This lecture will introduce some of the most interesting and important questions historians of the American Civil War are asking today. These include: what role did slaves themselves play in the end of slavery? How did the Union Army defeat the Confederacy and win the war? It will also debunk some persistent myths that sometimes overshadow these real questions, including the claim that the Confederacy fought for states' rights rather than for the perpetuation of slavery. Even if you have never given a thought to the Civil War, you will come away from this lecture able to discuss and debate this defining moment in US history.