Historical Timeline and Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Historical Timeline and - Essay Example 1856: Sacking of Lawrence - The Sacking of Lawrence event occurs on May 21 in Lawrence, Kansas where devastating vandalism was done by pro-slavery supporters in order to put pressure on the territory to vote to support ownership of slaves. 1857: Dred Scott v Sanford - Dred Scott v Sanford is heard in front of the Supreme Court where Dred Scott sues for his freedom based on the premise that he was transported into areas that did not allow slavery so his ownership was therefore invalid. The court decides that 1857: Economic Depression - Economic depression affects the North more than the South, hurting the Democratic Party and setting up the Republican Party for further support and creating a foundation for the election of Abraham Lincoln. 1859: Harpers Ferry Armory - On October16 John Brown leads a raid on the Harpers Ferry Armory in order to arm slaves and create an army sweeping through Virginia and picking up slaves along the way, depleting Virginia of its slaves. The intent was to use the weapons only for defense, but the raid began with bloodshed and was ultimately unsuccessful. As a result of the raid, John Brown was executed by hanging. 1860: Republican Victory - Republican Abraham Lincoln is elected as the 16th President of the United States with only 40% of the vote in a four way contest fueled by the divide between the North and the South. The American Civil War began in 1861 after a series of economic issues, combined with the highly emotional and volatile results of the issue of slavery, resulted in the secession of seven states after the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. There were several specific events that created the political environment that would become ripe for the divide. Economic factors that were different in the North than in the South created resentments that caused the initial rift between the two areas of the country. Both the pro-slavery and