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The Civil War
1861: "The Cause"
Season 1
Episode 1
Beginning with a searing indictment of slavery, this first episode dramatically evokes the causes of the war, from the Cotton Kingdom of the South to the northern abolitionists who opposed it. Here are the burning questions of Union and states' rights, John Brown at Harpers Ferry, the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, the firing on Fort Sumter, and the jubilant rush to arms on both sides.
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2:14:38
Richmond falls to Grant's army, Lee surrenders, Lincoln is assassinated, and the war ends.
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2:18:35
While causalities mount, Lincoln’s re-election chances dim.
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2:34:49
Follow the Battle of Gettysburg, draft riots, and the first African-American troops.
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2:21:25
Lincoln’s war to preserve the Union transforms to a war to emancipate the slaves.