APUSH Vocabulary Period 5

Confederate States of America – The government formed by Southern states that seceded from the Union in 1860–61, built on protecting slavery and states’ rights.

Jefferson Davis – President of the Confederacy who struggled to create a strong centralized government during the Civil War.

General George B. McClellan – A cautious Union general whose reluctance to attack frustrated Lincoln and led to his removal from command.

Robert E. Lee – The Confederacy’s leading general, known for bold strategies that initially gave the South major victories.

“King Cotton” / cotton diplomacy – The Southern belief that European nations would support the Confederacy because they relied on Southern cotton—an assumption that ultimately failed.

William Tecumseh Sherman – Union general who used “total war” tactics, most famously during his destructive March to the Sea.

Confiscation Acts / “contrabands” – Laws allowing the Union to seize enslaved people used by the Confederacy, treating them as “contraband of war” and paving the way for emancipation.

Emancipation Proclamation – Lincoln’s 1863 order freeing enslaved people in Confederate-controlled areas and redefining the Union war effort around ending slavery.

Massachusetts 54th Regiment – One of the first African American Union units, celebrated for its bravery at Fort Wagner.

Copperheads – Northern Democrats who opposed the Civil War and favored negotiating peace with the Confederacy.

New York City draft riots – Violent 1863 protests by mostly Irish workers angry about the Union draft and fear of job competition from African Americans.

Gettysburg Address – Lincoln’s 1863 speech that framed the war as a struggle to uphold American ideals of equality and self-government.

Greenbacks – Paper money issued by the Union during the Civil War to finance the war effort and stabilize the economy.

Morrill Tariff Act (1861) – A high protective tariff passed by the Republican Congress to raise revenue and encourage Northern industry.

Homestead Act (1862) – Granted settlers 160 acres of free western land if they farmed it for five years, promoting westward expansion.

Morrill Land Grant Act (1862) – Provided states with federal land to fund colleges specializing in agriculture and mechanical sciences.

Pacific Railway Act (1862) – Authorized construction of the transcontinental railroad, granting land and loans to railroad companies.