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Civil War Vocab
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Sectionalism | Rivalry based on the special interest of different areas. |
Fugitive | A person who is running away from legal authority. |
Secede | To withdraw or break away from a nation or organization; to officially leave an organization. |
Arsenal | A place where weapons and other military supplies are stored. |
Secession | Withdrawal; to leave the Union. |
State's Rights | The idea that states should have all the powers that the Constitution does not give to the federal government or forbid to the states; theory that individual states are independent and have the right to control their most important affairs. |
Border State | State between the North and South that was divided over whether to remain in the Union or join the Confederacy: Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri. |
Blockade | Actions that keep a country from communicating and trading with other nations. |
Offensive | Actively attacking someone. |
Rebel | A person loyal to the Confederate States. |
Yankee | A term used by the Southerners to describe the people in the Union, or northern, side of the conflict. |
Blockade Runner | A small group of sailors who sailed goods in and out of Southern seaports under the guns of Northern ships. |
Ironclad | A warship equipped with iron plating for protection |
Casualty | A soldier who is killed, wounded, captured, or missing in battle. |
Emancipate | To set a group of people free. |
Ratify | To vote approval of. |
Habeas Corpus | Court order that requires police to bring a prisoner to court to explain why they are holding the person. |
Draft | A system of selecting people for required military service. |
Bounty | Reward or payment. |
Greenback | U.S. dollars. |
Inflation | When it takes more and more money to buy the same amount of goods; a continuous rise in prices of goods and services |
Entrenched | To place within a trench, or ditch, for defense; to place in a strong defensive position. |
Total War | A strategy of bringing war to the entire society, not just the military |