The Civil War Miniseries Episode 1 The Cause: 1861 1990
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Beginning with a searing indictment of slavery, this first episode dramatically evokes the causes of the war, from the Cotton Kingdom of the South to the northern abolitionists who opposed it. Here are the burning questions of Union and States' rights, John Brown at Harper's Ferry, the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, the firing on Fort Sumter and the jubilant rush to arms on both sides. Along the way the series' major figures are introduced: Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant and a host of lesser-known but equally vivid characters. The episode comes to a climax with the disastrous Union defeat at Manassas, Virginia, where both sides now learn it is to be a very long war.
- Released: 1990-09-23
- Runtime: 76 minutes
- Genre: Documentary, War & Politics
- Stars: David McCullough, Sam Waterston, Julie Harris, Jason Robards, Morgan Freeman
- Director: Paul Barnes, Jay Ungar, Ken Burns, Catherine Yang Eisele, Stephen Ives
