From Slavery to Civil Rights

Civil War starts

Period: Apr 12, 1861 to May 26, 1865

At 4:30 a.m. on April 12, 1861, Confederate troops fired on Fort Sumter in South Carolina's Charleston Harbor. Less than 34 hours later, Union forces surrendered

Civil War ends

Apr 8, 1865

The American Civil War ended on April 9, 1865, when General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. This event marked a significant turning point in U.S. history, leading to the preservation of the Union and the abolition of slavery.