Before the war, many rural communities gathered around a bonfire to tell stories, discuss the day's events and resolve problems.

VOA: standard.2010.06.07

He closed his speech with the hope that the nation would come out of the war with greater unity than ever before.

VOA: special.2009.11.12

Just before sunrise on April twelfth, eighteen sixty-one, the first shot was fired in the American Civil War.

VOA: special.2009.08.13

Just before the Civil War, the Whig political party was making a last effort to remain a part of American political life.

VOA: special.2010.02.14

Moving pictures from before World War Two showed a man named Buck Rogers landing on the planet Mars.

VOA: special.2010.06.27

Jayhawkers were free-state guerrilla fighters opposed to the pro-slavery fighters in the years before the Civil War.

VOA: special.2009.08.09

After all,the Confederate secretary of war had declared that the Confederate flag would fly over the Capitol building before the first of May.

VOA: special.2009.08.20

Why did they become so famous? The story of these famous men began a little before the American Civil War of the eighteen sixties.

VOA: special.2010.03.10

Before she could go home,though, the war between France and Prussia began in eighteen seventy.

VOA: special.2009.07.26

And war for the Negro was openly begun with stronger effort than before.

VOA: special.2009.10.22

A huge military fort was built there before the American Civil War.

VOA: special.2010.03.22

But others now say this period after the Civil War was a necessary step in creating a different kind of South from the one which had existed before.

VOA: special.2010.02.04

After all,the country had never before had a civil war.

VOA: special.2009.02.09

The war ended before he could be sent to Europe.

VOA: special.2010.01.03

Before the Civil War, most businesses were small.

VOA: special.2010.02.25

Lincoln said to the old man: "When I think of the sacrifices of life still to be offered, and the hearts and homes to be made lonely before this terrible war is over, my heart is like lead.

VOA: special.2009.11.12

It will be on the agenda again when he visits Pakistan later in the week, before heading into the war zone itself.

VOA: standard.2010.07.22

"While passions and politics can often obscure the hard work before us,let's be clear about what this moment demands, we are at war,"

VOA: standard.2010.01.19

"So,we expect the escalation of the war for the coming 72 hours before fixing the ceasefire."

VOA: standard.2009.10.11