This course surveys the history of the Civil War, from its origins in 19th-century tensions through to the end of Reconstruction in 1877. Topics include: slavery, the growth of sectionalism, birth of the Republican Party, breakdown of the political system, justifications for and against secession, the founding of the Confederacy, the military conflict, life on the home front, Union victory, sectional reconciliation, and postwar conditions for freed Blacks.