The Civil War (1861-1865) had key events that changed the United States. Fort Sumter was the first battle that started the war. The Emancipation Proclamation freed millions of slaves in rebel states and changed the war’s purpose. 

The North won key battles: Gettysburg stopped Lee’s invasion, Vicksburg split the Confederacy, and Antietam gave Lincoln his chance to declare emancipation. General Sherman marched through Georgia, destroying railroads and farms to break Southern will. Finally, Appomattox was where Lee surrendered to Grant, ending the war. Lincoln’s assassination happened just days after.