In this unit, you will study the Civil War period of history. You will learn about the passage of constitutional amendments and some major battles of the Civil War. You will read about many key events, including the Compromise of 1850, the Dred Scott decision, the Emancipation Proclamation, Sherman’s March to the Sea, and tenant farming.

 

KEY TERMS

 

Andersonville: A small town in southwest Georgia known for its Confederate prisoner-of-war camp. (SS8H5b)

 

Chickamauga: The largest battle fought in the state of Georgia. The battle lasted three days and was the second-bloodiest battle of the Civil War. This was the largest Union defeat in the west. (SS8H5b)

 

Civil War: The name of a war fought in the United States between the Northern industrial states and the Southern agricultural states (which had seceded over the issue of slavery and states’ rights). It lasted from 1861 to 1865. (SS8H5a)

 

Compromise of 1850: A federal compromise between anti-slavery and pro-slavery forces. It allowed each new state to determine its own status as a free or slave state when entering the Union. It also resulted in California joining the Union as a free state and the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act. (SS8H5a)

 

Debate over secession: Even within the Southern states, there was much debate over whether leaving the Union was constitutional. Ultimately, Georgia voted to secede. (SS8H5a)

 

Dred Scott: A slave who, on the basis of having lived in free states, sued for his freedom in federal court. The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately decided that, as “property,” he had no right to sue. The court also declared parts of the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional because they deprived slave owners of their property. (SS8H5a)

 

Election of 1860: A presidential election that focused on the issue of slavery. Abraham Lincoln, the Republican nominee, opposed slavery, though he promised not to abolish the institution. When he won, however, a number of Southern states voted to secede from the Union. (SS8H5a)

 

Emancipation Proclamation: An executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, declaring an end to slavery in those states that had seceded from the Union. (SS8H5b)

 

Freedmen’s Bureau: A government agency established to help former slaves and poor whites in the South after the Civil War. It helped former slaves adjust to their new freedoms and responsibilities. (SS8H6c)

 

Georgia Platform: A statement issued by the Georgia Convention in response to the Compromise of 1850, affirming state acceptance of the Compromise. (SS8H5a)

 

Ku Klux Klan: A secretive, violent organization of white supremacists that arose after the Civil War to restrict the rights of African Americans/Blacks. (SS8H6c)

 

Nullification: The failure or refusal of a state to follow or enforce a federal law. A constitutional crisis was created when the state of South Carolina passed an ordinance declaring that two federal tariffs would not be observed. (SS8H5a)

 

Reconstruction: A period of rebuilding the country after the Civil War, during which the former Confederate States were governed under strict regulations before being readmitted into the Union. (SS8H6b)

 

Sharecropping: An institution of labor in which laborers agree to exchange labor and a portion of their crops to a land owner in return for land to work. Though sharecropping and tenant farming were similar, there was a major difference. Tenant farmers usually owned their own tools, animals, and other equipment, while sharecroppers brought only their labor into the agreement. (SS8H6e)

 

Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign: A series of battles fought in Georgia after Union General William T. Sherman invaded the state in an attempt to weaken the South. (SS8H5b)

 

Sherman’s March to the Sea: The movement of General William T. Sherman’s Union forces from Atlanta, Georgia, to the port of Savannah, resulting in the capture of the port. The march destroyed much of the Confederate army’s infrastructure, support, and trade routes. (SS8H5b)

 

Slavery: The ownership and forced labor of one person by another. In the early history of the United States, many Black men and women were enslaved in the South. Tensions between anti-slavery forces and pro-slavery forces led to the American Civil War. (SS8H5a)

 

States’ rights: The idea that each state can pass laws without federal involvement. In the decades leading up to the Civil War, most Southerners saw slavery as a states’ rights issue. (SS8H5a)

 

Tenant farming: A system, prevalent in the South after the Civil War, in which landowners allowed farmers to cultivate their land for a percentage of the profits and/or rent and food. Though sharecropping and tenant farming were similar, there was a major difference. Tenant farmers usually owned their own tools, animals, and other equipment, while sharecroppers brought only their labor into the agreement. (SS8H6e)

 

Union blockade: A strategy by the Union navy to prevent the South from trading its goods with Europe. (SS8H5b)

 

13th Amendment: An amendment to the U.S. Constitution that ended slavery in the states. (SS8H6a)

 

14th Amendment: An amendment to the U.S. Constitution that granted citizenship rights to all persons born in the United States. The amendment also declared that no state could make laws that took away rights of citizens. The amendment was ratified in 1868 to protect the rights of freed slaves after the Civil War. (SS8H6a)

 

15th Amendment: An amendment to the U.S. Constitution that guaranteed each individual’s right to vote, regardless of race. (SS8H6a)