In 1859 the prospect that the United States would break apart and plunge into civil war seemed remote. Few Americans could have imagined a war that would last four years, destroy much of the South, kill 620,000 soldiers and sailors, and free 4 million slaves. Yet just two years later, it happened.
What led to the secession of the South?
Were there efforts to avoid war?
How did the South try to forge a national identity?
You can uncover answers to these and other questions about the beginnings of the Civil War in the documents around you.
