APUSH Unit 5: The American Civil War (1861–1865)

Election of 1860

A political event that demonstrated the United States had effectively become two separate entities over the issue of slavery.

Popular Sovereignty

The idea that territories should decide for themselves whether to allow slavery.

Constitutional Union Party

A political party that aimed to preserve the Union and the Constitution, nominated John Bell in the 1860 election.

Free Soiler

A member of the Republican Party platform which opposed the extension of slavery into the territories.

Secession

The act of withdrawing from an organization or union, as Southern states did after Lincoln’s election.

Confederate States of America (CSA)

A group formed by Southern states that seceded from the Union in 1860-1861.

Crittenden Compromise

A failed proposal aimed at preventing the Civil War by protecting slavery in certain territories.

Fort Sumter

The site where Confederate forces fired the first shots of the Civil War on April 12, 1861.

Border States

Slave states that remained in the Union during the Civil War, including Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri.

Writ of Habeas Corpus

A legal term referring to the right to be charged or detained lawfully; suspended by Lincoln during the war.

The Anaconda Plan

Union strategy to blockade Southern ports, control the Mississippi River, and capture Richmond.

King Cotton Diplomacy

The Confederate strategy to leverage cotton exports to gain recognition and aid from Europe.

Battle of Bull Run

The first major battle of the Civil War, resulting in a Confederate victory and realization that the war would not be short.

Emancipation Proclamation

Lincoln's 1863 declaration that freed all enslaved people in rebel territory.

Gettysburg Address

Lincoln's speech that reframed the Civil War as a struggle for human equality.

Copperheads

Northern Democrats who opposed the Civil War and sought peace with the Confederacy.

Habeas Corpus Suspension

Lincoln's action to detain suspected Confederate sympathizers without trial during the Civil War.

54th Massachusetts Regiment

An all-Black Union Army unit that demonstrated the capability of African Americans to serve valiantly.

Clara Barton

A prominent nurse during the Civil War who later founded the American Red Cross.

Minie Ball

A conical bullet that increased the accuracy and lethality of rifles during the Civil War.

Total War

A warfare strategy that targets not just enemy forces but the economy and civilian morale.

Battle of Gettysburg

A significant battle in July 1863 that marked a turning point in the Civil War in favor of the Union.

Siege of Vicksburg

Union victory that gave the North complete control of the Mississippi River.

Dissent during the War

Opposition to the war effort, particularly from groups like the Copperheads.

Civil Liberties

The personal freedoms that were temporarily curtailed during the war due to national security concerns.

13th Amendment

The constitutional amendment that abolished slavery in the United States.

Military Tribunals

Military courts established by Lincoln to prosecute civilians accused of disloyalty during the war.