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The Missouri Compromise
By recognizing Missouri as a slave state in return for legislation prohibiting slavery north of the 36°30′ parallel except for Missouri, the Missouri Compromise put an end to northern efforts to indefinitely prevent slavery's expansion. -
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly is an anti-slavery novel. The book, which was published in 1852, had a major impact on American attitudes toward African Americans and slavery, and is said to have "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War." -
John Brown’s Raid
John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry was an attempt by abolitionist John Brown to start a slave rebellion in Southern states by seizing the United States arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, from October 16 to 18, 1859. It's been dubbed the "dress rehearsal" for the Civil War, or the "tragic prelude." -
Abraham Lincoln’s Election
Despite not appearing on many Southern ballots, Abraham Lincoln was elected by a large margin in 1860. Many Southerners were afraid of his party's anti-slavery stance as a Republican. South Carolina seceded from the Union on December 20, 1860, just over a month after the polls closed. By the spring of 1861, six more states had joined the union. -
Fort Sumter
Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard bombarded Fort Sumter when President Abraham Lincoln revealed plans to resupply the fort, igniting the Battle of Fort Sumter. Anderson and 86 soldiers surrendered the fort on April 13 after a 34-hour exchange of artillery fire. -
First Battle of Bull Run
The Battle of First Manassas, also known as the First Battle of Bull Run, was the American Civil War's first major battle. On July 21, 1861, in Prince William County, Virginia, just north of Manassas and about 30 miles west-southwest of Washington, D.C., the war was fought. -
Hatteras Inlet Batteries
The Battle of Hatteras Inlet Batteries was the first time the Union Army and Navy worked together in the American Civil War, and it resulted in Union dominance of the strategically important North Carolina Sounds. To secure their commerce-robbing activities, the Confederates constructed two forts on the Outer Banks. -
Fort Henry
During the American Civil War, the Battle of Fort Henry took place in Donelson, Stewart County, Tennessee, on February 6, 1862. It was the Union's and Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's first significant victory in the Western Theater. -
Battle of the Ironclads
The CSS Virginia, the world's first ironclad ship, sank two wooden-hulled US warships at Hampton Roads on March 8, 1862. This battle changed naval warfare forever by demonstrating that wooden ships were no match for ironclads. -
Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburgh Landing, was a significant Civil War victory for the Union. The Battle of Shiloh, which took place in Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee on April 7, 1862, ended with a Union victory over Confederate forces. -
Antietam
Most notably, the Union victory at Antietam gave President Abraham Lincoln the opportunity to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, making the battle one of the pivotal battles of the American Civil War. -
Fredericksburg
The Union Army suffered a major setback at the Battle of Fredericksburg. Despite outnumbering the Confederates (120,000 Union men to 85,000 Confederates), the Union suffered more than twice as many casualties (12,653 to 5,377). This battle marked the Union's lowest point in the war. -
Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville was the most important engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign during the American Civil War. It took place in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, near the village of Chancellorsville, from April 30 to May 6, 1863. -
Vicksburg
The Union won the Siege of Vicksburg by a large margin. It gave the Union control of the Mississippi River. These two wins marked the Civil War's biggest turning point in the Union's favor. -
Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg was a watershed moment in the Civil War, with the Union losing 23,000 men killed, injured, or missing. The Confederate States of America suffered 25,000 casualties. -
Chattanooga
During the American Civil War, the Chattanooga campaign consisted of a series of drills and battles in October and November 1863. -
Battle of the Crater
The Battle of the Crater was fought as part of the siege of Petersburg during the American Civil War. It was fought between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, led by General Robert E. Lee, and the Union Army of the Potomac, led by Major General George G. Meade, on July 30, 1864. -
Congress Approves 13th Amendment
The 13th amendment abolished slavery in the United States when it was passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified on December 6, 1865. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Joint Resolution of Congress sending the constitutional amendment to the state legislatures on February 1, 1865. -
Appomattox
The Battle of Appomattox Court House took place near Appomattox Court House, Virginia, on April 9, 1865, and resulted in Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendering his Army of Northern Virginia to Union General Ulysses S. Grant. -
Lincoln Assassination
From 1861 until his assassination in 1865, Abraham Lincoln was an American statesman and lawyer who served as the 16th president of the United States. The American Civil War, the country's biggest moral, constitutional, and political crisis, was led by Lincoln.
