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Abraham Lincoln elected as president
Election of the Republican made the Democrats mad and gave reason for some states to secede. He would face many challenges of attempting to revive the Union. Additionally, he gave the Emanicipation Proclamation which was a precursor for freeing slaves in the Southern states. -
South Carolina secedes from the Union
The succession of South Carolina was the beginning of the creation of the Confederate States of America. Once Lincoln was elected president, South Carolina left because they felt he was going to threaten slavery, This goes to show how much the South wanted to hold firm to their beliefs of state's rights and slavery. -
The Confederate States of America established
Opposing views on slavery and states' rights spurred not only South Carolina, but eventually 10 other states to secede as well. Electing Jefferson Davis as the Confederate president, they created a government that they agreed on. This ultimately resulted in clashing with the Union during the Civil War. -
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Battle of Fort Sumter
The first shots of the Civil War were fired at this battle. Following this battle, more states left the Union and joined the Confederate States of America. At this point, war was inevitable and foreshadowed a long war ahead for both the Union and Confederacy. -
The Battle of Antietam
This was the single bloodiest day of the Civil War, with approximately 2,000 deaths on each side. Since Lee retreated, the Union claimed a victory. This gave Lincoln a morale boost to issue the Emanicpation Proclamation. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Abraham Lincoln declared that the slaves in the Southern states be freed from slavery. Ironically, he didn't have control of the Confederate states during this time so it had no immediate effect. However, it acted as a precursor to the emancipation of slaves. -
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Battle of Fredericksburg
It was one of the worst defeats of the Union army in the Civil War. The Union suffered 13,000 casualties while the Confederates had only 5,000. As for the Confederates, it ended the Union campaign to attack the Confederate capital of Richmond. -
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Battle of Chancellorsville
This battle was a failed attempt by the Union forces to seize the Confederate capital of Richmond Most considered this battle to be Lee's greatest victory. However, the Confederates lost Stonewall Jackson, one of their most important leaders. -
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Battle of Gettysburg
This was a major turning point of the Civil War. Up to this point, the Confederates were winning. However, this loss demoralized the South and Lee gave up on invading the North. Both sizes had major losses in lives as well. -
Siege of Vicksburg
Because of their success of siezing Vicksburg, President Abraham Lincoln considered Grant's campaign "one of the most brilliant in the world". Lincoln later promoted Grant as commander of all of the Union armies. This allowed him to become President following the war. -
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Black Codes passed
This limited the rights of freed black slaves. Even though slavery was over, they still had limited rights when compared to normal citizens. The South didn't want to sway away from their old way of life. It sparked a civil rights movement. -
Freedmen's Bureau established
This move by the government was done to basically aid former slaves following the Civil War. The government educated the slaves, helped get jobs, and helped get homes. It had little success. The South hated the Freedmen's Bureau. -
General Robert E. Lee surrenders
The surrender at Appomattox Courthouse was the end of the Civil War, one of the bloodiest wars in American history. The Confederates can now reunite with the Union. Following this event, Reconstruction takes place. -
President Abraham Lincoln assassinated
Even after the war had ended, some of the Confederates highly criticized Abraham Lincoln and his political views on issues such as slavery. However, many people praised him for leading the Union during the Civil War and kindly spirit. He had many plans for Reconstruction and reuniting the Union but wasn't able to see it become a reality. -
13th amendment adopted
This was an amendment that abolished slavery. This ended the South economic way of life. They had depended on slavery for approximately 200 years. -
Ku Klux Klan established
This group comprised of Confederate whites who believed in white superiority. They terrorized the blacks to prevent them from voting and attempted to limit their rights. This also ignited the need for a civil rights movement. -
Civil Rights Act of 1866 enacted
This civil rights act was passed to protect the rights of blacks. This act tried to protect the slaves' right to sue, to be heard in trial, and the right to hold property. They wanted to treat them as regular citizens and not as secondary citizens as the Southerners wanted to. -
First Reconstruction Act passed
It divided the South into 5 military districts under a general. Readmission to the Southern states would be accepted if states ratified the 14th amendment and universal male suffrage. It forced the Southern states to give in and accept blacks as equal. -
14th amendment adopted
It forbade states to deny any citizen rights granted by the government. It provided full citizenship and rights to free black slaves. Southerners can no longer deny that slaves have fewer rights than the whites do. -
15th amendment ratified
It gave all males the right to vote, including the freed slaves. No longer can Southern states prevent one from voting on the basis of color or race. These Reconstruction amendments gave blacks the same social status as whites.
