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The Antebellum and Civil War Timeline (1820-1865)

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The Antebellum and Civil War Timeline (1820-1865)

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By: Iman Sheikh

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During the years of 1820-1865, the United States underwent numerous conflicts that eventually lead to an inevitable war with the North fighting against slavery and the South fighting to keep slaves. The tension between the two sides of the war had been building up since long before any of the battles even occurred. The South’s argument consisted of mainly economic reasons for keeping slaves while the North deemed slavery unethical and were standing for human rights. Eventually, even after all the debates and compromises, war broke out to finally decide whether slavery would end or continue in the new nation.

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An article about the Missouri Compromise. The general mentions how the framers of the constitution didn’t consider slavery.

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By 1819, Missouri had gained a large population and wanted to be part of the Union. Missouri was in the South and thus would be a slave state, however, there were already 10 free and 10 slave states so by adding Missouri, it would create an imbalance in power between the two sections of the U.S. To keep the balance, the Missouri Compromise was adopted which admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state. A line was also drawn which prevented slavery north of the line and permitted it south of it. Not everyone was satisfied with the compromise but it had to be agreed upon to avoid conflicts.

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This photo depicts a section of The Liberator, an abolitionist newspaper. The article is from 1831 which is around when the abolition movement started gaining traction.

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Around the 1830s, Black people started advocating for their rights and claiming they should be treated like other citizens since they were natives of the country. White people also started joining the movements and criticizing slavery. William Lloyd Garrison, a White Abolitionist, is who started The Liberator and pushed for freedom for slaves in his paper. Another abolitionist figure, David Walker advised Black people to fight for freedom rather than wait peacefully. After Walker traveled the world and saw how awfully Black people were treated in America compared to other places, as written in “Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World” he stood against slavery. Frederick Douglass who was born a slave and escaped slavery also became a very important abolitionist. Several years after the start of the movement, Douglass gave a historic speech about how the 4th of July isn’t even something worth celebrating for Black people who are not free. Many Southern White people were enraged by the growing anti-slavery movement.

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The top shows slaves killing white people in the rebellion. At the bottom it shows the white people ending the rebellion.

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One of the biggest and most violent slave rebellions occurred in 1831 when Nat Turner, a slave, believed he was given a sign by God to lead Black people to freedom. According to pbs.org, Turner was a “deeply religious man” and frequently claimed to see strange signs from God like when he saw “hieroglyphic characters and numbers…portrayed in blood” (“Africans in America”). On the day of his revolt, Turner saw a solar eclipse and believed it was another religious sign. Turners men ended up killing around 60 White people on plantations before they went into hiding. In response to the many killed, White people murdered 200 innocent Black people. Turner was eventually caught and hanged and White people only became more controlling of their slaves.

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A document from the Virginia debates. Reads “Massacred by the blacks” in reference to Turners rebellion.

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Due to all the slave uprisings and abolition groups, the state of Virginia was is a huge debate about the issue of slavery. The pro-slavery side still won in state legislature, however, this did not stop the anti-slavery movement. To prevent future slave revolts, many people in the debates argued to tighten laws on the slaves. As a result even free Black people lost the right to vote, own guns, testify in court and own property. The Bible was used to justify slavery during this time and the myth that slaves were happy to have a job was preached too. The gag rule was eventually adopted which prevented people from debating too much about an issue such as slavery. The gag rule was appealed so the talk about slavery never really ended. Even 6 years later, John C. Calhoun wrote in defense of slavery, “We of the South will not, cannot, surrender our institutions.”

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A cartoon from the Texas revolution. Shows the surrender of Santa Anna.

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In 1835 Mexico sealed its borders and added a heavy tax on the importation of American goods. Despite border restrictions the population of Texas only increased with more Americans coming there in search of opportunities however the Mexican government became increasingly unstable and sent an emissary to talk to the Mexican president. While on his way home Santa Anna suspended the 1824 Mexican constitution and had him imprisoned for inciting revolution. After Santa Anna revoked local powers in Texas and other Mexican states, several rebellions erupted. This included what would eventually be known as the Texas Revolution.

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Article during westward expansion. Farm lands became cheap because everyone was keaving them for California.

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After Thomas Jefferson purchased Louisiana and expanded the borders of the U.S, people wanted to explore the territory and places west of the U.S. in the 1840s, hundreds of thousands of Americans migrated westward because they believed they were destined by God to explore everything (Manifest Destiny). Manifest means obvious while destiny is what people are meant to do in the future so the term literally describes why the people started migrating west. According to ushistory.org, “The religious fervor spawned by the Second Great Awakening created another incentive for the drive west” which explains why people would risk migrating across the country. Many people wanted to start a new life in a new place or look for economic opportunities in the new land. This westward expansion initiated another conflict with Natives and with Mexico as well.

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A recruitment flyer for the war. December 17, 1846.

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Hoping for Mexican aggression that would unify Americans behind a war, president Polk then issued orders for General Zachary Taylor to march to the Rio Grande and blockade the river. Mexicans viewed this action as a violation of their rights. As Taylor posted his forces at the Rio Grande Frémont led an expedition through Mexico, another violation. Mexico responded by sending troops across the Rio Grande killing 9 US soldiers. Polk instantly sent a war message to Congress and due to lack of information on Polk’s part in-sighted war.

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A document contains the South’s voice. These are all oppositions to Wilmots ideas.

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In 1846, David Wilmot proposed a bill that slavery should not exist in any territory that the U.S might get after the war with Mexico. He wanted to ban slavery in the territories of California, Utah, New Mexico. The North supported the bill because they didn’t want the new territories to make the South more powerful. Southerners strongly opposed the proviso and used the constitution to defend their argument because they saw slaves as property and property was protected under the constitution. Although the Senate rejected the bill, territories could still choose whether they wanted to be a free or slave state. When California applied for statehood, a huge issue arose because although California was south of the Missouri compromise line, it wanted to be a free state which the South saw as a threat.

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During the California Gold Rush. Poster encouraging people to move to California for the gold.

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https://youtu.be/iydRkC0gMZI
In 1848, James Marshall discovered gold in California and caused people to see the west as even more desirable to migrate to. As soon as people heard about the gold, thousands of peoples started moving to California with pans to find the gold. Everyone left their jobs and homes to look for the gold all the way out in California so they could make exponentially more money than they were by working day to day. These people who moved to California in hopes of finding gold were referred to as the forty-niners and they included people even from Asia and South America. The gold rush made both the population and economy of California boom and it also brought lots of diversity to the area. Interestingly John O’Sullivan who coined the term “manifest destiny” said “A population will soon be in actual occupation of California” a few years before the gold rush so he predicted right because he strongly believed in the expansion.

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A map of the political climate around the same time of the Compromise of 1850. Shows free states in red, slave states in dark blue and territories in light blue. 

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In 1850, Henry Clay presented Senate with a huge list of bills that he hoped would end the argument over slavery. Clay proposed ideas to please both the North and South. He wanted California to be admitted in as a free state for the North but for the South he wanted to strengthen fugitive slave laws. He also wanted to allow residents of territories to govern by popular sovereignty which gave the residents the right to vote for or against slavery. Clay also wanted to pay Texas $10 million to let go of its claim to New Mexico which both the North and South approved of since it limited slavery and it helped a southern state with its debts from the war with Mexico. The Senate rejected the compromise but then a man named Stephen Douglas decided to break the bill up into one thing at a time to give it a better chance of being passed. The compromise was eventually voted into law. Unfortunately the benefits didn’t last long because enforcing the law would be difficult.

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Kansas-nebraska Map, 1854. Senator Stephen Douglas divided the territory because he believed in popular sovereignty.

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In 1854, Senator Douglas proposed a bill to divide the territory west of Iowa into 2 states, Nebraska in the north and Kansas in the south. He wanted to forget the Missouri Compromise and just let both territories establish popular sovereignty. Some northerners saw this bill as a way to let territories turn into slave states so they disapproved while the vast majority of southerners supported the bill. Douglas managed to pass the law, however, violence followed right afterward. People rushed to claim Kansas from both the North and South. Several conflicts occurred and eventually a building was burned and hundreds were killed. Many fights also happened in Congress during all this chaos and Kansas was called “Bleeding Kansas” for the violence.

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A school in Wisconsin where the Republican Party started. A group of Whigs and Democrats came together to create a new and better political party here.

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By 1855, Horace Greenly an editor of the New York Tribune left the Whig party and wanted to start a new anti-slavery party called the Republican Party. The Whigs were constantly split on the issue of slavery and could never decide which side to be on while the Democrats were just not as powerful as they once were. Another party which was around at the time was the Know-Nothing Party who were often very secretive and would not tell anyone about their activities. The Know-Nothings were known supporters of nativism, however, which is the favoring of native born Americans and resenting immigrants. Another political party was the Free-Soil party which consisted of former northern Whigs and Democrats. The Free-Soilers were mostly abolitionists but there were some that weren’t and that angered many real abolitionists. The creation of actual political parties over slavery made the issue become more serious.

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A document from the Supreme Court in 1856. The case was filed by Dred Scott.

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In 1856, a very important case came before the Supreme Court. Dred Scott who was a slave from Missouri, had been taken north of the Missouri Compromise line and lived in free territory for years. When Scott and his owner returned to Missouri, the owner died and Scott claimed he should be a feee man. The Supreme Court ended up ruling that slaves were in fact property not people so therefore Scott was not a free man especially because he was living in Missouri when he filed the lawsuit. The Supreme Court also declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional which made the South very happy. Northerners saw this as a way to let slavery continue expanding into new territories and they now depended on the new Republican Party to gain strength and take down slavery.

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Poster addressing Harpers Ferry. It is calling for Brown to be executed.

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In 1859, John Brown, a white man who according to pbs.org belonged to a “devout family with extreme anti-slavery views” decided he was done with peace and took action to stop slavery. Brown also previously participated in the “Bleeding Kansas” conflicts where he “led a small band of men to Potawatomie Creek” and “brutally murdered” supporters of slavery. Brown also raided Missouri and “free[ed] eleven slaves and kill[ed] the slave owner.” John Brown who had studied slave uprisings and gained financial backing from abolitionists, led a group of black and white men into Harpers Ferry. Their goal was to hold the federal arsenal and 60 of the towns citizens hostage in the building. Troops ended up killing many of Browns men and captured him. Brown was hanged for treason and caused many to resent the abolition movement including anti-slavery people. Though, some Northerners did start praising Brown for fighting for freedom.

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Presidential Election Poster in 1860. Shows Lincoln and Hamlin running for president and vice president.

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In 1860, the Republican Party had grown drastically. However, most people thought Senator William Seward of New York would be the party’s candidate at first. Instead, Abraham Lincoln ended up being nominated because he was less well known and therefore had less chances to say something people disagreed with. Although Lincoln didn’t believe in equality, he still wanted to get rid of slavery which angered the South. When Lincoln won the election the South threatened to leave the Union because they believed his win meant they would lose their power. The Confederacy formed when South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas left the Union.

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Article discussing the battle of Fort Sumter, 1861. This is from when they actually started shooting and bombing.

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https://youtu.be/xsbEmWkit9Y
Fort Sumter was on an island in South Carolina. The Confederacy took hold of the fort and threatened the new president. Lincoln was in a tough spot because if he ordered to shoot the fort down, he would start a war and if he ordered to evacuate the fort, it would make the Confederacy actually look like a strong nation. Lincoln chose neither option and just sent food in to the fort to make sure his men didn’t starve. The confederate leader, Jefferson Davis decided war was the only way to solve the conflict. The Union prepared to fight against the South but then Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina all joined the Confederacy. While all of this was going on, Alexander Stephen’s was giving a speech about how the government had a “sandy foundation” because the framers of the constitution never foresaw this issue. He also mentions how the framers built the government on equality but now the cornerstone is based on the fact that the races are not equal.

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About the battle of Bull Run. Written in a poetic style.

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After Fort Sumter, thousands of Union and Confederate soldiers were camped near a creek called Bull Run. When the Confederate soldiers held their ground inspired by their general “Stonewall Jackson”, the Union didn’t stand much of a chance. When Confederate reinforcements arrived, it was a confirmed win for the South.

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A drawing showing both forts and a bird’s eye view. This was the third battle.

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In February 1862, the Union army invaded Tennessee. The Union managed to capture two very important Confederate forts, Fort Henry and Fort Donelson. The fort Henry was on the Tennessee River while Donelson was on the Cumberland River, both of these locations gave the forts strategic positions which the Union wanted.

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A picture depicting the surprise attack. This battle happened near a Church.

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In March 1862, general Grant, in charge of the Union army, took his men to a Church called Shiloh. Suddenly out of nowhere, Confederate soldiers conducted a surprise attack in the Union and many the North took many soldier losses. The next day, Grant gathered his men and lead a revenge attack to which the Southerns soldiers retreated. The battle of Shiloh taught both sides a lesson that they needed to build trenches and defend themselves properly.

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The Mississippi River Campaigns. April 24, 1862.

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The Union took around 40 ships down the Mississippi River in order to capture New Orleans. New Orleans was the most important city in the south due to its population and economy, so losing it would be a major loss to the Confederacy. The Union commander managed to get past 2 Confederate forts and take New Orleans. The Union then moved on and captured  other major cities in the South. A major reason for the success of the Union was the new technology used in this war such as the ironclad ships which were very resistant to enemy fire. The new rifle and minié ball were also revolutionary because they influenced battles to be fought from a long range.

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A civilians account of what happened at the battle. Lists the effects of the battle.

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With pure luck, the Union army found the South’s battle plans wrapped around a bunch of cigars in the forest. The plan showed that the Confederate army was split apart so the general McClellan lead his army to the Confederate soldiers and they fought near a creek called Antietam. The Southern soldiers had arrived there first so they already had some safe places to hide but still more than 26,000 soldiers died. The South retreated the next day after losing so many men in that violent and savage battle. Instead of chasing after the Confederate army and finally beating them for good, McClellan didn’t do anything so Lincoln ended up firing him.

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Emancipation Proclamation of 1963. From the National Archives museum.

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As the south was struggling to win the war some of the north thought that just winning the war was not enough and that the issue of slavery needed to be permanently dealt with, they felt that if it was not dealt with now that it would cause problems in the future. On January 1, 1863 Lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation declaring that “all persons held as slaves within said designated States and parts of States, are and henceforward shall be free.”

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A picture of two confederate soldiers. They fought in the battle of Gettysburg.

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It was fought in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in a town unlikely and not ideal for battle, no one planned to fight there. Many confederate soldiers whom where barefoot heard of shoe supply and went to Gettysburg to find it, they had also hoped to meet up with enemy forces. On the way they did find them a couple of brigades of union cavalry, their commanding officer told them to hold defensive positions and sent for reinforcements and thus the battle begun.

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Draft of the Gettysburg Address. Written by Abraham Lincoln.

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In November 1863 a ceremony was held to dedicate a cemetery in Gettysburg. The first to speak was Edward Everett who gave a two hour speech then was Lincoln who gave a brief two minute speech that gathered the public attention of the time. In his speech he honors the founding fathers and their beliefs for the nation, “our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” Over the years it has become one of the most famous speeches in history, in just a few words Lincoln reminded Americans that they were in the right for fighting this war and for the principles this country was founded on, freedom.

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Map from the battle of Vicksburg. Shows the usage of mines in the battle.

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Vicksburg, Mississippi was one of the two confederate holdouts preventing the union from taking complete control of the Mississippi River, an extremely important waterway for transportation of goods. In the spring of 1863 Grant sent a strike team to destroy central rail lines by using this distraction Grant was able to land infantry south of the port city late on April 30 and ransacked the capital of the state. They then lead a siege which surrounded Vicksburg and forced its residents to take shelter. Food was running low and the confederate soldiers were starving, they sent a message to their commander saying if you can’t feed us then surrender so he did and the Mississippi was taken.

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Displays both candidates in the election. Propaganda against Lincoln.

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As the election approached Lincoln faced heavy opposition, he was with the Democratic Party who disliked the length of the war and wished for it to end not to mention casualties and losses. On the republic party was George McClellan who was fired by Lincoln and was more than happy to run against him. Not only that the radical republicans formed a third party and nominated John C Fremont as their candidate. Lincoln was pessimistic about his chances but at his second inauguration was focused on the country’s future. By some miracle he had won the election.

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Handwritten document from the Appomattox Court. A written surrender of the Confederate general.

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By late March 1865 it was clear that the end of the confederacy was fast approaching the final nail in the coffin was the fall of Richmond where they were surrounded with no choice but to surrender. The two generals arranged terms of surrender on April 9, 1865 in a Virginia village called Appomattox Court House. The terms were generous allowing soldiers to head home with their personal belongings, their horses and three days rations, officers allowed to keep their firearms. Within all but two months the confederate resistance collapsed. After four long years and enormous human and economic cost the war was finally over.

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The Civil War completely transformed the United States, not just in the mid 1800s but also all the way up til today. Although thousands of soldiers died, in the end it was all so that the horrors of slavery could finally end and Black people could be free. The war also paved the way for the reconstruction of the U.S and made America for the first time actually stand for the values it was based upon.