Confederacy (CSA) :: Formed in February 1861 by 11 Southern states after secession; capital was Richmond; fought to protect slavery and states’ rights.
Lincoln's First Inaugural Address (1861) :: Lincoln said secession was illegal, promised not to interfere with slavery where it existed, and aimed to preserve the Union peacefully.
Border States :: Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware; slave states that stayed in the Union and were strategically important.
North vs South (1861) :: North had ~22 million people, industry, and factories; South had ~9 million people and relied on agriculture and slavery.
Conscription (1862 CSA / 1863 USA) :: First national draft in U.S. history used when volunteer numbers dropped.
Substitution :: Allowed wealthy men to pay others to fight in their place during the draft.
Habeas Corpus Suspension (1861–1863) :: Lincoln suspended legal protection requiring trial before imprisonment during wartime.
Union Blockade (Anaconda Plan) :: Naval blockade of Southern ports (1861–1865) that cut off trade and weakened Confederacy.
Industrial Advantage :: North had ~90% of factories and weapons production compared to the South.
Railroads :: North had far more railroads (~22,000 miles vs ~9,000), allowing faster troop movement.
Revenue Act of 1862 :: First federal income tax used to fund the Civil War.
Greenbacks (1862) :: Union paper money not backed by gold; caused moderate inflation.
Greybacks :: Confederate money that became nearly worthless due to inflation.
Jay Cooke :: Banker who sold large amounts of Union war bonds.
Cotton Diplomacy :: Confederate strategy expecting Britain and France to support them due to cotton dependence.
Trent Affair (1861) :: U.S. captured Confederate diplomats from a British ship, nearly causing war with Britain.
Ironclads (1862) :: Armored warships (USS Monitor vs CSS Virginia) that changed naval warfare.
Robert E. Lee :: Commander of Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.
Ulysses S. Grant :: Union general who led successful campaigns like Vicksburg and Appomattox.
William T. Sherman :: Union general known for “March to the Sea” and total war tactics.
Scorched Earth Policy :: Strategy of destroying enemy supplies, railroads, and farmland.
Scott’s Anaconda Plan :: Union strategy to blockade South and split it along the Mississippi River.
Telegraph :: Communication system that allowed fast military messaging during war.
Appomattox Court House (1865) :: Location where Lee surrendered to Grant, ending the Civil War.
Enrollment Act of 1863 :: Union draft law allowing substitutions; caused protests in Northern cities.
New York Draft Riots (1863) :: Violent protests against the draft; over 100 killed.
Emancipation Proclamation (1863) :: Freed enslaved people in Confederate states still in rebellion.
Copperheads :: Northern Democrats who opposed the war and wanted peace with the South.
Merryman Case (1861) :: Challenged Lincoln’s suspension of habeas corpus.
Vallandigham Case (1863) :: Anti-war politician arrested and exiled for criticizing Lincoln.
Milligan Case (1866) :: Supreme Court ruled civilians cannot be tried in military courts if civil courts are open.
Election of 1864 :: Lincoln (National Union Party) defeated McClellan; voters chose continuation of war.
Freedmen’s Bureau (1865) :: Government agency helping freed slaves with food, jobs, and education.
10% Plan (1863) :: Lincoln’s Reconstruction plan allowing Southern states back after 10% loyalty oath.
Wade-Davis Bill (1864) :: Radical Republican plan requiring majority loyalty oath; Lincoln vetoed it.
13th Amendment (1865) :: Abolished slavery in the United States.
Civil Rights Act of 1866 :: Gave citizenship and equal rights to all born in the U.S.
14th Amendment (1868) :: Guaranteed citizenship and equal protection under the law.
15th Amendment (1870) :: Gave Black men the right to vote.
Andrew Johnson :: President after Lincoln; opposed Radical Republicans and favored lenient Reconstruction.
Radical Republicans :: Group led by Thaddeus Stevens that wanted strict Reconstruction and Black rights.
Military Reconstruction Acts (1867–68) :: Divided South into military districts controlled by Union Army.
Tenure of Office Act (1867) :: Required Senate approval to remove cabinet officials.
Impeachment of Andrew Johnson (1868) :: First presidential impeachment; he was not removed from office.
Black Codes (1865–1866) :: Southern laws restricting freedom and labor of freed African Americans.
Sharecropping :: Farming system where workers gave a share of crops for land use, often causing debt.
Carpetbaggers :: Northerners who moved South after the war for opportunity.
Scalawags :: Southern whites who supported Reconstruction governments.
Ku Klux Klan (KKK, 1865) :: White supremacist group using violence and terror against Black Americans.
Colfax Massacre (1873) :: Over 100 Black Americans killed during election violence in Louisiana.
Mississippi Plan (1875) :: Use of violence and intimidation to regain white Democratic control.
Force Acts (1870–71) :: Federal laws used to stop KKK violence and protect Black voters.
Jim Crow Laws :: Laws enforcing racial segregation in the South.
Civil Rights Act of 1875 :: Banned segregation in public places; later weakened by courts.
Election of 1876 :: Disputed election between Hayes and Tilden.
Compromise of 1877 :: Hayes becomes president; federal troops leave South, ending Reconstruction.
Redeemers :: Southern Democrats who regained control after Reconstruction.
Bourbon Democrats :: Conservative Southern Democrats supporting segregation and limited government.
Juneteenth (1865) :: June 19, 1865 when enslaved people in Texas learned they were
Lincoln's First Inaugural Address (1861) :: Lincoln said secession was illegal, promised not to interfere with slavery where it existed, and aimed to preserve the Union peacefully.
Border States :: Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware; slave states that stayed in the Union and were strategically important.
North vs South (1861) :: North had ~22 million people, industry, and factories; South had ~9 million people and relied on agriculture and slavery.
Conscription (1862 CSA / 1863 USA) :: First national draft in U.S. history used when volunteer numbers dropped.
Substitution :: Allowed wealthy men to pay others to fight in their place during the draft.
Habeas Corpus Suspension (1861–1863) :: Lincoln suspended legal protection requiring trial before imprisonment during wartime.
Union Blockade (Anaconda Plan) :: Naval blockade of Southern ports (1861–1865) that cut off trade and weakened Confederacy.
Industrial Advantage :: North had ~90% of factories and weapons production compared to the South.
Railroads :: North had far more railroads (~22,000 miles vs ~9,000), allowing faster troop movement.
Revenue Act of 1862 :: First federal income tax used to fund the Civil War.
Greenbacks (1862) :: Union paper money not backed by gold; caused moderate inflation.
Greybacks :: Confederate money that became nearly worthless due to inflation.
Jay Cooke :: Banker who sold large amounts of Union war bonds.
Cotton Diplomacy :: Confederate strategy expecting Britain and France to support them due to cotton dependence.
Trent Affair (1861) :: U.S. captured Confederate diplomats from a British ship, nearly causing war with Britain.
Ironclads (1862) :: Armored warships (USS Monitor vs CSS Virginia) that changed naval warfare.
Robert E. Lee :: Commander of Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.
Ulysses S. Grant :: Union general who led successful campaigns like Vicksburg and Appomattox.
William T. Sherman :: Union general known for “March to the Sea” and total war tactics.
Scorched Earth Policy :: Strategy of destroying enemy supplies, railroads, and farmland.
Scott’s Anaconda Plan :: Union strategy to blockade South and split it along the Mississippi River.
Telegraph :: Communication system that allowed fast military messaging during war.
Appomattox Court House (1865) :: Location where Lee surrendered to Grant, ending the Civil War.
Enrollment Act of 1863 :: Union draft law allowing substitutions; caused protests in Northern cities.
New York Draft Riots (1863) :: Violent protests against the draft; over 100 killed.
Emancipation Proclamation (1863) :: Freed enslaved people in Confederate states still in rebellion.
Copperheads :: Northern Democrats who opposed the war and wanted peace with the South.
Merryman Case (1861) :: Challenged Lincoln’s suspension of habeas corpus.
Vallandigham Case (1863) :: Anti-war politician arrested and exiled for criticizing Lincoln.
Milligan Case (1866) :: Supreme Court ruled civilians cannot be tried in military courts if civil courts are open.
Election of 1864 :: Lincoln (National Union Party) defeated McClellan; voters chose continuation of war.
Freedmen’s Bureau (1865) :: Government agency helping freed slaves with food, jobs, and education.
10% Plan (1863) :: Lincoln’s Reconstruction plan allowing Southern states back after 10% loyalty oath.
Wade-Davis Bill (1864) :: Radical Republican plan requiring majority loyalty oath; Lincoln vetoed it.
13th Amendment (1865) :: Abolished slavery in the United States.
Civil Rights Act of 1866 :: Gave citizenship and equal rights to all born in the U.S.
14th Amendment (1868) :: Guaranteed citizenship and equal protection under the law.
15th Amendment (1870) :: Gave Black men the right to vote.
Andrew Johnson :: President after Lincoln; opposed Radical Republicans and favored lenient Reconstruction.
Radical Republicans :: Group led by Thaddeus Stevens that wanted strict Reconstruction and Black rights.
Military Reconstruction Acts (1867–68) :: Divided South into military districts controlled by Union Army.
Tenure of Office Act (1867) :: Required Senate approval to remove cabinet officials.
Impeachment of Andrew Johnson (1868) :: First presidential impeachment; he was not removed from office.
Black Codes (1865–1866) :: Southern laws restricting freedom and labor of freed African Americans.
Sharecropping :: Farming system where workers gave a share of crops for land use, often causing debt.
Carpetbaggers :: Northerners who moved South after the war for opportunity.
Scalawags :: Southern whites who supported Reconstruction governments.
Ku Klux Klan (KKK, 1865) :: White supremacist group using violence and terror against Black Americans.
Colfax Massacre (1873) :: Over 100 Black Americans killed during election violence in Louisiana.
Mississippi Plan (1875) :: Use of violence and intimidation to regain white Democratic control.
Force Acts (1870–71) :: Federal laws used to stop KKK violence and protect Black voters.
Jim Crow Laws :: Laws enforcing racial segregation in the South.
Civil Rights Act of 1875 :: Banned segregation in public places; later weakened by courts.
Election of 1876 :: Disputed election between Hayes and Tilden.
Compromise of 1877 :: Hayes becomes president; federal troops leave South, ending Reconstruction.
Redeemers :: Southern Democrats who regained control after Reconstruction.
Bourbon Democrats :: Conservative Southern Democrats supporting segregation and limited government.
Juneteenth (1865) :: June 19, 1865 when enslaved people in Texas learned they were free
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