Drawing History: History Told Through Thomas Nast Political Cartoons

American Civil War and Reconstruction Timeline

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Background Knowledge

View Thomas Nast's black and white sketches of selected Grand Caricaturama images in a timeline of events starting in 1854-1869. The paintings represent Nast's point of view of historical events in US History. Question to consider: How do the arts and visual expression shape public memory in a democracy? What events does Nast include in the Grand Caricaturama? Which does he leave out?

1854 CE

November 6, 1860 CE
Abraham Lincoln elected as the 16th president of the United States
December 20, 1860 South Carolina is the first state to secede from the Union

1859 CE

January 1861 CE
Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas secede the Union
February- Jefferson Davis is named the president of the Confederate States
May - Richmond, VA becomes the capital of the Confederacy

1861 CE

March 8, 1862 CE - March 9, 1862 CE
The first ironclad warships fought. The USS Monitor and CSS Virginia were both steam-propelled warships, covered in steel or iron.
September 17, 1862 CE
The Battle of Antietam is the bloodiest single day of the Civil War

1862 CE

May 22, 1863 CE
The US War Department establishes the United States Colored Troops
November 19 - President Abraham Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address while dedicating the Soldiers National Cemetery in Gettysburg, PA
July 1, 1863 CE - July 3, 1863 CE
The Battle of Gettysburg is the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. This Union Victory stops Confederate forces from marching further north

1863 CE

November 8, 1864 CE
President Abraham Lincoln is elected to a second term as president

1864 CE

April 12, 1865 CE
President Abraham Lincoln is assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater in Washington DC
December - The 13th Amendment is ratified and abolishes slavery in the United States

1865 CE

April 9, 1866 CE
The Civil Rights Act of 1866 gives citizenship rights to African Americans
May 1, 1866 CE - May 3, 1866 CE
Memphis Race Riots -White civilians and police killed 46 African Americans and destroyed 90 houses and schools, and 12 churches

1866 CE

1867 CE

1868 CE

Additional Resources

Full list and images of all 33 black and white caricaturama sketches