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Underground railroads
Underground railroads was a secret network of routes and safe homes used by enslaved people to escape freedom to the north and Canada. Many abolitionists and antislavery northerners help slaves escape from southern plantations through the underground railroad. About 40,000 to 60,000 slaves escaped through the underground railroads. The underground railroads also created a symbol of hope and courage for enslaved people. After the southerners found out they placed the fugitive slave act. -
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history timeline
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Nat Turner Rebellion
Nat Turner was a slave who became a fiery preacher and leader of a rebellion against slavery. Turner and his followers including free or enslaved people. Went town to town killing men, women and children. Turner's rebellion led to fear and repression in the south. Turner went about one month before being captured. Eventually he was captured and tried and later excused. After Turner was killed the south created and passed a series of harsher and stricter laws. That impacted enslaved people. -
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was a formerly enslaved man who escaped slavery and became a prominent activist and public speaker. Douglass later became the leader of the abolitionists movement which fought against the practice of slavery. Douglass spoke at many debates about his story and his view on slavery. This raised awareness and made a great impact on society. Douglass wrote his first autobiography named ¨Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass¨ which spoke about the brutality of slavery. -
The Fugitive Act
The fugitive act was a pair of federal laws that allowed people to capture and return runaway slaves to their owners. Even in free states. People who helped or aided with these escapes were punished including civil penalties, criminal penalties and up to 6 months of imprisonment. Southern slaveholders used this law to protect their property and maintain the intuition of slavery. All of this led to abolitionist activity and divided the two regions causing tension and eventually The Civil War. -
the Kansas - Nebraska Act
The Kansas - Nebraska Act organized the territories of Kansas and Nebraska under the principle of popular sovereignty meaning the residents and the people that live in that territory allowed them to decide on slavery or not. This later effectively repealed The Missouri Compromise. Pro slavery and antislavery activists surged into these territories in effort to sway their vote. All of this created violence between the two sides that later became known as bleeding Kansas. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott was an enslaved African American that sued his owners for his freedom but The Supreme Court decided that the Dred scott couldn't sue in court cause he wasn't a citizen of the United States and had no protection under the law no matter where he has lived in a free or non free state. The Dred scott decision made a great impact and stunned the nation. The US Supreme Court upheld slavery in The United States territories and declared The Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional. -
John brown´s Raid
John Brown was an abolitionist and believed that slavery was a sin against god. Brown also helped slaves escape through the underground railroad. Brown led the raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry Virginia. To distribute weapons to enslaved people. This raid didn't last long, military soldiers from the south led by Robert Lee surrounded them and captured Brown and his men. Brown was viewed as a murder in the south and was tried for treason and murder and later executed and hanged. -
Civil War
The civil war was a conflict between the north and the south also known as the union vs the confederacy. Over the issue of slavery and state rights fought from 1861 to 1865. It is known as the deadliest war in U.S. history. It all started when Abraham Lincoln was elected president and seven of the southern states seceded from the confederate states of america. It also caused many problems in the south leading to economic ruin, social upheaval and overall the abolishment of slavery. -
The Battle of Fort Sumter
The Battle of Fort Sumter was the battle that started the Civil War. The Battle for Fort Sumter all started when South Carolina seceded from the union and when General P.G.T Beauregard and his officers surrendered and fired on the union held Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The Battle of Fort Sumter became a great victory for the South at the start of the Civil War. The Battle of Fort Sumter became a symbol of conflict representing both the union and the confederacy. -
The 13th amendment
The 13th amendment of the U.S. constitution was ratified after the civil war it abolished slavery from the U.S. The 13th amendment states “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted shall exist within the united states or any place subject to their jurisdiction¨. Beyond slavery the 13th amendment outlawed involuntary servitude which includes people not working against their will. Overall it made a powerful impact.