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Glite Dictionary
United States Civil War

United States Civil War

3.8
A war in the United States from 1861 to 1865 between the Northern and Southern states
  • proper noun
  • /juˈnaɪtɪd steɪts ˈsɪvəl wɔr/
translation icon : Guerra Civil de los Estados Unidos
  • (France 1804, England and the U.S. 1812, Mexico 1837 and 1847, France, England and Russia 1856, United States Civil War 1861, France 1870, France, Germany, and England 1914.)

So the town hall participant asks Nikki Haley what was the cause of the United States Civil War?

Examples

  • Also known as the 69th Infantry ("Fighting 69th"), the unit has a glorious history going all the way back to the United States Civil War.

    Blog text (11)

  • Anne J. Bailey and Walter J. Fraser, Jr. Collection of United States Civil War Photographs and Related Materials, 1855-1996 (MS 2362, 2 cubic feet)

    Academic text (2010)

  • The United States Civil War was fought between 1861 and 1865, primarily over issues like slavery.

  • Many significant battles, such as Gettysburg, took place during the United States Civil War.

  • The United States Civil War led to the abolition of slavery and significant changes in the country.

Synonyms

American Civil War
vsUnited States Civil War
7 3.0

A war in the United States from 1861 to 1865 between the North and South over slavery and states' rights

omits causes and focuses only on the opposing regions and dates
War between the States
vsUnited States Civil War
  • US
5.9

A war in the United States from 1861 to 1865 between northern and southern states

is the standard name rather than this alternative wording

Surface Forms

United States Civil War main

Morphology

united + state + civil + war

The phrase is compositionally clear: 'United States' identifies the country and 'civil war' denotes a war between factions within a country. A B1 learner who knows the constituent words can therefore infer this refers to the internal war in the United States, and the naming pattern is cross-linguistically common for historical events.

Etymology

United States Civil War: The name comes from the fact that it was a war inside one country — United States — and civil means 'between people of the same country'. From 1861 to 1865 Northern and Southern states fought, mainly over slavery and the Southern states leaving the Union, so the name refers to that war between Americans.