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In 1861, Abraham Lincoln was elected for president, however he had views that rivaled many the south had.
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Seven US states, Mississippi, South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas agree to no longer be a part of the United States, or secede.
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The seven seceding states, Mississippi, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina create their own constitution, and elect Jefferson Davis until further elections could be held.
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President Abraham Lincoln had his inauguration on March 4. He didn’t plan on ending slavery, however didn’t want the states to separate. Lincoln wanted to resolve this crisis without a war.
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Shots were fired at Fort Sumter by the south because of Robert Anderson’s, the commander, decline to surrender immediately. This would mark the first battle of what we know as the Civil War.
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The beginning of the civil war prompted the four states Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia to join the Confederacy, totaling up to 11
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On April 15, 1861, President Lincoln makes a proclamation for 75,000 people to join the army for the Union.
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Virginia residents of western counties did not wish to leave with the rest of the state. To solve this issue, they split apart West Virginia to be in the Union.
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President Lincoln makes a speech congress, "a People's contest...a struggle for maintaining in the world, that form, and substance of government, whose leading object is, to elevate the condition of men..."
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In July 16, 1861, the first Battle of Bull Run was fought, one of the first few major battles of the Civil War.
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Irvin McDowell, a general at the time, was replaced by George McClellan, due to failure, critiques and increasing threat from the Confederates.
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To conclude, the year 1861 was the start of the Civil War, where the Confederates assembled and the first major battles were fought, such as the Battle of Bull Run and the attack on Fort Sumter.
