history civil war VOCAB only

wilmot proviso

the proposed but rejected 1846 bill that would have banned slavery in the territory won from mexico in the mexican war

popular sovereignty

a principle in which the people are the only source of government power

secede

to withdraw formally from a membership in a group or an organization

compromise of 1850

a political agreement that admitted california to the union as a free state while permitting popular sovereignty in territories and enacting a strict fugitive slave law

fugitive slave act

a law that required all citizens to aid in apprehending people trying to escape slavery. a part of the compromise of 1850

underground railroad

a system that existed before the civil war in which african american and white abolitionists helped people trying to escape enslavement travel to safe areas in the north and in canada

kansas nebraska act

a 1854 law that divided the nebraska territory into kansas and nebraska, giving each territory the right to decide whether or not to allow slavery

bleeding kansas

a term used to describe the violence between proslavery and antislavery supporters in kansas from 1854 to 1856

know-nothings

a political party of the 1850’s officially known as the american party that was anti-catholic and anti-immigrant

republican party

a political party established around an anti-slavery platform in 1854

harpers ferry

a town in virginia (now in west virginia) where abolitionist john brown raided a federal arsenal in 1859

border states

during the Civil War, a state that allowed slavery but remained in the Union: Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, and Missouri

confederate states of america

the government of 11 southern states that seceded from the United States and fought against the Union in the Civil War

union

the United States federal government, 20 free states, and 5 border states that fought to preserve the nation against the seceding Confederate States (1861–1865) (the North)

confederacy

an unrecognized breakaway republic of 11 Southern U.S. states that seceded to protect the institution of slavery and promote states' rights. Led by Jefferson Davis. (the South)

blockade

a military tactic in which a navy prevents vessels from entering or leaving its enemy’s ports

anaconda plan

a northern Civil War strategy to starve the South by blockading seaports and controlling the Mississippi River

emancipation proclamation

a decree by President Lincoln that declared free all enslaved people living in Confederate states and territories still in rebellion against the Union on January 1, 1863

militia act

a 1862 law that allowed African American soldiers to serve in the Union military

54th Massachusetts regiment

an all African American unit led by Union Colonel Robert Gould Shaw during the Civil War

gettysburg address

a speech by President Lincoln in which he dedicated a national cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and reaffirmed the ideas for which the Union was fighting the Civil War; delivered November 19, 1863

total war

a military strategy in which an army attacks not only enemy troops but also the economic and civilian resources that support them

13th amendment

formally abolished slavery and involuntary servitude throughout the United States, except as a punishment for a convicted crime. (amendment that freed slaves)

appomattox court house

the Virginia village where Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865. The site of where the civil war ended

juneteenth

a federal holiday in the United States marking the end of slavery