Path to Civil War

Ratification of the Constitution

1788 - New Hampshire becomes the 9th state to agree to this important US document. 4 other states also approved. Slavery was protected by this document, and created an imbalance amongst the people.

Invention of the Cotton Gin

1793 - This machine was created to make production in farms much more efficient and therefore improve the economy. Also, the creation of this machine meant more slaves were desired so they could use this machine and make more money.

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

1798 - In protest of the Alien and Sedition acts, claiming states should be able to nullify federal laws they believe to be unconstitutional, which would also be giving individual states more power.

Louisiana Purchase

1803 - 828,000 square miles of territory bought from France, resulting in dispute over whether this new territory should allow slavery or not.

Missouri Compromise

1820 - Missouri is deemed as a slave state, while the rest of the Louisiana territory is free, which was intended to keep the balance. This caused further debate amongst the country.

First issue of The Liberator published

1831 - William Lloyd Garrison, an influential abolitionist, released this newspaper, which publicly promoted emancipation and caused tension between states over slavery.

Nullification Crisis

1831 - South Carolina wanted to not follow federal tariff laws (because they thought they had this right), but the US government didn't agree to this.

Gag Rule (Pinckney Resolutions)

1836 - A resolution passed by the House of Reps that prevented antislavery petitions, which enraged abolitionists because they were being silenced.

Mexican-American War

1846-1848 - Caused by fights over the border of the Texas annexation relating to slavery

Wilmot Proviso

1846 - An amendment that wouldn't allow slavery in any new territory acquired from the war with Mexico. It was passed by the House of Reps but not the Senate.

Compromise of 1850

1850 - California was entered as a free state, but in return the Fugitive Slave Act was enforced. Slave trading was also banned in D.C.

2nd Fugitive Slave Act

1850 - Forced all states (free or not) to catch and return all fugitive slaves. They weren't given a jury trial, nor were they able to testify on their own behalf.

Publication of "Uncle Tom's Cabin"

1852 - Extremely influential book about the brutality of slavery which inspired people to become abolitionists

Formation of the Republican Party

1854 - This party was created by people who were against slavery and the Kansas-Nebraska act. This new political party created more of a divide in America.

Kansas-Nebraska Act passed

1854 - Residents in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska could pick whether or not slavery was allowed. This caused violence and more political debates.

Brooks attacks Sumner

1856 - A South Carolina Representative attacked a Massachusetts Senator with a cane because he insulted his cousins speech.

Bleeding Kansas

1854-1859 - Violence in this state due to a recently passed act. Tensions rose and violence ensued.

Dred Scot vs. Sanford

1857 - Supreme Court case over whether or not slaves should be able to sue in federal court. The jury ruled against the African American slave because it was believed that they weren't citizens and don't have this right. This nullified the 13th and 14th amendments

John Brown's Raid

1859 - 19 men attacked Harpers Ferry to rob the armory and arsenal. They took hostages and attempted to start a rebellion using the stolen weapons, but it failed because local slaves refused to join and militias quickly stopped them.

Presidential Election of 1860

1860 - Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin won as the candidates who were against slavery, which caused more of a divide. 7 states had already left the Union by Lincoln's inauguration.

Secession (1st Wave)

1860 - South Carolina was the first to vote in favor of leaving the Union, followed by Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida. The Confederacy was being officially created.

Fort Sumter

1861 - The first shots of the American Civil War were shot here, and this marks the beginning of the war.

Secession (2nd Wave)

1861 - States in the upper south, including Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Arkansas began leaving America and joining the Confederacy

1st Battle of Bull Run-Manassas

1861 - This was the first battle, and it was named after a nearby stream or a nearby town. This is when America realized this wouldn't be a quick and easy war, and the fight against the Confederacy would be long and bloody.