American History: Beginnings to 1877: 8. Sectionalism and Civil War, Lessons 1–2

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. compromise
    an accommodation in which both sides make concessions
    His plan, the Missouri Compromise, kept the number of slave and free states equal.
  2. popular sovereignty
    doctrine that government derives authority from the people
    Still, others supported the idea of popular sovereignty, or the right of people to create their government.
  3. secede
    withdraw from an organization or polity
    Some even suggested that southern states might want to secede, or remove themselves, from the United States.
  4. resolve
    bring to an end; settle conclusively
    Henry Clay had won the nickname "the Great Compromiser" for working out the Missouri Compromise and the compromise Tariff of 1833, which resolved the Nullification Crisis.
  5. fugitive
    someone who flees from an uncongenial situation
    In addition, he demanded that fugitives, or African Americans who fled slavery, be returned to their owners.
  6. civil war
    a war between factions in the same country
    A civil war is a war between people of the same country.
  7. propose
    declare a plan for something
    At last, Clay proposed the Compromise of 1850.
  8. ruffian
    a cruel and brutal fellow
    Proslavery bands from Missouri often rode across the border. These Border Ruffians, as they were called, battled the antislavery forces in Kansas.
  9. guerrilla
    a member of an irregular army that fights a stronger force
    Both sides engaged in guerrilla warfare, or warfare in which small, informal military groups use surprise attacks and hit-and-run tactics.
  10. denounce
    speak out against
    In one speech, the sharp-tongued Sumner denounced the proslavery legislature of Kansas.
  11. maintain
    keep in a certain state, position, or activity
    "This infamous decision," he declared, "maintains that slaves...are property in the same sense that horses, sheep, and swine are property...that [people] of African descent are not and cannot be citizens of the United States."
  12. arsenal
    a military structure where arms and ammunition are stored
    There, Brown raided a federal arsenal, or weapons and ammunition warehouse.
  13. treason
    a crime that undermines the offender's government
    He sat quietly as the court found him guilty of murder and treason, or actions against one's country.
  14. martyr
    one who suffers for the sake of principle
    Some considered him a martyr because he was willing to give up his life for his beliefs.
Created on Fri Jun 25 11:05:47 EDT 2021 (updated Tue Jul 20 11:29:17 EDT 2021)

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