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Republican Party is formed
Based on the idea of abolitionism, the Republican Party was formed, and became the main opponent of the Democratic Party. -
Abraham Lincoln elected president
Lincoln was elected president in the election of 1860, causing the South to break away and elect their own president. -
South Carolina votes to secede from the United States
Due to the disagreements over slavery in the United States, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the country and attempt to start a new country, called the Confederate States. -
Jefferson Davis elected president of the Confederacy
Jefferson Davis was elected as the first and only president of the Confederacy. -
Confederate forces fire on Fort Sumter
Considered the beginning of the Civil War, Confederate troops fired at Fort Sumter in North Carolina. -
Richmond becomes the capital of the Confederacy
As the Confederacy sought to become a true new country, the Confederate states changed their capital from Montgomery, Alabama to Richmond, Virginia in spring 1861. -
First Battle of Bull Run is fought
Known by the Confederate army as the Battle of Manassas, the Battle of Bull Run was the first major battle in the Civil War. -
The Merrimack and the Monitor fight of the Virginia coast
At the Battle of the Monitor and the Merrimack, there was a naval duel between warships. -
Battle of Shiloh
With around 23,000 casualties, the Battle of Shiloh was considered one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. -
Robert E. Lee is named commander of the Army of Northern Virginia
Robert E. Lee was given command of the main army of the Confederacy, the Army of Northern Virginia. -
Battle of Antietam
This battle, known as the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, with 22,727 casualties, took place in multiple cities in the Southern United States. -
Lincoln suspends habeas corpus
In response to the Civil War, Lincoln suspended habeas corpus, arguing that people may be unlawfully arrested in extraordinary circumstances, such as the Civil War. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
This was a battle fought in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, lasting 4 days long, which the Confederacy won. -
Emancipation Proclamation is announced
Through the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln announced that slavery would be ended at last and all slaves would be set free. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
This 7 day long battle marked the death of General Stonewall Jackson and another Confederate victory. -
Battle of Gettysburg
This was a battle fought in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, lasting 3 days long, which the Union won. -
Confederates surrender at Vicksburg
After over 40 days of the siege of Vicksburg by the Union, the Confederates finally surrendered at Vicksburg. -
New York City draft riots
Over the course of 6 days, there were multiple urban disturbances in New York City, as a result of rage regarding competition for jobs between Black people and White people. -
Lincoln gives his Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address was a speech given by Lincoln, motivating the country to push through the war and find peace and unity. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act passed
This act repealed the Missouri compromise, added two new territories, and decided that popular sovereignty would be used to decide whether slavery would be legal in these new territories. -
Atlanta is captured
The Confederacy was forced to secede Atlanta to the Union after serious and long battling. -
Abraham Lincoln defeats George McClellan to win re-election
In a surprising win for the Union, Lincoln was elected to a second term as President. -
Sherman begins his March to the Sea
In this march, a Union army led by Major General William Sherman marched through Georgia, destroying many Southern properties, ending on December 21, 1864. -
Congress passes the 13th Amendment
The thirteenth amendment made slavery illegal in the United States. -
Freedmen’s Bureau is created
Congress passed this act in order to provide basic needs for displaced Southerners. -
Lincoln gives his second inaugural address
As the Civil War came to an end, Lincoln gave his thoughts in his second inaugural address, stating that the Union and the Confederacy were to unite and rebuild after the war. -
Richmond falls to the Union Army
In a final victory for the Union, Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy, was captured by the Union after multiple failed attempts. -
Robert E. Lee surrenders at Appomattox
Marking the end of the Civil War, Robert E. Lee finally surrendered the last Confederate army at the Appomattox Courthouse. -
President Lincoln's Assassination
President Lincoln was assassinated at the beginning of his second 4-year term by John Wilkes Booth, a pro slavery advocate, in an angry response to the Confederacy's loss in the Civil War and Lincoln's re-election. -
John Wilkes Booth is killed
After assassinating President Lincoln, Booth was killed during a run from the police.