These 20 questions cover the core facts of the American Civil War — key dates, figures, and turning points — a solid fit for a history classroom or a trivia night with a historical theme.

The Questions

  1. In what year did the American Civil War begin?
  2. In what year did the Civil War end?
  3. What event is generally considered the start of the Civil War?
  4. Who was President of the United States during most of the Civil War?
  5. Who served as President of the Confederate States of America?
  6. What 1863 proclamation declared enslaved people in Confederate states to be free?
  7. What Pennsylvania battle, fought in July 1863, is often considered the war's turning point?
  8. What famous speech did Lincoln deliver at the dedication of a cemetery in Gettysburg?
  9. Who led the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia?
  10. Which Union general eventually became commander of all Union armies, and later President?
  11. Where did General Lee surrender to General Grant, effectively ending the war?
  12. What constitutional amendment, ratified in 1865, abolished slavery in the United States?
  13. What were the two sides of the Civil War commonly called?
  14. What was the primary issue that divided the North and South?
  15. How many states seceded to form the Confederacy?
  16. At what South Carolina fort was the first shot of the war fired?
  17. Who was assassinated just days after the war ended, in April 1865?
  18. Where was Lincoln assassinated?
  19. What is the name for the period following the Civil War, focused on rebuilding the South?
  20. Roughly how many years did the Civil War last?

Answers

1. 1861  ·  2. 1865  ·  3. The attack on Fort Sumter  ·  4. Abraham Lincoln  ·  5. Jefferson Davis  ·  6. The Emancipation Proclamation  ·  7. The Battle of Gettysburg  ·  8. The Gettysburg Address  ·  9. Robert E. Lee  ·  10. Ulysses S. Grant

11. Appomattox Court House  ·  12. The Thirteenth Amendment  ·  13. The Union (North) and the Confederacy (South)  ·  14. Slavery  ·  15. Eleven  ·  16. Fort Sumter  ·  17. Abraham Lincoln  ·  18. Ford's Theatre, Washington, D.C.  ·  19. Reconstruction  ·  20. About four years

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