-
Americans began to settle westward, as they saw it as their destiny to do so. This was, in the end, was the very setup for the war to come.
-
An estimated number of 300,000 prospectors rush to California in hopes to find riches when James W. Marshall discovered gold in Coloma.
-
The Fugitive Slave Act is passed, allowing for stricter punishments for those harboring escaped slaves.
-
Abraham Lincoln is elected as president, much to the dismay of the south. Now the north held power of both congress and the presidency.
-
South Carolina is the first state to withdraw from the Union
-
The Confederate States of America is founded as an independent republic, declaring themselves separate from the Union
-
The first battle of the Civil War.
-
Confederate soldiers launch a surprise attack on the North.
-
Robert E. Lee decides to invade the Union. Considered the bloodiest day of American history.
-
Abraham Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves in the rebelling states
-
The last major confederate base on the Mississippi river is put under siege.
-
The first draft in American history is issued.
-
The most brutal, awful battle of the Civil War.
-
William Tecumseh Sherman burns farms, railroads, warehouses, and factories to make a point about how awful war can be.
-
The Freedman's Bureau is established, feeding and clothing war refugees and helping former slaves find work.
-
Bans slavery forever in the United States.
-
Abraham Lincoln is assassinated at a theater.
-
The Military Reconstruction Act divided the Confederacy into 5 districts and required strict requirements to join the Union
-
President Andrew Johnson is impeached for treason, but gets off free by one vote.
-
Banks go bankrupt during the reconstruction of the Civil War, leading to a depression.
