Civil War

Confederate States of America (CSA)

The Confederacy was a government formed by Southern states that seceded from the Union in 1861, aiming to preserve states' rights and the institution of slavery.

Anaconda Plan

Union strategy to defeat the Confederacy by blockading southern ports, controlling the Mississippi River, and dividing the Confederacy.

Battle of Antietam

Bloodiest single-day battle in American history, halted Lee's invasion of the North, and led to the Emancipation Proclamation.

Reconstruction Act of 1867

Divided the South into military districts, mandated new state constitutions with black male suffrage.

Jefferson Davis

President of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War, shaping Confederate policies and strategies.

Gettysburg

Largest and deadliest battle of the Civil War, turning point in the Eastern Theater, ended Lee's invasion of the North.

Abraham Lincoln

16th President of the United States, preserved the Union, abolished slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation.

Wade-Davis Bill

Required a majority of white males in each southern state to pledge allegiance before rejoining the Union.

Ulysses S

Union general known for aggressive tactics, played a key role in securing victory for the North.

Homestead Act (1862)

Law providing 160 acres of public land to settlers willing to farm and improve it over five years, encouraging westward expansion.

Pacific Railway Act (1862)

Law authorizing the construction of the first transcontinental railroad in the US, providing land grants and bonds for support.

Habeas Corpus

Legal principle protecting individuals from unlawful detention without due process, suspended by Lincoln during the Civil War.

Anaconda Plan

Union strategy to defeat the Confederacy by surrounding and cutting off its resources.

Rifling

Spiral grooves in firearm barrels improving accuracy and range by spinning the bullet upon firing.

Blockade

Union naval strategy during the Civil War to prevent Confederate trade and weaken their economy and military.

Radical Republicans

Reconstruction faction advocating for civil rights for African Americans and punitive measures against former Confederates.

Emancipation Proclamation

Lincoln's 1863 declaration freeing slaves in Confederate territory, shifting the focus of the Civil War.

Sherman’s March to the Sea

Union military campaign led by General Sherman in 1864, destroying Confederate resources and hastening the war's end.

Martial law

Military control over civilian populations during emergencies, utilized by both Union and Confederacy during the Civil War.

10% Plan vs the Wade-Davis Bill

Lincoln's Reconstruction policy offering amnesty vs Radical Republicans' bill requiring loyalty oaths for Southern states.

Black Codes

Post-Civil War laws in the South restricting rights of freed African Americans to maintain white supremacy.

Freedmen’s Bureau

Federal agency aiding newly freed slaves and impoverished whites in the South after the Civil War.

Civil Rights Act of 1866

First federal law defining citizenship and protecting civil rights regardless of race.

Reconstruction Act of 1867

Laws dividing the South, requiring ratification of the 14th Amendment and guaranteeing black male suffrage.

Tenure of Office Act

Law limiting the President's power to remove officeholders without Senate approval during Reconstruction.

Carpetbaggers and Scalawags

Northerners and Southern whites involved in Reconstruction activities, often targeted by white Southerners.

Ku Klux Klan and white terror organizations

Post-Civil War white supremacist groups targeting African Americans and Reconstruction supporters.

Enforcement Acts

Laws combating voter intimidation and protecting African American rights in the South.

Compromise of 1877

Agreement resolving the disputed 1876 presidential election, leading to the end of Reconstruction.

"Redeemer" Governments

Southern state governments controlled by white Democrats seeking to restore white supremacy post-Reconstruction.

Jim Crow laws

State laws enforcing racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans post-Reconstruction.

Poll tax, Grandfather clause, literacy test

Tactics used to disenfranchise African American voters in the South post-Reconstruction.