Slavery and the Civil War: Rooted in Racism

The Civil War began when eleven Southern states refused to give up the practice of slavery and seceded to form the Confederate States of America. In both the Union and the Confederacy, enslaved Black people found new opportunities for escape and resistance. Meanwhile, many free Black people joined or helped the Union war effort, though they often faced unfair treatment. Learn how the events around and during the Civil War shaped the United States in the 1860s and resonate to this day.

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