College Prep U.S. History Midterm Exam Study Guide

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts from the lecture on U.S. History, focusing on key events, figures, legislative measures, and social movements leading up to and during the Civil War.

Missouri Compromise

Allowed Missouri to enter as a slave state and Maine as a free state; banned slavery in the northern part of the Louisiana Territory.

Compromise of 1850

Admitted California as a free state, passed a stricter Fugitive Slave Law, and allowed popular sovereignty in Utah and New Mexico.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Allowed settlers to vote on slavery, repealed the Missouri Compromise, and led to violent conflicts known as 'Bleeding Kansas'.

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a novel that exposed the cruelty of slavery and increased Northern opposition.

Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

Legislation that required escaped slaves to be returned and punished those who assisted them.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Ended the Mexican-American War; Mexico ceded large territories to the U.S. in exchange for $15 million.

Republican Party

Political party formed in 1854 to oppose the spread of slavery.

Dred Scott

An enslaved man whose Supreme Court case ruled that African Americans were not citizens and Congress could not ban slavery.

Abraham Lincoln

President of the United States during the Civil War, known for the Gettysburg Address and the Emancipation Proclamation.

Confederate States of America

Southern states that seceded from the Union, led by Jefferson Davis.

Major battles of the Civil War

Key battles include Fort Sumter, Antietam, Gettysburg, Vicksburg, Bull Run, and Appomattox Court House.

54th Massachusetts

One of the most famous regiments of African American soldiers who fought for the Union.

Appomattox Court House

Site where the Army of Northern Virginia surrendered, effectively ending the Civil War.

Civil War amendments

13th abolished slavery, 14th established citizenship and equal protection, 15th granted voting rights to African American men.

Freedmen’s Bureau

Organization created to assist former slaves in transitioning to freedom.

Black Codes

Laws enacted in the South to restrict the rights and freedoms of former slaves.

Transcontinental Railroad

Railroad completed in May 1869 that connected the East and West of the United States.

Social Darwinism

Philosophy that asserts wealth equals fitness and success in society.

Laissez-faire capitalism

Political ideology advocating minimal government intervention in the economy.

California Gold Rush

Major event in 1848-49 that drove a massive migration to the West.

Indian Wars

Conflicts between Native American nations and the U.S. government over land and resources.

Dawes Act

Government law that broke up tribal lands and aimed to assimilate Native Americans.

Gilded Age

Period from ca. 1875 to ca. 1890 characterized by industrial growth, innovation, and corruption.

Temperance movement

Movement opposing alcohol consumption, promoted by groups like the WCTU.

Patronage/spoils system

Political system where jobs were awarded based on loyalty rather than merit.

Literacy test

Assessment used to evaluate an individual's reading and writing skills.

Plessy v. Ferguson

1896 Supreme Court case that established the doctrine of 'separate but equal'.

Women’s suffrage

Movement advocating for women's right to vote.