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Congress had passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which gave African Americans Citizenship and forbade states from passing discriminatory laws, or Black Codes, that restricted African American lives.

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`In the summer of 1864, an amendment was passes that abolished slavery throughout the whole nation. The Emancipation Proclamation, had only freed slaved behind confederate lines, but not under Union control, and the government needed to figure out a way to abolish slavery nationwide. By the end of that year, 27 states, including 8 southern, had ratified the 13th Amendment. The US Constitution had then on stated, "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States."

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Lincoln had come up with the Ten-Percent Plan, which would have the government pardon almost all Confederates who would swear allegiance to the Union, After 10% of the people on the 1860 voting lists took this oath, a Confederate state could form a new state government and gain representation in Congress. There was a group known as the Radical Republicans, who didn't like the plan, and eventually came up with the Wade-Davis Bill, which proposed that congress would be responsible for the reconstruction, not the President. When president Lincoln was assassinated, Andrew Johnson had continued to follow Lincoln's policies, proposing that each remaining confederate state would have to be readmitted to the Union

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There were many changes to Southern life that was a result of the Civil War

Political Changes: The Civil War had ended the threat of states seceding ever again, because current day states rights issues are far from secession. The war also dramatically increased the Federal Government's power; before the war, it had little impact on citizen's lives. During the war the Federal Government had taxed private incomes, and had taken men from their homes to fight in the war. Before the war people only dealt with the national government, but after, the federal government had much more power.

Economic Changes: The Federal Government passes the National Bank Act of 1863, which had set up a system of federally chartered banks, set requirements for loans, and provided for banks to be inspected. This act made banking safer for investors. Northern entrepreneurs also made lots of money, selling war supplies to the government. The war had negatively affected the South's economy, taking away their slaves, making them have less labor force, and had also wrecked most of the region's industry. It wiped about 40% of the livestock, and also ruined the South's farm machinery and railroads. Before the war, the south held 30% of the national wealth, and after the war they held 12%.

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The federal government set up the United States Sanitary Commission. It was created to improve the hygienic conditions of army camps and to recruit and train nurses. Most of the nurses were female, but they had to be at least the age of 30, and "very plain-looking" in order to make sure they were not looking for any romance. This was very successful. It had taught troops how to keep their water supply from getting polluted, and it had developed hospital trains and ships to transport the wounded men from battlefield. The death rate in the Union had decreased immensely. The Confederacy did not have their own Sanitary Commission, but many women had volunteered to be a nurse.

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Reconstruction: The Civil War in Four Minutes

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This proclamation freed slaves in areas that used to belong to the Confederacy, but was taken over by the Union. It did not free northern or southern slaves. Union people accepted it grudgingly, and some thought it would prolong the war. The Confederates hated it, with Jefferson Davis saying it was the "most execrable (hateful) measure recorded in the history of guilty man." This had helped the Confederates become more determined to fight to protect their way of life.

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Because Britain had found different places to get their cotton from, they decided to quit receiving cotton from the South. After this the Confederacy sent two diplomats on the British ship, the Trent. A Union ship stopped it, and captured the men, then Britain had threatened war against the Union. Lincoln knew he should only fight "one war at a time," so he freed the men.

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In July 1863, the turning point of the American Civil War occurred at the Battle of Gettysburg. Although that battle did not end the war, it remains the greatest battle of the four-year American Civil War.

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New things started to be developed to help with warfare. First was the Ironclad ship, which could splinter wooden ships, withstand cannon fire, and resist burning. Next was the new weapons, an example being the rifle and the minie ball. The rifle was more accurate than the muskets used before, and they were able to be loaded faster. The minie ball was a bullet made from soft lead, and it was more destructive than previous bullets. Troop also started using hand grenades, and land mines.

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In 1861, the Union creates the Anaconda Plan, which consisted of blockading southern ports, then armies would move down the Mississippi, splitting the Confederacy into two. After this, the Union would capture the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia. The name had come from the idea of a snake suffocating it's victims, much like how this plan was set up.

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Jefferson was appointed the first, and only, president of the Confederacy. His limited experience with electoral politics was a handicap to his presidency. He did also lack personal qualities that could have furthered his career and strengthened the South. He was popular among the southerners as he managed to maintain control over the Confederate economy and keep a new nation united. His contentious personality did lead to conflicts with other politicians as well as his own military officers. He He had a strong military background, and lot's of experience in political matters.

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Served as the legendary general of the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Lee and his army achieved great success throughout this bloody war. Though the Union won, Lee earned renown as a military tactician for scoring several major victories on the battlefield. He took control of the Army of Northern Virginia, driving back the Union during he Seven Days Battles. He also gave the Confederacy a crucial victory at Second Manassas. Lee saved himself from being hanged as a traitor by forgiving Lincoln and Grant.

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The most famous for being the site of the first shots of Civil War. Confederate Brig. Gen. Beauregard demands the fort's surrender, however the Union refuses. Around 4 am on April 12, 1861, Confederates opened fire on the fort and continued for 34 hours. The Union did not initially fire back as they were lacking in supplies. They were aiming to conserve ammunition. A memorable moment of this battle was when the flag was shot to the ground, however Norman J. Hall exposed himself to put the colors back up. After 3 days of fighting, United States Maj. Robert Anderson surrenders to the South.

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John was a 26 year old actor who assassinated President Lincoln in 1865, who went to see a theatre presentation of British comedy "Our American Cousin." After assassinating Lincoln, he jumped off the balcony onto stage, breaking his left leg. He stood afterwards and said something that most people couldn't understand. Some believe he said the Virginian motto, "Sic semper tyrannis" which translates to "Thus be it over to tyrants." Some believe he said, "The South is avenged!" He was eventually captured twelve days later in a tobacco barn, and was shot dead by the Union.

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The bloodiest single day in American history, the Battle of Antietam turned back Robert E. Lee's first Northern invasion. Lee's troops were worn-out, hungry, and sick, however they sat waiting for McClellan's army to assemble. Union forces outnumbered the Confederates by 2:1, although McClellan thought Lee's was much larger. Union troops fired first while the South ferociously fought off offensive after offensive. Just in 8 hours, there were over 15,000 casualties. Night eventually fell and both sides had a chance to regroup and claim injured/dead. This close range war left 23,000 casualties. Though tactically a draw, it was enough of a win to permit President Abraham Lincoln to announce his Emancipation Proclamation in its wake. When Lee’s adversary, Major General George B. McClellan failed to pursue following the battle, Lincoln removed him from command.

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On April 17, 1861 Virginia secedes from the Union, because they were unwilling to fight against other Southern states. This started when Lincoln called for troops for the army. This was a huge loss for the Union, because Virginia was most heavily populated state in the south, and it was the most industrialized, However, the western counties of Virginia were anti-slavery, so they seceded from Virginia and joined the Union again, from then on called West Virginia.

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McClellan's Union forces planned to take out the Confederate captial of Richmond. Lee and Jackson's recent attacks on the Union left them with great losses. While the North was attempting to retreat they inflicted heavy causalities. Lee's final assaults resulted in the Northern troops turning back. It was said that the Federal Army should have been destroyed from the mass losses they took throughout this bloody time. McClellan's failure too capture Richmond showed an end to the Peninsular Campaign (Union attempt to move along peninsula and capture Confederate capital). Northern causalities were estimated around 16,000.

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First battle between the ironclad warships; often called the battle between the Monitor & the Merrimack, the Merrimack had already been renamed Virginia when it was converted to an ironclad by the Confederacy

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Clara was a nurse for the Union, and gained the nickname "angel of the battlefield" after running out into fire to retrieve men, and care for them, when women would usually stay in the hospitals and males would care troops in the battlefield. She would collect and distribute supplies. She was also very good at predicting troop movement, and would sometimes arrive to the battlefield before the battle would even begin.

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General Ulysses S. Grant took command and began his Civil War career. Grant had a plan to capture the Confederate stronghold at Columbus, Kentucky by driving away troops in Belmont. Confederates were outnumbered while the North proceeded to attack. When more troops were sent in by the South, Union forces scattered them across the river. They began to celebrate victory and took loot at the Confederate camp. Grant hoped that Polk would not send anymore troops, however he ordered reinforcement and pushed the Union men to their boats to retreat to Cairo.

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The battle of Port Royal was one of the earliest land and water battles of the Civil War. The blockade proposed by Lincoln was a small part of an overall strategy, known as the 'Anaconda'. Winfield Scott believed the Union would be most succesful if they did not focus on battles, but on slowly strangling the South into submission. Port Royal was one of the most important natural harbors and it was protected by Fort Beauregard and Fort Walker. The South was massively outnumbered as the North attacked with 17 warships, 600 marines, and a 12,000 soldier strong army. However, it is widely believed that the guns in water were not equal to the power of guns on land. After capturing Fort Beauregard, the North took advantage of Lee's discouragement from a recent loss and captured all of Port Royal Bay.

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General of a Union army, Grant was a great leader to the Union Army. He saw the military objectives of the Civil War differently than most of his predecessors. They believed that capturing territory was most important to winning the war. Grant believed that taking down the Confederate armies was most important to the war effort, and set down a track to take down Robert E. Lee's Army. On April 9, 1865, Lee surrendered. Grant allowed all of Lee's men to keep their horses and return to their homes and families. People said his initials stood for "Unconditional Surrender" Grant.

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The skirmish of Big Bethel was the first land battle of the civil war and was a preview of what was to come. President Lincoln called on 75,000 men to aid in putting down the rebellion. Concerned, General Robert E. Lee commanded Virginia forces under command of Colonel John B. Magruder to take troops down the peninsula. Butler wrongly assumed that the garrison at Little Bethel was similar to the size of Magruder at Big Bethel. To avoid compications of his "green natured men" and any potential disadvantages of moving at night, Butler ordered the troops to wear a white band on their left arm and use the password "Boston". This message never got along and the troops were already positioned. The Confederates concentrated on taking down that Union position and struck them. This battle brought a halt on the North's attempted movement along the peninsula. They also changed how they would handle runaway slaves by considering them "Contraband's of War" and breaking the Fugitive Slave laws.

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He was appointed general of the new Union army by Lincoln, however Lincoln was discouraged by this choice when McClellan's inability to claim Richmond. He was later removed from command. He was overly cautious and that affected how well he did in battle.

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Abraham was elected president in 1861, and was president during the Civil War. He is considered one of America's greatest presidents, as he brought together the Union and emancipated the slaves. His humble personality brought together the country. He was not always favored by the South, but did believe it wasn't fully his power to take away their rights. Lincoln was tragically murdered shortly after beginning his second term as President. Lincoln's distinctively humane personality and incredible impacts on the nation has left him with an unforgetable legacy.

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After a great victory over Union forces at Chancellorsville, Lee brought his men into Pennsylvania. The advancing Confederates clashed with the Union's army. The next few days drew even more fighting, known. The first day began as Lee planned to assemble in Gettysburg.He found two Union cavalry brigades had arrived the previous day, as both armies headed towards Gettysburg. Confederate forces were able to push the Federal defenders back, however three more Union corps arrived overnight to stregthen their defenses. As the next day began, the Union army started out strong while Lee assessed their positions and ordered his men to attack on both sides of where the Federals stood. Bloody fighting rages along, but with the fierce fighting by one Minnesota regiment, the Federals were able to hold strong, but not for long. The South had advanced on the Union forces, while they attempted to stall their attack by dusk. Both armies suffered extremely heavily on this second day. Early the next morning, Union forces pushed back a Confederate threat and regained their strong position. Lee believed that his men were on the brink of victory the day before, so ordered an attack on the North's troops' center at Cemetery Ridge; this was known as "Pickett's Charge". This assault pierced the Union lines, but eventually failed and costed the South heavily. Lee lost more than a third of his army as well as their hope for foreign recognition of the Confederacy.

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http://www.americancivilwarstory.com
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war

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This was the first major land-based confrontation of the American Civil War. Union troops marched from the Washington, D.C. to meet Confederates at the river named Bull Run. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson organized a defense of Henry Hill, where most of the fierce fighting took place. Jackson held his round on Henry Hill "like a stone wall" and gained the famous nickname Stonewall Jackson. Under counterattack and lacking reinforcements, the Union retreated after rebels broke through their line. The Union army was left shattered until reaching safety in Washington D.C. The rebels were able to break a section of the Union and left them to retreat towards Washington. Confederates took victory and gained quite a lot of confidence and shocked the North, however both sides lost hope of a short war.

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On February 8, 1861 the Confederacy was formed, electing Jefferson Davis as president.

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In 1861, he aided the confederate army in the battle of Bull Run. Originally, he was called General Thomas J. Jackson, but got "Stonewall Jackson" after standing still and holding his troops together while getting shot at. After earning this name, Jackson became sort of an idol. He led a significant portion of Lee's army. He was widely publicized, which elavated him to a "legendary status" among Southern soldiers and citizens. However, to his officers he was thought of as overly secretive and hard to please. He often punished them for minor violations of military discipline and rarely discussed his plans with him.. Yet they were still expected to obey his orders without question or complaint. Jackson later got his arm shot off and amputated, which resulted in pneumonia, causing his death.

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On November 6, 1860 Abraham Lincoln becomes President