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The Lincoln 2nd Inaugural Address marked the beginning of the Reconstruction Era. The speech served as a bandage to heal and bring together the divided nation after the Civil War. The platform was also used to talk about slavery, reconstruction, and a ways to rekindle the national identity of the United States.

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The U.S. House of Representatives impeached President Andrew Johnson. Out of 11 articles 9 were due to Johnson wrongful termination of Edwin M. Stanton, which went against the Tenure of Office Act. The vote made Johnson the first president ever to be impeached, and gave the radical republicans full control to initiate their own reconstruction plans.

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Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction

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Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction

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The proclamation was created by Abraham Lincoln during the war. It offered full pardon to Southerners who swore allegation to the Union and acknowledged the emancipation proclamation. The proclamation of amnesty and reconstruction was a component of Abraham Lincoln's preliminary plans for reconstruction.

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The Wade-Davis Bill was an unsuccessful attempt by radical republicans to intact plans for reconstructions before the end of the Civil War. The bill called for provisional military governors in the once seceded states, a citizen oath of allegiance towards the union, and a constitutional convection whenever it was "necessary". Abraham Lincoln veto forewarned people of the struggles that would occur between Andrew Johnson and Congress after the Civil War.

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At battle of Appomattox Court House the Union forces overpowered the remnants of the Confederate forces lead by Robert E. Lee. The battle lasted a few hours ending with General Robert E. Lee surrender to the Union General Ulysses S. Grant at the Courthouse. This effectively ended the Civil War with the North prevailing.

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General William Sherman lead 60,000 soldiers along the Atlantic coast from Atlanta to Savannah. Sherman hatred towards the south and their traditions caused him to burn down and destroy everything in the Union army path. As a result, Atlanta, a major city in the south, was completely burned to the floor, and Georgia's economy was in ruins.

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The radical republicans impeach “Andrew Johnson” and send an army down to the South to employ martial law. Congress knew the South weren't going to keep enforce the rules of the Union, so they sent the Army down south to enforce the law and protect the freedman. This action took away power from the confederates and fostered hate and outrage in southerners.

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President Johnson’s plan to preserve the Union. He enacted a rule where any government leader associated with the confederate lost their right to vote. As well as people who got out of the war using the conscription act lost their right to vote as well. In order to become part of the Union again, an the individual would wear an oath to the Union to regain their voting rights and land. By doing this it basically gave power to the South again and allowed them to enact unfair Racial Codes.

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one of the first example of welfare. Abraham Lincoln needed a plan to do something with all of the millions of poor, illiterate freedmen. The Bureau provided 40 acres and a mule in order for Freedmen to survive. The Union Army had to stay posted in the south in order for the Freedmen to live in peace. The Bureau most importantly setup schools that allowed freedmen to gain literacy and education.

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Total warfare was the act of all out war involving civilians. One example of total war is the Battle of Spotsylvania which saw the Confederate forces clash with the Union Army for two weeks. The battle was right in a populated area in Virginia and resulted  in injured and dead civilians.

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After the Battle of Chancellorsville the Union and Confederate forces clashed at Gettysburg. Fighting was back and forth until "Pickett's Charge" managed to create a hole in the Union lines but couldn't capitalize on it. Lee was forced to retreat towards Virginia was a battered army by his side. After the battle, Abraham Lincoln helped commemorate a grave for the soldiers, and gave his famous speech, The Gettysburg Address. The speech helped unify the Union and foster a new sense of purpose.

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The Vicksburg campaign was a plan to take the Confederate base in Vicksburg. The capture of Vicksburg was very successful for the Union. As a result Vicksburg split the confederacy into two and displayed the military prowess of Ulysses S. Grant.

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The assault on Fort Wagner 272 Union troops including Colonel Shaw perish. Although the battle was a failure, the 54th Massachusetts regiment helped convince the leaders of the union of the usefulness of african american soldiers.

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The Union troops decimate the Confederate defense and took control of New Orleans. The capture of this southern city was a major blow for the Confederacy mentally and tactically. As a result, the Mississippi River became a Union transporting path; allowing soldiers and materials to move at a more effective rate.

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The Confederate force faced an enemy force twice their size. General Robert E. Lee split his troops into two surprisingly forced General Joseph Hooker troops into a defensive position. Splitting his forces again, Robert E. Lee made the union forces retreat across the Rappahannock River. The battle at Chancellorsville is considered Robert E Lee's greatest victory and helped "Stonewall" jackson rise in the ranks afterwards.

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The Battle of Shiloh began when the Confederate forces launched an ambush on the Union force. In the begin, the Confederate army had a fair share of success, but weren't able to push the Union forces back. As a result, both sides suffered a total of 23,000 casualties during the battle.

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History's first battle of Ironclads  between the USS Monitor and  the CSS Merrimack. It started off as a Confederate plan to dismantle the Union blockade of Southern ports that were big proponents of beginning the war. The battle lasted for over four hours with no conclusive winner. The Battle of Hampton Roads essentially  began the new era of naval warfare.

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A decisive victory in Virginia for Confederate Robert E. Lee. The Confederate forces successfully repelled a Union attack on their lines forcing a retreat. More than 12,000 Union soldiers died, compared to less than 6,000 Confederates. The battle also saw the Union morale plummet while the Confederates' morale gained a much needed boost after the failure of Lee's first invasion.

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A offensive campaign initiated by the Union to take the Confederate capital, Richmond. Major General George B McClellan overestimation of the confederates prowess allowed them match their tactics. As a result, the Peninsula Campaign was a complete failure with no conclusive victory for either side.

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The first major battle in the Civil War , which saw the Union and Confederate forces fight one another at Manassas Junction. After staying on the defensive for a long time, the Confederates were able to cripple the Union right flank sending the Union in a chaotic retreat towards Washington D.C. The win helped developed the Souths' confidence and made Northerners realize the war wouldn't be brief.

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Due to McClellan overcomplicating of tactics and routes he developed a strenuous path to capture Richmond. The plan was to circumvent the confederate defenses by taking a more indirect path towards the Confederate forces.  McClellan's plan failed to impose force concentration, which permitted Lee to counter all his moves and destroy any chance of victory. Antietam was the bloodiest day of the Civil War and was one of the reason why Lincoln fired McClellan.

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The Presidential Election between Abraham Lincoln, John C. Breckenridge, Stephan A Douglas, and John Bell. The election resulted in Abraham Lincoln gaining the seat in office. Southern states said if another Republican were to be elected into office they would seceded. Keeping to this promise after 6 weeks in office seven states seceded from the Union.

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John's Ferry failed attempt to eliminate an U.S. military arsenal. He planed on creating strongholds for freed slaves in Virginia and Maryland. The U.S. Marines crushed the resistance killing 10 of Brown's men and capturing John Brown himself. His raid on Harper Ferry inspired northerners and anti slavery advocates to take up arms and help the cause.

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Seven debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. The two enemies discussed topics of importance surrounding the sectional conflict over slavery and what are the parameters for  states' rights. Douglass stressed that each community should have a say in what they practice. While Abraham Lincoln said the issue of slavery wont end until either all states or no states have it. The two inspired people to look deeper into the institute of slavery and pick a side for the war that was brewing.

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Dred Scott argued that his time spent in a free state should entitle him to emancipation. The Supreme Court decided that no black could gain U.S. citizenship and weren't allowed the right to petition for their freedom. The decision outraged abolitionist and widen the divide between the North and South to unprecedented proportions.

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A constitution created by pro-slavery southerners that suggests the annexing of Kansas into the Union. The proposal was rejected In a territorial election. Eventually Kansas was given statehood as a free state. Southerners and the pro-slavery forces were angered with the voting fraud that occurred and sickened at how the odds flipped to the opponent's side.

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An election in which the Democrat James Buchanan defeated the Republican nominee John C Fremont. The third party, the American Party failed to win or turn the tables for the two nominees. The Election of 1856 showed how the United States was in disarray over the issue of Slavery. Since the democrat didn't win the elections southerners were getting more anxious over the fate of a long standing tradition.

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Former Whig party members met in Ripon, Wisconsin to create a new political party that opposed slavery. It didn't take long for the Republicans to gain the support of Northern states and other people who felt oppressed by slavery. By 1860, many southern states were threatening to seceded if a Republican president were to be voted into office.

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Fearing loss from immigrants and there difference a group of WASP created the American Party, also known as the Know- Nothing Party. The main belief driven behind this movement was "nativism", the belief that only native-born citizens have a voice in government affair. A split of the slavery issues within the party lead to the downfall of the party. This became evidences in the eyes of southerners that the debate over slavery can rip apart the fabric of anything.

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Senator Charles Sumner ridiculed SC Senator Andrews Butler in a speech. Senator Andrew's nephew, Preston Brooks, beat Senator Sumner with a cane. The beatdown furthered the divide between the North and the South.

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A period of violence in the Kansas territory. The Compromise of 1850 caused antislavery and proslavery settlers to move into Kansas in order to influence the decision. Violence ensued between both sides for control of Kansas. John Brown led the anti-slavery force before the Harpers Ferry raid and inspired Northerners in the wake of the Civil War.

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A law passed by the Congress in 1854 that allowed people in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide whether or not they wanted slaves. The Act infuriated many Northerners who believed it violated the long standing Missouri compromise. Pressure was building up fast and this act adding more fuel to the fire.

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The last time the Whigs were considered a influential political party. The democrat, Franklin Pierce won the election by a landslide. Franklin pierce failed to contain the sectional dispute between the North and South.

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A descendants of an old southern family who believed the world should either be all free or all slaves. His call for war against society influenced many southerners in the U.S. They agreed that free labor was the foundation of anarchy and that slavery ensured the masses safety. This "Justification" for slavery lead to the "justification" for southern states secession from the Union.

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Written by Hinton Helper, The impending Crisis of the South conveyed the message that non-slave owning whites were the victims of slavery. It also claimed the plantation owners of the south were to blame for the poorer whites downfall. The book attacked a tradition held in the south for decades and came with some resistance from traditional Southerners.

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An anti slavery novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. She wrote the novel during the tighter regulations from the fugitive slave laws. Uncle Tom's Cabin depicts the atrocities of slavery to the general public. The book had a huge influence on the way people preserved slavery and garnered support for antislavery movements.

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a network of secret roads and safe houses scattered around the United States. With the aid of abolitionist and supporter of the cause slaves used this network to escape to the North or Canada. Southerners were furious that the system wasn't quickly shut down by the Government and felt they had to take it into their own hands.

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The presidential election between the Whigs nominated Zachary Taylor, the Democrat Lewis Cass, and the Free-Soil nominee Martin Van Buren. Although the Free-Soil Party only gathered around 300000 votes handicapped the Democrats allowing the Whigs to win the election. The two main parties wanted to avoid the issue of slavery, but the southerners thought the Whigs were one step closer to eliminating the institution of slavery.

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A resolution that was composed of laws annexing California as a free state, creating the Utah and New Mexico territories with the principal of popular sovereignty in place, settling boundary dispute between Texas and New Mexico, and making it easier for Southerners to recover runaway slaves. The Compromise of 1850 diffused tension between the North and South and allowed Congress to put the issue of slavery on hold for several years.

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Increased pressure from southern politicians resulted in Congress implementing a pair of federal laws that allowed runaway slaves to be returned to their owners in the U.S. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 which sentenced helpers of runaway slaves harsher consequences.

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A resolution developed by Congress to settle the dispute of Missouri joining the Union. The compromise created the state of Maine and entered Missouri into the United States as a slave state. The Compromise helped relieve some tension between the North and South.

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Lewis Cass' idea of Popular Sovereignty 

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Lewis Cass' idea of Popular Sovereignty 

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Popular Sovereignty was first used by Lewis Cass while opposing the Wilmot Proviso. The idea argued people living within a region should have the right to determine the nature of their government. During the 19th century popular sovereignty was cited during the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

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A political party during the mid -19th century who opposed the extension of slavery into the West. The Free-Soil Party held the balance of power in the House of Representatives for a while. In 1854, fragments of the party dispersed into the Republican Party, which used the Free-Soil idea of condemning slavery as a moral evil. Angered the South who felt they were being "abused" and some called for secession from the Union.