The Civil War ended in 1865, marking a significant turning point in American history.

The conflict concluded with the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. This surrender effectively marked the collapse of the Confederacy, although some fighting continued for a short period afterward. The war's end led to the abolition of slavery and initiated the Reconstruction era, a complex period aimed at reintegrating the Southern states into the Union and addressing the rights of newly freed African Americans.