Key Events and Figures Leading to the Civil War

Flashcards covering major events, figures, and concepts related to the Civil War period.

Franklin Pierce

President who emphasized the 'faithful execution' of the Compromise of 1850.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

A novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe published in 1852 that depicted the harsh realities of slavery.

Ostend Manifesto

A document that described the rationale for the United States to purchase Cuba from Spain; reflected the expansionist impulses of the 1850s.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Legislation passed in 1854 that created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and allowed settlers to determine if they would allow slavery.

Stephen A. Douglas

Senator from Illinois who was a key proponent of the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Bleeding Kansas

Series of violent civil confrontations in the Kansas territory from 1854 to 1859 over the issue of slavery.

Pottawatomie Massacre

An 1856 incident where John Brown and his followers killed five pro-slavery settlers in Kansas.

Republican Party

Political party founded in 1854 that opposed the expansion of slavery into the territories.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

A landmark Supreme Court case in 1857 that ruled African Americans were not citizens and that Congress had no authority to prohibit slavery in federal territories.

Emancipation Proclamation

An executive order by President Abraham Lincoln issued in January 1863 freeing slaves in the Confederate states.

Thirteenth Amendment

The constitutional amendment ratified in 1865 that abolished slavery in the United States.

Fourteenth Amendment

The amendment ratified in 1868 granting citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States and providing equal protection under the law.

John Brown

A radical abolitionist who believed in using armed insurrection to overthrow the institution of slavery.

Ft. Sumter

The site in South Carolina where the first shots of the Civil War were fired in April 1861.

Abraham Lincoln

The 16th president of the United States, who led the country during the Civil War and worked to end slavery.

Second Inaugural Address

Delivered by Abraham Lincoln in 1865, it addressed the themes of the Civil War and the need for healing and reconciliation.