Henretta Chapter 13

Jefferson Davis

President of the Confederacy

Abraham Lincoln

16th President of the United States; led the United States through the Civil War

secession

the formal withdrawal of a state from the Union

King Cotton

dominant role cotton played in Southern economy and society before the Civil War

Bull Run

first major land battle of the Civil War; Confederates defeat the Union Army (Civil War will be long and bloody)

General George McClellan

Union general appointed by Lincoln; criticized for overly cautious approach and failure to move troops; dismissed by Lincoln

Habeas corpus

legal principle that prevents unlawful arrest or detention; suspended by Lincoln during Civil War

Antietam (1862)

first major battle on Northern soil where Confederates were stopped; bloodiest single-day battle; caused Lincoln to issue Emancipation Proclamation

contrabands

escaped slaves who joined the Union army during the Civil War

Confiscation Act

series of laws passed during Civil War that allowed the Union to seize property; essentially freed slaves

Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

issued by Lincoln after Antietam; freed all slaves in Confederate territory

John Deere

American blacksmith that was responsible for inventing the steel plow

tariffs

tax imposed by a government on imported goods

greenbacks

paper money issued by the government during the Civil War; not redeemable for gold but $300 million were issued

one-tenth tax

Confederate tax during Civil War that required farmers to contribute a tenth of their crops and livestock to the government for supporting the war effort

conscription

military draft; first implemented in Civil War

20 Negro rule

Confederate law during Civil War that exempted an owner of twenty or more slaves to be exempted from military service; allowed large plantation owners to avoid draft

draft riots

series of riots fueled by working class citizens who were upset about new laws implementing conscription; seen as unfair b/c wealthy could buy out

US Sanitary Commission

organization developed to provide medical supplies and assistance to Union armies in the field; helped professionalize nursing and gave many women confidence in women's movement post war

Vicksburg (1863)

Turning point of the Civil War in the West. Northern troops led by Ulysses S. Grant gained full control of the Mississippi River, splitting the Confederacy in half

Gettysburg (1863)

Turning point of the Civil War in the East; Northern troops decisively defeated Robert E. Lee's Confederate forces; major setback for Confederacy

Gettysburg Address

speech delivered by Lincoln praising the bravery of Union soldiers and renewed his commitment to victory; connected Civil War to broader struggle for freedom and democracy

Ulysses S. Grant

an American general and the eighteenth President of the United States (1869-1877). He achieved international fame as the leading Union general in the American Civil War.

William T. Sherman

Union general known for his 'March to the Sea' where he destroyed Confederate infrastructure and civilian property; hard war

hard war

military strategy use by the Union; destroy Confederate infrastructure and civilian property to cripple the South

Battle of Atlanta

Civil War battle led by General Sherman which led to the Union army's siege and capture of Atlanta; final phase of the war

Sherman's March

Union General William T. Sherman's destructive march through Georgia; early instance of "total war," purposely targeting infrastructure and civilian property to cripple the South

13th Amendment

officially abolishes slavery in the United States

Special Field Order No. 15

military order issued by General Sherman that set aside a large strip of land on the coast of SC and GA for settlement by freed slaves

John Wilkes Booth

American stage actor who assassinated Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in 1865