The Civil War and Reconstruction

Introduction:

During the 1850s, the United States faced controversy over which of the new states being admitted to the Union would be slave states and which would be free. More than ever these events were leading to sectional differences and compromises that, in the end, amounted to only temporary solutions. New political alliances were forming and there was a growing conflict between supporters and opponents of slavery. Soon after Abraham Lincoln's election came the beginning of the secession of many of the Southern states.

The Civil War, which began in April 1861, lasted four long years and had incredibly devastating results. These results included the assassination of the President, heavy war losses, struggles over the dilemma of slavery, and political, economic, and social issues that would have to be dealt with in the war's aftermath: A period known as Reconstruction.

Essential Questions:

• What was Abraham Lincoln's role in the Civil War?
• Which Civil War battles were key to the outcome of the conflict?
• How did the North carry out the process of Reconstruction?
• How did people in the North and South react to Reconstruction? 

Module Minute: Listen to the Module Minute!!

The growing rift between North and South over states rights, the tariff, and the divisive issue of slavery exploded into open warfare in 1861. After the election of Abraham Lincoln, 7 Southern states would secede from the Union and form the Confederate States of America. Four more states would join them after the first shots of the conflict were fired at Fort Sumter, South Carolina. The next four years would see brutal and bloody fighting as battles raged on. The Battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg in the summer of 1863 would turn the tide for the Union, and in April of 1865 General Lee and the Confederates surrendered. The Civil War ended slavery, but over a decade of efforts of Reconstruction would follow as states and society in general tried to rebuild and move forward into a new era.