Period 5 Reading Guide (Ch. 12-15)

Popular Enthusiasm for U.S

Bolstered by economic and security interests, led to the acquisition of new territories, substantial westward migration, and overseas initiatives.

Texas Conflict

Americans in Texas outnumbered Mexicans, tensions rose over slavery and religion, leading to the Texas Revolution and eventual annexation by the United States.

Oregon Territory

Claimed based on the Columbia River discovery, Lewis & Clark expedition, and settlements like Astoria; divided with Britain at the 49th parallel.

War with Mexico

Polk's aims to acquire California and New Mexico, war resolutions passed, leading to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and Gadsden Purchase.

Gold Rushes and Western Settlement

Gold discoveries in California, Colorado, Nevada, and other territories attracted migrants, leading to rapid population growth and the emergence of cities like Denver and San Francisco.

Industrialization and Transportation

Inventions like the sewing machine and electric telegraph, along with the expansion of railroads, boosted industrialization and transportation, promoting western agriculture.

Fugitive Slave Laws

Controversial laws allowing Southern slave owners to capture escaped slaves in the North, resisted by antislavery Northerners.

Bleeding Kansas

Conflict over slavery in Kansas, including violence between proslavery and antislavery groups, leading to polarized ideologies and John Brown's actions.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

Debates between Lincoln and Douglas raised national attention, with Lincoln emerging as a leading figure for the Republican Party.

Emancipation Proclamation

Lincoln's proclamation shifted the Union's goal to end slavery, empowering freed slaves to join the Union army and altering the war's motivation.

Johnson's Policies

Allowed southern state governments to restrict rights of black people through their constitutions, without expanding voting rights, enabling them to gain seats in Congress.

Black Codes

Laws that limited the rights and movement of former slaves in the South.

Civil Rights Act of 1866

Declared all African Americans to be United States citizens.

14th Amendment

Granted citizenship to all individuals born or naturalized in the United States and required states to respect the rights of citizens.

Reconstruction Acts of 1867

Divided the South into military districts controlled by the Union army.

15th Amendment

Granted universal male suffrage.

Civil Rights Act of 1875

Aimed to provide equal accommodations in public places, but was poorly enforced.

Sharecropping

System that offered little economic opportunity and led to a new form of servitude for many.