9781422274200

The American Civil War was the bloodiest conflict in American history. Over 620,000 Americans lost their lives during the four- year struggle.

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND

During the Civil War, the border states were slaveholding states that remained loyal to the Union. They included Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri, and, eventually, West Virginia. The Fire Eaters were leaders of the Democratic Party who were from slaveholding states. In the late 1850s they began to encourage southern states to form a new nation in order to protect the slave system in those states. A garrison is a fortified military post. The word can also be used to describes the troops that defend a fort. Popular sovereignty is a political doctrine asserting that the government is created by and subject to the will of the people.

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