Civics question 96 of 128

What U.S. war ended slavery?

Source: official USCIS question list for the 2025 version of the civics test. This site is independent and not affiliated with USCIS.

Background

The Civil War ended slavery. The war did not begin as a war to end it: Lincoln's stated purpose in 1861 was to preserve the Union, and he said repeatedly that he had no intention of interfering with slavery where it already existed. That changed across four years. The Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 made emancipation a war aim in the rebelling states, roughly two hundred thousand Black soldiers and sailors joined Union forces, and the legal end came with the Thirteenth Amendment, ratified in December 1865 after the fighting stopped. The amendment is what abolished slavery everywhere and permanently, which is why the proclamation and the amendment are asked about separately. Note the overlap with the question naming the war between North and South.

This background section is written by US Citizenship Test Practice to explain the civics fact. It is not part of the USCIS question list, and the official answer above is the one to give at the interview.

Where this question sits

It is part of 1800s, inside the American History section of the test.

Related questions

• 97. What amendment says all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are U.S. citizens?
• 98. When did all men get the right to vote?
• 99. Name one leader of the women's rights movement in the 1800s.
• 90. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
• 91. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.
• 92. Name the U.S. war between the North and the South.