Civil War Antebellum Compromises - Vocabulary Flashcards

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering major concepts, people, and events from the lecture notes about the Missouri Compromise, Compromise of 1850, Mexican-American War, Manifest Destiny, and related topics.

Missouri Compromise (1820)

A plan to maintain the balance between free and slave states: Maine admitted as free, Missouri as slave, and the Louisiana Territory north of 36°30' would be free while south would be slave.

36°30' Line

The boundary set by the Missouri Compromise: north of the line would be free states/territories, south would be slave.

Free state

A state where slavery was not legal.

Slave state

A state where slavery was legal.

Henry Clay

Senator from Kentucky nicknamed the Great Compromiser for brokering the Missouri Compromise to preserve Senate balance.

John C. Calhoun

South Carolina senator who argued for states’ rights and that slavery should be decided by the states themselves.

Compromise of 1850

A package of laws: California admitted as a free state; stronger Fugitive Slave Law; and popular sovereignty for New Mexico and Utah territories.

Fugitive Slave Law (1850)

Law requiring that runaway enslaved people be captured and returned to their owners, intensifying Northern opposition.

Popular sovereignty

Right of residents in a territory to vote on whether slavery would be legal there.

Mexican-American War

Conflict (1846–1848) sparked by Manifest Destiny and territorial goals, leading to significant U.S. territorial gains.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Ending the Mexican-American War; the U.S. gained large territories (e.g., California, Nevada, Utah) and Mexico paid $15 million while the U.S. assumed some debts.

Manifest Destiny

The belief that the United States was destined to expand across the North American continent.

Bear Flag Republic

Short-lived California independence movement during the Mexican-American War before joining the United States.

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Abolitionist author whose book Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852) exposed slavery’s cruelties and spurred anti-slavery sentiment.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Henry Beecher Stowe’s anti-slavery novel illustrating slavery’s injustices and fueling Northern opposition to the Fugitive Slave Law.

Underground Railroad

Network of routes and safe houses aiding enslaved people in escaping to freedom in the North or Canada.

Antebellum

The period in U.S. history before the Civil War.

Balance in the Senate

The political equilibrium between free and slave states that compromises sought to preserve.

Adams-Onís Treaty Line (1819)

Boundary line established by the 1819 treaty (referenced in maps) affecting territorial claims in North America.

Maine admitted as a free state (1820)

Maine joined the Union as a free state as part of the Missouri Compromise arrangement.