-
Jan 1, 1503
First Africans brought to the Americas
First Africans are brought to the Americas and are used as slaves. Slaves were used in parts of Americas to produce cash crops such as sugarcane in places like the Bahamas. As areas more wealthy due to their success, more slaves were purchased. -
First Africans arrive at Jamestown
First Africans arrive at Jamestown
First Africans arrive at Jamestown and are used as slaves. Slaves were used in America to produce cash crops such as tobacco, and eventually cotton in mass amounts. As America expanded, the need for more slaves increased, due to their being more land available for farming use. -
Virginia puts in place law declaring that children of slave women are slaves
Law created ensures there will be future slaves. All children of slaves automatically became slaves. This law leads to other slave states adopting the same practices to ensure a supply of slaves. Slaves could now only become free if their master’s granted it, or if they ran away. -
Start of Revolutionary war
Slaves could choose to fight in many cases to win their freedom, increasing the number of free slaves. Slaves fought for both the British and the Colonists to win their freedom. Giving slaves an opportunity to fight also gave more blacks a feeling of freedom and independence that they felt they deserved.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnGiFKDBZ8s -
Declaration of Independence is signed
Declaration states American colonies no longer belong to Britain, containing the ideals the American colonies and its colonists are free. These ideals of freedom do not include slaves, which eventually leads to the civil war. -
End of Revolutionary War
Many slaves were free due to fighting in the war, increasing the number of free slaves. There were the greatest number of free slaves in America after the Revolutionary war. Freed slaves such as Frederick Douglass eventually would write about his experiences as a slave and publish his works, proving that slaves were capable human beings. -
Northwest Ordinance
Northwest Ordinance prohibits slavery in lands north of the Ohio river and west of Pennsylvania, dividing slave states from free states. The Northwest Ordinance by dividing the land also divided the country. -
Constitution of the United States in effect
The Constitution is put into effect and does not abolish slavery. Instead, the constitution includes the three-fifths act which counts a slave as three-fifths of a person when counting the number of citizens in a state. This act helped southern states, by giving them more representatives in Congress. -
Slave population reaches 697,681
Slave population reaches 697,681in the united states, raising awareness of how immoral slavery is. Slavery becomes more ingrained in southern lifestyle and expands. -
Vermont joins the Union
Vermont joins the Union as a free state. For about 1 year there are more slave states than free, however soon Kentucky joins the Union as a slave state, balancing the number of slave states vs. free states. -
Bill of Rights ratified
The Bill of rights is created giving American citizens 10 ensured rights. The Bill, however, does not include slaves as being people who benefit from the law, and in fact, the bills primarily include only male white citizens. -
Kentucky joins the Union
Kentucky joins the Union as a slave state. Kentucky's entrance evens out the number of free and slave states. -
Congress passes Fugitive Slave Act
A compromise between the North and the South allowed governments to return slaves to their owners and fine people who aided them in their escape. Abolitionists had to be more careful when they aided slaves in their escape. -
Cotton Gin invented
Cotton Gin makes it easier to produce cotton with the help of laborers, increasing the value of slaves. The invention makes slaves an essential part of Southern society. Keeping slaves from getting creative ideas such as running away becomes more important.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12IQurjUomU&t=50s -
Tennessee joins the Union
Tennessee joins the Union as a slave state.Tennessee becomes the last state to secede from the Union during the civil war. -
Election of 1796 ends in John Adams becoming president
First Partisan election, which divided the country into two parties with differing views on slavery. Clashes of ideas in D.C eventually lead to violent conflicts ( the Civil War). -
New York abolishes slavery
New York gets rid of slavery adding pressure to other slave states to do the same. Most of the northern states are free states. -
Ohio joins the Union
Ohio joins the Union as a free state. A number of free and slave states are disproportionate for a short period. -
Louisiana purchase
Louisiana purchase more than doubled the size of the united states. The country now has more land to grow cash crops (with the help of slave labor). -
New Jersey becomes free state
New Jersey abolishes slavery adding pressure to other slave states to abolish slavery. Most of the North are not slave states. -
Jefferson signs bill outlawing the importation of slaves
Soon a bill would be passed to stop the importation of new slaves. More slaves would not be brought from other places and forced to do free manual labor. -
Law put into effect to stop importation of slaves
New slaves no longer are allowed to be brought into America. Slave trade stops officially but does not put an end to the practice of slavery. -
Louisiana joins the Union
Louisiana joins the Union as a slave state. Louisiana becomes the sixth state to secede the Union. -
Indiana joins the Union
Indiana joins the Union as a free state. The proportion of slave states to free states is even. -
Mississippi joins the Union
Mississippi joins the Union as a slave state. Mississippi joins soon after Indiana joins the union in order to keep a balance between free and slave states. -
Missouri unsuccessfully petitions Congress for admission
Missouri unsuccessfully petitions Congress for admission due to their being an even number of free and slave states in the union. If Missouri joined the union there would be more slave states than free states. -
Illinois joins the Union
Illinois joins the Union as a free state. There is one more free state than slave state in the Union. -
Alabama joins the Union
Alabama joins the Union as a slave state. Alabama joins closely after Illinois joins the union in order to keep a balance between free and slave states. -
Harriet Tubman escapes
Harriet Tubman escapes and starts a crusade to save many slaves from slavery. Her actions gained the support of many slaves, and free blacks, and white settlers. Harriet Tubman saved over 300 hundred slaves in total.
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/harriet-tubman/videos/harriet-tubman-and-the-underground-railroad -
Missouri Compromise
Missouri Compromise prohibited slavery in the area of the Louisiana Purchase North of 36th parallel line (border of Missouri). The act also allowed Missouri to become a slave state. Ironically Maine became a free state a year after the compromise is met, making the number of free and slave states even.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTSbn5cE4LA -
Maine joins the Union
Maine joins the Union as a free state. The proportion between free and slave states is even. -
Missouri joins the Union
Missouri joins the Union as a slave state. Missouri joins the union closely after Maine joins the union in order to keep a balance between free and slave states. -
North Carolina v. Mann
North Carolina v. Mann was a case where a master whipped his slave for doing something wrong and then shot her for trying to escape while he was whipping her. The results of the trial stated that slave owners had absolute control over slaves and could hurt them, protecting the cruel treatment of slaves, and further angering abolitionists. Abolitionists would have to work harder to ensure slave rights. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
Nat turner organizes a rebellion in the South that kills 55-65 people. The rebellion caused many to think slaves needed to be controlled more strictly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBH3Xzz3Y3E -
Arkansas joins the Union
Arkansas joins the Union as a slave state. Arkansas is the ninth state to secede from the union before the civil war. -
Michigan joins the Union
Michigan joins the union as a free state. Michigan joins the union soon after Arkansas joins making the proportions between free and slave states even. -
Florida joins the Union
Florida joins the Union as a slave state. Florida is the third state to secede the union before the civil war begins. -
Texas joins the Union
Texas joins the Union as a slave state. Texas is the seventh state to secede the Union before the civil war. -
Iowa joins the Union
Iowa joins the Union as a free state. Iowa joins soon after Florida to keep a balance between free and slave states. -
Wisconsin joins the Union
Wisconsin joins the Union as a free state. Wisconsin joins soon after Texas to keep a balance between free and slave states. -
Fugitive Act of 1850
The Fugitive Act of 1850 allowed the government to inflict harsher punishment to people who aided slaves. Abolitionists would have to be more careful when helping slaves escape, and slaves would have to be more careful when escaping.
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/fugitive-slave-acts/videos/sound-smart-the-fugitive-slave-act -
California joins the United States as a free state
California makes the number of free states versus slave states disproportionate. There are now more free states than slaves states. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin is released
Uncle Tom's Cabin is released as an anti-slavery novel, making many people sympathize slaves. Abolitionist numbers increase. -
Kansas-Nebraksa Act
Kansas-Nebraska Act overturns Missouri Compromise, stating states choose whether a state is free. The act sets off the period in time called Bleeding Kansas when pro-slavery and antislavery citizens fought for control over whether Kansas would become a free or slave state.
http://www.history.com/topics/kansas-nebraska-act/videos/sound-smart-the-kansas-nebraska-act -
Dred Scott case Decision
The Dred Scott decision resulted from a case where a man argued he was free because he lived in a free state. The results of the Dred Scott decision stated that no black person could ever be a citizen of the united states, and was not entitled to freedom because they lived in a certain area. Results from the case encouraged abolitionists to work harder to win rights for slaves as people.
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/dred-scott-case/videos/sound-smart-dred-scott-case -
Minnesota joins the United states as a free state
Tensions grow as Minnesota joins the United States as a free state, making the number of free versus slave states more disproportionate. There are now still more free states. -
Oregon joins the United states as a free state
Oregon joins the United states as a free state. After Organ joins the number of free versus slave states grows very disproportionate. -
Slave population reaches 3,954,174
Slave population reaches 3,954,174 inspiring the creation of more antislavery groups. Slave population also grow greatly in the South making them harder to control.
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/abolitionist-movement -
Abraham Lincoln becomes president
Abraham Lincoln becomes president as a republican who viewed slavery as being unethical. Abraham Lincoln makes Southern states nervous that he will abolish slavery; This fear leads to South Carolina seceding. -
South Carolina Secedes from the union
South Carolina leaves the union due to fears that Abraham Lincoln would abolish slavery. Other states follow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAIApIGqsBU -
Civil War begins
Disagreements about slavery are one of the main factors that led to the civil war. The divide on the issue between the North and South was too strong to ignore and resulted in a war.
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/abolitionist-movement/videos/legacy-of-the-civil-war
