Presidents: # 16 Abraham Lincoln, Rep., 1861-1865

Capture of New Orleans, 1862

The Union closed off the mouth of the Mississippi River to Rebel supply ships, which put more pressure on the Confederacy

Cheyene-Arapaho Wars, 1861

The influx of miners into Colorado increased tensions with the tribes and led to conflicts

West Virginia, 1863

The western region of the state of Virginia broke away, formed its own state, and joined the Union during the Civil War

Conscription Act, 1862

There was no general military draft in America until the Civil War. The Confederacy passed its first of 3 conscription acts in 1862, and a year later the Union began conscripting men. But compulsory service embittered the public, and led to charges of class discrimination were leveled against both Confederate and Union draft laws since exemption was granted to those who paid a fee or could hire a substitute. Draft riots took place in NY

Wade-Davis Bill, 1864

Before the Civil War ended, Congress drafted this plan for reconstruction. It called for the abolition of slavery, disenfranchisement of Confederate leaders, and required a majority of the population to take an oath of allegiance. Lincoln used his pocket veto to defeat the bill because he thought the terms were to harsh on the South. He wanted a very lenient reconstruction policy.

Sand Creek Massacre, 1864

Cheyenne Indians were decimated by Colonel Chivington in southern Colorado. Nevada became a state the same year. Both indicate continued westward espansion during the Civil War

Second Battle of Bull Run, 1862

Civil War battle in which the Confederate army forced most of the Union army out of Virginia for a second time during the war

Surrender at Appomattox, April 1865

Confederate General Robert E Lee surrendered to U.S. Grant which marked the end of the Civil War. The terms of the surrender were very lenient for the Confederate troops. Some fighting continued until the end of May.

Enrollment Act, 1863

A conscription law in the North to increase the size of the Union Army and led to resentments bewteen the rich and poor

Secession Crisis, 1861

After the 1860 election of Lincoln, Southern slave states began to secede from the Union. Several others followed at the shots at Ft. Sumpter, South Carolina. 11 states formed the Confederate States of America

Emancipation Declaration, 1863

Effective on January 1, 1863, declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebel states "are, and henceforward shall be free." The statement also called for the recruitment and establishment of black military units among the Union forces. An estimated 180,000 African Americans went on to serve in the army, while another 18,000 served in the navy. After the change in federal policy, backing the Confederacy was seen as favoring slavery. It became impossible for anti-slavery nations such as Great Britain and France, who had been friendly to the Confederacy, to get involved on behalf of the South. The proclamation also unified and strengthened Lincoln's party, the Republicans, helping them stay in power for the next two decades.

John D Rockefeller

Entered the oil refinery business in 1865 and helped set the stage for unprecedented economic and industrial growth the in US after the Civil War

Andrew Carnegie

Entered the steel business in 1865 and helped set the stage for unprecedented growth and industrialization in the US after the Civil War

Lincoln's First Inaugural Address, 1861

Expressed the hope the nation could avoid war, also arugued NO STATE had the legal right to secede. He also said he did not intend to abolish slavery in the states where it existed: "I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so."

First Battle of Bull Run, 1861

First major battle of the Civil War in Virginia, just outside of Washington, DC. The Confederates defeated Union troops and both sides realized the war was not going to be a short conflict

Civil War Begins, 1861

First shots of the Civil War were fired when federal ships tried to resupply Ft. Sumter in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina. Confederates prevailed in the encounter and seized control of the fort. Marked the beginning of the Civil War

Assasination of Lincoln, April 1865

Five days after Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox, the president was killed by John Wilkes Booth sending the nation into turmoil at the close of the Civil War. The first presidential assasination in US history.

Funding the Civil War, 1863

Lincoln created a national bank and currency system to raise money and regulate the economy during the Civil War

Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction, 1863

Lincoln issued this proclamation which provided a means of repatriating Southerners or "those who resume their allegiance" even though the war was still in progress. To those who took an oath of loyalty, he was prepared to issue a full pardon--very lenient terms for the South

Slavery in District of Columbia abolished, 1862

Lincoln signed an act abolishing slavery in the nation's capital, an important step in the long road toward full emancipation for African Americans.

Battle of Vicksburg, 1863

On July 4th, 1863, one day after the Battle of Ghettysburg, Ulysses S Grant and Union troops took complete control of the MS River choking off Confederate supplies and dividing the South

Battle of Antietam, 1862

Southern troops under Robert E Lee attempted to invade the North led to the bloodiest single day of fighting in American history; marked a turning point in the Civil War in favor of teh Union and Lincoln announced his plan to emancipate slaves soon after

Department of Agriculture, 1862

President Lincoln signed legislation to create the federal agency to promote agricultural research and education. During the Civil War - he signed additional legislation that expanded and transformed American farming, including the Homestead Act, and the establishment of the Land Grant (Morill Act) agricultural university system.

writ of haeas corpus, 1861

President Lincoln used his powers to suspend habeas corpus-- legal procedure that keeps the government from holding you indefinitely without showing cause. Thousands were imprisoned during the war. Lincoln insisted heneeded to suspend the rules in order to put down the rebellion in the South. It is an example of the conflict between national security and civil liberties.

Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, 1865

Short speech in which he reflected on the causes of the Civil War with slavery as the primary cause. He also calls for reconciliation between the North and South when the war ends.

Homestead Act, 1862

Signed by Lincoln during the war the law accelerated the settlement of the western territory by granting adult heads of families 160 acres of surveyed public land for a minimal filing fee and 5 years of continuous residence on that land. The goal was to help alleviate poverty in the nation but most land went to large land speculators

Legal Tender Act, 1862

To finance the Civil War, the federal government a law authorizing the creation of paper money not redeemable in gold or silver.

Ex Parte Merryman, 1861

Under Roger Taney, the Supreme Court issued a ruling demanding Lincoln release a war prisoner-- which was Lincoln ignored. Taney cited the commander for contempt and denied that the president had the power to suspend the writ of habeas corpus.

Internal Revenue Act, 1862

a bill passed by the United States Congress to help fund the Civil War. Signed by Lincoln, the act established the office of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, a department in charge of the collection of taxes. It was the first progressive tax system in the US. Impact: IRS and progressive tax system of today

Preliminary Emancipation Declaration, 1862

after the Battle of Antietam Lincoln issued a statement tha set a date for the freedom of more than 3 million black slaves in the United States and recasts the Civil War as a fight against slavery. Public support for emancipation continued to increase in the North

Pacific Railroad Act, 1862

approved by President Lincoln provided for the construction of railroads from the Missouri River to the Pacific as a war measure for the preservation of the Union. It was built westward from Iowa to meet the Central Pacific line, which was constructed from San Francisco Bay to the east. The line was constructed primarily by Irish laborers who had learned their craft during the recent Civil War. The two lines were joined together at Promontory Summit, Utah in1869, creating the first transcontinental railroad in North America.

Battle of Gettysburg, 1863

perhaps the most important Civil War battle took place over three days, July 1 to July 3, 1863, outside a small town in Pennsylvania. A bitter battle between Lee's Confederate troops and Meade's Union army led to high casualties. Lee ordered Pickett's Charge where thousands of Confederate men were killed. The Confederate Army never completely recovered and the battle is considered a major turning point in the Civil War.

Sherman's March Across Georgia, 1864

the most destructive campaign against a civilian population during the Civil War, began in Atlanta in November of 1864, and concluded in Savannah in Dec. The Union military campaign across Georgia to the east coast to prove to the Confederate population that its government could not protect the people from invaders. It was a form of psychological warfare; he believed that by marching an army across the state he would demonstrate to the world that the Union had a power the Confederacy could not resist. "This may not be war," he said, "but rather statesmanship."

Morill Act, 1862

under this law, federal land grants made it possible for new western states to establish colleges for their citizens. The new land-grant institutions, which emphasized agriculture and mechanic arts, opened opportunities to thousands of farmers and working people previously excluded from higher education (MS State)

Fall of Atlanta, 1864

was important in the eventual victory for the Union in the Civil War. It boosted morale in the North and insured the reelection of President Abraham Lincoln which meant that the war would continue to the South's capitulation. Sherman continued across the South waging "total war" and destroying all resources in the region.

Lincoln's Letter to Horace Greeley, 1862

written with a draft of the Emancipation Proclamation in his desk drawer, he stated his concentration on preserving the Union above all else: "My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union..."