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Created in opposition to the expansion of slavery, especially in new western territories. It attracted former Whigs, Free Soilers, and Anti-Slavery Democrats. -
Allowed settlers in those territories to decide on slavery via popular sovereignty, effectively repealing the Missouri Compromise and leading to violent conflict known as “Bleeding Kansas.” -
His election on an anti-slavery expansion platform prompted Southern states to secede, seeing his presidency as a threat to slavery. -
The first state to leave the Union after Lincoln’s election, kicking off a wave of Southern secessions and setting the stage for the Civil War. -
Chosen to lead the Confederate States of America, Davis was a former U.S. senator who supported secession and slavery. His leadership would be marked by internal conflict and military challenges. -
Marking the official start of the Civil War, Southern troops fired on the Union-held fort in Charleston Harbor after Lincoln tried to resupply it. -
The Confederate government moved its capital from Montgomery, Alabama to Richmond, Virginia, making it a major target for Union forces throughout the war. -
The first major land battle of the Civil War. It shattered hopes of a short conflict, ending in a chaotic Union retreat and a Confederate victory near Washington, D.C. -
The first battle between ironclad warships. Though inconclusive, it signaled the end of wooden warships and revolutionized naval warfare. -
One of the bloodiest early battles of the war, fought in Tennessee. It showed how brutal the conflict would be and ended in a Union victory. -
Lee took command of the South’s most important army and soon became its most legendary general, leading numerous bold campaigns. -
The bloodiest single-day battle in American history. It ended in a tactical draw but was a strategic Union victory, giving Lincoln the momentum to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. -
To suppress dissent and maintain public safety during the war, Lincoln authorized arrest without trial, a controversial move that allowed the military to detain suspected Confederate sympathizers.
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A major Confederate victory in Virginia. Union forces suffered heavy losses attacking strong Southern positions. -
Lincoln declared enslaved people in rebelling states to be free, shifting the war’s focus to include the abolition of slavery as a Union goal. -
A stunning Confederate victory led by General Robert E. Lee, but it came at the cost of losing his key general, "Stonewall" Jackson. -
Turning point of the war. Union forces repelled Lee’s invasion of the North in a massive and bloody three-day battle in Pennsylvania. -
Gave the Union control of the Mississippi River, effectively splitting the Confederacy in two. -
Violent protests against the Union draft, largely by working-class immigrants who resented fighting a war that might free enslaved people who would compete for jobs. -
At the dedication of a cemetery on the Gettysburg battlefield, Lincoln delivered a brief but powerful speech redefining the war as a fight for a “new birth of freedom” and equality. -
Union General Sherman took Atlanta, a major Southern city and railroad hub, boosting Northern morale and Lincoln’s reelection chances. -
Lincoln’s re-election affirmed Northern support for continuing the war. His victory was helped by key Union military wins and a divided Democratic opposition. -
General William Tecumseh Sherman led Union troops from Atlanta to Savannah, destroying Southern infrastructure and morale in a brutal campaign of total war. -
Abolished slavery in the United States. Though it still needed state ratification, its passage in Congress marked a crucial step toward ending slavery permanently. -
Created to assist formerly enslaved people and poor whites in the South by providing food, housing, education, and legal support during Reconstruction. -
In one of his most famous speeches, Lincoln called for healing and unity, emphasizing “malice toward none” and “charity for all” as the Civil War neared its end. -
After a long siege and series of battles, Union forces captured the Confederate capital, signaling the near end of the Civil War just days before Lee’s surrender. -
After being surrounded and outnumbered, Lee surrendered to Union General Grant in Virginia, effectively ending major fighting in the Civil War. -
Shot by John Wilkes Booth just days after the Confederate surrender at Appomattox. His death shocked the nation and complicated Reconstruction efforts. -
After fleeing the scene of Lincoln’s assassination, Booth was tracked down and shot by Union soldiers in a Virginia barn.