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Republican Party is formed
The Republican party was formed by the people in the North that believed in anti-slavery. The party was also made by people that were opposed to the Kansas-Nebraska act because they thought it would expand slavery. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act passed
This act ended the Missouri compromise, as well as brought the rise to popular sovereignty. This now meant that settlers in a state were able to decide if slavery was allowed in the states border. This act really made the issue worse between people that were pro-slavery and anti-slavery. -
Abraham Lincoln elected president
Abraham Lincoln of the Republican party won the popular and electoral vote in the north states where slavery was already abolished. He won over four other presidential candidates. -
South Carolina votes to secede from the United States
South Carolina decided to withdraw from the United States, after the fear of the government deciding to abolish slavery. This was the first state of other southern states that would decide to secede, which led to others following. -
Confederate forces fire on Fort Sumter
At 4:30 a.m. the Confederates fired on Fort Sumter in South Carolina. Although it had really no soldier casualties the fort was destroyed. They kept firing for hours in order to try and get the Union out of the fort so that they could have access to a valuable southern sea port. After about 34 hours the Union ended up surrendering with a Confederate Victory. This is what really caused the start for the Civil war. -
Richmond becomes the capital of the Confederacy
The Confederate Capital was originally in Montgomery, Alabama, but it was later moved to Richmond, Virginia. The confederates realized the important placement that the state of Virginia was in and that is what caused the capital to be moved. -
First Battle of Bull Run is fought
This was the first battle of the Civil War and is also known as the battle of Manassas. It was monumental because it showed the trouble of what would be coming ahead in the war. The confederates ended up taking the victory. -
Jefferson Davis elected president of the Confederacy
In Montgomery Alabama, the Confederate Congress appointed that Jefferson Davis would be the president of the Confederates. This was big because it proclaimed that the South and North split far enough that the South even had its own president. -
The Merrimack and the Monitor fight of the Virginia coast
The Confederate ironclad ship was destroying many Union wooden ships in the waters near Norfolk, Virginia. The USS Monitor was able to defend against this Confederate ironclad which declared victory for the Union. -
Battle of Shiloh
This was the second great battle of the Civil War that was fought in the Southwestern portion of Tennessee. This was one of the battles with the most casualties, and resulted in a victory for the North. This was a blow to the Confederates as they lost many men and generals. -
Robert E. Lee is named commander of the Army of Northern Virginia
Lee was named commander for the Confederates in order to try and keep the Union forces out of Richmond. He ended up being successful in his task for the Confederates by driving the Union away from Richmond. -
Battle of Antietam
This was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War with about 23,000 casualties. The battle ended the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia's first invasion into the North. It also is what led to Abraham Lincoln announcing the Emancipation Proclamation. The Union won this battle which was a big event in the war. -
Emancipation Proclamation is announced
This was a scare to all of the confederates. It states that if the rebels did not stop the fighting and rejoin the Union by January 1st, 1863, than all slaves in the southern states would be freed. The southern states were furious over this, and attacked Lincoln through newspapers, mail, etc. -
Lincoln suspends habeas corpus
Lincoln suspended habeas corpus through the Union for any cases related to prisoners of war, spies, traitors, or Union soldiers. This also meant that the president is able to wage war against invaders, without needing declaration of war from the congress. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
In this battle the goals for the Union was to catch the Robert E. Lee and the Confederates off guard and capture Richmond. However, this was not the case. The Union ended up having to retreat which lost them the chance to pursue further into Confederate territory. Confederates came away with the victory. -
Battle of Gettysburg
This is known as the biggest battle of the Civil War that took place in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle involved the most casualties throughout the entire war, and was known as the turning point. The Union ended up taking the victory. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
Robert E. Lee led the Confederates to a victory. This was a risky move as the Confederates had less than half the number of men. This victory allowed Lee and his army to move north and invade Pennsylvania. Although this was big for the Confederates their General Stonewall Jackson got badly wounded which led to his death. -
Confederates surrender at Vicksburg
The city of Vicksburg was occupied by the Confederates up until July 4th, 1863. This is because general John C. Pemberton of the Confederates, surrendered to general Ulysses S. Grant of the Union. This was a big Union victory and Vicksburg was thought of as a staple of freedom in the South for the rest of the war. -
New York City draft riots
Lincoln passed a law that male citizens between the age of 20 and 35 were subject to join the military. This caused very much backlash between men, which is what caused the draft riots in New York City. It was an angry mob that fought against soldiers, destroyed homes, and killed people. -
Lincoln gives his Gettysburg Address
This address was meant as a way to pay tribute to the about 50,000 men that sacrificed their lives in the battle of Gettysburg. Lincoln declared how we are one United country and we should all stand together as equals. -
Atlanta is captured
Confederate troops under William T. Sherman tried to hold the crucial city of Atlanta from the Union. After suffering heavy losses and battling all summer the Confederates were forced to give Atlanta up resulting in a win for the Union. -
Abraham Lincoln defeats George McClellan to win re-election
Although Lincoln did end up getting re-elected in 1864, there were tons of controversy. At first he feared that he wouldn't be re-elected because the first couple years of the Civil War weren't going well for the Union. The battle of Atlanta helped him greatly in this election because it was a recent Union Victory. -
Sherman begins his March to the Sea
This was the most destructive campaign against a civilian population in the war. Union Major General William Tecumseh Sherman, led troops from Atlanta to Savannah. While on this journey the troops plowed through civilian land and the countryside. -
Congress passes the 13th Amendment
This was pretty much the law in the U.S. that abolished slavery. It states that men were not subject to involuntary service, unless it was used for punishment. It was passed on April 8th, 1864 by the Senate, and passed by the house on January 31st, 1865. Finally President Lincoln signed and approved it on February 1st, 1865. -
Freedman’s Bureau is created
The Bureau was created after the war and it was meant to assist and support formerly enslaved people as well as impoverish white people in the South. -
Lincoln gives his second inaugural address
Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address at the U.S. capitol grounds to a crowd of 35,000 people. In this address he urged for our country to bring peace, and come back together as one. The Civil war did tons of damage to our country as states seceded, and Lincoln tried to get people to forget about all of this and move on. -
Richmond falls to the Union Army
After prevailing from a number of attacks, Richmond, which was important for supplies, troops, weapons, etc. finally fell to the Union army and Ulysses S. Grant. This signaled the end of the confederacy because their capital had fell and they had their supplies cut off. -
Robert E. Lee surrenders at Appomattox
This was the mark of the end of the Civil War. General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Confederate Northern Virginia troops to the Union and Ulysses S. Grant. This happened at a courthouse in Appomattox Virginia. -
President Abraham Lincoln Assasination
While watching the play "Our American Cousin" at Fords Theater, president Lincoln was shot in the head once by John Wilkes Booth. Booth then fled the scene and soldiers quickly rushed in to obtain Lincolns body. -
John Wilkes Booth is killed
After shooting Lincoln, Booth led the U.S. army on a chase through Virginia and Maryland. This lasted 12 days. The military later found him hiding in a barn in Virginia. He did not surrender which led the army to shoot into the barn, which killed Booth.