Key Terms of the American Civil War Era

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Union

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Northern states loyal to the U.S. government.

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Confederacy

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Southern states that seceded from the Union.

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Abolition

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Movement to end slavery.

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Colonization

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The idea of relocating freed African Americans outside the U.S.

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Emancipation Proclamation

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1863 executive order freeing enslaved people in rebel states.

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13th Amendment

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Constitutional amendment that abolished slavery.

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Federal Power

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National government authority, especially during wartime.

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States’ Rights

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The idea that states have strong independent powers.

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War Powers

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Emergency powers used by the president during war.

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Reconstruction

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The process of rebuilding and reintegrating Southern states after the Civil War.