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Bleeding Kansas
Pro and Anti Slavery flood in Kansas
Bitterly divided the territories
Cities of pro/anti-slavery supporters
Many more people went to Kansas and voted for slavery
Expelled Anti-Slavery supporters -
Lincoln is elected
Abraham Lincoln wins a four-way race for President of the United States. Although he doesn't win a popular majority and isn't even on the ballot in nine Southern states, he earns enough electoral votes to beat all other opponents. -
South Carolina First to Secede
South Carolina officially secedes from the Union, becoming the first state to do so. -
Lincoln Inauguration
Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated as the 16th President of the United States. In his Inaugural Address he gives a stark warning to the South: he will not tolerate secession. -
Confederate Constitution Signed
The Constitution of the Confederate States of America is signed in Montgomery, Alabama. -
Civil War Begins
Confederate forces under General P.G.T. Beauregard bombard Major Robert Anderson and his Union soldiers at Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. The Civil War officially begins. -
Union Surrender at Ft. Sumter
Major Robert Anderson surrenders Fort Sumter to Confederate forces after two days of bombardment. -
Battle of Shiloh
Union General Ulysses S. Grant's forces are surprised at the town of Shiloh in Tennessee. The ensuing battle results in 13,000 Union and 10,000 Confederate casualties, more than in all previous American wars combined. -
The Seven Days
Over the course of seven days of fighting, General Robert E. Lee attacks George McClellan's Union Army of the Potomac near Richmond, Virginia. Huge casualties cause McClellan to withdraw north towards Washington. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation. It frees all slaves in territory captured by the Union Army, and orders the enlistment of Black soldiers. From this point forward, the Civil War is a war over slavery. -
Military Draft
Congress enacts the first draft in American history, requiring every man to serve in the army unless he can furnish a substitute or pay the government $300. These escape provisions are wildly unpopular with workers and recent immigrants, and lead to draft riots in New York and other northern cities. -
Gettysburg
From July 1st to July 4th, the Union Army under General Meade defeats Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. One of the bloodiest battles of the war, Gettysburg is a turning point, and marks the farthest advance of the Confederate Army into Northern territory. -
Vicksburg
Far to the West on the Mississippi River, General Ulysses S. Grant takes Vicksburg after a long siege. At this point, the Union controls the entire river, cutting the Confederacy in two. -
13th Amendment Ends Slavery
The United States Congress approves the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which will abolish slavery. -
Fall of Richmond
The Union Army captures Richmond, Virginia, which is nearly leveled by shelling and fire. -
Sherman burns Atlanta
Union General Sherman captures Atlanta and burns it to the ground. -
Second Lincoln Inaugural
Lincoln is sworn in for his second term as President of the United States. -
Lee Surrenders
General Robert E. Lee surrenders to General Ulysses S. Grant in a farmhouse in the town of Appomattox Court House, Virginia. The war is over. -
Lincoln Shot
Abraham Lincoln is shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. -
Slavery Abolished
The 13th Amendment is ratified by the States. Slavery is abolished.
