Civil War and Slavery

Explores the crucial events of the Civil War west of the Appalachian Mountains from 1861 through to the Confederate invasion of Kentucky in the fall of 1862....

American Civil War, four-year war (1861–65) fought between the United States and 11 Southern states that seceded to form the Confederate States of America. It arose out of disputes over slavery and states’ rights. When antislavery candidate Abraham Lincoln was elected president (1860), the Southern states seceded.

Harriet Tubman is well-known as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, but not as well-known for her exemplary Civil War service as a nurse, scout, and spy for the Union. Here is her remarkable and amazing story.

Harriet Tubman helped plan a South Carolina river raid that freed hundreds of slaves.

Tubman helped Union soldiers in the Combahee River Raid of 1863.

Most people know her as a former slave that freed others. During the Civil War, Harriet Tubman was also a secret spy and military leader.

Join actor Dennis Haysbert as he looks at the struggles of those enslaved during the civil war, through the objects in the Smithsonian's collection. From a bloodstained map to the inkwell Lincoln used to write the Emancipation Proclamation, these artifacts transport us to a brutal and complicated time when our country tore itself apart.

The war began when the Confederates bombarded Union soldiers at Fort Sumter, South Carolina on April 12, 1861. The war ended in Spring, 1865. Robert E. Lee surrendered the last major Confederate army to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865. The last battl

Explore 10 surprising Civil War facts, brought to you by the authors of "The Seven-Day Scholar: The Civil War."

With the Combahee River Raid of 1863, Harriet Tubman earned her nickname "Moses" all over again—and became the first woman in U.S. history to lead a military expedition.

Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860 and immediately, in December of that year, South Carolina passed an Ordinance of Secession. Other southern states joined South Carolina forming the Confederate States of America. It did not take long for war to erupt as the north and