Unites States History A 2:8 Civil Liberties and Dissent

Habeas Corpus

A legal protection requiring a person under arrest to be brought before a judge; suspended by both Lincoln and Davis during the war to detain dissenters without trial.

Copperheads

Northern Democrats who opposed the Civil War and called for immediate peace with the Confederacy.

National Security vs. Civil Rights

During wartime, both the Union and Confederacy restricted civil liberties to maintain order and suppress dissent.

Jefferson Davis

Confederate president who suspended habeas corpus, sparking backlash among states' rights supporters.

States’ Rights

Southern belief that state governments should have more power than the federal government; created conflict with central authority during the war.

Lincoln's Suppression Measures

Included jailing dissenters, closing newspapers, and expanding federal power to protect the Union.

Conscription Laws

Both sides drafted citizens, but the Union allowed substitutions and bounties, while the Confederacy exempted slaveholders.