Civil War and Reconstruction (1850 - 1877)

Learn how the issue of slavery divided the nation in this excerpt from The Civil War: A Film by Ken Burns. By mid-century, the country was deeply divided. Southerners feared the North might forbid slavery. Northerners feared slavery might move west. As each new state was added to the union, it threatened to upset the delicate equilibrium of power. Learning Objective: Students will be able to identify how sectionalism in the United States led to the Civil War.    Key Vocab: Harriet Beecher Stowe Uncle Tom’s Cabin Bleeding Kansas Dred Scott

Learn how the 1860 presidential election became a referendum on the southern way of life in this excerpt from The Civil War: A Film by Ken Burns. In 1860 Abraham Lincoln was elected President, and the South was horrified. Seven Southern states seceded in the time between Lincoln's election and inauguration. Learning Objectives: Students will be able to identify the effects of the 1860 Presidential Election.    Key Vocab: Abraham Lincoln Election of 1860 Democratic Party Republican Party Abolitionist Secession

Learn how General George McClellan takes command of the Union Army in this excerpt from The Civil War: A Film by Ken Burns. General McClellan takes command of the Union Army with an elaborate plan to destroy the Confederacy, but does nothing. Key Vocab: George McCellan Union Confederacy

Explore a collection of images highlighting life during the Civil War. The Union Army Balloon Corps was established to observe enemy positions from above, in balloons piloted by aeronauts like Professor Thaddeus S. Lowe. The U.S. Military Telegraph Corps was created to support the communications needed between officers on the battlefield and President Lincoln. More than a thousand operators sent and received messages across 4,000 miles of telegraph wires. Over 400,000 soldiers were held in Union and Confederate prison camps, an estimated 56,000 of whom died while emprisoned. The Civil War also created a refugee crisis, with hundreds of thousands fleeing their homes.

View images from the locations of famous Civil War battles, such as First Battle of Bull Run in 1861, near Manassas Junction, Virginia, and siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, in 1863. The first and second battles of Bull Run, in 1861 and 1862, were Confederate victories and a blow to the Union Army’s confidence. The Union victory at Vicksburg, a Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River, would divide and weaken the Confederacy. The Civil War was fought in 10,000 locations across the United States.

Explore a gallery of images of drum corps and bands of the Civil War era. Regimental bands consisted mostly of brass and percussion instruments. They served an important purpose during the Civil War by playing at recruitment rallies, boosting morale among soldiers, and playing songs that weary soldiers would march to as they prepared for battle.

Four million slaves were emancipated from slavery, yet it would take another century for African Americans to win their freedom.