Exploring the most important 55 months in American history
Senator John J. Crittenden introduces a complex program designed to end the sectional crisis and preserve the Union. This plan is opposed by President-elect Abraham Lincoln, who refuses any compromise that might allow slavery to expand into the new territories.
President-elect Abraham Lincoln tries to reach out to influential southerners to find some sort of rapidly vanishing middle ground in the unfolding sectional crisis.
Illinois electors certify Abraham Lincoln’s election as president. Lincoln continues receiving callers, answering mail, looking for cabinet appointees, and downplaying the southern threat of secession. He also considers nominating a political rival to the highest job within his administration.
The United States of America had been in existence for less than a century when it was nearly shattered by the most terrible conflict in its history. Why did it happen?
Confederate President Jefferson Davis signs a bill into law authorizing the recruitment of slaves into the Confederate armies.
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.