The American Civil War
美国内战

The American Civil War, widely known as the largest civil war in American history, was fought from 1861 to 1865. Seven Southern slave states individually declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America, known as the “Confederacy” or the “South”. The states that did not declare secession were known as the “Union” or the “North”. The war had its origin in the fractious issue of slavery, especially the extension of slavery into the western territories. A peace conference failed to find a compromise, and both sides prepared for war.
1861年到1865年的美国南北战争是美国历史上最大规模的一次内战。南方7个蓄奴州各自宣布脱离美国，成立美利坚联盟国，简称“邦联”或“南方”。而没有宣布脱离美国的州被称为“联邦”或“北方”。这场战争起源于奴隶制这个敏感的议题，尤其是当奴隶制扩张到了西边的领地。1861年的和平会议也未能使双方达成共识，两边随时准备开战。

The War finally broke out on 12 April, 1861 soon after Abraham Lincoln became the U.S. President. Lincoln realized that he could win support for the Union at home and abroad by making the war a just war against slavery. So he issued the famous Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. The War was so bloody that about 620,000 soldiers lost their lives from 1861 to 1865. It ended up with the Confederacy's officially surrender in 1865.
林肯成为美国总统后不久，战争在1861年4月12日爆发。林肯意识到如果把战争变成反奴隶制的正义战争，就能获得国内外对联邦的支持。因此1863年他颁布了著名的《解放奴隶宣言》。这场内战非常残酷，1861年到1865年间有大约62万士兵丧生。最终它以邦联在1865年的正式投降结束。

The American Civil War was one of the earliest true industrial wars. Railroads, the telegraph, steamships, and mass-produced weapons were employed extensively. After the war, the world witnessed great developments in industry, agriculture, science and technology, and population of America.
南北战争是最早的工业战争之一。铁路、电报、蒸汽船和批量生产的武器在战争中被广泛采用。战争结束后，美国在工业、农业、科技和人口方面迅速发展。