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Period: to
Civil War
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Election of Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln was elected to his first term in 1860 this caused the Southern State to leave the union -
Secession of South Carolina
The doctrine of state's rights, the legality of secession, and the institution of black slavery had been issues of debate in the United States for decades before the election of Abraham Lincoln brought on the secession of the Southern states. On Decemeber 20th the Convention passed the first ordinance of secession, -
Formation of the Confederate States
The Confederate States was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 , Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S. Secessionists argued that the United States Constitution was a compact among states which each state could abandon without consultation, each state having a right to secede. -
Firing on Fort Sumter
Confederates opened fire on the fort which was unable to reply effectively. The Fireing on Fort Sumter was an opening engaement of the American Civil War. -
First Battle of Bull Run
First Battle of Bull Run, also known as First Manassas was the first major land battle of the American Civil War. Union troops began withdrawing under pressure, many panicked and it turned into a rout as they frantically ran in the direction of nearby Washington, D.C. Both sides were sobered by the violence and casualties of the battle, and they realized that the war would potentially be much longer and bloodier than they had originally anticipated -
Battle of Antietam
A clash between North and South that changed the course of the Civil War, helped free over four million Americans,
devastated Sharpsburg, and still ranks as the bloodiest one-day battle in American history. -
Battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg
The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. -
Emancipation Proclamation
National Archives in Washington, DC. With the text covering five pages the document was originally tied with narrow red and blue ribbons, which were attached to the signature page by a wafered impression of the seal of the United States -
Gettysburg Address
Senator Charles Sumner commented on what is now considered the most famous speech by President Abraham Lincoln. In his eulogy on the slain president, he called it a "monumental act" -
Reelection of Abraham Lincoln
In the United States Presidential election of 1864, Abraham Lincoln was re-elected as president. The election was held during the Civil War. Lincoln ran under the National Union ticket against Democratic candidate George B. McClellan, his former top general. -
Surrender at Appomattox Court House
Eyewitness account of the surrender that led to the end of the Civil War.