A House Divided
"A house divided against itself cannot stand." In the 1850s, slavery pushed the nation toward war.
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A House Divided
Clip: Episode 1 | 3m 16sVideo has Closed Captions
"A house divided against itself cannot stand." In the 1850s, slavery pushed the nation toward war.
In the 1850s, slavery split the nation. Uncle Tom's Cabin moved readers worldwide, Bleeding Kansas erupted in violence, and the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision denied Black Americans citizenship. In the Senate, Preston Brooks beat Charles Sumner with a cane. Then Lincoln warned: "A house divided against itself cannot stand." From Ken Burns's The Civil War.
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Production made possible by grants from General Motors Corporation, National Endowment for the Humanities, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation
A House Divided
Clip: Episode 1 | 3m 16sVideo has Closed Captions
In the 1850s, slavery split the nation. Uncle Tom's Cabin moved readers worldwide, Bleeding Kansas erupted in violence, and the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision denied Black Americans citizenship. In the Senate, Preston Brooks beat Charles Sumner with a cane. Then Lincoln warned: "A house divided against itself cannot stand." From Ken Burns's The Civil War.
From
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Where to Watch The Civil War
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The Civil War | Timeline
Explore a multimedia timeline that is a companion to Ken Burns's acclaimed documentary series, The Civil War. The timeline provides a comprehensive overview of the war, from its political origins to its social and military consequences.Providing Support for PBS.org
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Clip: Ep1 | 13m 1s | In 1861, volunteers North and South rushed to war. Both sides expected it to last 90 days. (13m 1s)
Lincoln's Election and Secession
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Clip: Ep1 | 3m 20s | Lincoln won in 1860 with 40% of the vote. To much of the South, it signaled ruin, and secession. (3m 20s)
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Clip: Ep1 | 3m 27s | After Bull Run, George McClellan built a magnificent Union army. Then he did nothing with it. (3m 27s)
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Clip: Ep1 | 3m 25s | "Sarah, my love for you is deathless." Hear the letter Sullivan Ballou wrote a week before Bull Run. (3m 25s)
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Clip: Ep1 | 3m 9s | Blue and gray veterans reunite at Gettysburg in 1938. Historians explain why the Civil War matters. (3m 9s)
Episode 1: The Cause | Introduction
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Clip: Ep1 | 3m 35s | More than 3 million Americans fought. Over 600,000 died. The war changed every life it touched. (3m 35s)
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Clip: Ep1 | 2m 35s | At Fort Sumter, a Confederate general fired on his old West Point teacher. The Civil War began. (2m 35s)
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Clip: Ep1 | 4m 30s | Fewer than 4 in 100 enslaved people lived to 60. Yet they resisted and kept their families together. (4m 30s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
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Production made possible by grants from General Motors Corporation, National Endowment for the Humanities, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation