History of North America

What were the two sides in American Civil War fighting about?

The American Civil War (1861-1865) was fought between the Union (the northern states) and the Confederate States of America (the southern states) over the issues of slavery, state rights, and economic tariffs. The war began in 1861 when the Confederate States of America attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina. The Union's victory in 1865 led to the abolition of slavery and the preservation of the United States as a single nation.