Civil War Terms and Concepts

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Georgia Platform

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A statement of conditional support for the Compromise of 1850 by Georgia politicians, emphasizing loyalty to the Union while defending slavery.

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Nullification Crisis

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A conflict in the 1830s over tariffs, where South Carolina threatened secession but was forced to comply by President Andrew Jackson.

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Blockade Runners

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Southern ships that attempted to evade the Union blockade to trade cotton for European goods.

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Union Blockade

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Naval strategy by the Union to prevent the Confederacy from exporting cotton and importing war supplies, part of the Anaconda Plan.

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Atlanta Campaign

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A series of battles led by General Sherman to capture Atlanta, a key Confederate transportation and industrial hub.

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March to the Sea

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Sherman’s campaign of destruction from Atlanta to Savannah, aimed at crippling Confederate resources and morale.

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Andersonville Prison

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A Confederate prisoner-of-war camp in Georgia notorious for overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, and high death rates.

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Alexander Stephens

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Georgian politician and vice president of the Confederacy, initially opposed to secession but later supported it after Georgia left the Union.

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Sherman’s Neckties

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Railroad tracks destroyed by Union troops during Sherman’s March to the Sea, heated and twisted to prevent Confederate use.

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Scorched Earth Policy

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Military strategy employed by Sherman, destroying resources to prevent their use by the Confederacy.