abolitionist: one who wants to abolish the institution of slavery
Abraham Lincoln: a prairie lawyer whose election as president prompted many of the slave-holding states to declare that they were no longer part of the United States of America, and would form a nation of their own.. The new Confederacy struck quickly,attacking Fort Sumter a mere thirty-nine days after Lincoln took office.
Artillery: Cannons and big guns, some with ranges of more than a mile. Arguably the most effective cannon used in the Civil War was the Napolean, which fired a twelve-pound exploding shell loaded with small iron balls. It was, in effect, a giant sawed off shotgun..
Balloons: Large silk surveillance balloons filled with hydrogen gas. The advantage of height enabled pilots to survey the entire battlefield and report to the generals. After a time the opposing army learned how to shoot down the balloons, and their use was discontinued Casualties of the Civil War: more than 600,000 lives were lost,the most in any war fought by American soldiers
Conductors:Men and women, often of color, who guided slaves to freedom.
Conscription Law: Required all males between the ages of 20 and 45 to register for the draft by April 1, 1863. A man could be exempted by paying three hundred dollars or by hiring a substitute to serve in his place
Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln's executive order on January 1, 1863, freeing slaves in the Confederate states. Slaves in the border states of West Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri, Maryland, and Delaware would not finally be freed until the war ended.
Firearms: The rifled musket--soon shortened to "rifle"-- was the most common firearm of the Civil War. It fired a new lead slug developed by the French army Captain Claude M. Often called a "minie ball," this modern half-inch bullet was made to spin by the rifling inside the barrel of the weapon, which greatly improved accuracy. It could be deadly at a range of half a mile, and changed the nature of warfare. The author refers to this new form of ammunition simply as a bullet, for clarity.
Frederick Douglass: One of the most amazing men of the 19th century, Douglass secretly taught himself to read while laboring as a slave in Maryland. When he began to teach other slaves to read, fearful slave owners menaced him with clubs and stones. After several attempts, he finally escaped to freedom in 1838, at the age of twenty. Soon after, he was asked to speak at an abolitionist meeting,and his powerful eloquence and intellect made him one of the most celebrated orators and authors of his age.
Fugitive Slave Law: Meant that escaped slaves could be seized andreturned to their "owners" without trial, relying on only the word of the owner.
Geek:. Carnival performer who bites off the heads of live chickens.
Jefferson Davis: president of Confederate States of America, 1861 to 1865.
Lincoln-Douglas Debates: In 1858, Abraham Lincoln had a series of debates with Stephen A. Douglas. Both men were running for U.S. Senate and had passionate, opposing views. Lincoln favored banning slavery in the new states and territories. Douglas favored the rights of the states to keep slavery legal if they so chose. Their speeches were carried in the newspapers and avidly read by thousands of interested citizens.Douglas won the Senate seat, but Lincoln became famous for his eloquence and went on to be elected president in 1860.
Medicine Show: A traveling entertainment show, often from a horse-drawn wagon, featuring music and performances of all kinds.
New Ways of Waging War: The American Civil War saw the first appearance of the following: steel ships, effective submarines, aerial reconnaissance balloons, military telegraph systems, the periscope, landmine fields, electrically exploded mines and bombs, the Gatling machine gun, flame throwers, long-range rifles, battle photographs, the conscription of men into the army, the Medal of Honor.
Privy: A small shack of or closet that served as a bathroom, often located some distance from the house
Quakers: Also known as the Religious Society of Friends. Quakers believe that humans should strive for simplicity, equality, and integrity, and should not engage in violence or war. In this book, a version of American Quaker 'plain speech' is spoken by Mr. Brewster.
Slave Catchers: Bounty hunters who had the legal right to seize and transport fugitive slaves, returning them to their owners.
Telegraph: Messages, signals, and orders were electrically transmitted by Morse code through thousands of miles of telegraph wires maintained by the Union Army.
War: The means by which tribes, clans, groups, and nations settle their differences by killing one another. The Civil War in 1861 and ended in 1865.