The American Civil War was a conflict that took place in the United States from 1861 to 1865. It arose primarily as a result of the long-standing disagreement over the issue of slavery and states' rights.
The war began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces fired upon Fort Sumter, a Union military installation in Charleston, South Carolina. The Confederacy, a group of 11 southern states that had seceded from the United States, was led by President Jefferson Davis. The Union, consisting of 23 northern states, was led by President Abraham Lincoln.
Over the course of the war, more than 2.5 million soldiers fought in a series of bloody battles, and hundreds of thousands of civilians were caught in the crossfire. The Union ultimately emerged victorious, and slavery was abolished as a result of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which was ratified in 1865.
The American Civil War had a profound impact on the course of American history. It ended slavery and led to the end of the Reconstruction era, a period of rebuilding and political readjustment in the South following the war. It also marked the beginning of the modern United States, as the country began to industrialize and urbanize at a rapid pace in the post-war years.