The Civil War Timeline 1861 - 1865 by Ashton Ramirez Yanez

Missouri Compromise (1820)

aramirezyanez587 — 2025-07-15 13:48:41 UTC

The Missouri Compromise was an agreement that admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state to maintain balance in Congress. It also drew a line across the Louisiana Territory, prohibiting slavery north of the 36°30' latitude.

Wilmot Proviso (1846)

aramirezyanez587 — 2025-07-15 13:54:45 UTC

The Wilmot Proviso was a proposal to ban slavery in any new territories acquired from Mexico after the Mexican-American War. Although it failed to pass, it intensified debates over the expansion of slavery.

Compromise of 1850 (1850)

aramirezyanez587 — 2025-07-15 13:55:29 UTC

This series of laws admitted California as a free state, included a stricter Fugitive Slave Act, and allowed popular sovereignty in new territories. It aimed to resolve disputes over slavery’s expansion.

Fugitive Slave Act (1850)

aramirezyanez587 — 2025-07-15 14:00:34 UTC

Part of the Compromise of 1850, this law required citizens to assist in capturing runaway slaves and denied alleged fugitives a right to a jury trial.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852)

aramirezyanez587 — 2025-07-15 14:02:07 UTC

Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel depicted the brutal realities of slavery and galvanized abolitionist sentiments in the North.

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

aramirezyanez587 — 2025-07-15 14:05:26 UTC

This act allowed settlers in Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery through popular sovereignty, effectively repealing the Missouri Compromise.

Bleeding Kansas (1854–1859)

aramirezyanez587 — 2025-07-15 14:07:37 UTC

A series of violent confrontations between pro- and anti-slavery settlers in Kansas, as both sides fought over the status of slavery in the territory.

The Election of 1856 (1856)

aramirezyanez587 — 2025-07-15 14:09:55 UTC

James Buchanan was elected president on a platform opposing abolitionist efforts, amid rising sectional tensions.

Dred Scott Decision (1857)

aramirezyanez587 — 2025-07-15 14:12:07 UTC

The Supreme Court ruled that African Americans were not citizens and that Congress could not prohibit slavery in territories, effectively protecting slavery’s expansion.

John Brown’s Raid (1859)

aramirezyanez587 — 2025-07-15 14:13:44 UTC

Abolitionist John Brown led a raid on Harper’s Ferry to incite a slave uprising, but was captured and executed.

The Election of 1860 (1860)

aramirezyanez587 — 2025-07-15 14:19:45 UTC

Abraham Lincoln was elected president without any support from the South, leading Southern states to fear abolition and secede from the Union.

The Creation of the Confederate States of America (1861)

aramirezyanez587 — 2025-07-15 14:21:39 UTC

Following Lincoln’s election, eleven Southern states seceded from the Union and formed the Confederacy, leading to the outbreak of Civil War.

Henry Clay's Death (1852)

aramirezyanez587 — 2025-07-15 14:35:39 UTC

Henry Clay died from tuberculosis. He passed away on June 29, 1852, in Washington, D.C. His death marked a turning point, symbolizing the decline of a spirit of compromise in American politics leading up to the Civil War.

The Trial of John Brown (1859)

aramirezyanez587 — 2025-07-15 14:44:08 UTC

The Trial of John Brown was the court case where abolitionist John Brown was tried for his role in leading an attack on a federal armory at Harpers Ferry in 1859, aiming to start a slave uprising. He was found guilty of treason, murder, and inciting a slave revolt, and was sentenced to death.