1619 

John Rolfe brings African slaves to Jamestown to harvest tobacco along with indentured whites

1630s 

African slaves in Maryland

1649 

Virginia has 300 black bondsmen

1654 

English take Portuguese slave trade from Dutch (Cromwell’s Navigation Act)
  (Portuguese begin in 16 C; Dutch in early 17 C)

1656 

Virginia prohibits Indian slavery

1660s 

MD and VA begin establishing legal distinctions between the races (lifetime slavery, inheritance   of slaves, baptism irrelevant to status...)

1669-80

Barbadian connection in Carolina (Port Royal and Charleston)

1676 

Bacon’s rebellion: Nathaniel Bacon’s gentry vs. VA Gov. William Berkley’s planters (Morgan)

1750

Georgia rescinds prohibition on slavery

1776 

Passage denouncing slave trade omitted from Declaration of Independence

1780s 

Northern states gradually abolish slavery through the 1820s

1787 

Northwest Ordinance prohibits slavery north of Ohio River (Northwest Territories)
 Constitution:  3/5ths rule for representation and taxation(Article I, Section 2) 
      [changed by 14th Amendment]
     permits end of slave trade in 1808 (Article I, Section 9)
     fugitive slave clause (Article IV, Section 2) [superseded by 13th Amendment]
     congressional control of new territories (Article IV, Section 3) 
     document does not mention slavery

1776-98 

Most southern states end slave trade to protect planters’ investment and due to concern over growing slave population

1793 

Eli Whitney’s cotton gin (Carolinas, Georgia)

1790s

Kentucky, Tennessee join Union (Mississippi, 1817; Alabama, 1819)

1798 

VA and KY Resolutions (Jefferson and Madison) in opposition to Alien and Sedition Acts implicitly   support concept of nullification

1800 

Gabriel Prosser Slave Conspiracy (GA)

1803 

Louisiana Purchase

SC reopens the African slave trade

1804

Congress restricts slaves coming to Louisiana territory excepts as property of settlers

New Jersey begins gradual emancipation

1816

American Colonization Society is est. to resettle free blacks in Africa

1819

Congress votes to authorize us pres to send navy to suppress slave trade to US

1820 

Missouri Compromise: Applies in 1817 as slave state. First from Louisiana Purchase
  Northern resentment of Southern control of presidency (and 3/5ths clause in House)
  Southern fear of senate balance and Northern population growth
  Rep. Tallmadge (NY) amendment to ban slavery in MO, supported by Sen. Rufus King (NY)
  Compromise: Missouri balance Maine, no slavery in Louisiana Terr. above 36?  30’
  Rep. Henry Clay (KY) brokers approval in House

1821 

Mexican Independence: Mexicans invite Anglos into Texas

1822

Denmark Vesey Slave Conspiracy (SC)

1829 

Mexico abolishes slavery

1830 

Mexico prohibits US immigration

1831 

Nat Turner slave rebellion (VA): 70 slaves kill 60 whites in 2 days
 William Lloyd Garrison founds The Liberator, abolitionist weekly in Boston 

1832 

VA legislature debates slavery
 Nullification Crisis: Calhoun and SC assert state’s right to declare law unconstitutional (in   response to Tariff (of Abominations) of 1828. No other states support. Jackson responds with   Force Act and Compromise Tariff. Break between Jackson and Calhoun.

1833

American Anti Slavery Society founded in Philadelphia

1830s 

Slavery institutionalized and defended as “positive good” despite fact that 3/4 of Southerners do not own slaves. Typical planter has few slaves, but typical slave is on a big plantation.
  Yeoman and poor whites support this to control competition, increase their mobility, join race caste.
  Slave codes made increasingly strict
  Deep South has most large plantations: SC, MS, GA, AL, LA, FL (1/2 to 1/3 are 10 or more)
  Upper South and new states have fewer: VA, NC, KY, TN, TX, AR, MD, MO, DE (1/4 to 1/30)

Primary crops: states
  Tobacco: MD, KY, MO, VA, NC/ Hemp: KY, MO/ Sugar, Rice, Cotton: AL, LA, MI, GA, SC

1835-6

Texas settlers dislike Mexican dictator Santa Anna (1834) and declare Texan independence (Alamo)

1837

Elijah Lovejoy murdered by proslavery mob in Alton, Illinois

1839

African captives led by Joseph Cinque rebel against their Cuban captors and order surviving crew to sail to Africa (the Amistad); ship is seized off of Long Island and jailed in Connecticut.  In 1841, they are freed and returned to Africa

1840 

Harrison/ Tyler elected: “Tippecanoe and Tyler too”

1841 

Harrison dies. Tyler is a states rights, pro-slavery Whig. Declares annex. of Texas as slave state (approved by congress in 1844)

1843 

President Tyler (proslavery Whig, VA) pushes for TX annexation, supported by Sec. of State, Sen.   John Calhoun (SC), as means of protecting slavery from North and British supported abolitionists

1844 

Polk elected: pro-slavery, pro-annexation Democrat - “54''  40’ or fight” 
 W. L. Garrison burns the Constitution for its “support” of slavery

1845 

Pres. Polk (Dem) annexes all of TX, but settles for half of Oregon (49  not 54 ‘40)
 Journalist John O’ Sullivan coins “manifest destiny:” 1) God is on our side (city on a hill); 2) expand freedom (Amer. Revolution); population expansion and opportunity (Jefferson)

1846-7

Mexican War  (claim Texas from Nueces to Rio Grande) brings new territory. 
 Rep. David Wilmot proposes Proviso to ban slavery (and African Amer.) in Mexican territory
 Free Soilers see “slave power” in choice of Polk over Van Buren, Oregon/Texas, lowered tariff in ‘46
 Wilmot proviso blocked by Southerners and loyal Dems. Local responses expose sectional split

1847 

Van Buren runs as Free Soil candidate/ Cass and Dems support “squatter sovereignty”

1848 

Treaty of Guadeloupe Hidalgo; NM and CA for $15 million; Rio Grande border; US assumes claims   against Mexico.  Adds 500,000 sq. mile to US (incl. Gadsen Purchase, 1853)

1850 

Compromise of 1850 (Clay, Fillmore, Douglas [IL]): NM and UT popular sovereignty (Dems), CA as   free state, new Fugitive Slave Law (denied jury trial and right to testify)

1852 

Party system breaks down. Dems win by default as Whigs lose cross-sectional appeal
 Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Harriet Beecher Stowe)

1854 

Kansas-Nebraska Act: opens terr. north of compromise line to popular sovereignty (Douglas [Dem])  repeals Missouri Compromise line; Whigs, North. Dems and Free Soilers win in congressional   elections; Know-Nothings emerge as Whigs decline; Republicans emerge

1856 

Bleeding Kansas: Free Soilers vs. slavery supporters. Pres. Pierce [Dem] sides with pro-slave. (john brown and sons at Pottawatomie creek)
 Buchanan (Dem) elected: Buchanan v. Frémont (Rep) in North; Buchanan. v. Fillmore (Know Nothing) in South

1857 

Dred Scott v. Sanford : MO slave traveled to WI (free by Miss. Compromise). Chief Justice Taney:   not on grounds of citizenship, but denies Congress’ power to prohibit slavery in territories
   (MO Comp and Republican platform unconstitutional)
 Lecompton Controversy: Kansas pro slavery const. passed under false pretenses. Buchanan tries to accept

1858 

Lincoln-Douglas debates for Senate in IL – Freeport Doctrine
 Kansas enters as free state

1859 

South’s fear of slave and white rebellions increase: 
  John Brown raids Harper’s Ferry, VA, tried for treason.  (nursed to health then executed as Martyr)
  Increase in slave prices forces a growing class split in ownership. 
  Rep. Sherman (supporter of “Helperism”) tries to become Speaker of House

1860 

Lincoln (IL)  beats Seward (NY) for Rep. nomination: free soil, tariff, homestead, int. improv. 
  platf. combines Whig, North. Dem, Know-Nothing, Free Soil and Liberty (Abolition) appeal
 Douglas (Northern Dem): popular sovereignty vs. Breckinridge (Southern Dem): slavery in terr.
 Lincoln carries North, Northwest (WI, MN, IA) and West (CA, OR): Sectional split complete