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Republican Party is formed
The anti-slavery group made the Republican Party. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act passed
Allowed settlers in Kansas and Nebraska to vote if slavery would be allowed or not. -
Abraham Lincoln elected president
Lincoln was elected president, running in the Republican party. He won with 180 electoral votes. -
South Carolina votes to secede from the United States
South Carolina held a secession convention in Charleston to depart from the United States. The debate was quick and short, South Carolina remained in the Union. -
Lincoln suspends habeas corpus
Under this order, commanders could arrest and detain individuals who were deemed threatening to military operations. -
Lincoln gives his second inaugural address
During his second inaugural address, Lincoln called out slavery, saying it was the reason for the war. -
Confederate forces fire on Fort Sumter
The bombardment of Fort Sumter near Charleston. Began the Civil War. -
Richmond becomes the capital of the Confederacy
Once Virginia seceded, the Confederate government moved the capital to Richmond. -
First Battle of Bull Run is fought
The first major battle of the Civil War. -
Jefferson Davis elected president of the Confederacy
Jefferson Davis was elected to serve a 6-year term as president of the Confederate States of America. -
The Merrimac and the Monitor fight of the Virginia coast
History's first duel between ironclad warships and the beginning of a new era of naval warfare. -
Battle of Shiloh
Crucial victory for the Union during the war. -
Robert E. Lee is named commander of the Army of Northern Virginia
Robert E. Lee joined as commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, leading it to be the most successful southern army of the Civil War. -
Battle of Antietam
The deadliest one-day battle in American military history. It showed that the Union could stand against the Confederate army. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
One of the largest and deadliest battles of the Civil War. -
Emancipation Proclamation is announced
The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free." -
Battle of Chancellorsville
A major victory for Robert E. Lee. -
Battle of Gettysburg
Fought in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces. -
Confederates surrender at Vicksburg
General John C. Pemberton surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Vicksburg. -
New York City draft riots
The government attempted to enforce the draft in New York City and it ignited the most destructive civil disturbance in the city's history. -
Lincoln gives his Gettysburg Address
Lincon's speech after the battle of Gettysburg. He urged people to remember those who died and to honor the constitution. -
Atlanta is captured
Atlanta was captured and it threatened the stability of the Confederacy. -
Abraham Lincoln defeats George McClellan to win re-election
Abraham Lincon defeats democratic nominee, Geroge McClellan. -
Sherman begins his March to the Sea
Sherman made an expedition across Georgia by torching the industrial section of Atlanta and pulling away from his supply lines. -
Congress passes the 13th Amendment
Congress passed the amendment that ended slavery. -
Freedman’s Bureau is created
Provided food, clothing, healthcare, and education for both black and white refugees in the south. -
Richmond falls to the Union Army
The Union catches Richmond. -
Robert E. Lee surrenders at Appomattox
Rober E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant which ended the Civil War. -
President Lincoln assassinated
John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincon at Peterson House, Washington D.C. -
John Wilkes Booth is killed
John Wilkes Booth was killed 12 days after he assassinated Lincon.