World Events 1861-1865

Date

Event

1861	The Civil War between the United States of America and the Confederate States of America begins.
1861	The Kingdom of Italy is proclaimed with Victor Emmanuel II as king and Camillo Benso, Conte di Cavour, as prime minister.
1861	Serfdom is abolished in Russia by Czar Alexander II.
1862	An income tax is levied in the United States to help pay for war costs.
1862	The United States homestead law encourages settlement in the West by allowing those who qualify to acquire homesteads.
1863	President Abraham Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation, proclaiming freedom for all slaves in Confederate-held territory.
1865	Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrenders to U.S. General Ulysses S. Grant, ending the American Civil War.