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Election Of Abraham Lincoln
With four candidates in the field, Lincoln received only 40% of the popular vote and 180 electoral votes — enough to narrowly win the crowded election. This meant that 60% of the voters selected someone other than Lincoln. A few weeks after the election, South Carolina seceded from the Union. Followed by many other southern states. -
South Carolina Secedes
South Carolina acted first, calling for a convention to secede from the Union. State by state, conventions were held, and the confederacy was formed.Within three months of Lincoln's election, seven states had seceded from the Union. -
Jefferson Davis Becomes President Of The Confederate States Of America
On November 6, 1861, Jefferson Davis was elected president, not of the United States of America but of the Confederate States of America. He ran unopposed and was elected to serve for a six-year term. Davis had already been serving as the temporary president for almost a year. -
Fort Sumter, South Carolina
The Battle of Fort Sumter took place in South Carolina between the North and the South. It is important becuase it was the first battle in the Civil War. It was a turning point because it started the bloodiest war in American History. -
Lincoln Issues Blockade Against South
Following the surrender of Fort Sumter to the Confederacy, Abraham Lincoln and his military advisors began to consider a variety of plans to bring the South back into the Union. In less than a week, the Union began its blockade of the southern states in an effort to prevent the trade of goods, supplies, and weapons between the Confederacy and other nations. -
Robert E. Lee Takes Control Of Confederate Forces
Robert E. Lee (1807-70) served as a military officer in the U.S. Army, a West Point commandant and the legendary general of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War (1861-65). In June 1861, Lee assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia, which he would lead for the rest of the war. -
Richmond Becomes Confederate Capital
Richmond, Virginia, was the capital of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War (1861–1865). It also served as the capital of Virginia, although when the city was about to fall to Union armies in April 1865, the governor and General Assembly moved their offices to Lynchburg for five days. Besides being the political home of the Confederacy, Richmond was a center of rail and industry, military hospitals, and prisoner-of-war camps and prisons, including Belle Isle and Libby -
Antietam
On September 17, 1862, Generals Robert E. Lee and George McClellan faced off near Antietam creek in Sharpsburg, Maryland. Though the result of the battle was inconclusive, itremains the bloodiest single day in American history, withmore than 22,000 casualties. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that as of January 1, 1863, all slaves in the rebellious states “shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” While the Emancipation Proclamation did not free a single slave, it was an important turning point in the war, transforming the fight to preserve the nation into a battle for human freedom. -
Gettysburg, PA
The Battle of Gettysburg, fought from July 1 to July 3, 1863, is considered the most important engagement of the American Civil War. On July 1, the advancing Confederates clashed with the Union’s Army of the Potomac, commanded by General George G. Meade, at the crossroads town of Gettysburg. -
Vicksburg, Mississippi
On July 4, Vicksburg surrendered after prolonged siege operations. This was the culmination of one of the most brilliant military campaigns of the war. With the loss of Pemberton’s army and this vital stronghold on the Mississippi, the Confederacy was effectively split in half. Grant's successes in the West boosted his reputation, leading ultimately to his appointment as General-in-Chief of the Union armies. -
Gettsburg Address
By insisting that liberty was not simply the purview of dreamy idealists, but that it could be secured through one’s own efforts, won on the field of battle, and protected by a unified nation committed to its preservation, Lincoln sought to transform America. By redefining liberty and nationalism by essentially fusing them together, Lincoln not only inspired the North to continue the fight, he forever changed how we think about our country. -
Ulysses S. Grant Takes Command Of Union Army
In March 1864, President Lincoln elevated Grant to the rank of lieutenant general, and named him general-in-chief of the Armies of the United States. Making his headquarters with the Army of the Potomac, Grant was determined to crush Robert E. Lee and his vaunted Army of Northern Virginia at any cost. -
Sherman's March To The Sea
Union General William T. Sherman led some 60,000 soldiers on a 285-mile march from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia. Winning all of his battles Sherman sucessfully split the Confederacy in half. He also destroyed many southern towns while moving across the south. -
Appomattox Courthouse, VA
On April 9, 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his approximately 28,000 troops to Union General Ulysses S. Grant in the front parlor of Wilmer McLean’s home in Appomattox Court House, Virginia, effectively ending the American Civil War (1861-65). Lee was forced to surrender when he had to abandon the Confederate capital of VIrginia, and then was surrounded by Union troops. -
Assassination Of Lincoln
On April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth, a famous actor and Confederate sympathizer, fatally shot President Abraham Lincoln at a play at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. The attack came only five days after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his massive army at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, effectively ending the American Civil War. -
13th Amendment
The 13th amendment, which formally abolished slavery in the United States, passed the Senate on April 8, 1864, and the House on January 31, 1865. On February 1, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln approved the Joint Resolution of Congress submitting the proposed amendment to the state legislatures. The necessary number of states ratified it by December 6, 1865. The 13th amendment to the United States Constitution provides that "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for cr -
14th Amendment
The major provision of the 14th amendment was to grant citizenship to “All persons born or naturalized in the United States,” thereby granting citizenship to former slaves. Another equally important provision was the statement that “nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” -
15th Amendment
15th amendment, enacted in 1870, appeared to signify the fulfillment of all promises to African Americans. Set free by the 13th amendment, with citizenship guaranteed by the 14th amendment, black males were given the vote by the 15th amendment.
