Copperheads/Peace Democrats

Definition

The Copperheads, also known as Peace Democrats, were a faction of Democrats in the Union who opposed the American Civil War and wanted an immediate peace settlement with the Confederates.

Analogy

Think of them like a group of friends who don't want to fight even when they're being bullied. They'd rather talk it out and find a peaceful solution instead of throwing punches back.

Related terms

War Democrat: A faction of Northern Democrats who supported the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln's policies during the conflict.

Abraham Lincoln: The 16th President of the United States (1861-1865) who led the nation through its greatest moral, constitutional, and political crisis in the American Civil War.

Confederate States of America: An unrecognized breakaway state that fought against the United States during the American Civil War; consisted primarily of Southern slave-holding states.