The Civil War and Reconstruction
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this history course covering the American Civil War, concentrating on the war years from 1861 to 1865 with attention to military strategy and the technology that shaped the fighting. The syllabus and readings address four long-standing historical debates: what caused the war, why the North won, whether the South could have won, and whether the Civil War deserves its status as America's defining moment. Materials include a full syllabus, lecture outlines, and reading assignments drawn from primary sources and historical scholarship, along with assignments used in the original MIT course. The course also touches on Reconstruction and the war's long-term consequences for the nation. As with other MIT OCW offerings, all course materials are free to access, with no certificate offered.