The Civil War

Battle of Atlanta, Georgia by Kurz & Allison, 1888.

We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.

— Abraham Lincoln, November 19, 1863, The Gettysburg Address

From 1861 to 1865, the United States was torn apart by the Civil War, primarily by the issue ofslavery. Though many disagreements between the North and South had been brewing since the American Revolution ended in 1782, the crisis began to come to a head in the 1850s. It was at this time that northern factions feared that those supporting slavery had too much control in government, and the South feared losing that control to anti-slavery forces. Other issues included states’ rights vs. federal power, the economic merits of free labor vs. slave labor, expansionism, modernization, and taxes.

Adding fuel to the fire was the nation’s growth westward. As new territories such asKansas andNebraska were added, the Southern factions felt that slavery should be allowed in these new territories, while the “Free Soiler“ was set against it. This led to open warfare between Kansas andMissouri, generally referred to in history as “Bleeding Kansas.” One of the many precursors to the Civil War, these battles pitted neighbor against neighbor.

This dispute over the expansion of slavery into the new territories andAbraham Lincoln’s election as president on November 6, 1860, finally led to the secession of eleven Southern states. Though Lincoln did not propose federal laws making slavery unlawful where it already existed, his sentiments regarding a “divided nation” were well known.

On December 20, 1860,South Carolina was the first state to secede from theUnion, and within two months,Mississippi,Florida,Alabama,Georgia,Louisiana, andTexas followed. On February 9, 1861, theConfederate States of America States of America was formed with PresidentJefferson Davis at its helm.

Fighting began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces attacked a Federal military installation atFort Sumter in South Carolina.

Fort Sumter, South Carolina, is bombed by the Confederates while the people of Charleston look on.

In the beginning, most believed that the war would be short-lived, but the North underestimated the determination of the South to remain independent. The battles raged over four long years, with some three million men fighting for their cause and resulting in the loss of some 620,000 lives.Confederate General Robert E. Lee, after being forced to abandon the Confederate capital of Richmond, surrendered atAppomattox,Virginia, on April 9, 1865, effectively ending the Civil War. However, small sporadic battles would occur months later.

In the end, theUnion prevailed, resulting in the restoration of the United States and the end of slavery.