President Trump wondered aloud about why the Civil War happened in a befuddling interview with Salena Zito for SiriusXM's POTUS channel. "People don't realize, you know, the Civil War, if you think about it, why?" Trump said. "People don't ask that question, but why was there the Civil War?"
As is covered in most history classes in America, seven southern states decided to secede from the Union in 1860 to form the Confederate States of America after Abraham Lincoln, who promised an end to slavery, was elected in November of that year.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Today's political cartoons - September 7, 2024Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - football widows, meddling kids, and more
-
Smoking ban: the return of the nanny state?Talking Point Starmer's plan to revive Sunak-era war on tobacco has struck an unsettling chord even with some non-smokers
-
Crossword: September 7, 2024The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
A brief history of third parties in the USIn Depth Though none of America's third parties have won a presidential election, they have nonetheless had a large impact on the country's politics
-
Netanyahu makes controversial addressSpeed Reads Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress denounced Gaza war protestors
-
Menendez convicted of bribery, fraud, and extortionSpeed Read The New Jersey Democratic Senator was found guilty in a federal corruption trial
-
Florida judge dismisses Trump documents caseSpeed Read Judge Aileen Cannon ruled that special counsel Jack Smith was improperly appointed
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
-
Hamas says military chief survived Israeli strikeSpeed Read An Israeli bombing failed to hit its intended target, military commander Mohammed Deif, but killed at least 90 Palestinians
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attemptSpeed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
-
First Israeli report on Oct. 7 finds 'severe mistakes and errors' in IDF responseSpeed Reads Israeli military admits failures in response to deadly Hamas attack that triggered Gaza war
