What event is commonly recognized as the start of the Civil War?

The attack on Fort Sumter is widely recognized as the event that marked the beginning of the Civil War, which started on April 12, 1861. This conflict arose following a series of tensions between the Northern states (the Union) and the Southern states (the Confederacy) primarily over issues such as states’ rights and slavery. When Confederate forces fired upon Fort Sumter, a Union fort located in South Carolina, it prompted President Abraham Lincoln to call for troops to suppress the rebellion, galvanizing the nation into a war.

The significance of this event lies not only in its military action but also in its symbolic representation of the deep national divide at the time. It signaled that diplomatic resolutions had failed and that armed conflict was now unavoidable. This moment is crucial in understanding the lead-up to the war and the intense emotions surrounding the issues of slavery and state sovereignty that fueled the conflict.

In contrast, other events listed do not serve as the official commencement of the war. The Battle of Gettysburg occurred during the war and was a turning point, the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation happened later in 1863 and focused on the abolition of slavery in the confederate states, and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865