Summary
Lincoln's path to greatness passed through Pennsylvania, from his participation in the Republican Party's first convention in 1856 through his declaration of the nation's "new birth of freedom" at Gettysburg in 1863. Pennsylvania itself played a crucial role in shaping the Civil War era, not just on the battlefield, but through efforts of James Buchanan, Simon Cameron, Andrew Curtin, Thaddeus Stevens, and other native sons.
Continue the Story...
Bring this subject into focus through the following chapters. These stories take exploration of the main story further by providing more detail for you to learn and explore.
Overview: Abraham Lincoln and the Politics of the Civil War
Chapter One: Pennsylvania Democrats
Chapter Two: Rise of the Republican Party
Chapter Three: Wartime Mobilization
Chapter Four: Gettysburg Address
Historical Markers In the Story
Lesson Plans for this Story
Take your students back in history with these discussions and activities for the classroom
Story Bibliography
Original Documents
Timeline
1846 |
Rep. David Wilmot (D, Pa) introduces a "proviso" to prohibit slavery in any territory acquired as a result of the Mexican War |
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1854 |
Republican Party organizations, under a variety of names, begin to form across the North |
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1854 |
Kansas-Nebraska Act creates national controversy over the prospect of extending slavery into the western territories |
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1856 |
At the First Republican national convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania nominates John Frémont for president and William Dayton for vice-president |
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1856 |
Democrat James Buchanan defeats Republican John Frémont and American Party candidate Millard Fillmore to become the nation's fifteenth president |
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1856 |
Republican organizers meeting in Pittsburgh call for the new party's first national convention |
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1857 |
U.S. Supreme Court rules in Dred Scott v. Sanford that Congress cannot prohibit slavery in the territories |
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1858 |
Pennsylvania congressman Galusha Grow gets involved in a fistfight with a southern House member that turns into an unprecedented brawl |
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1860 - 1861 |
Seven states from the Deep South secede from the Union rather than accept the legitimacy of Lincoln's election |
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1860 |
Abraham Lincoln is nominated for president by the Republican Party at its national convention in Chicago |
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1860 |
Lincoln wins a four-way contest for president with a significant majority of the electoral vote, but only 39 percent of the popular ballot |
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1861 |
First Battle of Bull Run in July results in embarrassing Union defeat |
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1861 |
In April, Confederates fire on Fort Sumter in South Carolina and the Civil War begins |
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1861 |
In April, Camp Curtin opens on the outskirts of Harrisburg |
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1862 |
In September, President Lincoln announces his intention to emancipate Rebel-owned slaves |
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1862 |
Pennsylvania governor Andrew Curtin hosts a face-to-face meeting for 14 loyal governors at Altoona, Pennsylvania, from September 24-26 |
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1862 |
Union forces stop the Confederate invasion of Maryland in the Battle of Antietam in September |
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1862 |
In January, Secretary of War Simon Cameron is forced to leave office |
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1863 |
From July 1 to July 3, the Battle of Gettysburg takes place, marking a turning point in the war |
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1863 |
Lincoln delivers his famous Gettysburg Address on November 19th at the dedication of the national cemetery |
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1863 |
Camp William Penn begins training black soldiers for combat in June |
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1863 |
Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1st |
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1864 |
President Lincoln meets his "representative recruit," Pennsylvania native John Staples in October |
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