Confederacy
U.S. Naturalization Test (2025 Standard) glossary · Civics
Definition
An alliance of states; capitalized, the seceded South of 1861-65.
Confederacy in plain English
A confederacy is a loose team-up of states that agree to cooperate while each still keeps most of its own power — a partnership more than a single unified country. When you capitalize it, "the Confederacy" refers to the group of Southern states that seceded, meaning they tried to leave the United States, from 1861 to 1865, which triggered the Civil War. It's like a few members quitting a club to start their own rival club — and in this case the split was over slavery, which the North ultimately fought to end.
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