Overview of Era 5

Sectionalism

Economic and social differences between the North and South, leading to conflict, with the North being industrial and anti-slavery, and the South being agricultural and dependent on slave labor.

Missouri Compromise

The 1820 agreement that admitted Missouri as a slave state, Maine as a free state, and banned slavery north of 36°30' in the Louisiana Purchase.

Abolitionist Movement

A movement against slavery, gaining momentum through figures like William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, and events like Nat Turner's Rebellion.

Fugitive Slave Act

A law from the Compromise of 1850 that compelled Northerners to assist in the recapture of escaped enslaved people, causing anger among Northerners.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

The 1857 Supreme Court case that ruled African Americans could not be citizens and that Congress had no authority to ban slavery in territories.

John Brown’s Raid

An 1859 attempt led by John Brown to start a slave rebellion, which heightened fears among Southern states.

Emancipation Proclamation

The 1863 declaration by Abraham Lincoln that freed enslaved people in Confederate territory.

Freedmen’s Bureau

An agency that provided aid, schools, and legal help to formerly enslaved people during Reconstruction.

Black Codes

Laws enacted in the South after the Civil War that restricted the rights of Black individuals.

Reconstruction Amendments

The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments that abolished slavery, granted citizenship, and prohibited voting discrimination based on race.

13th Amendment

The constitutional amendment passed in 1865 that abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime.

14th Amendment

The constitutional amendment ratified in 1868 that granted citizenship to all born or naturalized in the U.S. and ensured equal protection under the law.

15th Amendment

The constitutional amendment ratified in 1870 that prohibited denying the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.