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Won the Title of 16th President of the United States
On November 6, 1860 Abraham Lincoln defeated 3 other candidates to win the title of 16th President. Lincoln only had 40% of the votes but this was enough to be the majority leader. -
Southern States Succeed
December 20, 1860 marked the beginning of the Southern Succession with South Carolina declaring its secession followed closely by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. -
Inaugration of Lincoln
On March 4, 1861 Lincoln delivered is first speech as President; in this speech he promised not to interfer with slaverly as it was. He ended the speech with a promise to the Confederate States "In your hand, my fellow countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The government will not assail you. You can have no conflict without being yourselves the aggressors." -
The Civil War begins
The Civil War Began on April 12, 1861 when the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter by Confederate Soldiers. The battle lasted 33 hours and there were no casualties on either side due to the fight. -
Jefferson Davis becomes President of the Confederation
In an unopposed race Jefferson Davis was elected President of the Confederacy for a 6 year term. -
Lincoln Signs the Homestead Act
The Act stated that anyone who had not taken up arms against the government, including women and freed slaves, 21 and older, or the head of a household could claim a federal land grant. -
Lincoln Address Slavery
In a brief speech Lincoln stated that abolishing slavery was not his goal, saving the Union was. He stated "My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that" -
The Emancipation Proclamation
This act which went into affect in January of 1863 freed slaves in states not under Union control and made abolishing slaverly an official goal of the War. In this address Lincoln said "And by virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free;" -
General in Chief
Lincoln promoted Ulysses S. Grant to General in Chief, which is the commanding general of the armed forces. -
Election of 1864
Lincoln is re-elected as President with Andrew Johnson as Vice President. Lincoln's victory was a landslide with him earning 212 electoral votes! -
Second inaugural address
'Fondly do we hope — fervently do we pray — that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue, until all the wealth piled by the bond-man's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether." -
Surrender
Robert E Lee surrenders at Appomattox Courthouse marking the end of the Civil War. -
Assassination
While watching a perfomance at Ford's Theatre President Lincoln was shot and killed by John Wilkes Booth. Upon his death Vice President Andrew Johnson became President.
