Ask any student when the Civil War occurred, and they'll tell you... "Uh, what Civil War?" No, seriously... Well, seriously, some probably would. And some would tell you that the war began in 1861 and ended in 1865. The reality is that the seeds of this war were sown long before 1861; southern states were discussing the possibility of Secession decades earlier. And, of course, the aftermath lasted long after 1865. Here's a look at some of the events leading up to the actual firing on Fort Sumter.

Mason and Dixon's Line (Harper's Monthly, 1876B)

The line dividing Civil War America's "North" from "South."

Recollections of the John Brown Raid, by Alexander R. Boteler (Century Magazine, 1883B)

Followed by "Comment by a Radical Abolitionist" discussing the character of John Brown, by F.B. Sanborn.

Washington on the Eve of the War, by Charles P. Stone (Century Magazine, 1883B)

John Brown at Harper's Ferry, by John E.P. Daingerfield (Century Magazine, 1885B)

An Attempted Division of California (Century Magazine, 1888B)

A brief and abortive effort to divide California into a "north" and "south."

An Early Suggestion to Arm Negroes for the Confederacy, by E.C. Dawes (Century Magazine, 1889B)

Black and White Heroism: Stories from the Abolition Crusade, by Ascott R. Hope (Girl's Own Paper, 1891)

Heroes and heroines of the American abolition movement.

The Confederate Diplomatists and Their Shirt of Nessus, by John Bigelow (Century Magazine, 1891B)

"A Chapter of Secret History" - an exchange of diplomatic messages in 1864.

Washington the Winter Before the War, by Henry Dawes (Atlantic Monthly, 1893)