scalp Act

    The Scalp Act

    The Scalp Act was a U.S. law that paid bounties for Native American scalps to encourage settlers and soldiers to fight and kill Native Americans during westward expansion.
  • Battle of Little Bighorn

    Battle of Little Bighorn

    The Battle of Little Bighorn was a fight between Native American tribes, ed by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, and the U.S. soldiers under General Custer. Native Americans won decisively.
  • Plessy vs. Ferguson

    Plessy vs. Ferguson

    The Plessy vs. Ferguson was an 1896 Supreme Court Case that upheld racial segregation "separate but equal" facilities were constitutional