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Civil War Vocabulary
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Sectionalism | Loyalty to a region. |
Fugitive | Runaway or trying to run away. |
Secede | To leave or withdraw. |
Abstain | To not take part in some activity, such as voting. |
Popular Socereignty | Before the Civil War, the idea that people living in a territory had the right to decide by voting if slavery would be allowed there. |
Arsenal | A storage place for weapons and ammunition. |
Martyr | A person who sacrifices his or her life for a principle or cause. |
Border ruffians | Missourians who traveled in armed groups to vote in Kansas's election during the mid-1850s. |
Secession | Withdrawal from the Union. |
States Rights | Rights and powers independent of the federal government that are reserved for states by the Constitution, the belief that states rights supersede federal rights and law. |
Border State | The states between the north and the south that were divided over whether to stay in the union or join the confederacy. |
Blockade | Cut off an area by means of troops or warships to stop supplies or people from coming in or going out. |
Offensive | Position of attacking or the attack itself. |
Rebel | Confederate solider, so called because of opposition to the established government. |
Yankee | Union soldier. |
Blockade runner | Ship that sails into and out of a blockaded area. |
Ironclad | Armored naval vessel. |
Casualty | A military person killed, wounded or captured. |
Emancipate | To free from slavery. |
Ratify | To give official approval to. |
Habeas corpus | A legal order for for an inquiry to determine whether a person has been lawfully imprisoned. |
Draft | The selection of people for military service. |
Bounty | Money given as a reward, such as to encourage enlistment in the army. |
Greenback | A piece of U.S paper money first issued by the north during the civil war |
Inflation | A general increase in prices |
Entrenched | To set up in a strong position. |
Total war | A war that is unrestricted in terms of the weapons used. |