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The Civil War 150 is an immersive online experience, featuring infographics, historian picks and topical information, that highlights the 150 people, places, events and technology that defined America's greatest conflict. The interactive commemorates the Civil War's 150th Anniversary, and utilizes six thematic infographics to create an even more engaging "who knew?" experience:
Five Deadliest Battles – Nearly a quarter of a million men were killed or wounded during the five bloodiest clashes of the Civil War. Find out what happened at Gettysburg, Chickamauga, Chancellorsville, Spotsylvania Court House and the Wilderness.
Who They Were – Some wore blue and some wore gray, but the 3 million soldiers who fought in the Civil War had more in common than you might expect.
West Point Warriors – Almost 900 West Point alums served in the Civil War—in fact, they faced off against each other in 55 of the war's 60 major battles.
Paying for the War – Costing $146 billion in today's money, the Civil War saw rampant inflation—9000% in the South by the end of the war—and the first U.S. income tax.
Weapons of War – The Napoleon field gun, the minie ball, the Spencer repeating rifle, the telegraph and the railroad all helped to turn the tide of battle and changed the face of warfare forever.
How They Died – One in four soldiers—620,000 people—died as a result of the Civil War. That's 2 percent of the population—6.14 million people in today's terms.
Civil War 150
Interactives (1)
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Civil War 150
Civil War 150Interactive
Videos (16)
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Legacy of the Civil War
Legacy of the Civil WarVideo Clip (1:22)
Video Clip (1:22)
One hundred and fifty years after it began, the Civil War is still an important component of our national character.
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Frederick Douglass
Frederick DouglassVideo Clip (2:25)
Video Clip (2:25)
Find out how Frederick Douglass escaped from slavery to become one of the most respected and effective abolitionist leaders.
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Civil War Turning Point
Civil War Turning PointVideo Clip (3:08)
Video Clip (3:08)
Find out what event turned the tide of the Civil War.
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The Failure of Reconstruction
The Failure of ReconstructionVideo Clip (2:35)
Video Clip (2:35)
Reconstruction turns the south into a different type of battleground. Constitutional amendments grant freedom and suffrage to African-Americans but equality remains elusive.
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America and the Civil War
America and the Civil WarVideo Clip (4:04)
Video Clip (4:04)
Discover how the bloodiest war in American history transformed the face of the nation.
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Civil War's Greatest Myth
Civil War's Greatest MythVideo Clip (2:41)
Video Clip (2:41)
What you think you know about the Civil War may not be the whole truth.
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Abraham Lincoln
Abraham LincolnVideo Clip (3:48)
Video Clip (3:48)
Today he is known as one of the greatest American presidents, but at the time of his election no one would have predicted Lincoln's success.
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The Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation ProclamationVideo Clip (2:14)
Video Clip (2:14)
Issued after the Union victory at Antietam, the Emancipation Proclamation had both moral and strategic implications for the ongoing Civil War.
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Massachusetts 54th Regiment
Massachusetts 54th RegimentVideo Clip (2:48)
Video Clip (2:48)
The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment was one of the first official black units in the U.S. armed forces. Their courageous assault on Fort Wagner played a key role in bringing about an end to slavery.
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Civil War in One Word
Civil War in One WordVideo Clip (1:13)
Video Clip (1:13)
If you had just one word to describe the Civil War, what would it be?
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Blacks in the Military
Blacks in the MilitaryVideo Clip (3:12)
Video Clip (3:12)
Learn how blacks serving in WWII helped forward the Civil Rights Movement.
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Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
Harriet Tubman and the Underground RailroadVideo Clip (3:07)
Video Clip (3:07)
Born a slave, Harriett Tubman became a famous "conductor" on the Underground Railroad, leading hundreds of slaves to freedom.
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Origins of Slavery in America
Origins of Slavery in AmericaVideo Clip (3:01)
Video Clip (3:01)
In 1619, the Dutch introduced the first captured Africans to America, planting the seeds of a slavery system that evolved into a nightmare of abuse and cuelty that would ultimately divide the nation.
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Lincoln Issues the Emancipation Proclamation
Lincoln Issues the Emancipation ProclamationVideo Clip (2:31)
Video Clip (2:31)
The Emancipation Proclamation refocuses the purpose of the Civil War to address the issue of slavery.
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President Grant and an America Divided
President Grant and an America DividedVideo Clip (3:37)
Video Clip (3:37)
As president, Ulysses S. Grant must confront a nation still divided by the issues of the Civil War and Reconstruction.
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Grant's Troubled Presidency
Grant's Troubled PresidencyVideo Clip (3:37)
Video Clip (3:37)
Grant's presidency was marred by political scandal, clashes with Native Americans and continued violence throughout the Reconstruction South.
Photo Galleries (4)
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Faces of the Civil War
Faces of the Civil War(28 Photos)
28 Photos
The Library of Congress recently acquired a rare collection of nearly 700 Civil War-era ambrotype and tintype photographs, donated by the Liljenquist family.
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Slave Life
Slave Life(9 Photos)
9 Photos
View pictures of North American slave life during the 18th and 19th centuries, featuring pictures of slaves themselves and the environments in which they worked and lived.
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The Battle Over Slavery
The Battle Over Slavery(12 Photos)
12 Photos
Explore images of abolitionists, the Underground Railroad and much more as you learn about the battle over slavery in the United States.
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The Slave Trade
The Slave Trade(10 Photos)
10 Photos
Explore images of the Atlantic and African Slave Trades, from holding cells in Africa to auction houses in Atlanta.
Speeches & Audio (4)
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Brown v. Board of Education Ruling
Brown v. Board of Education RulingAudio Clip (1:02)
Audio Clip (1:02)
On May 17, 1954, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren delivered the unanimous ruling against the "separate but equal" mandate and demanded desegregation of schools. Outside the courtroom, the attorneys who argued the Brown v. Board of Education case, James Nabrit Jr., Thurgood Marshall and George Hayes, give a press conference.
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John F. Kennedy Appeals to Mississippi Governor
John F. Kennedy Appeals to Mississippi GovernorAudio Clip (3:42)
Audio Clip (3:42)
After many unfruitful telephone conversations with Mississippi Gov. Ross Barnett, President John F. Kennedy calls the governor one more time to discuss the building tension over James Meredith’s impending registration at the University of Mississippi. Though the governor has made clear his opposition to the Supreme Court order to allow Meredith to attend the school, President Kennedy tries to assess whether the governor will maintain law and order when Meredith arrives.
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John F. Kennedy Intervenes in James Meredith Case
John F. Kennedy Intervenes in James Meredith CaseAudio Clip (4:38)
Audio Clip (4:38)
In defiance of the Supreme Court ruling that the University of Mississippi desegregate and allow James Meredith to attend, Gov. Ross Barnett physically blocked the African-American student from entering the building to register on September 20, 1962. Nine days later, President John F. Kennedy telephones Barnett to persuade him to cooperate with the Court's ruling. Barnett does little to reassure Kennedy, and attempts to pawn off the decision on his lawyer friend Tom Watkins.
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John F. Kennedy on Desegregation at Ole Miss
John F. Kennedy on Desegregation at Ole MissAudio Clip (3:18)
Audio Clip (3:18)
When Mississippi Gov. Ross Barnett refused to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling demanding desegregation at the University of Mississippi and the admittance of James Meredith, President John F. Kennedy was forced to intervene. In his address to the nation on September 30, 1962, Kennedy explains his decision to federalize the state national guard in order to maintain law and order while Meredith registers at the college.
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Congress created the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands in March 1865 to assist former slaves in post-Civil War America.
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