424 History
American Civil War
In 1860 and 1861 a group of southern states, known as
the Confederacy, withdrew from the United States. A
civil war began when the Confederates attacked a
federal fort in Charleston, South Carolina. In 1865, the
Union defeated the Confederacy in this fierce conflict.
WHY DID THE STATES FIGHT EACH OTHER?
The northern states were building an industrial
economy. The agricultural southern states still relied
on slave labour. They resented the increasing power of
the north and feared that the federal government in
Washington would impose reforms and end slavery.1 BATTLE OF THE IRONCLADS
Armour-plated ships known as “ironclads” exchange fire off Virginia in- The Union’s aim was to stop ships supplying the Confederacy.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
1809-1865
Lincoln was elected President
in 1860 and again in 1864.
He supported strong federal
government and opposed
slavery. Having led the Union
to victory in the Civil War, he
was assassinated at a theatre
in Washington, D.C., in 1865.HOW MANY PEOPLE DIED?
The USA was reunited at a terrible cost. The northern
troops lost 359,000 soldiers, while the southerners lost
258,000. Civilians suffered from looting, and the
devastation of railways, towns, and cotton plantations.4 UNDER FIRE
This howitzer (a short cannon) was the
most common artillery piece used
in the American Civil War.DID THE CIVIL WAR END SLAVERY IN THE USA?
Abraham Lincoln proclaimed an end to slavery in
1863 and it was finally abolished in the southern
states after the war. African-Americans remained poor,
and the southern states passed laws which prevented
them from voting or gaining equal status despite
constitutional amendments guaranteeing these rights.WHAT WAS THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD?
This was a secret network of escape routes and
hideouts for African-American slaves. Between
1786 and 1861, activists such as Harriet Tubman
(c. 1820–1913) helped about 50,000 slaves escape
to freedom in the northern states and Canada.GRANT VERSUS LEE 2
In1864, the Union general
Ulysses S Grant clashed with the
Confederate general Robert E Lee
in a bid to capture Spotsylvania
Court House in northern Virginia.
Casualties were heavy. Neither
side won the battle.FIND OUT MORE. American Revolution 414 • Slave Trade 413
American
Civil War