US History - Civil War

test on 12/19/2025

Civil War dates

The Civil War lasted from 1861 to 1865

Start of Civil War

The Civil War began in 1861 with the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter

End of Civil War

The Civil War effectively ended in 1865 with Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House

Union goal at start

Preserve the Union, not immediately abolish slavery

Confederate goal

Protect slavery and assert states’ rights

Main cause of Civil War

Slavery and sectional conflict between North and South

Abraham Lincoln

President of the United States during the Civil War

Jefferson Davis

President of the Confederate States of America

Ulysses S. Grant

Union general who led Union forces to victory

Robert E. Lee

Top Confederate general who surrendered at Appomattox

Border states

Slave states that stayed in the Union including Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, and Delaware

Importance of border states

Gave the Union strategic locations and resources

Union advantages

Larger population, more factories, stronger navy, extensive railroads

Union disadvantages

Lack of experienced generals early in the war

Confederate advantages

Strong military leadership and fighting on home territory

Confederate disadvantages

Fewer resources, less industry, smaller population

Railroads impact

Allowed fast movement of troops and supplies, favoring the Union

Telegraph impact

Enabled rapid communication between military leaders

Fort Sumter

1861 battle in South Carolina that started the Civil War

First Battle of Bull Run

1861 battle that showed the war would be long and bloody

Battle of Shiloh

1862 battle that demonstrated the high human cost of the war

Battle of Antietam

1862 Union victory that led to the Emancipation Proclamation

Significance of Antietam

Gave Lincoln political support to issue the Emancipation Proclamation

Emancipation Proclamation date

Issued January 1, 1863

Emancipation Proclamation definition

Freed enslaved people in Confederate states only

Impact of Emancipation on Confederacy

Weakened Southern labor force and economy

Impact of Emancipation on border states

Did not free enslaved people in border states

Impact of Emancipation on Union army

Allowed Black soldiers to join and strengthened Union forces

Battle of Gettysburg

1863 turning point battle that stopped Confederate invasion of the North

Gettysburg significance

Marked the turning point of the war in favor of the Union

Gettysburg Address

Speech by Lincoln redefining the war as a fight for democracy and equality

Siege of Vicksburg

1863 battle that gave Union control of the Mississippi River

Vicksburg significance

Split the Confederacy in half

Sherman’s March to the Sea

1864 total war campaign destroying Southern infrastructure

Total war definition

Military strategy targeting civilian resources and morale

Appomattox Court House

1865 site where Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant

13th Amendment date

Ratified in 1865

13th Amendment definition

Abolished slavery in the United States

14th Amendment date

Ratified in 1868

14th Amendment definition

Granted citizenship and equal protection under the law

15th Amendment date

Ratified in 1870

15th Amendment definition

Protected voting rights for Black men

Reconstruction dates

Reconstruction lasted from 1865 to 1877

Purpose of Reconstruction

Rebuild the South and integrate freed slaves into society

Lincoln’s Reconstruction Plan

Lenient plan allowing quick reentry of Southern states

Johnson’s Reconstruction Plan

Even more lenient plan allowing Southern states to pass Black Codes

Black Codes

Southern laws restricting freedoms of formerly enslaved people

Southern response to Reconstruction

Resistance through Black Codes and violence

Impact of Lincoln’s assassination

Weakened Reconstruction and reduced protections for freed slaves

DBQ slavery sentence starter

Debates over slavery shaped the Civil War by transforming it from a fight for unity into a struggle over freedom

DBQ emancipation sentence starter

The Emancipation Proclamation marked a turning point by redefining the purpose of the war

DBQ Reconstruction sentence starter

Although Reconstruction expanded rights legally, resistance limited these freedoms in practice

DBQ conclusion sentence starter

Overall, the Civil War and Reconstruction redefined American freedom while revealing its limitations