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Terminology Possibly the biggest mistake people today make when referring to the war that took place in America from 1861 - 1865, is calling it the "American Civil War". Other terms (such as "War of Rebellion" and "War of Secession") are also often mistaken as the proper term for the war. I'll explain why each of these is wrong below. "Civil War" According to Webster's Dictionary, a "civil war" is a war between opposing groups of citizens of the same country. To expound on that, a "civil war" is when opposing groups of citizens of the same country try to take over that same country. In 1861 a new country was formed, called the Confederate States of America. This country had a government led by a President, and the government had a Constitution that laid out the country's basic principles. This country was acknowledged by several overseas governments, one being the French (who also aided the Confederate States during the war). This alone is enough to prove that there was no "civil war", but to expound on it, as the Confederate States did not want, nor try, to overthrow the US government, there was no "American Civil War". "War of Rebellion" The term "War of Rebellion" is wrong simply because sovereign, independent states, that are all equal, cannot "rebel" against each other. "War of Secession" The term "War of Secession" is wrong because the Southern states seceded, and did not want war. States' Rights (what the 10th Amendment of the US Constitution refers to) had never before been questioned. It wasn't until 1865 that secession was declared to be unconstitutional. The Correct Terminology The preferred term for the war is the "War Between the States". This term was officially used some time after the war had ended, by a judge in Arizona. He was presiding over a case where the US government owed the State of Arizona money from during the War. This set precedent, and gave the war an official name. Site Info & Contact ConfederatePride © 2001 - 2007 Sara Kimball. All rights reserved. |