DSST Civil War study guide
DSST Civil War · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The DSST The Civil War and Reconstruction exam is a standardized, credit-by-examination test in the Social Sciences category. DSST describes its scope simply: "The Civil War from pre-secession (1861) through Reconstruction." A passing score is worth 3 baccalaureate credits at institutions that recognize DSST, and the program states that "Over 1,500 colleges and universities recognize the DSST program and award college credit for passing scores." The exam is aimed at students and adults, including active-duty service members and veterans, who already know the material and want to earn college credit without sitting the equivalent course. Coverage begins with the sectional tensions and political background that preceded secession, moves through the military, political, economic, and social dimensions of the war years, and continues into Reconstruction and its aftermath. Preparation should combine a survey-level textbook or lecture series with a review of key figures, legislation, battles, amendments, and timelines, plus practice questions to check recall and pacing. This page is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by DSST. Confirm exam availability, testing options, and whether your target school awards credit for this title before registering. Topics on this exam: The Civil War and Reconstruction. The DSST Civil War study guide has 1 section and about 431 words.
01The Civil War and Reconstruction
The domain "The Civil War and Reconstruction" on the DSST Civil War exam tests how sectional conflict became war, how the war transformed the Constitution and society, and why Reconstruction's promise collapsed. Expect questions on chronology, causality, constitutional change, military turning points, and the social history of emancipation. Sectional crises: Missouri Compromise (1820), Compromise of 1850, Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), Dred Scott (1857), and the election of 1860. Secession began with South Carolina in December 1860; Fort Sumter (April 1861) opened the war.
431 words, about 2 minMore study resources for DSST Civil War
- Practice questionsWhich event is conventionally treated as the opening engagement of the Civil War?
- FlashcardsFort Sumter. April 12-13, 1861, Confederate bombardment of the federal garrison at Charleston harbor; the first shots of the Civil War, prompting Lincoln's call for volunteers and four more states' secession.
- Cheat sheetSecession timeline: South Carolina seceded December 20, 1860; six more Deep South states followed before Lincoln's March 4, 1861 inauguration; the Upper South (Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina) seceded only after Fort Sumter and Lincoln's April 15 call for 75,000 volunteers.
- Key termsAnaconda Plan. Union strategy devised by Winfield Scott to squeeze the Confederacy by blockading its coastline and seizing the Mississippi River, splitting the South and starving it of trade and supplies.
- Study planBuild a one-page timeline from 1860 through 1865 that places the secession of the Lower South, the firing on Fort Sumter, and the four border slave states in sequence, with a one-sentence note on why each date matters.
- Common mistakesPopular memory and most documentaries center on Virginia and Gettysburg, so candidates over-study the Army of the Potomac and under-study the campaigns that split the Confederacy and produced the 1864 election result.
- Exam-day guideBring a current, unexpired photo ID with your signature, such as a driver's license or passport.