Key Themes in the Civil War and Reconstruction Era

Irreconcilable Issue of Slavery

Core conflict driving the nation towards Civil War.

House Divided Speech

Lincoln's warning about a divided nation.

Popular Sovereignty

Citizen control over slavery in territories.

Fairport Doctrine

Douglas's stance on slavery's local regulation.

Election of 1860

Pivotal event leading to Southern secession.

Secession

Southern states' withdrawal from the Union.

Confederate States of America

New nation formed by seceded Southern states.

Fort Sumter

First battle initiating the Civil War.

Anaconda Plan

Union strategy to blockade and control the South.

Cotton Diplomacy

Confederacy's strategy to gain foreign support.

Battle of Bull Run

First major battle, early Confederate victory.

Battle of Shiloh

Costly Union victory in the Western theater.

Battle of Antietam

Strategically significant Union victory leading to emancipation.

Emancipation Proclamation

Lincoln's declaration freeing enslaved people in Confederacy.

Siege of Vicksburg

Union victory gaining control of Mississippi River.

Sherman's March to the Sea

Campaign aimed at destroying Confederate infrastructure.

Tennessee's Role

Significant military activity and division during war.

Constitutional Union Party

Group aiming to prevent Tennessee's secession.

Lincoln's Plan for Reconstruction

Lenient reintegration requiring 10% voter allegiance.

Johnson's Plan for Reconstruction

Continuation of Lincoln's lenient approach post-assassination.

Black Codes

Laws restricting rights of African Americans post-slavery.

Radical Republicans

Congress members seeking stronger protections for African Americans.

14th Amendment

Grants citizenship and equal protection under law.

15th Amendment

Guarantees voting rights regardless of race.

Military Districts

Divisions overseeing Reconstruction implementation in the South.

Freedmen's Bureau

Agency aiding formerly enslaved people with resources.

Tenant Farmers

Farmers renting land to cultivate crops.

Sharecroppers

Farmers paying rent with a share of crops.

Carpetbaggers

Northerners moving South during Reconstruction.

Scalawags

Southern whites supporting Reconstruction efforts.

Compromise of 1877

Ended Reconstruction, withdrew federal troops from South.

Jim Crow Laws

Laws enforcing racial segregation post-Reconstruction.

Long-Term Impacts

Civil War altered U.S. social and economic structures.