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Abraham Lincoln wins a four-way race for President of the United States. Although he doesn't win a popular majority and isn't even on the ballot in nine Southern states, he earns enough electoral votes to beat all other opponents. -
South Carolina officially secedes from the Union, becoming the first state to do so. -
Mississippi secedes from the Union. -
Florida secedes from the Union. -
Alabama secedes from the Union. -
Georgia secedes from the Union. -
Louisiana secedes from the Union. -
Texas secedes from the Union. -
Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated as the 16th President of the United States. In his Inaugural Address he gives a stark warning to the South: he will not tolerate secession. -
The Constitution of the Confederate States of America is signed in Montgomery, Alabama. -
Confederate forces under General P.G.T. Beauregard bombard Major Robert Anderson and his Union soldiers at Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. The Civil War officially begins.