The Civil War lasted from 1861 until 1865.

The southern states wanted to have their own nation and be able to decide what laws to have.
The north did not want the country to be broken apart.
In the election of 1860 Abraham Lincoln stated that he wanted to stop the spread of slavery.
The southern states said that if Lincoln won, they would secede (leave) the union.
The southern states seceded from the union after Lincoln was elected.
They formed their own nation, The Confederate States of America.
The war began in April of 1861 when the Confederate Army took over Fort Sumter in Charleston,
South Carolina.
President Lincoln was forced to declare war.
The war was a long and bloody. Over 600,000 men on both sides died. Over 1,100,000 were injured.
The south was devastated. General Lee surrendered to General Grant on April 9, 1865 at
Appomattox Court House in Virginia. The war was over.

Industry vs. Farming In the mid-1800s, the economies of many northern states had moved away
from farming to industry. A lot of people in the North worked and lived in large cities like New
York, Philadelphia, and Boston. The southern states, however, had maintained a large farming
economy and this economy was based on slave labor. While the North no longer needed slaves, the
South relied heavily upon slaves for their way of life.

States' Rights The idea of states' rights was not new to the Civil War. Since the Constitution was
first written there had been arguments about how much power the states should have versus how
much power the federal government should have. The southern states felt that the federal
government was taking away their rights and powers.
Expansion As the United States continued to expand westward, each new state added to the
country shifted the power between the North and the South. Southern states began to fear they
would lose so much power that they would lose all their rights. Each new state became a
battleground between the two sides for power.
Slavery At the heart of much of the South's issues was slavery. The South relied on slavery for
labor to work the fields. Many people in the North believed that slavery was wrong and evil. These
people were called abolitionists. They wanted slavery made illegal throughout the United States.
Abolitionists such as John Brown, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and Harriet Beecher Stowe
began to convince more and more people of the evil of slavery. This made the South fearful that
their way of life would come to an end.
Bleeding Kansas The first fighting over the slavery issue took place in Kansas. In 1854, the
government passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act allowing the residents of Kansas to vote on whether
they would be a slave state or a free state. The region was flooded with supporters from both
sides. They fought over the issue for years. Several people were killed in small skirmishes giving the
confrontation the name Bleeding Kansas. Eventually Kansas entered the Union as a free state in
1861.
Abraham Lincoln The final straw for the South was election of Abraham Lincoln to President of the
United States. Abraham Lincoln was a member of the new anti-slavery Republican Party. He
managed to get elected without even being on the ballot in ten of the southern states. The southern
states felt that Lincoln was against slavery and also against the South.
Secession When Lincoln was elected, many of the southern states decided they no longer wanted to
be a part of the United States. They felt that they had every right to leave. Starting with South
Carolina, eleven states would eventually leave the United States and form a new country called the
Confederate States of America. Abraham Lincoln said they did not have the right to leave the
United States and sent in troops to stop the South from leaving. The Civil War had begun.

The American Civil War was fought between the southern states and the northern states. The
southern states didn't want the North telling them what to do or making laws they didn't want. As
a result, many southern states decided to break away and form their own country called the
Confederacy. The North, however, wanted to stay as one united country; and so a war began. The
Civil War, and the major events leading up to the war, lasted from 1860 to 1865.

Events Before the War Harpers Ferry Raid (October 16, 1859) - Abolitionist John Brown
attempts to start a slave rebellion by taking over the Harpers Ferry arsenal. The uprising is quickly
put down and John Brown is hanged for treason. Many people in the North, however, consider him a
hero.
Abraham Lincoln Elected President (November 6, 1860) - Abraham Lincoln was from the northern
part of the country and wanted to put an end to slavery. The southern states didn't want him
president or making laws that would affect them.
South Carolina Secedes (Dec. 20, 1860) - South Carolina became the first state to secede, or
leave, the United States. They decided to make their own country rather than be part of the USA.
Within a few months several other states including Georgia, Mississippi, Texas, Florida, Alabama,
and Louisiana would also leave the Union.
The Confederation is formed (Feb. 9, 1861) - The southern states form their own country called
the Confederate States of America. Jefferson Davis is their president. Abraham Lincoln becomes
President (March 4, 1861) - Now that President Lincoln is in office, he wants to restore the Union.
In other words, get all the states back into the same country.
The Civil War The Civil War Begins (April 12, 1861) - The South attacks Fort Sumter South
Carolina and starts the war. More States leave the Union (April 1861) - within a short period of
time Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas all leave the Union to join the Confederacy.
Union Blockade (April 19, 1861) - Abraham Lincoln announces the Union Blockade where the Union
Navy will attempt to keep supplies from entering or leaving the Confederacy. This blockade will
weaken the Confederacy later in the war.
Many Battles of 1861 and 1862 - Throughout 1861 and 1862 there were many battles where lots
of soldiers from both sides were wounded and killed. Some of the major battles include the First
and Second Battles of Bull Run, The Battle of Shiloh, The Battle of Antietam, and the Battle of
Fredericksburg. There was also the famous sea battle between the two ironclad battleships the
Monitor and the Merrimac. These ships had iron or steel plates on their sides for armor making
them much stronger and changing war on the seas forever.
Emancipation Proclamation (Jan. 1, 1863) - President Lincoln issues an executive order freeing
many slaves and laying the groundwork for the Thirteenth Amendment.
The Battle of Gettysburg (July 1, 1863) - A major battle where the North not only wins the
battle, but starts to win the Civil War.
Sherman Captures Atlanta (Sept. 2, 1864) - General Sherman captures the city of Atlanta,
Georgia. Later in the year he would march to the sea and capture Savannah, Ga. On his way he would
destroy and burn much of the land his army passed through.
The Civil War Ends
General Robert E. Lee surrenders (April 4, 1865) - General Lee, the leader of the Confederate
Army, surrenders to General Ulysses S. Grant at The Appomattox Court House in Virginia.

President Lincoln is Assassinated (April 14, 1865) - While attending the Ford's Theatre,
President Lincoln is shot and killed by John Wilkes Booth.
Reconstruction of the South (1865-1877) - The South is occupied by Federal troops while state
governments, economies, and infrastructure are rebuilt.