Civil Rights Act of 1866
April 9, 1866 Enacted by Congress over President Andrew Johnson's veto, the Civil Rights Act of 1866 aimed to counter Black Codes enacted by Southern states by validating the citizenship of former slaves and endowing them with specific, federally-guaranteed, civil rights The Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery in the United States of America, became law…
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
November 12, 1815–October 26, 1902 Co-organizer of the 1847 Seneca Falls Convention and co-author of numerous women's rights books and pamphlets, Elizabeth Cady Stanton was an influential leader in the women's suffrage movement and the broader struggle to secure equal rights for women. Acclaimed suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton was born on November 12, 1815, in…
Frederick Douglass
February 1818–February 20, 1895 After escaping from bondage on September 3, 1838, Frederick Douglass became a highly-acclaimed orator and writer supporting the abolition of slavery before the Civil War and the enactment of African American rights during Reconstruction. Acclaimed abolitionist and women's rights supporter Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in Talbot County, Maryland, near…
General Orders, No. 11, (Department of the South)
May 9, 1862 On May 9, 1862, Major General David Hunter, commanding the Department of the South, issued General Orders, No. 11, freeing all slaves in Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina. President Abraham Lincoln rescinded this order on May 19, 1862. General Orders, No. 11 Headquarters, Department of the South, Hilton Head, S.C., May 9,…
James Birdseye McPherson
Killed during the Battle of Atlanta on July 22, 1864, Commander of the Army of the Tennessee Major General James Birdseye McPherson was the highest-ranking Ohioan serving in the United States military to die in the American Civil War. Born on November 14, 1828 in Clyde, Ohio, James Birdseye McPherson was the highest-ranking Ohioan serving…
John Brown
May 9, 1800 – December 2, 1859 John Brown was an ardent abolitionist whose raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry in October 1859 intensified the sectional dispute over slavery in the United States and hastened the nation toward civil war. Early Life John Brown was born on May 9, 1800 in Torrington, a…
John Brown Raiders Monument
1860 Ohio’s American Civil War soldiers and civilians sought to commemorate the troopers’ devotion to and service with the United States by constructing monuments and other memorials. During the American Civil War, Ohio provided the federal government with 260 regiments of men, including infantry, artillery, and cavalry units. Ohioans also served in several other regiments…
John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry
October 16, 1859 – October 18, 1859 On October 16, 1859, militant abolitionist John Brown led an ill-fated assault on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, that intensified the sectional dispute over slavery and hastened the nation toward civil war. Early on Sunday, October 16, 1859 ardent abolitionist John Brown assembled his small army…
John R. Bowles
June 13, 1826–September 3, 1864 Born on June 13, 1826, in Lynchburg, Virginia, John R. Bowles eventually moved to Ohio, settling in the vicinity of Chillicothe in Ross County. Here, Bowles married Sarah Jane Bryant in 1848. Born on June 13, 1826, in Lynchburg, Virginia, John R. Bowles eventually moved to Ohio, settling in the…
Missouri Compromise
March 6, 1820 In addition to paving the way for the admission of Missouri and Maine to the Union, the Missouri Compromise established the tenet that Congress could regulate slavery in the territories even though the Constitution did not address the issue. When delegates to the Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in 1787, one of…