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The South Secedes
Following Lincolns election as president, South Carolina was removed from the Union by the delegates. Following this, 11 more states seceded from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America. -
Period: to
Civil War & Recontruction
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South Creates a Government
On this date, the seven seceded states created the Confederate Constitution and name Jefferson Davis the temporary president of the Confederacy. -
Lincoln's Inauguration
Lincoln was inaugurated into presidency on this date. It was here that he stated he did not wish to remove slavery from states where it already existed, but he would no longer accept secession. -
Attack on Fort Sumter
Lincoln planned to send supplies to Fort Sumter, but South Carolina saw it as a trick by the Union. The first shots of the Civil War were fired here, and Fort Sumter was surrendered to South Carolina. -
4 States Join the Union
Because of the events at Fort Sumter, four more states joined the Confederacy. -
McClellan Loses Comman
Because of his inactivity and ignorance of Lincoln’s orders, the Supreme Commander of the Union was released of his duties. -
Harpers Ferry
Despite the victory by the Union at South Mountain, their forces did not move quickly enough and lose Harpers Ferry to the Confederacy. -
Antietam
The bloodiest day of the war, in which 2,108 Union soldiers were killed and 2,700 Confederate soldiers were killed. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Issued by Lincoln, declaring that all slaves in areas still in rebellion were, in the eyes of the federal government, free. -
Second Emancipation Proclamation
Issued by Lincoln as a war measure; freed all slaves in states that were still in rebellion against the United States. -
First Conscription Act Passed
Because of recruiting difficulties by the Union, and act was passed that made all men between the ages of 20-45 liable to be called in for Military service. -
10 Percent Plan
Lincoln issued a Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction, which came to be known as his 10 Percent Plan. -
Lincoln is Re-Elected
Despite some weariness by the public, his Sherman Victory helped Lincoln to be re-elected as president. -
Fall of the Confederacy
Transportation issues, blockades, and supplies shortages began to affect the Confederacy men, who soon started abandoning the army. -
Surrender at Appomatix
This is the date in which General Lee of the Confederacy surrenders to the Union at the Appomattox courthouse. -
Lincoln's Assassanation
President Lincoln is shot and killed while at Ford’s Theatre by John Wilkes Booth. -
Andrew Johnson Becomes President
Andrew Johnson is inaugurated as the 17th President of the United States following the death of Abraham Lincoln. -
Presidential Reconstruction Begins
President Johnson announces his plan of Presidential Reconstruction. -
Black Code Introductions
Some Southern legislatures begin to establish Black Codes in order to help reestablish white supremacy. -
13th Amendment Ratified
The thirteenth amendment is ratified that prohibits slavery and involuntary servitude. -
Radical Reconstruction Acts
Congress passes the first series of Reconstruction Acts (Military, Command of the Army, and Tenure of Office). Congressional or "Radical" Reconstruction begins. -
2nd Reconstruction Act
States that military commanders in each southern district are to register all qualified adult males to vote. -
3rd Reconstruction Act
States that Registrars are directed to go beyond the loyalty oath by determining the eligibility of each person who wants to take it; district commanders are authorized to re-take control by replacing the preexisting state officeholders. -
Opelousas Massacre
The Opelousas Massacre in Louisiana. An estimated 200 to 300 black Americans are killed. -
Black Violence Continues
Violence against blacks continues throughout the South; in October, Georgia legislator Abram Colby is kidnapped and whipped. -
15th Amendment Ratified
The fifteenth amendment is ratified granting universal male suffrage. -
Amnesty Act
Grant signs the Amnesty Act, so that now only a few hundred former Confederates are excluded from political privileges. -
Panic of 1870
A period of financial panic following the failure of the Philadelphia investment house. -
Reconstruction Ends
The last Radical state governments collapse and the Redemption Period begins. -
Freedman Bank Fails
The Freedmen's Savings Bank fails, with only $31,000 to reimburse its 61,000 remaining depositors. The average loss is $20 per customer. -
Andrew Johnson Serves the Senate
Andrew Johnson becomes the first and only former president to serve in the Senate. -
Whiskey Ring Scandal
Scandal in which a group of public officials and liquor distillers have defrauded the federal government of millions by bribing liquor tax collectors. -
Clinton Massacre
More than twenty black Americans are killed in a massacre in Clinton, Mississippi. -
Hayes Wins Election but Loses Popular Vote
Hayes is declared the winner of the 1876 presidential election over Democrat Samuel J. Tilden, even though Tilden won the popular vote. -
Works Cited
All pictures borrowed from commons.wikimedia.org Freeman, Joanne. Encyclopedia of American History. New York: Richard B. Morris, Print. http://memory.loc.gov/.
