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Mexican-American War (1846-48)
A war against Mexico and the United States over land that America wanted because of "manifest destiny". -
Election of 1846
In this election, Abraham Lincoln was re-elected as president. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo(1848)
The treaty was signed by Mexico, giving the United States the. land that make up the present day Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. -
Mexican Cession (1848)
This is the region in which Mexico gave the United States the southwestern land. The land that was earned from the war. -
Wilmot Proviso
A proposal to prohibit slavery in the land that the United States had won from the Mexicans after the war. -
Compromise of 1850
Senator Henry Clay introduced this compromise, which made the Fugitive Slave Act get amended and the slave trade in Washington D.C. was abolished. -
Fugitive Slave Law (1850)
A law that made people have to go out and search for any slaves that have runaway from their masters. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)
An act that let Kansas and Nebraska decide whether they want to be a slave or free state. This act was made to repeal the Missouri Compromise of 1820. -
"Bleeding Kansas" (1856)
A series of violent civil confrontations which arouse from the debate over the legality of slavery in Kansas. -
Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
A case over whether Dred Scott, a slave, was able to be a freed man because of him living in a free state for a period of time. The court favored Sandford, who was the one that denied letting Dred Scott and his family to be free. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1859)
A series of seven debated between Abraham Lincoln and Senator Stephen Douglas. -
Raid of Harpers Ferry (1859)
Abolitionist John Brown lead a raid against a federal armory in Harpers Ferry Virginia. -
Election of 1860
An election where Republican Abraham Lincoln defeated three Democrats. This election was thought by southern to lead to the demise of slavery, as Lincoln was against slavery. -
Battle of Fort Sumter (1861)
The bombardment of Fort Sumter by the Confederate States. This was the battle that started the American Civil War. -
Battle of Antietam (1862)
A battle that started with Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army who tried to invade the north, and whom was stop, and battled with, Union General George McClellan's Army. This was the deadliest one-day battle in all of American military history. -
Emancipation Proclamation (1862)
This was issued by President Abraham Lincoln, and which states that any slave that is located in the south is set free. -
Battle of Gettysburg (1863)
Fought from July 1 to July 3, the battle was won over by the Confederate forces, who then marched into Pennsylvania. This was the bloodiest battle. -
Battle of Vicksburg (1863)
The Union forces trapped the Confederate army in Vicksburg. The Union won this battle. -
Lincoln's assassination (1865)
When President Abraham Lincoln was in presidential box at Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C., actor John Wilkes Booth came into the presidential box and shot the president, killing him. -
13th amendment (1865)
The 13th amendment completely abolished slavery, stating "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to three jurisdiction". -
Freedmen's Bureau (1865)
Helped former black slaves and poor whites in the South in the aftermath of the Civil Wars. -
Civil Rights Act of 1866
The first United States federal law to define citizenship and affirm that all citizens are equally protected by the law. -
Military reconstruction (1867)
Congress passed the Military Reconstruction Act of 1867, in which divided the south into five military districts. -
14th amendment (1868)
An amendment that basically states that anyone that is born here in the United States are protected under the government from harm. -
15th amendment (1870)
This amendment gave the right to vote to people of different races, stating "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude". -
Election of 1876
The results of this election remain among the most disputed ever, although it is not disputed that Tilden won over Hayes in the popular vote. -
Compromise of 1877
This compromise helped with settling the intensely disputed election of 1876.