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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.

Interactives (1)

Videos (16)

  • Abraham Lincoln
    Abraham Lincoln

    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.

    Video Clip (3:48)
  • Abraham Lincoln's House Divided Speech
    Abraham Lincoln's House Divided Speech

    Video Clip (2:31)

    Abraham Lincoln's 1858 "House Divided" speech catapults him into the national consciousness with its bold moral assessment of the future of American slavery.

    Video Clip (2:31)
  • Civil War's Greatest Myth
    Civil War's Greatest Myth

    Video Clip (2:41)

    What you think you know about the Civil War may not be the whole truth.

    Video Clip (2:41)
  • America Divided
    America Divided

    Video Clip (3:54)

    America is at the brink of a Civil War as cotton spreads west and threatens to expand slavery into new territories.

    Video Clip (3:54)
  • America and the Civil War
    America and the Civil War

    Video Clip (4:04)

    Discover how the bloodiest war in American history transformed the face of the nation.

    Video Clip (4:04)
  • Civil War in One Word
    Civil War in One Word

    Video Clip (1:13)

    If you had just one word to describe the Civil War, what would it be?

    Video Clip (1:13)
  • Lincoln's Most Pivotal Speech
    Lincoln's Most Pivotal Speech

    Video Clip (3:02)

    Which of President Lincoln's many eloquent speeches was the most important?

    Video Clip (3:02)
  • The Gettysburg Address: A New Declaration of Independence
    The Gettysburg Address: A New Declaration of Independence

    Video Clip (1:45)

    After the carnage at the Battle of Gettysburg, Lincoln reaffirms his commitment to achieving freedom for all.

    Video Clip (1:45)
  • John Brown
    John Brown

    Video Clip (4:34)

    John Brown's failed attempt to loot the armory at Harper's Ferry sparks the beginning of abolition.

    Video Clip (4:34)
  • The Abolitionist Movement
    The Abolitionist Movement

    Video Clip (3:26)

    In the decades before the Civil War, anti-slavery sentiment sparked an abolitionist movement that employed risky and radical tactics to bring an end to slavery.

    Video Clip (3:26)
  • John Brown's Raid
    John Brown's Raid

    Video Clip (1:38)

    Although poorly planned and executed, John Brown's raid helped lead the nation into Civil War and made him one of the most controversial men of his day.

    Video Clip (1:38)
  • Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
    Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad

    Video Clip (3:07)

    Born a slave, Harriett Tubman became a famous "conductor" on the Underground Railroad, leading hundreds of slaves to freedom.

    Video Clip (3:07)
  • Frederick Douglass
    Frederick Douglass

    Video Clip (2:25)

    Find out how Frederick Douglass escaped from slavery to become one of the most respected and effective abolitionist leaders.

    Video Clip (2:25)
  • Lincoln Issues the Emancipation Proclamation
    Lincoln Issues the Emancipation Proclamation

    Video Clip (2:31)

    The Emancipation Proclamation refocuses the purpose of the Civil War to address the issue of slavery.

    Video Clip (2:31)
  • Lincoln: An American Icon
    Lincoln: An American Icon

    Video Clip (1:23)

    How did the Civil War transform Lincoln's political philosophy and make his presidency one of the most iconic in history?

    Video Clip (1:23)
  • The Path to Civil War
    The Path to Civil War

    Video Clip (2:25)

    The election of Abraham Lincoln was a tipping point on the path to Civil War. In the wake of Southern secession, would the new president defend the U.S. forts in rebel territory?

    Video Clip (2:25)

Photo Galleries (2)

  • Abraham Lincoln
    Abraham Lincoln

    19 Photos

    See pictures from the life and presidency of Abraham Lincoln.

    (19 Photos)
  • The Battle Over Slavery
    The Battle Over Slavery

    12 Photos

    Explore images of abolitionists, the Underground Railroad and much more as you learn about the battle over slavery in the United States.

    (12 Photos)

Speeches & Audio (4)

  • African-Americans Vote in South Carolina
    African-Americans Vote in South Carolina

    Audio Clip (1:28)

    A report from Charleston, South Carolina, describes heavy voter turnout at the state's primary election on August 10, 1948. For the first time since the Reconstruction era, African-Americans were permitted to vote in a Democratic primary, after a federal judge ruled their exclusion unconstitutional.

    Audio Clip (1:28)
  • Brown v. Board of Education Ruling
    Brown v. Board of Education Ruling

    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.

    Audio Clip (1:02)
  • Chicago Seven Trial
    Chicago Seven Trial

    Audio Clip (1:39)

    During a press conference on October 14, 1969, Tom Hayden, one of the defendants in the trial of the Chicago Seven, offers his view on prosecutor Thomas Foran's most recent accusations. The Chicago Seven—Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, David Dellinger, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, John Froines, and Lee Weiner—were charged with conspiracy and inciting to riot for their participation in the Vietnam War protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

    Audio Clip (1:39)
  • Franklin D. Roosevelt Accepts Fourth Term Nomination
    Franklin D. Roosevelt Accepts Fourth Term Nomination

    Audio Clip (2:08)

    Broadcast from a Pacific coast naval base to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, on July 20, 1944, Franklin D. Roosevelt accepts his party’s nomination for an unprecedented fourth presidential bid and speaks about postwar preparations now that victory is close at hand.

    Audio Clip (2:08)
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The debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas during the 1858 Illinois Senate race are among the most significant in American history.

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