John Brown's Raid and the Road to the Civil War

Flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture on John Brown's raid and the lead-up to the American Civil War.

John Brown's Raid

An 1859 attempt by abolitionist John Brown to initiate a slave revolt by seizing a United States arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia.

Abolition Movement

A social and political push to end slavery in the United States.

Martyr

A person who is killed or suffers greatly for a cause, often becoming an inspiration for others.

Election of 1860

A pivotal election where Abraham Lincoln was elected as President, leading to the secession of Southern states.

Habeas Corpus

A legal principle that protects individuals from unlawful detention and guarantees the right to a fair trial.

Martial Law

Military control over normal civilian functions, often invoked in times of emergency.

Jefferson Davis

President of the Confederate States during the Civil War.

Confederacy

The group of Southern states that seceded from the Union during the Civil War.

Blockade

An effort by the Union to cut off supplies to the Confederacy during the Civil War.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle that the authority of a state and its government is created and sustained by the consent of its people.

Border States

Slave states that did not secede from the Union, including Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware.

Radical Republicans

A faction within the Republican party that sought to ensure the rights of freed slaves and punish the Southern states after the Civil War.

Cotton Diplomacy

The Confederacy's strategy of using cotton exports to persuade European nations to support its war effort.

Dred Scott Decision

An 1857 Supreme Court ruling that declared African Americans were not citizens and that Congress could not prohibit slavery in the territories.

Emancipation Proclamation

An executive order by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 that freed slaves in the Confederate states.

U.S. History

The study of the history of the United States, encompassing a wide range of social, political, and cultural events.