The Good Stuff

The abolitionist movement of the 19th century helped galvanize the country against slavery and made the civil war a war for freedom. While the abolitionists made great strides in their own time, the fight for equality continues today with groups like Black Lives Matter.

Before the Civil War, the US had a very small army, hardly any social safety nets, and no national currency. But with the fight over slavery and the secession of the southern states that would all change.What is the role of the federal government? And how did the Civil War shape so many aspects of the United States government that we take for granted today?

When the Civil War began, women were able to take on a variety of new roles that they hadn’t in the previous decades. Thousands of women became nurses and relief workers, and some of them also wanted to fight. Although women were prohibited from serving in the military, a few determined women disguised themselves as men and fought in the war, distinguishing themselves in battle.

The Civil War was the bloodiest conflict in US history. More people died in the Civil War than in all other US wars combined. And many more were wounded and maimed. Doctors were forced to re-think their methods and start using more modern, more scientific standards of medical care.

Using spies during war is nothing new. But the Union during the Civil War took it a step further and began spying on its citizens. We talk to author Stephen Towne about how government surveillance worked back then and how it relates to the snooping done today.

The confederate flag is a controversial symbol. What it means has changed over time and can depend on who you are and where you come from. And to further complicate this, there wasn't just one confederate flag — there were dozens —and the flag we've come to know as the confederate flag has a history as complicated as it is contentious.

The American Civil War was a huge news story. Just as social media and the internet have changed the way news is delivered today, journalists in the Civil War Era turned to the telegraph to revolutionize the industry.