Name: Episode 1 — The Cause: 1861
Released: 1990-09-23
Duration: 100 min
Rating: 6.2
Cast: David McCullough, Sam Waterston, Julie Harris, Jason Robards, Morgan Freeman

The Civil War (1990)

1990 • 1 season • Documentary, War & Politics • TV-14

On August 10, 2026

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Episode 1 — The Cause: 1861

Released: 1990-09-23 • Documentary/War & Politics

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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.

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Episode air date	23.09.1990
Episode runtime	100 min
Episode rating	6.20
Genres	Documentary / War & Politics
TMDB series rating	7.9
IMDb series rating	9.0
Series status	Ended
Age rating	14+
Country	US

The Civil War (1990)

Episode 1 — The Cause: 1861

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