The Confederate States of America was formed by eleven Southern states that declared their secession from the United States after the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. Delegates met at Montgomery, Alabama, in February 1861, adopted a provisional constitution and chose Jefferson Davis as president, and the capital was later moved to Richmond, Virginia. The leaders of secession stated that its central cause was the defense of slavery. The Confederacy fought the Union in the American Civil War but was never recognized by foreign governments. Its armies surrendered in the spring of 1865, and the Confederate government collapsed after Davis was captured in May.
Before and after
- 1861Discovery of rubidium
- 1861Discovery of thallium
- 1861The first Archaeopteryx skeleton is found
- 1861Pasteur disproves spontaneous generation
- from 8 February 1861 to 1 May 1865Confederate States of America
- 16 February 1861Earthquake in Lagundi, Simuk, Tello I, Indonesia
- 26 February 1861Death of Taras Shevchenko
- 3 March 1861Tsar Alexander II emancipates the Russian serfs
- from 17 March 1861 to 18 June 1946Kingdom of Italy
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- 1831Discovery of Lewis chessmen
- from 3 January 1868 to 3 May 1947Empire of Japan
- from 23 October 1868 to 30 July 1912Meiji era
- October 1871Schliemann begins digging at Hisarlik
- 1879Altamira cave paintings are discovered
- 1899Oracle bones reveal early Chinese writing
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.