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President Lincoln sent 3 unarmed ships to Fort Sumter to relieve men of their duties and transport supplies elsewhere. Militia commander P.G.T. Beauregard declared that resupplying the fort would be an act of aggression towards the confederate troops which would result in retaliation. After hearing about the incoming ships, P.G.T. Beauregard and his men rushed to Fort Sumter and began the attack shortly after 4:30 a.m. and would last for nearly 34 hours. -
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which set all enslaved people of the confederacy free. However, slavery still remained in the loyal states which did not secede from the U.S. Furthermore, the document announced that colored men will be accepted into the Union Army and Navy. -
The War Department gave a general order to create a system to accept African American males into the Army. The Bureau of Colored Troops was created by the order and designed United States Colored Troops regiments. Although they did not receive equal pay or the ability to climb ranks, they were able to fight for the Union and push back against their former owners. -
On the night of April 14, 1865, multiple attacks were committed against President Lincoln and his cabinet members. Lincoln was viewing a play at Ford's Theater when he was shot by famous actor John Wilkes Booth. At the same time William Henry Seward, Lincoln's secretary of state, was attacked in his home while recovering from a carriage accident. Overall, this caused the White House's voice to be silenced and allowed Radical Republicans to take a dominant role in Congress. -
The 13th amendment was ratified on December 6, 1865. The 13th amendment abolished slavery of any kind within the United States. Although this got rid of slavery for good, African Americans still had no voting rights or legal citizenship. -
The 13th amendment was passed on December 6, 1865. The amendment official abolished slavery throughout the United States. Although this set many African Americans free, they were still not given voting rights or legal citizenship yet.
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The Black Codes were a set of laws put in place that directly targeted African Americans. The laws required yearly labor contracts with minimal pay. The laws also raised the cost of living for African American families which resulted in imprisonment of many African Americans. Most of the time punishments involved extended periods of unpaid labor. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1866 gave civil rights to people who are born in the United States. This Act allowed them to make contracts, own property, file law suits, and have full protection of federal law. -
The Black codes were a set of laws that were directly targeted to newly freed African Americans. These laws required them to have yearly job contracts with minimal pay, higher tax rates, and higher living costs. These laws made living extremely difficult for African Americans which ultimately led to jail time and unpaid labor.
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The Reconstruction Acts of 1867 were a set of laws passed in order for the confederate states to rejoin with the Union. These laws required that each state make a new constitution which needed to be approved and voted upon. Each state was also required to ratify the 14th amendment. -
The 14th amendment officially granted citizenship to people who are born or naturalized in the United States. This amendment gave all of the liberties of the Bill of Rights to formerly enslaved people and all citizens. -
Ulysses S. Grant, was elected president on November 3, 1868. This was the first election held after the civil war and the abolition of slavery. Grant received great amounts of support from African American men in the South many of which were voting for the very first time. There was great amounts of violence surrounding the election towards African Americans. This event ultimately led up to the ratification of the 15th amendment granting African American men the right to vote.