Colonial Roots 1619–1775
A Republic Founded 1776–1819
Declaration of Independence
“All men are created equal” — a promise the new nation leaves unfulfilled for the enslaved.
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The Constitution
The framers compromise over slavery, counting the enslaved as three-fifths of a person.
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The Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney’s invention makes cotton king and binds the South ever tighter to slavery.
Read more →A Growing Divide 1820–1849
The Missouri Compromise
Congress draws a line across the map to balance slave and free states.
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Walker’s Appeal
A free Black man calls on the enslaved to resist, alarming the slaveholding South.
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The Liberator
William Lloyd Garrison launches his fiery abolitionist newspaper in Boston.
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Nat Turner’s Revolt
The bloodiest slave uprising in American history terrifies the South.
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The Mexican War
Victory brings vast new territory — and a bitter fight over whether it will be slave or free.
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Gold in California
The gold rush propels California toward statehood and reignites the slavery question.
Read more →The Election of 1848
The new Free Soil party makes opposition to slavery’s expansion a national issue.
Read more →The Road to War 1850–1861
The Compromise of 1850
A fragile bargain admits California free and toughens the Fugitive Slave Law.
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The Underground Railroad
A secret network spirits the enslaved to freedom in the North and Canada.
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Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel turns Northern opinion against slavery.
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The Kansas-Nebraska Act
Letting territories vote on slavery shatters the old compromises.
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Bleeding Kansas
Pro- and anti-slavery settlers wage open warfare on the Kansas prairie.
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Violence in the Senate
Congressman Brooks canes Senator Sumner on the floor of the U.S. Senate.
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The Dred Scott Decision
The Supreme Court rules that no Black person can be a citizen of the United States.
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Compromise in Kansas
The fight over the Lecompton Constitution splits the Democratic Party.
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The Lincoln-Douglas Debates
Two Illinois rivals debate slavery before a watching nation.
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John Brown’s Raid
The abolitionist’s raid on Harpers Ferry pushes the nation to the brink.
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The Election of 1860
Lincoln’s victory triggers Southern secession — and war.
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