True. The fact that they were in groups makes them a civilization. However, the criteria for civilization is fluid and I would need more information from the lesson to give a definitive answer.
he transferred authority over the naval reserves
Running away or fleeing, feigning as though sick and sabotaging the property of the slave holders are some acts of resistance. Slavery existed in the southern states and it had taken a toll on the younger men who were made slaves and hired to any plantations or run errands for their owners. Slaves would flee to north but was not easy. If they were caught, they were given death penalty too.
Pretending to be sick is mostly practiced by women slaves. They were permitted by their owners in order to save their child bearing capacity.
Incapacitating or damaging the property of the slave holders is another form of resistance which annoyed their owners.
Island hopping is the U.S. strategy against Japan in ww2. By taking important Pacific islands and building military bases on those islands, the U.S. slowly advanced towards mainland Japan and prepared for invasion.