Glossary

A

Abolitionist- a person who believed slavery was wrong and fought to make it        illegal.  

Address- an official speech like The Gettysburg Address.

Amendment- a change made to The Constitution.

Annexation- adding more territory to a country.

B

Backcountry- the frontier area of each colony.

Battle Map- a map that uses symbols to show how a battle was fought.

Boundary- a line that separates the territory of one group from that of another.

C

Carpetbagger- a word southerners used to describe northerners  who came to the south after The Civil War

Casualties- people killed, wounded, or lost in a battle or war.

Checks And Balances- the system of separating government so each part keeps the   others from taking to much power.

Civil Rights- the rights to fair and equal treatment, guaranteed by the                 Constitution.

Civil War- a war fought between two groups of a nation.

Colony- A settlement ruled by a distance country.

Compromise- an agreement in which each side of any argument gives up something it  wants in order to stop fighting.

Confederacy- an organization of groups that join together for a certain purpose.

Confederate-having to do with the states that fought against The Union during The Civil War.

Constitution- a written plan of how a country's government will work.

D

Declaration- something a person or group writes or speaks to make their statement clear.

Democracy- a government which the people make political decision by voting, and the majority rules.

Duty- a tax imposed by a government on goods brought into a country.

E

Emancipation- freedom from slavery.

Enslaved- when someone has been forced into a system where he or she works for no pay and can be bought and sold as property

F

Free State- a state that did not allow slavery.

Freedmen- African Americans who had been enslaved before the Civil War.

G

Grassroots- a word to describe groups of ordinary citizens working toward a common goal.

H

Hero- a person who has accomplished something good.

Home Front- all the people who are not fighting but live in a country at war.

Homestead- a frontier land claimed by a settler.

I

Indentured Servant-  a person who agreed to work for a certain number of years in return for passage to America, food, clothing, and shelter.

Injustice- something one person does to another that is wrong.

L

Loyalist- American colonist who was loyal to Britain. 

M

Militia- any army made up of ordinary citizens instead of professionals.