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Republican Party is formed
The Republican party was formed to oppose the Kansas–Nebraska Act and to stop the expansion of slavery. The Republican party supported the industrialization of the United States. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act passed
This act repealed the Missouri Compromise, created two new territories, and allowed new states that entered the Union to decide for themselves if they would be slave states or free states. -
Abraham Lincoln elected president
The election of 1860 demonstrated the divisions of the united States at the time. Four strong candidates were running but Lincoln won. Lincoln was opposed to slavery and made that a point in his presidency. This was one of the main causes of the Civil War. -
South Carolina votes to secede from the United States
The South Carolina General Assembly called for a "Convention of the People of South Carolina" to debate the secession from the United States. Delegates were elected, the vote was unanimous 169-0. -
Lincoln gives his second inaugural address
Lincoln used his inaugural address to call out the reason for the Civil War. He stated that the cause was slavery. He desired for the nation to become one again and for the Southern states to come back into the union. -
Confederate forces fire on Fort Sumter
The South Carolina Army, looking to seceded from the Union, opened fire on Fort Sumter in order to clearly voice their separation. This was a key event that lead to the start of the Civil War. -
Lincoln suspends habeas corpus
The habeas corpus act prevent people from unlawful imprisonment. This gave military personnel the right to silence rioters and rebellions. -
First Battle of Bull Run is fought
The First Battle of Bull Run was one of the fist major battles starting the Civil War. It has also been known as Battle of Manassas due to its location near Manassas Junction, Virginia. It was a Confederate win. -
Jefferson Davis elected president of the Confederacy
Davis ran without opposition. The election only confirmed what had been previously decided in the year. -
The Merrimack and the Monitor fight of the Virginia coast
Often referred to as the Battle of Hampton Roads, marks the naval battle at the harbour in Hampton Roads, Virginia. This was history's first battle between ironclad warships that started a new era of naval warfare. -
Battle of Shiloh
This battle was a crucial win for the Union. This battle ended all hope for the Confederacy to expand Westward and gave the Union the opportunity to advance into Mississippi. -
Robert E. Lee is named commander of the Army of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was one of the more successful Confederate armies. Robert E. Lee eventually assumed the position of commanding all of the Confederate armies. Lee became a symbol of the American South for his leadership and role in the Confederacy. -
Battle of Antietam
A Union victory. There were many casualties on both sides but the Union prevented the Confederates from invading. The win also lead to Lincoln announcing the Emancipation Proclamation. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
One of the greatest Confederate victories of the war. The Union did not have string generals so the battle was disorganized and the Union soldiers fell apart. -
Emancipation Proclamation is announced
President Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation as the start to end slavery. The Emancipation Proclamation stated "that all persons held as slaves are, and henceforward shall be free." This did not end slavery, but it started the movement to fully end it. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
The battle was faught in an open field in a forest west of Chancellorsville. This was an important battle for the Confederacy lead by General Robert E. Lee. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The war was fought between Union and Confederate forces. The battle resulted in the most war casualties out of the whole Civil War. This was a turning point in the war. -
Confederates surrender at Vicksburg
The Confederacy is separated when General John C. Pemberton surrenders to General Ulysses S. Grant, of the Union, at Vicksburg, Mississippi. Pemberton held off the Union Army for over 40 days but was running out of supplies and had no where to turn to. This was a major victory for the Union. -
New York City draft riots
The Civil War draft was a huge disturbance among the working class at he time. This anger caused the some of the bloodiest five days of rioting that the United States has ever seen. Union troops returning from the Battle of Gettysburg had to come into the city to stop the rioting. -
Lincoln gives his Gettysburg Address
Lincoln gave this speech to address and honor the fallen soldiers at the Battle of Gettysburg. Lincoln then dedicated the battle field as a national military cemetery. -
Atlanta is captured
General William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union successfully captured Atlanta from the Confederacy. Atlanta was a major supply line for the Confederacy. Taking that from the Confederacy severely threatened their survival. -
Abraham Lincoln defeats George McClellan to win re-election
Lincoln was running against George McClellan for the president towards the end of the Civil War. Lincoln ran for the National Union Party and McClellan ran for the Democratic party. Lincoln had 55% of the popular vote and won the Election. -
Sherman begins his March to the Sea
Union General William T. Sherman started his march across Georgia by nearing Atlanta and pulling away from his supply lines. -
Congress passes the 13th Amendment
This amendment was added to ensure equality for the newly freed slaves. -
Freedmen’s Bureau is created
The goal of the creation of Freedmen’s Bureau was to provide necessary supplies freed slaves and others that were displaced due to the Civil War. -
Richmond falls to the Union Army
The Confederate Army broke after a 9 month siege, leaving the capital defenseless. This was a huge Union victory because Richmond was the Confederacy's main source of weapons and supplies, this also gave the Union access to the terminus of five railroads. -
Richmond becomes the capital of the Confederacy
Out of the whole South, Virginia was the largest state. One Virginia seceded from the Union the Confederacy moved their capital to Richmond, Virginia. This was a crucial source of weapons and supplies for the Confederate army. -
Robert E. Lee surrenders at Appomattox
The surrender at Appomattox was the ending to the Civil War. Robert E. Lee surrendered his 28,000 troops to General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union. -
President Lincoln assassinated
President Lincoln was attending a show by the name of Our American cousin at the Ford's Theatre. As he was wating the show he was shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth. -
John Wilkes Booth is killed
Union soldiers tracked Booth all the way down to a Virginia farm about 12 days after he murdered President Lincoln. Corporal Boston Corbett shot and killed Booth for his crimes against the United States.