Civil War 1861-1865: Union vs. Confederates

Abraham Lincoln is often referred to as one of the greatest presidents in the history of the USA. On one hand, he was fundamentally against slavery and wanted to avoid the country breaking into 2 parts at that time.

On the other hand, he did, however, allow certain territories (not yet states at that time) to decide whether they wanted to practice slavery or not.

However, he was president at a very ungrateful time...it is very likely that the Civil War would have happened under any other president as well.

In advance, the main issue was whether states should be allowed to decide on certain matters themselves or if the federal government should make the decision. Slavery was the dominant issue at that time. When the federal government wanted to make a decision on slavery, South Carolina, as the only state, left the Union (President Abraham Lincoln). This was followed by 6 more states (Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas). These states formed the "Confederates". Later, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Arkansas also joined. They elected Jefferson Davis as president.

Ultimately, the Civil War broke out. It started on April 12, 1861, at Fort Sumter and ended in 1865 with the victory for the Union, thereby abolishing slavery.

In the following photos, you can see me at Fort Sumter, which is mostly preserved. A very impressive and historically significant experience, considering that the relatively small state of South Carolina plays such an important role in American history!

By the way: South Carolina is known as the Palmetto State. However, not because of the many palm trees, but because they served as protection against the British Navy in 1776 at Fort Moultrie and repelled all cannonballs!