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1861: "The Cause"

Season 1 Episode 1 | 1hr 40m 58s

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.

Aired: 09/06/15
Production made possible by grants from General Motors Corporation, National Endowment for the Humanities, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation
Extras
Ken Burns, Ric Burns, Buddy Squires, and Allen Moore discuss the making of The Civil War.
Richmond falls to Grant's army, Lee surrenders, Lincoln is assassinated, and the war ends.
While causalities mount, Lincoln’s re-election chances dim.
Follow the Battle of Gettysburg, draft riots, and the first African-American troops.
Lincoln’s war to preserve the Union transforms to a war to emancipate the slaves.
Learn how The Civil War series has been completely restored to Ultra HD – 4K resolution.
Ken Burns recalls when he first realized the magnitude of his film, The Civil War.
Ken Burns shares the moment he and his team captured Lincoln’s death in the film.
A week before the battle of Bull Run, Sullivan Ballou wrote a letter to his wife.
Ken Burns shares how his interest in the Civil War developed.
Latest Episodes
Richmond falls to Grant's army, Lee surrenders, Lincoln is assassinated, and the war ends.
While causalities mount, Lincoln’s re-election chances dim.
Follow the Battle of Gettysburg, draft riots, and the first African-American troops.
Lincoln’s war to preserve the Union transforms to a war to emancipate the slaves.