-
The Kansas-Nebraska Act is signed into law
President Franklin Pierce signed the Kansas-Nebraska Act into law on May 30, 1854. The act repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820, created two new territories, and allowed for popular sovereignty. Popular sovereignty allowed the citizens of the Kansas and Nebraska Territories to decide on the future of slavery in the Western territories. -
Firing on Fort Sumter
The Civil War officially began when Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina. This federal fort in Charleston Harbor was bombarded for over 34 hours, leading to its surrender by Union forces. This event catalyzed the Northern states into action, marking the start of conflict. -
Period: to
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war in the United States between the Union and the Confederacy, which had been formed by states that had seceded from the Union. -
Battle of Antietam
Known as the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, the Battle of Antietam in Maryland halted the Confederate Army's first invasion into the North. Although technically a draw, the battle gave President Abraham Lincoln the confidence to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that slaves in Confederate-held territory would be set free. -
Emancipation Proclamation
This executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the freedom of slaves in the ten states that were still in rebellion, changing the character of the war. While it did not free all slaves immediately, it signaled a clear shift in the war's purpose to include the abolition of slavery as a primary goal. -
Battle of Gettysburg
Often cited as the war's turning point, the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania was a significant Union victory that stopped Confederate General Robert E. Lee's second invasion of the North. It was the war's deadliest battle and is considered the moment when the momentum irreversibly turned in favor of the Union. -
Surrender at Appomattox Court House
The war effectively ended when General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Confederate army to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. This event signaled the defeat of the Confederacy and paved the way for the reunification of the United States.