Civil War Vocabulary

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Conflict

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A serious disagreement or argument, typically a protracted one.

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Secession

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The formal withdrawal of a state from the Union.

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Union

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The Northern states that remained loyal to the federal government during the Civil War.

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Confederacy

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The Southern states that seceded from the Union and formed their own government.

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Abolitionist

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A person who advocated or supported the abolition of slavery.

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Emancipation Proclamation

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An executive order issued by President Lincoln in 1863, freeing slaves in the Confederate states.

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Total War

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A war that is unrestricted in terms of the weapons used, the territory or combatants involved, or the objectives pursued, especially one in which laws of war are disregarded.

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Casualty

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A person killed or injured in a war or accident.

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Reconstruction

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The period after the Civil War in which Southern states were readmitted to the Union and efforts were made to rebuild the South.

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States' Rights

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The rights and powers held by individual US states rather than by the federal government.