Slavery and The Civil War

A divided country

In the early days of the Republic, several states in the North move to abolish slavery while the South, mostly agrarian, holds on to it.
In 1807, the Congress outlaws the importation of slaves.
As the United States expand westward, the balance of power between “slave states” and “free states” is at stake.
“Slaves states” fear that should they become the minority, the “free states” would move to abolish slavery at the federal level.

Abolitionism

It gains traction after the abolition of slavery in the United Kingdom in 1833.
It is motivated by a regain in religious fervor.
Several abolitionist societies formed in the 1830s such as the American Anti-Slavery Society founded by William Lloyd Garrison.

Legal ramifications

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1789 guarantees the return of slaves to their masters even if they are in a free state.
The Missouri compromise of 1820 is supposed to stop the spread of slavery to the new territories in the west.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 effectively repealed the Missouri compromise and launched Lincoln’s eventual bid for the presidency.
Dred Scott v. Sandford is a decision by the Supreme court that excludes people of African descent from American citizenship and exclude them from rights and protections guaranteed by the Constitution.

Start of the conflict

Abraham Lincoln is elected president. His initial goal was to limit the extension of slavery into new territory.
On February 4 1861, seven slave states formed the Confederate States of America. (CSA) and elected Jefferson Davis as president.

Main military events

In April 1861, Confederate forces attack Union Fort Sumter in South Carolina. Lincoln dispatches the military to protect it, prompting four more states to secede.
Battles of Bull Run: July 21st 1861 and August 29–30, 1862: two of the bloodiest battles of the war and decisive victories for the Confederate forces.
Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863. It is a victory for the Union but at great cost. Lincoln makes a famous speech after the battle known as the Gettysburg Address.
Sherman’s March to the Sea from November 1864 to December 1864: a scorched-earth tactic, started in Atlanta and ended with the capture of Savannah, Georgia.
Battle of Five Forks: on April 1st 1865, it is the last major battle and a major defeat for the Confederates.

Issued on September 22, 1862 the Emancipation Proclamation declares all the slaves held in states in rebellion to be free.

Confederacy surrenders

After the fall of CSA capital Richmond, Virginia, General Robert E. Lee formally surrenderes his forces on April 9th 1865 in Appomattox, Virginia. The last battle took of the war takes place at Palmito Ranch, Texas, on May 13, 1865.
President Abraham Lincoln was shot on April 15th 1965 by John Wilkes Booth and died on April 15th. Vice president Andrew Johnson became president.