The American Civil War

Learning about the sectional controversies and clashes that ultimately set the stage for secession and war.

The presidential canvass of 1860 is the most important in U.S. history; it results in Abraham Lincoln's election as the first Republican to occupy the White House and brings sectional tensions to a head.

Beginning with South Carolina in December 1860, all of the Lower South states secede by the first week of February 1861; they send delegates to a convention in Montgomery, Alabama, that establishes the Confederate States of America.

From February through April 1861, the United States and the Confederacy eye each other warily and vie for the support of eight slave states; as various compromise proposals fall short, Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor becomes a flashpoint.

Many think that the South is fated to lose; learning when the Confederate States of America came closest to winning; as fighting begins, each side has important advantages.

Learning whether the Confederacy has better generals and which side has the edge in strategic and political leadership; the attitudes of England and France; studying the side which marshals its resources and exploits its advantages more effectively.