Turning Points-
1. Compromise of 1850- These five bills were caused by the territorial expansion of the U.S. and growing tensions on the balance of free/slave states. These bills said that:
-California would enter as a free state
-set the New Mexico territory and the Texas border up
-Utah created; Utah and New Mexico would be decided by popular sovereignty
-Slave trade abolished in D.C.
-New Fugitive Slave Law enacted
The Fugitive Slave Law especially caused controversy between the North and South leading up to the war.
2. Homestead Act(1862)- The Homestead Act was a way for the government to give some of the land acquired during the Louisiana Purchase away and get it settled and developed. It gave any family 160 acres of land as long as they promised to develop it. This combined with the idea of manifest destiny sent a lot of people west and caused more conflicts over the issue of slavery as more territories were attempting to join the Union.
3. Kansas-Nebraska Act- Introduced by Stephen Douglas, the Kansas-Nebraska Act was meant to solve the question of slavery in both of these territories. The new idea of popular sovereignty would be how the fate of these new states would be determined. However, things went horribly wrong when a disputed election led to the flooding of the states with abolitionists and pro-slavery forces. This event is called "bleeding Kansas" and is some of the worst violence over the issue of slavery leading up to the Civil War.
4. Election of 1860- In the Election of 1860, Lincoln won the presidency but with only 40% of the popular vote. A big turning point for the South in this election was that they all supported the same candidate and still lost the presidency. This made them feel like they were having to submit to Northerner's rule. It was this election that many believed caused South Carolina and ultimately the other confederate states to succeed and leave the Union.
5. Dred Scott Decision- The Dred Scott case was a test case for anti-slavery groups. Dred Scott's owner had taken him to trading posts in free territories. The slave, Dred Scott sued for his freedom. He won but when his appeal made it to the Supreme Court they ruled that Scott was not a citizen and therefore could not sue for his freedom. This hurt the abolition movement significantly.
6. Battle of Vicksburg- The Battle of Vicksburg was a turning point during the Civil war. The Union wanted to divide the South through what they called the Anaconda Plan. Vicksburg helped turn the tide of the war in the North's favor by giving them control of the Mississippi. This "suffocated" the South by cutting off the Confederate supplies coming from the West.
7. Emancipation Proclamation- The Emancipation Proclamation was given by president Lincoln. It is known as the document that first freed slaves but in reality, the war hadn't been won yet and there was no authority in the South to do so. It technically only freed northern slaves so really it didn't free any slaves immediately. However, the importance of the Emancipation Proclamation is that it assured that Britain and France would not support a pro-slavery confederacy even though the naval blockade in the South was hurting those countries economically.
8. Freedmen's Bureau- This was one of the first acts of reconstruction. While everyone was arguing about the rate at which emancipation should occur, this act allowed for the needs of refugees and freedmen to be met. This act built schools and hospitals to help out freedmen and also poor whites. It also provided courts that could resolve disputes involving blacks because they were not citizens yet.
9. Civil Rights Act of 1875- This act was supposed to allow for equal accommodation for blacks in public places and allow blacks to serve on juries. However, key parts of it were declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court because it ruled that discrimination by a private individual was legal. This set a precedent for disregarding the acts made by congress that were in favor of promoting the rights of african americans.
10. Compromise of 1877- Reconstruction had been heavily debated throughout the whole process, but both sides were tired of fighting about this conflict. There was a heavily contested election between Hayes and Tilden. Congress was split and there was a crisis looming. This led to the Compromise of 1877. The compromise called for:
-The last federal troops to leave South Carolina
-Republicans would give financial aid to the South
-building of the transcontinental railroad
-Election of Hayes would be certified
This allowed for the Union to stay together and put an official end to reconstruction.
1. Compromise of 1850- These five bills were caused by the territorial expansion of the U.S. and growing tensions on the balance of free/slave states. These bills said that:
-California would enter as a free state
-set the New Mexico territory and the Texas border up
-Utah created; Utah and New Mexico would be decided by popular sovereignty
-Slave trade abolished in D.C.
-New Fugitive Slave Law enacted
The Fugitive Slave Law especially caused controversy between the North and South leading up to the war.
2. Homestead Act(1862)- The Homestead Act was a way for the government to give some of the land acquired during the Louisiana Purchase away and get it settled and developed. It gave any family 160 acres of land as long as they promised to develop it. This combined with the idea of manifest destiny sent a lot of people west and caused more conflicts over the issue of slavery as more territories were attempting to join the Union.
3. Kansas-Nebraska Act- Introduced by Stephen Douglas, the Kansas-Nebraska Act was meant to solve the question of slavery in both of these territories. The new idea of popular sovereignty would be how the fate of these new states would be determined. However, things went horribly wrong when a disputed election led to the flooding of the states with abolitionists and pro-slavery forces. This event is called "bleeding Kansas" and is some of the worst violence over the issue of slavery leading up to the Civil War.
4. Election of 1860- In the Election of 1860, Lincoln won the presidency but with only 40% of the popular vote. A big turning point for the South in this election was that they all supported the same candidate and still lost the presidency. This made them feel like they were having to submit to Northerner's rule. It was this election that many believed caused South Carolina and ultimately the other confederate states to succeed and leave the Union.
5. Dred Scott Decision- The Dred Scott case was a test case for anti-slavery groups. Dred Scott's owner had taken him to trading posts in free territories. The slave, Dred Scott sued for his freedom. He won but when his appeal made it to the Supreme Court they ruled that Scott was not a citizen and therefore could not sue for his freedom. This hurt the abolition movement significantly.
6. Battle of Vicksburg- The Battle of Vicksburg was a turning point during the Civil war. The Union wanted to divide the South through what they called the Anaconda Plan. Vicksburg helped turn the tide of the war in the North's favor by giving them control of the Mississippi. This "suffocated" the South by cutting off the Confederate supplies coming from the West.
7. Emancipation Proclamation- The Emancipation Proclamation was given by president Lincoln. It is known as the document that first freed slaves but in reality, the war hadn't been won yet and there was no authority in the South to do so. It technically only freed northern slaves so really it didn't free any slaves immediately. However, the importance of the Emancipation Proclamation is that it assured that Britain and France would not support a pro-slavery confederacy even though the naval blockade in the South was hurting those countries economically.
8. Freedmen's Bureau- This was one of the first acts of reconstruction. While everyone was arguing about the rate at which emancipation should occur, this act allowed for the needs of refugees and freedmen to be met. This act built schools and hospitals to help out freedmen and also poor whites. It also provided courts that could resolve disputes involving blacks because they were not citizens yet.
9. Civil Rights Act of 1875- This act was supposed to allow for equal accommodation for blacks in public places and allow blacks to serve on juries. However, key parts of it were declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court because it ruled that discrimination by a private individual was legal. This set a precedent for disregarding the acts made by congress that were in favor of promoting the rights of african americans.
10. Compromise of 1877- Reconstruction had been heavily debated throughout the whole process, but both sides were tired of fighting about this conflict. There was a heavily contested election between Hayes and Tilden. Congress was split and there was a crisis looming. This led to the Compromise of 1877. The compromise called for:
-The last federal troops to leave South Carolina
-Republicans would give financial aid to the South
-building of the transcontinental railroad
-Election of Hayes would be certified
This allowed for the Union to stay together and put an official end to reconstruction.