Today, we’re going to talk about the Civil War, a defining conflict in American history that took place from 1861 to 1865.
This lesson is a part of Onsego GED Prep.
Online GED Classes – Fast and Easy
Prepare Quickly To Pass The GED Test.
Get Your Diploma in 2 Months.
Video Transcription
Today, we’re going to talk about the Civil War, a defining conflict in American history that took place from 1861 to 1865. This war was fought between the Northern states (the Union) and the Southern states (the Confederacy).
The Civil War began primarily because of deep-seated differences between the North and the South over issues like states’ rights and slavery.
Online GED Classes
A simple and easy way of getting your GED diploma.
The South wanted to maintain slavery, which was integral to its agricultural economy, while the North was increasingly opposed to its expansion into new territories and states.
The election of Abraham Lincoln as President in 1860 was the final straw for many Southern states. Lincoln and his Republican Party opposed the spread of slavery into the western territories.
Fearing that their way of life and economy were under threat, eleven Southern states seceded from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America, with Jefferson Davis as their president.
The first shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter in South Carolina in April 1861, marking the official start of the war.
Both sides initially believed the conflict would be short, but it soon became clear that it would be a long and grueling struggle.
A critical turning point in the war was the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which declared that all slaves in Confederate-held territory were free.
This shifted the focus of the war to include the fight against slavery and discouraged European nations from supporting the Confederacy.
In April 1865, after a series of relentless battles, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. This effectively ended the Civil War.
The Civil War had enormous consequences for the United States. It resulted in the abolition of slavery with the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865, which made slavery illegal throughout the country.
The war also led to significant loss of life, with an estimated 620,000 soldiers dying from combat, disease, or other causes.
The aftermath of the war, known as Reconstruction, was a challenging period.
The nation had to rebuild the South, integrate formerly enslaved people into society as free citizens, and address deep-seated racial and regional tensions.
This period saw significant advances in civil rights for African Americans, although many of these gains were later rolled back during the Jim Crow era.
In summary, the Civil War was a transformative and tragic conflict that reshaped the United States.
It ended slavery, preserved the Union, and set the stage for the ongoing struggle for civil rights and equality.
Last Updated on January 15, 2026.