President Abraham Lincoln meets with his top commanders to discuss plans for what they hope to be the last campaign of the war.
Category: Reconstruction
The Second Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln begins a second term as the 16th U.S. president in Washington, D.C. By this time, a shift from war to peace is already underway.
The Freedmen’s Bureau
President Abraham Lincoln signs a bill into law establishing the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, which became known as the Freedmen’s Bureau. The Bureau’s purpose was to facilitate the transition of former slaves to freedom.
A King’s Cure for All the Evils
Minnesota becomes the 15th state to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution permanently abolishing slavery.
Compensated Emancipation and the Hampton Roads Fallout
President Abraham Lincoln unveils a new plan for slave emancipation, and members of Congress demand to know what happened at Hampton Roads.
Guarantees Which the Conqueror May Grant
President Jefferson Davis submits his report on the Hampton Roads peace conference to the Confederate Congress, along with his denunciation of the Federals’ insistence on reunion. Davis remains defiant, calling for continued resistance, while envoys express skepticism about the possibility of successful peace efforts.