The American Civil War Flash Cards

Question 1

The American Civil War

Answer 1

a conflict between the Northern and Southern regions of the Northern America, lasting from 1861 to 1865

Question 2

The Antebellum Period

Answer 2

the time period preceding the Civil War, meaning “before the war” in latin; defined by the development of separate economies of the North and South and Westward Expansion from 1815 to 1861 (end of War of 1812 to beginning of Civil War)

Question 3

Civil

Answer 3

relating to ordinary citizens and their concerns, as distinct from military or ecclesiastical matters

Question 4

Civil War

Answer 4

a war between citizens of the same country

Question 5

Slavery

Answer 5

a system in which principles of property law are applied to people, allowing individuals to own, buy and sell other individuals; involuntary subjection to another or other, slavery emphasizes the idea of complete ownership or control of a master; slavery in the US was primarily race based and directed towards African Americans and was the focal dispute in the conflicts of the civil war

Question 6

Slave State

Answer 6

a state in which the institution of slavery was legal; during this time, mainly Southern states which depended largely on free labor for agricultural and economic prosperity

Question 7

Free State

Answer 7

a state in which the institution of slavery had already been abolished prior to the civil war, generally in the North and West

Question 8

Border State

Answer 8

a slave state bordering the Northern free states that remained loyal to the union and did not join the confederacy; these included Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, and West Virginia

Question 9

The Confederacy

Answer 9

a group of secessionists which withdrew their membership to the United States of America, consisting of 11 Southern slavery states, known as the Confederate States of America

Question 10

The Union

Answer 10

the remaining group of the United States of America, consisting of 20 free states and 5 loyal border states, located in the North and West of Northern America with the exception of Texas

Question 11

Federal vs States’ Rights

Answer 11

an issue, specifically regarding slavery, and whether individual states should have the power to make independent decisions or whether the federal government can interfere with them

Question 12

Secede

Answer 12

to withdraw formally from membership of a federal union, an alliance, or a political or religious organization, in this case, the South seceding from the Union of the United States of America

Question 13

Rebel

Answer 13

a person who engages in armed rebellion or resistance against one’s country, term used for Confederate soldiers by Northerners

Question 14

Emancipation

Answer 14

freeing one from the control of another in a legal, political, or social sense

Question 15

The Emancipation Proclamation

Answer 15

a speech delivered by President Lincoln which terminated all slavery in rebel states, disregarding border states in hopes to maintain loyalty, encouraged Blacks to participate in the war, and severed any aid the South could have received by publicizing their stance on slavery

Question 16

The Republican Party

Answer 16

a political group which supported classical liberalism, opposed the expansion of slavery, and supported economic reform; Lincoln was the first republican president

Question 17

The Democratic Party

Answer 17

the opposing political group of the Republican Party which supported slavery and opposed civil rights reforms, prevalent in Southern regions of the United States

Question 18

The Civil War Amendments

Answer 18

amendments designed and added to to the Constitution to ensure equality for recently emancipated slaves; these include the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments, admitted between 1865 and 1870

Question 19

The Thirteenth Amendment

Answer 19

an article added to the Constitution, solidifying the abolition of slavery or involuntary servitude, except as apt punishment of the crime, in any area in, or under the jurisdiction of, the United States of America

Question 20

The Fourteenth Amendment

Answer 20

another addition to the Constitution regarding Civil War conflicts, stating all people born or naturalized in the United States are citizens, and thusly cannot be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, or be denied equal protection of the laws

Question 21

The Fifteenth Amendment

Answer 21

an additional result based off of the civil war, prohibiting both federal and state governments from denying a citizen to vote based on “race, color, or previous condition of servitude”

Question 22

Sectionalism

Answer 22

the belief that one’s region was superior to other areas of the country; disputes such as slavery, economy, and politics contributed to a growing sense of sectionalism that fueled the United States to the brink of war

Question 23

Surrender

Answer 23

relinquish possession or control over; on April 9th, 1865, Northern Virginia general Robert E. Lee surrendered at the Appomattox Court House, marking the last battle of the civil war; the last Confederate act performed by Captain Waddell, delivering a letter with the surrender of his vessel in Liverpool, England on August 20, 1866, followed by the formal declaration of war’s end

Question 24

Reconstruction

Answer 24

the era following the Civil War, spent in an effort to reintegrate Southern states and newly-freed slaves into the United States

Question 25

Unity

Answer 25

the state of being united or joined as a whole; due to a now common lifestyle and collective idealism, the Civil War singularized a priorly plural, individualistic nation to become a united, peaceful unit