Fort Sumter and the Start of the Civil War
Before sunrise on April 12, 1861, a shell burst above Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The explosion signaled the beginning of a bombardment that lasted more than a day. By the time it ended, the United States was at war with states that had declared they were leaving the Union. The dispute over slavery lay at the center of that separation.
Slavery and secession
By 1860, the United States had grown deeply divided over slavery. Enslaved African Americans were forced to work without freedom or pay, and their labor produced enormous wealth for slaveholders. In the South, slavery supported the production of cotton and other crops. Many white Southern leaders defended the system and wanted to protect and expand it. In the North, opposition to the expansion of slavery had grown, although Northerners held a range of views about slavery and racial equality.
Abraham Lincoln, the Republican candidate for president in 1860, opposed the expansion of slavery into U.S. territories. He did not campaign on immediately ending slavery in states where it already existed. Even so, many Southern slaveholders feared that his election threatened slavery's future. Lincoln won the election in November 1860 without carrying a Southern state.
- bombardment:
- A sustained attack using artillery or explosives.
- federal:
- Relating to the national government.
- reinforcements:
- Additional troops sent to strengthen a military force.
- expedition:
- A group sent on a planned mission.
- garrison:
- A group of soldiers stationed at a military post.
- evacuate:
- To leave a place, especially because of danger.
- rebellion:
- An organized effort to resist or fight against a government.
- militia:
- A force of citizens called on for military service.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1How does South Carolina's declaration connect its secession to slavery?
- 2Why did Lincoln's election worry many Southern slaveholders even though he did not campaign to end slavery immediately in existing states?
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About this report passage for Middle School
“Fort Sumter and the Start of the Civil War” is a report reading passage about The American Civil War, written for Middle School. It takes about 6 minutes to read (845 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.