Glossary
Confederacy
The Confederate States of America, formed in 1861 by eleven Southern states that seceded from the Union, with Jefferson Davis as its president.
Example:
The Confederacy was established on the principle of states' rights and the preservation of slavery, leading to a four-year civil war against the Union.
Crittenden Compromise
A last-ditch effort proposed in 1860-1861 to prevent the secession of Southern states by re-establishing the Missouri Compromise line and guaranteeing the protection of slavery where it already existed.
Example:
Despite its intentions, the Crittenden Compromise failed to gain enough support from either Northern Republicans or Southern secessionists, highlighting the irreconcilable differences over slavery.
Election of 1860
A pivotal U.S. presidential election where Abraham Lincoln, representing the Republican Party, won without any Southern electoral votes, leading directly to the secession of Southern states.
Example:
The results of the Election of 1860 clearly demonstrated the deep sectional divide in the United States, as Lincoln's victory was perceived as an existential threat by the South.
Fort Sumter
A Union fort in Charleston, South Carolina, whose bombardment by Confederate forces in April 1861 marked the official start of the American Civil War.
Example:
The attack on Fort Sumter galvanized public opinion in the North, leading President Lincoln to call for volunteers and prompting more Southern states to secede.
Freeport Doctrine
Stephen Douglas's argument during the Lincoln-Douglas Debates that a territory could effectively exclude slavery by refusing to pass laws to protect it, despite the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision.
Example:
Stephen Douglas's Freeport Doctrine alienated Southern Democrats because it suggested a way for territories to bypass the Dred Scott ruling and prevent slavery's expansion.
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
A series of seven debates held in 1858 between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas during their campaign for the Illinois Senate seat.
Example:
During the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, Lincoln famously challenged Douglas on the morality of slavery and its expansion, even though Douglas ultimately won the election.
Popular Sovereignty
The principle that the authority of a state and its government are created and sustained by the consent of its people, through their elected representatives, who are the source of all political power. In the context of slavery, it meant allowing residents of a territory to decide whether to allow slavery.
Example:
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was a controversial attempt to apply popular sovereignty to the issue of slavery, leading to violent conflicts in 'Bleeding Kansas'.
Secession
The formal withdrawal of a state from the Union, which occurred when Southern states, beginning with South Carolina, left the United States after the Election of 1860.
Example:
The secession of South Carolina in December 1860 set a precedent, quickly followed by other Deep South states, forming the Confederate States of America.