Antebellum America Chronology Review Major Events in US History, 1820 - 1861.

Antebellum America Chronology ReviewMajor Events in US History, 1820 - 1861

L. South Carolina SecedesThe Union dissolved with this state withdrew to protest the election of President Abraham Lincoln of the Republican Party.

I. The Liberator founded by William Lloyd Garrison This was the nation’s first abolitionist newspaper, dedicated to the complete annihilation of slavery. It was published from 1831 until the end of the Civil War.

N. Fort Sumter, Charleston, SCThe first shots of the Civil War were fired here, in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.

K. The Lincoln-Douglas DebatesAbraham Lincoln argued against popular sovereignty – unsuccessfully – during these debates. Lincoln wanted to ban slavery in the Western Territories.

F. The Dred Scott Case (1857) Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney made slavery legal in every state with this decision. Southerners rejoiced, while Northerners stubbornly resisted the decision.

A. The Missouri Compromise Slavery was forbidden north of the 36°30’ N Latitude line with this compromise. Maine became a free state; Missouri entered the Union as a slave state.

C. California Statehood: The Compromise of

1850The Compromise of 1850 banned slave auctions in DC, allowed popular sovereignty to determine the slavery issue in Utah and New Mexico, strictly enforced the Fugitive Slave Act, and allowed California to enter the Union as a free state.

E. The Kansas-Nebraska Act This overturned the Missouri Compromise, allowing popular sovereignty in the Louisiana Territory.

D. Abraham Lincoln Elected As a free-soil Republican candidate, this man won a four way race for the Presidency in the Election of 1860.

G. The Harper’s Ferry Raid John Brown led this unsuccessful slave uprising and was put to death by the state of Virginia for treason in 1859.

M. Uncle Tom’s Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe

This novel polarized Americans; Northerners read it and sympathized with abolitionists. Southerners were outraged that the novel condemned their “peculiar institution” – slavery.

B. The Wilmot Proviso This was a proposal – never passed by the Congress – to ban slavery in any territory which was taken from Mexico during the Mexican-American War.

H. “Bleeding Kansas” Violence between abolitionists and pro-slavery settlers occurred in this Western Territory during the 1850s.

J. Texas StatehoodThis former republic entered the Union as a slave state under President James K. Polk. At the time, it tilted the balance of power in favor of slaveholding states.

Chronological Order ActivityEvents in Antebellum America, 1820 - 1861

The Missouri Compromise - 1820Slavery was forbidden north of 36°30’ N latitude with this compromise; Maine became a free state, as well.

William Lloyd Garrison establishes The Liberator, 1831.This was the first abolitionist newspaper, dedicated to the complete annihilation of slavery.

Texas is annexed and becomes a slave state. (1845)This former republic entered the Union as a slave state under President James K. Polk. President John Tyler has annexed the former republic.

The Wilmot Proviso - 1846This was a proposal – never passed by Congress – to ban slavery in every part of the territory Americans won during the Mexican-American War.

The Compromise of 1850The Compromise of 1850 banned slave auctions in Washington, DC, allowed popular sovereignty in Utah and New Mexico, strictly enforced the Fugitive Slave Act, and allowed California to enter the Union free.

Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin is published (1852). This novel polarized Americans; Northerners read it and sympathized more with abolitionism; Southerners reacted to the novel angrily.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act - 1854This act overturned the method of dealing with slavery agreed to in the Missouri Compromise, allowing popular sovereignty in the former Louisiana Territory.

“Bleeding Kansas” – Violence over slavery in Kansas Territory. Violence between abolitionists and pro-slavery settlers occurred in this Western Territory from 1855 until the end of the Civil War.

The Dred Scott Decision of 1857Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney made slavery legal in every state with this decision in 1857

The Lincoln Douglas Debates of 1858Abraham Lincoln argued against popular sovereignty – and in favor of banning slavery in the Western Territories, during these debates. He lost the Senate seat to Stephen F. Douglas; however, he won national recognition, and eventually defeated Douglas for the Presidency in 1860.

John Brown’s Raid on Harper’s Ferry and Execution - 1859John Brown led this unsuccessful slave uprising and was put to death by the state of Virginia.

Abraham Lincoln’s Election – November 1860Despite the fact that he did not appear on the ballot in Southern States and that he won only 40% of the popular vote, Abraham Lincoln won the Electoral College and secured the Presidency.

South Carolina Secedes from the Union – December 1860The Union dissolved when this state withdrew to protest the Election of President Abraham Lincoln.

The Bombardment of Fort Sumter - 1861The first shots of the Civil War were fired here, in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. Fort Sumter surrendered in a bloodless opening of the war.