Gurleen's Top 10 Ten: Civil War by Gurleen Kaur

1854: Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854

gurleen_kaur2 — 2025-10-06 00:50:52 UTC

This political act had revoked the Missouri Compromise, establishing the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and introducing the notion of popular sovereignty, which empowered people of the territories to make their own decisions about slavery.

I chose this act because it introduced the concept of popular sovereignty, which is still used today. Not only that, but it has brought a lot of tension over slavery; there was so much that it led to Bleeding Kansas. Bleeding Kansas was a bloody event in the Kansas territory between the proslavery and anti-slavery forces. This led to the demise of a political party and the creation of the Republican Party. With this, I believe it shows that the Missouri Compromise was both a good thing and a bad thing. The good thing was that it created popular sovereignty and a new political group. The bad part was that it created more tension between the North and South.

October 16-18,1859: John Brown's Raid

gurleen_kaur2 — 2025-10-06 00:54:29 UTC

This social event was a raid led by the abolitionist John Brown and his company, which attempted to seize the government armory and spark a slave revolt in the South, but their raid ultimately failed.

I chose this social event because John Brown's riot caused the Southerners to be scared of rebellions by the Northerners. This may have intensified the relationship between the two lands. Not only that, but I believe that it shows that there were abolitionists who were so against slavery that they would go to more radical, violent ways to end slavery.

1860: Election of 1860

gurleen_kaur2 — 2025-10-06 00:56:40 UTC

I chose this political event because it was the breaking point for the Southern states. Abraham was a strong supporter of antislavery. This led him to receive zero electoral votes from the South. It increased the North’s growing political influence and convinced Southern leaders that their way of life, centered on slavery, was under threat. For this reason, the Southern states seceded, which triggered the Civil War. This could also be seen as a social event because it exposes and heightens the tensions between the North and the South, affecting the lives of the people in the U.S., including both free citizens and enslaved individuals.

1861: Anaconda Plan

gurleen_kaur2 — 2025-10-07 15:52:12 UTC

The Anaconda plan is a political event since it was the Union's strategy during the Civil War. The plan had choked the South both economically and geographically. I chose this plan because it allowed the Union to control the Confederacy’s economy and resources through a naval blockade and control of the Mississippi River, which divided the Southern states into two. While this plan was very slow, its features were critical in hindering the South’s ability to import. I believe this is also a technological event since the plan was dependent on the use of a naval blockade and the control of the Mississippi River, all of which were technological advantages at the time.

Jul 1, 1863 – Jul 3, 1863: Battle of Gettysburg

gurleen_kaur2 — 2025-10-07 15:53:08 UTC

I chose this social event since the Battle of Gettysburg, out of all the wars that happened, this battle was the most bloody one, and it was the turning point of the Civil War. Out of all the mini battles, it looks like this battle has resulted in many casualties. Since the number of casualties with the Confederacy, this may have increased Union courage while weakening the Confederacy. Not only that, the battle also inspired Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, which reinterpreted the war’s aim as a fight for freedom. With this, I think that this battle has changed the purpose of the Civil War has changed.

January 1, 1863: Emancipation Proclamation

gurleen_kaur2 — 2025-10-07 18:24:26 UTC

I chose this social event since it changed the purpose of the Civil War to end slavery. The document encouraged the enslaved people in the South to serve in the Union army, directly contributing to their own emancipation. This provided the political and moral framework for the eventual ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment (abolishing slavery). This document is also an intellectual event because it has led to debates about freedom and civil rights, causing people to share their thoughts about these topics.

April 14, 1865: Abraham Lincoln's Assassination

gurleen_kaur2 — 2025-10-07 18:35:18 UTC

I chose this social event because it showed how much some of the Southerners were against black rights that they would assassinate their own president. It also shows that they were not a fan of Reconstruction. Not only that, but it also happened while he was trying to heal the nation, since the country struggled to reconcile and determine its future of the country. His death shows the instability of the time.

March 3, 1865: Freedmen's Burreau

gurleen_kaur2 — 2025-10-07 18:39:31 UTC

This social event was established by the Congress in 1865 to help previously enslaved people to get some form of education finally. Many received supplies of food, clothes, housing, and medical care, reducing suffering among newly freed people and white refugees. This shows how these enslaved people were no longer really facing a lot of cruelty like before. This event could also be counted as an economic event since the Bureau had helped these newly Freedmen to find jobs and land, even though not a lof of Southerners wanted to give land to the Freedmen. This shows how these former slaves were transitioning from slavery to free labor.

January 31, 1865: 13th Amendment

gurleen_kaur2 — 2025-10-08 19:44:49 UTC

The 13th Amendment would be considered a political event because it was passed by Congress and served as a means to end slavery across the country.

I chose this Amendment because it established constitutional rights for the freedmen. Not only that, but it also gave political power to the Black people by electing Black officials who were in the Republican Party. This transfer in political power shows how the freedmen were taking a step toward making real liberation from slavery a reality for previously enslaved people.

1865: Black codes

gurleen_kaur2 — 2025-10-09 18:28:39 UTC

Black code is a political event since it was passed by the southern state government. They did this to stop Reconstruction, showing that the Southern states still did not like the thought of enslaved people being free. This is also a social event since it limited the places freedmen could live and where they could work. With this, it shows that even after the 13th amendment, while they may have been freed, they still went through a lot of hardships. Furthermore, Black code could also be included as an economic event since African Americans had to make labor contracts with their former slave owners. The Southerners had created these labor contracts so that they could maintain white supremacy following the abolition of slavery, manage the newly freed people, and maintain the Southern economy.