Civil War Flashcards
Abolitionism
A movement to end slavery.
Cause of the Civil War: Abolitionists’ calls for the end of slavery caused tensions, especially in Southern states where slavery was integral to the economy.
Frederick Douglass
An escaped slave who became a leading abolitionist and writer.
Cause of the Civil War: Douglass’s activism helped spread awareness about the cruelty of slavery, fueling anti-slavery sentiment in the North.
Elections of 1860, 1864
Presidential elections where Abraham Lincoln’s victory in 1860 led to Southern states seceding, and his re-election in 1864 showed the North’s resolve to end the war.
Cause of the Civil War: Lincoln’s anti-slavery stance triggered secession, leading to the war. His 1864 victory confirmed the North’s commitment to preserving the Union.
“Anaconda”
A Union strategy to blockade the South and squeeze it into submission by taking over Mississippi river.
Purpose of the Civil War: The Anaconda Plan was a military strategy to weaken the Confederacy by cutting off supplies and trade.
Appomattox
The site of General Lee’s surrender to General Grant in 1865, ending the Civil War.
Purpose of the Civil War: The surrender at Appomattox marked the end of the conflict and the preservation of the Union.
Battle of Antietam
The bloodiest war, resulting in a draw but giving Lincoln the opportunity to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.
Purpose of the Civil War: The battle’s aftermath allowed Lincoln to take a stronger anti-slavery stance, shifting the war’s purpose towards abolition.
Battle of Gettysburg
A turning point battle in 1863 where Union forces defeated the Confederacy, ending its hopes of invading the North.
Purpose of the Civil War: The Union victory at Gettysburg helped secure Northern morale and moved the war toward a fight for emancipation.
John Wilkes Booth
The assassin who killed President Abraham Lincoln in 1865.
Purpose of the Civil War: Booth’s assassination was a tragic moment after the war, but the Confederacy’s defeat had already been sealed.
Border States
Slave states that stayed loyal to the Union (e.g., Kentucky, Maryland).
Cause of the Civil War: These states were crucial for the Union’s military and political power and were a point of tension during the conflict.
John Brown
An abolitionist who led violent uprisings against slavery, including the raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859.
Cause of the Civil War: Brown’s raid further inflamed tensions between the North and South over slavery.
Henry Clay
A statesman known for crafting compromises between North and South, including the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850.
Cause of the Civil War: Clay’s compromises tried to ease tensions over slavery but were ultimately temporary fixes that failed to prevent the war.
Compromise of 1850
A series of laws aimed at settling disputes over slavery in newly acquired territories.
Cause of the Civil War: The Compromise included the Fugitive Slave Act, which angered Northerners and deepened sectional divisions.
Emancipation Proclamation
An executive order by Lincoln in 1863 that freed slaves in Confederate-held territory.
Purpose of the Civil War: The proclamation shifted the war’s focus to abolition, weakening the Confederacy and changing its moral character.
Fall of Atlanta
A major Union victory in 1864, signaling the Confederacy’s weakening strength.
Purpose of the Civil War: The fall of Atlanta was a key moment that contributed to the Union’s victory and helped secure Lincoln’s re-election.
Fall of Vicksburg
A Union victory in 1863 that gave the North control of the Mississippi River.
Purpose of the Civil War: The victory split the Confederacy and was a major strategic blow.
Fort Sumter
The site where Confederate forces first attacked a U.S. military installation, starting the Civil War.
Cause of the Civil War: The attack on Fort Sumter marked the beginning of armed conflict over slavery and Union preservation.
Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
A law that required Northerners to return escaped slaves to the South.
Cause of the Civil War: The law angered Northerners and intensified sectional tensions over slavery.
William Lloyd Garrison
An abolitionist and journalist who published “The Liberator,” calling for immediate emancipation of slaves.
Cause of the Civil War: Garrison’s writings stirred anti-slavery sentiment in the North, challenging the institution of slavery.
Ulysses S. Grant
Union general who led the Army to victory against the Confederacy.
Purpose of the Civil War: Grant’s leadership played a critical role in defeating the Confederacy and preserving the Union.
Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854
A law allowing settlers in Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether to permit slavery (popular sovereignty).
Cause of the Civil War: The act led to violent conflict in Kansas and increased tensions between the North and South.
Robert E. Lee
The leading general of the Confederate Army.
Cause of the Civil War: Lee’s leadership in defending the South was a key part of the Confederacy’s strategy to preserve slavery.
Abraham Lincoln
The 16th president who led the Union through the Civil War and issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
Purpose of the Civil War: Lincoln’s leadership aimed to preserve the Union and eventually end slavery.
Lincoln’s Inaugural Addresses
Speeches in which Lincoln emphasized his goal of preserving the Union and later, abolishing slavery.
Purpose of the Civil War: Lincoln’s addresses set the tone for the war, stressing unity and the moral imperative of ending slavery.
“March to the Sea”
Sherman’s 1864 campaign from Atlanta to Savannah, destroying Southern resources.
Purpose of the Civil War: Sherman’s march aimed to break the South’s ability to fight and demoralize the Confederate population.
Missouri Compromise
An agreement in 1820 to balance free and slave states, drawing a line at 36’30 latitude dividing them.
Cause of the Civil War: The compromise temporarily eased tensions, but the issue of slavery’s expansion later reignited conflict.
Popular Sovereignty
The idea that settlers in a territory should decide whether to allow slavery.
Cause of the Civil War: Popular sovereignty fueled violent clashes, especially in Kansas, over the spread of slavery.
Republican Party
A political party formed in the 1850s to oppose the expansion of slavery.
Cause of the Civil War: The rise of the Republican Party, with its anti-slavery platform, contributed to the secession of Southern states.
Dred Scott v. Sandford
A Supreme Court decision that declared African Americans were not citizens and had no right to sue.
Cause of the Civil War: The ruling angered abolitionists and further polarized the North and South over the issue of slavery.
Secession
The act of Southern states leaving the Union, forming the Confederate States of America.
Cause of the Civil War: Secession was a direct response to the election of Lincoln, who opposed the expansion of slavery.
William Tecumseh Sherman
Union general known for his “March to the Sea” and total war strategy.
Purpose of the Civil War: Sherman’s tactics aimed to break the South’s will to fight and hasten the war’s end.
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Author of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” an anti-slavery novel that galvanized abolitionist sentiment.
Cause of the Civil War: The novel increased Northern opposition to slavery and intensified sectional divisions.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
A novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe that depicted the brutality of slavery.
Cause of the Civil War: The book played a major role in changing public opinion in the North against slavery.
Election of Abraham Lincoln year
1860, 1864
Attack on Fort Sumter year
(April 12), First Battle of Bull Run
1861
Battle of Gettysburg year
Fall of Vicksburg 1863
End of Civil War
Assassination of Lincoln 1865
End of Slavery
Emancipation Proclamation
“Contraband” (escaped slaves in Union Army)
Gettysburg Address
Lincoln’s Inaugural Addresses
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Book that made people understand the cruelty of slavery
Emancipation
Freeing
Confederate states
Slave states
Lincoln Assassination year
1865
End of reconstruction year
1877
