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Nomination
On May 18, 1860, Abraham Lincoln received the nomination for the presidency. -
Elected President
Abraham Lincoln was elected the 16th President of the United States on November 6, 1860, with only less than 40% of the popular vote. -
Secession Begins
South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union in December of 1860 over several tensive issues dating back to the formation of the United States. Soon after, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee followed suit. -
Confederation
After South Carolina and other southern states seceded from the union, they formed the Confederate States of America on February 6, 1861. -
Civil War Begins
On April 12, 1861 Confederates fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor, South Carolina. The Civil War had begun. -
Lincoln's War Powers
On July 4, 1861, Congress granted President Lincoln extensive war powers. -
First Battle of Bull Run
The first battle of Bull Run formally marked the first Civil War battle, which ended in a Union defeat. As a result, Lincoln appointed George McClellan commander of the Army of the Potomac. -
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam, America's bloodiest day, resulted in a Union Victory. The results of the battle paved the way for Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. -
Emancipation Proclamation
On January 1 1863, President Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation The proclamation declared that all enslaved persons in the seceded states shall henceforward be free. -
Gettysburg Address
After three of the bloodiest days in American history at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on July 1-3, 1863, Lincoln traveled to the small town to deliver his most famous speech. On November 19, 1863, the president delivered his Gettysburg Address. -
Renomination
On June 8, 1864 Abraham LIncoln received the nomintation to re-run as the Republican candidate for the presidency. -
Lincoln re-elected
Lincoln is re-elected as President of the United States on November 8, 1864. -
Civil War Ends
On April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrenders to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, marking the formal end of the Civil War. Over 600,000 people lost their lives, and Lincoln was faced with the task of healing and reconstructing the country. -
Lincoln Assassinated
On April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln was fatally shot by actor and Sourthern sympathizer John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. The president died the next morning of April 15, 1865.
