-
Ordinance of Secession is adopted by FL
Florida becomes the 3rd state to officially secede from the Union. -
Battle of Ft. Sumter
When Confederate forces fired on Ft. Sumter in Charleston South Carolina, the Civil War was officially underway.
The first shots were fired by Confedrate cadets from a nearby military college. The barrage lasted 34 hours. -
1st Battle of Bull Run
Called the 1st Battle of Manassas by the South.
The first large battle of the Civil War. It was won by the Confederacy, as most of the early battles were. -
Battle of Shiloh
A major battle of the "War in the West". Located in SOuthern Tennessee and lasting 2 days, the Union won. -
Lincoln Issues the Emancipation Proclamation
This executive order mandated the freeing of all slaves in the 10 remaining rebelling states and stated that "suitable persons" should be enlisted in the Union Army. About 3.1 million of the 4 million enslaved persons were affected.
It did not specifically outlaw slavery, nor did it provide any kind of compensation to slave owners. -
The Battle of Gettysburg
This battle in Pennsylvania lasted 3 days. When the North won, it halted all hopes the Confederacy had of bringing the war north.
This was General Lee's secaond and final attempt to invade the North. -
The Gettysburg Address
-
Lincoln's 10% Plan
Before the Civil War ended, Lincoln put his Reconstruction plan into action, wanting to bring the rebelling states back into the Union with as little punishment as possible.
Although Republicans in Congress passed the Wade-Davis Bill, which would make re-admission into the USA more difficult, Lincoln used a pocket veto and the bill never became law. -
The Fall of Atlanta
Atlanta is burned by General Sherman who then conducted a scorched earth "March to the Sea".
His army reached Savannah on December 22, 1864. -
The Freedmen's Bureau is Created
-
General Lee Surrenders at Appomattox Courthouse
Though Lee surrendered his sword to General U.S. Grant, many Confederates continued to fight for weeks. -
President Lincoln is Assassinated
John Wilkes Booth and a small group of conspirators planned to assassinate several members of the U.S. government, but only Booth succeeded. -
13th Amendment is Ratified
The 13th amendment abolishes slavery in the USA.
Every former Confederate state had to ratify this amendment to be accepted back into the Union. -
New Orleans Race Riots
A riot broke out when a convention met to stop Louisiana's Black Codes from taking effect. Official reports listed 37 dead and 146 wounded, but witnesses claimed that the tolls were much higher.
This type of violence proved to Radical Republicans that police force was needed in the South to enforce African-Americans' civil rights. -
Congressional Reconstruction Begins
Fed up with the lenient Presidential Reconstruction policies, the United States Congress rejects former Confederate states' new constitutions, refuses to seat state representatives, and puts the states under military rule until they meet the new demands Congress lays out. -
The Tenure of Office Act is Passed
This law was passed over the veto of President Andrew Johnson. It stated that the president could not dimiss any executive officer who had been appointed by the president without the consent of the Senate.
Johnson quickly broke this law and articles of impeachment were drawn up. -
14th Amendment is Ratified
the 14th amendment guarantees citizenship to all persons born in the USA and provides equal protection under the law.
This amendment was created to combat loop holes Southern states had found to circumnavigate the rights of freedmen after the Civil War. -
The Election of Ulysses S. Grant
THE war hero for the Union, Grant won the Election of 1868 by a landslide (214 - 80 electoral college votes).
With Grant largely elected by black voters, it seemed necessary to formerly protect their right to vote if the Republican Party was going to continue to thrive. -
15th Amendment is Ratified
The 15th amendment guarantees the rights of all male citizens to vote. -
Georgia is the Last State to Be Re-Admitted into the Union
THis officially ended the Confederate States of America. -
The Panic of 1873
The USA is plunged into a recession that would last 5 years when the stock market crashed on this date.
As America dealt with this crisis, they had less interest in the problems of the South. -
The Compromise of 1877
An informal bargain dreamed up to settle the disputed 1876 presidential election.
Garfield Hayes would become president, but federal troops would leave the South, effectively ending Reconstruction.
Many African-American historians call it "The Great Betrayal".