What Was the Antebellum Period?

In the years before the Civil War, the United States was rapidly expanding geographically, economically, and politically. This era, roughly spanning from the end of the War of 1812 (which lasted until 1815) to the start of the Civil War in 1861, is often called the “antebellum” era, after the Latin term for “before the war.”  The term “antebellum” is also used more specifically in reference to the American South during this time, describing an idealized vision of plantation life and grand, columned estates that has been popularized by films such as Gone With the ...Read More