confederacy

(kən-fĕd'ər-ə-sē)
n., pl., -cies.

1. 1. A union of persons, parties, or states; a league.
   2. The persons, parties, or states joined in such a union.
   3. Confederacy The Confederate States of America.
2. A group of people who have united for unlawful practices; a conspiracy.

[Middle English confederacie, from Anglo-Norman, from Late Latin cōnfoederātiō, cōnfoederātiōn-, agreement, from cōnfoederātus, past participle of confoederāre, to unite. See confederate.]

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noun

An association, especially of nations for a common cause: alliance, Anschluss, bloc, cartel, coalition, confederation, federation, league, organization, union. See connect, group, politics.

Confederate Flag

How long did the Confederate States of America last?

The Confederacy lasted a little over four years, from 1861 to 1865. Eleven Southern slave states — determined to preserve the states' rights and the rights of their citizens to hold slaves — seceded from the Union to form the Confederate States of America and prompted the American Civil War. On February 9, 1861, Jefferson Davis was chosen as the Confederacy's first (and only) president. The states that pulled away from the Union were Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. After four grueling years of battle, the South conceded defeat in April 1865 and the Confederacy was dissolved shortly after, on May 5. During the next 12 years of Reconstruction, the slaves were freed and the states were slowly reunited under a single federal government.

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From our Archives: Today's Highlights, February 9, 2011

This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

The association or banding together of two or more persons for the purpose of committing an act or furthering an enterprise that is forbidden by law, or that, though lawful in itself, becomes unlawful when made the object of the confederacy. More commonly called a conspiracy. The union of two or more independent states for the purpose of common safety or a furtherance of their mutual goals.

For a list of words related to confederacy, see:

• Governmental Bodies and Institutions - confederacy: alliance for some specific purpose; eleven Southern states that seceded from United States in 1860; confederation
• Intrigues, Plots, and Corruption - confederacy: conspiracy or agreement among persons, often for unlawful purpose

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See words rhyming with "confederacy."

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - forbund, alliance, sammensværgelse

Nederlands (Dutch)
confederatie, complot

Français (French)
n. - (Pol) confédération, conspiration

Deutsch (German)
n. - Staatenbund, Konföderation, Bündnis, Verschwörung

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - συνασπισμός, ομοσπονδία, συνωμοσία, συμμορία, κλίκα, (ΗΠΑ, ιστ.) οι αποσχισθείσες νότιες Πολιτείες (1860-61)

Italiano (Italian)
confederazione

Português (Portuguese)
n. - confederação (f)

Русский (Russian)
конфедерация

Español (Spanish)
n. - confederación

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - allians, sammansvärjning, konfederation

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
联盟, 邦联

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 聯盟, 邦聯

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 동맹, 연맹국, 공동모의

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 連合, 連盟, 連邦

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) اتحاد, حلف‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮התאגדות של מדינות, ברית, קופדרציה, קשירת קשר למטרה רעה‬

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