Browse all Events in the Antebellum Time Period.
Bleeding Kansas
1855-1861 The term “Bleeding Kansas” refers to the violence and bloodshed that occurred in the Kansas Territory during the 1850s. As the United States … Read more
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 … Read more
Mexican-American War
April 25, 1846 – February 2, 1848 Lasting from April 25, 1846-February 2, 1848, the Mexican-American War polarized sectional differences over the extension of … Read more
Mountain Meadows Massacre
September 11, 1857 On September 11, 1857, members of the Mormon militia and Paiute Indians murdered roughly 120 unarmed men, women, and children in … Read more
Nullification Crisis
1832-1833 On November 24, 1832, the Convention of the People of South Carolina approved the South Carolina Ordinance of Nullification, precipitating a constitutional crisis … Read more
Utah War
1857-1858 Also known as the Utah Expedition and Buchanan's Blunder, the Utah War was an armed confrontation between Mormon settlers in the Utah Territory … Read more
Washington Peace Conference
1861 Proposed by Virginia and chaired by former U.S. President John Tyler, the Washington Peace Conference was an unsuccessful eleventh-hour attempt to save the … Read more
