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Republican Party Formed
Created in opposition to the expansion of slavery, especially in new western territories. It attracted former Whigs, Free Soilers, and Anti-Slavery Democrats. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act PASSED
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.” -
Abraham Lincoln Elected President (16th!)
His election on an anti-slavery expansion platform prompted Southern states to secede, seeing his presidency as a threat to slavery. -
South Carolina Votes to Secede from the United States
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. -
Jefferson Davis Elected President of the Conderacy
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. -
Confederate Forces Fire on Fort Sumter
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. -
Richmond Becomes the Capital of the Confederacy
The Confederate government moved its capital from Montgomery, Alabama to Richmond, Virginia, making it a major target for Union forces throughout the war. -
First Battle of Bull Run is Fought
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 Merrimack and the Monitor Fight of the Virginia Coast
The first battle between ironclad warships. Though inconclusive, it signaled the end of wooden warships and revolutionized naval warfare. -
Battle of Shiloh
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. -
Robert E. Lee is Named Commander of the Army of Northern Virginia
Lee took command of the South’s most important army and soon became its most legendary general, leading numerous bold campaigns. -
Battle of Antietam
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. -
Suspension of Habeas Corpus by Lincoln
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. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
A major Confederate victory in Virginia. Union forces suffered heavy losses attacking strong Southern positions. -
Announcement of Emancipation Proclamation
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. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
A stunning Confederate victory led by General Robert E. Lee, but it came at the cost of losing his key general, "Stonewall" Jackson. -
Battle of Gettysburg
Turning point of the war. Union forces repelled Lee’s invasion of the North in a massive and bloody three-day battle in Pennsylvania. -
Confederates Surrendered at Vicksburg
Gave the Union control of the Mississippi River, effectively splitting the Confederacy in two. -
Draft Riots at New York City
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. -
Lincoln Gives His Gettysburg Address
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. -
City of Atlanta Captured???
Union General Sherman took Atlanta, a major Southern city and railroad hub, boosting Northern morale and Lincoln’s reelection chances. -
Abraham Lincoln Defeats George McCallan to Win Re-Election
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. -
Sherman Begins His March to the Sea
General William Tecumseh Sherman led Union troops from Atlanta to Savannah, destroying Southern infrastructure and morale in a brutal campaign of total war. -
Congress Passes the 13th Amendment
Abolished slavery in the United States. Though it still needed state ratification, its passage in Congress marked a crucial step toward ending slavery permanently. -
Creation of Freedmen's Bureau
Created to assist formerly enslaved people and poor whites in the South by providing food, housing, education, and legal support during Reconstruction. -
Lincoln Giving His Second Inaugural Address
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. -
Richmond Falls to The Union Army
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. -
Robert E. Lee is Surrenders at Appomattox
After being surrounded and outnumbered, Lee surrendered to Union General Grant in Virginia, effectively ending major fighting in the Civil War. -
An Assassinated President Lincoln
Shot by John Wilkes Booth just days after the Confederate surrender at Appomattox. His death shocked the nation and complicated Reconstruction efforts. -
Death to John Wilkes Booth
After fleeing the scene of Lincoln’s assassination, Booth was tracked down and shot by Union soldiers in a Virginia barn.