Chapter 2 Vocabulary

allege

other forms: allegation

to accuse someone of doing something wrong or illegal

In each case, though, there were allegations of violence directed at black voters.

amend

other forms: amended, amendment

change the words of text, especially a legal document

The first ten amendments of the U.S. Constitution were incorporated into the Confederate constitution.

arm

other forms: arms, armed, armament

to equip with weapons

A key reason for the slave states of the border not joining the Confederacy was the presence there of U.S. armed forces

ballot

other forms: to ballot or to cast a ballot

a system of secret voting / a piece of paper you write your vote on

He urged people to use their political powers at the ballot box.

battle

other forms: to ballot

a fight between two armies in a war

The general had a good record of winning battles against superior forces.

bill

a plan for a new law that is to be discussed

The president did not accept a bill that would have imposed harsher terms on the Confederacy.

to blockade

other forms: blockade

to stop or block things and people moving into or out of a country or area

The Battle of Hampton Roads was caused by the Confederacy’s need to break the U.S. blockade.

campaign

other forms: campaigning, to campaign

a series of activities to try to achieve something in a war or in politics

After all, in the presidential election campaign, he had declared that “traitors should be punished.”

casualty

someone who is hurt or killed in an accident or battle

In wartime there is a continual need to recruit fresh soldiers as each battle results in casualties.

civilian

ordinary person in society who is not a member of the army/police

Four soldiers and 12 civilians were killed in the Baltimore Riot.

civil rights

the legal and constitutional rights that each person has in a society

Black people in the South didn’t have civil rights, access to education and legal protection.

to conscript

other forms: conscript, conscription

to force people to join the army, navy, etc.

As the war went on, both sides needed to conscript in order to have enough soldiers.

deadlocked

other forms: deadlock

in a situation in which people cannot agree and no progress can be made

The eastern theatre 1861-63 saw a great deal of fighting in a small area, but the war was deadlocked.

to defeat

other forms: defeat, defeated

to win against someone in a fight, war or competition

After a long and exhausting battle, the army was defeated.

to devastate

other forms: devastated, devastation

to destroy a place or thing completely or cause great damage

The stakes were high after the devastation of the war.

diplomatic

other forms: diplomacy, diplomat

involving diplomats or the management of the relationships between countries

British shipbuilders and Confederate diplomats did find ways around some of the laws of neutrality

embargo

other forms: to embargo, embargoed

an order to temporarily stop something, especially trading or giving information

In May 1861, cotton producers in the South burned bales of raw cotton as part of an embargo on its export

to enforce

other forms: enforcement

to make a particular situation happen, or to make people accept it

These laws were enforced mostly against black people.

to enfranchise

other forms: enfranchised, enfranchisement

to give the right to vote in elections

Radicals wanted to protect and enfranchise freedmen.

exile

other forms: exiled, to exile, exile (person)

the condition of someone being sent or kept away from their own country, region, etc.

He ordered that Vallandigham should be exiled to the Confederacy.

franchise

the right to vote in an election / elect from the government

We need to regulate the franchise and give black men the right to vote

forces

soldiers

By 1864, U.S. forces had pushed deep into the South.

front

place where fighting takes place in a war

Sherman, a close colleague of Grant, took his place as leader on the western front.

hostile

other forms: hostility

strongly unfriendly

Johnson’s relationship with Congress became hostile.

to impeach

other forms: impeachment

to officially accuse a public official, especially a president, of a crime

The impeachment of President Johnson was more about personal politics than the Constitution.

to implement

other forms: implementation

to start using a plan or system

Grant’s first task was to promote the passage and implementation of the 15th Amendment.

inflation

other forms: to inflate, inflated

when prices go up

The Confederacy suffered shortages of supplies, inflation, transport breakdowns and corruption.

infrastructure

the basic systems and services (transport, power, supplies) that a country needs to work effectively

The state’s infrastructure was insufficiently developed to be able to cope with feeding and transporting the soldiers.

to intervene

other forms: intervening, intervention

to become involved in a situation in order to improve it or prevent it from getting worse

In 1863, Napoleon proposed the Anglo-French intervention in the war on the side of the South.

legal

other forms: to legalize, legality, illegal, illegality

allowed by the law; anything to do with the law and how it works

This is the period during which the legal systems of the South were reformed.

legislation

other forms: to legislate, legislature

a law or set of laws

Southern legislatures tried a variety of ways to deny black people the rights they had been promised.

legislature

other forms: to legislate, legislation

a group of people who have the power to make laws

Southern legislatures tried a variety of ways to deny black people the rights they had been promised.

to lynch

other forms: lynching, lynched

killed someone without a legal trial, usually by hanging

By 1869, the KKK was fully fledged criminal organization, with operations ranging from illegal trading to lynching.

to mediate

other forms: mediation

to talk to two sides involved in a disagreement to try to help them to agree

Britain and France considered political intervention in the war by offering to mediate between the two sides.

morale

the amount of confidence felt by a person or group of people in a dangerous or difficult situation

These deficiencies not only undermined the armies, but they also lowered morale on the home front.

neutral

other forms: neutrality

not taking the side of either party in a war or argument

The South had the right to stop and search neutral shipping.

to override

other forms: overriding

to reject a decision made by others and force a different one to be accepted

Congress was able to override the veto and, n April 1866, the bill became law.

polls

other forms: to go to the polls

places where people go to vote in an election

The polls were only open for eight hours and not everyone was able to vote

to ratify

other forms: ratification, ratified, ratifying

to make an agreement official

He tried to prevent the 14th Amendment from being ratified.

to rebel

other forms: rebellion, rebellious

to fight against the government or authorities

Once the Civil War began, many whites expected slave rebellions.

scorched earth policy

the act of an army destroying everything in an area as they pass through it so the opposing army can’t use it for food, fuel, etc.

The army’s scorched earth policy ensured there was great suffering in the civilian population

to segregate

other forms: segregated, segregating, segregation

to keep one group separate from another

The Civil Rights Act was intended to outlaw segregation.

to seize

other forms: seizure, seized

to take something quickly and keep or hold it

Attempts to seize the opponent’s capital had been defeated.

shortage

a situation in which there is not enough of something

Crops were destroyed and there were widespread food shortages.

to struggle

other forms: struggle, struggling

to experience difficulty and make a very great effort in order to do something

Poor farmers struggled as they were being forced to hand over 10% of their produce.

to supply

other forms: supply, supplies

to provide something that is wanted or needed

Cotton requires land in warm areas and a plentiful supply of labor.

to surrender

other forms: surrendered, surrendering

to stop fighting and admit defeat

Just five days after Lee’s surrender, President Lincoln was assassinated by a Confederate supporter

traitor

other forms: treacherous, treachery

a person who is not loyal or stops being loyal to their own country, social class, beliefs, etc.

To prove that the rebels were traitors would have to define the legal status of the war as a defeated rebellion.

treason

the crime of showing no loyalty to your country, especially but helping its enemies or trying to defeat its government

There were no treason trials.

trial

other forms: to try (legal)

the hearing of statements and showing of objects, etc. in a law court to judge if a person is guilty

Merryman stayed in jail for several months before being released without trial.

troops

soldiers

Grant did not wish to send Northern white troops to support black people trying to vote.

uprising

other forms: to rise up

an at of opposition, using violence against those who are in power

Lincoln discouraged any slave uprising, urging slaves “to abstain from violence.”