American Civil War: A History from Beginning to End

By: Hourly History

Narrated by: Grant Finley

Beginning with the birth of the nation, slavery divided and caused conflict for the United States of America, worsening during the country's early decades as the practice became more economically vital. Finally, in 1861, the American Civil War erupted after the election of President Abraham Lincoln.

Never acknowledging the South’s right to secede, Lincoln and the North fought the South through four long, bloody, destructive years; much longer than anyone thought the war would last.

Inside you will hear about....

• America in the Antebellum Era
• Secession and the first shots
• Early battles and the turning point: April 1861-July 1863
• The United States and the Confederacy
• Women and blacks in the war
• Military events, 1863-1865: The war ends
• Reconstruction
• The Legacy of the Civil War

By 1865, more than 700,000 American soldiers and civilians were dead (including Lincoln himself), a race of people had been freed from bondage, and an entire country needed to rebuild. The Civil War is of such crucial importance to the history of the United States not just because of these factors, but also because its legacy still lives on.

©2016 Hourly History (P)2017 Hourly History

Good overview of a huge topic

I was interested in how they were going to condense such a large, multi-faceted topic - I thought they did a decent job. Interesting little contextual tidbits about some events that lead to the Civil War (the 1807 Act to end the slave trade) all the way through to some commentary on the way it shaped US society today.

Civil War Over Simplified

The author interjected his opinion. It was disappointing as I was looking for facts and a historical timeline.