Civil War Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards related to the Civil War.

Missouri Compromise

Negotiated by Henry Clay, it allowed states purchased in the Louisiana Purchase to become free states, maintaining a balance between free and slave states.

Compromise of 1850

Negotiated by Henry Clay, it admitted California as a free state but allowed New Mexico and Utah to vote on whether to be free or slave states. It also ended the slave trade in Washington DC and enacted a new Fugitive Slave Act.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Repealed the Missouri Compromise, allowing Kansas and Nebraska to decide on slavery through popular sovereignty, which angered Northerners.

Secession

The action of withdrawing formally from membership of a federation or body, especially a political state.

Confederacy

Formed by 11 US states that seceded from the Union to preserve the institution of slavery.

Emancipation Proclamation

Lincoln's decree to end slavery in the Confederate states.

Revisionist History

The practice of re-evaluating historical events using new evidence or perspectives.

Popular Sovereignty

A system of decision making in which the population of citizens votes on a particular decision.

Fugitive Slave Acts

Acts passed by Congress that allowed the capture and return of runaway slaves, regardless of the state they were found in.

Radical

A person who advocates for large political reforms or changes by any means necessary.

Transcontinental Railroad

A railway spanning the entire continent.

Secession

To remove from a group, especially an alliance, union, or confederation

Political Party

A political organization that assists candidates who align with their stated views and party goals to win public offices in government.

Embargo

A government order that restricts commerce with a specified country or the exchange of specific goods.

Draft

The mandatory enlistment of people in a national service, most often a branch of the military.

Hyperinflation

Rapid, excessive, and out of control general price increases in an economy.

Contraband

Illegal goods that are confiscated from the owner.

Suffrage

The right to vote.

Confiscation Act

Act that stated if there was any property being used against the US government, they could take it to use it for the US government, this included enslaved people.

Emancipation

To set free, especially from legal, social, or political restrictions.

Proclamation

A public or official announcement, especially one dealing with a matter of great importance.

Racial Segregation

Division or separation of people based on race or ethnicity.

Veterans

Individuals who served in the military, fought in a war, or are otherwise similarly experienced.

Amend

To change or alter an existing document or policy.

Legislator

A person who participates in the process of making law for a political group.

Terrorism

The unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.

Racial Supremacy

Beliefs and ideas arguing natural superiority of certain racial or ethnic groups over other groups.

White Nationalism

The belief that the United States should be composed only of White Americans, and all other racial or ethnic groups should not be granted citizenship.

Stereotype

A widely held oversimplified or untrue belief about a group of people.

Miscegenation

A typically negative term used to refer to intermarrying and or having children where each parent is of a different racial or ethnic group.

Presidential Veto

A presidential’s refusal to sign a bill into law. This veto can be overridden by 2/3rds of congress voting to pass the law a second time.

Moderate

A political position that is neither extremely liberal or extremely conservative. Typically holding “middle of the road” views, or more willing to compromise.

Legacy

The long lasting impact of certain people or events on future events

Equity

Being treated fairly and impartially.

Advocacy

Voicing your concerns, difficulties, or needs in order to improve your own situation.

Vocational Education

A path that imparts the skills and knowledge needed to work in a given occupation.

Accommodation

The process of adapting or adjusting to someone or something.

Pan-Africa

A worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all indigenous peoples and diasporas of African ancestry.

Separatist

A person who supports the separation of a particular group of people from a larger group on the basis of ethnicity, religion, or gender.

Race

A categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups

Supreme Court

The highest federal court in the United States, and the head of the Judicial Branch of Government