Chapter 1: Civil War and Sectionalism (Market Revolution to Civil War)

Flashcards covering key concepts from the notes on the Market Revolution, sectionalism, abolition, the Mexican-American War, and the Civil War.

What is the Market Revolution?

A period of significant economic and technological growth in the United States during the early-to-mid 1800s.

What were the key components of the Transportation Revolution?

Construction and improvement of roads, canals, steamboats, and railroads.

Name two inventions that changed business and agriculture during the Market Revolution.

Cotton Gin and Interchangeable Parts.

Where did the Factory System in the US come from and what did it encompass?

Originated in Britain and was adopted in the US, leading to factory-based production.

What is the Lowell System?

A factory labor system in textile mills in Lowell, Massachusetts, employing young women.

What drove agricultural growth in the Western territories during the Market Revolution?

Cheap land and easy credit, along with better transportation.

What crop became the South’s most lucrative during the Market Revolution?

King Cotton.

What change occurred in the Atlantic slave trade by 1808?

The international slave trade was closed, increasing reliance on domestic slave trade.

How did the Market Revolution affect general inter-regional relations?

Fewer self-sufficient households and greater interdependence among regions for economic survival.

How did the Market Revolution affect women’s work prospects in the early 1800s?

Most women who worked did domestic service or teaching; factory jobs were rare.

What was a consequence of industrialization for social mobility and wealth?

Increased standard of living but a growing wealth gap between rich and poor; some social mobility.

What were the typical occupations for women seeking work during the Market Revolution?

Domestic service or teaching; many working women remained single.

What is the significance of the 1808 date in the context of slavery?

The United States closed the African slave trade, increasing domestic slave trade and prices.

What sparked the Mexican-American War?

Tensions over Texas annexation and border disputes, including Mexican actions and U.S. responses under Polk.

What did the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo accomplish?

Mexico ceded the territories of modern New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, parts of Colorado and Wyoming, and California; the Rio Grande became Texas’ border.

What was the Gadsden Purchase?

U.S. purchase of southern New Mexico Territory to facilitate railroad construction.

What was the Wilmot Proviso?

A proposed amendment to ban slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico; defeated in the Senate after passing the House twice.

How did the Market Revolution reinforce sectionalism?

It highlighted and widened economic and ideological differences between the North and South.

What is Manifest Destiny?

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

How did Manifest Destiny affect sectional tensions?

Expansion debates intensified, especially over the spread of slavery into new territories.

Which geographic areas comprised the Industrial Northeast?

New England and the Mid-Atlantic States.

What was the Know-Nothing party's stance?

Nativist political movement that favored native-born Americans and opposed immigration.

What was the South’s economic base?

Plantation agriculture: cotton, tobacco, rice, sugarcane; slave society.

What describes a slave society?

A society in which slavery is a central institution shaping economy, law, and culture.

What characterized the West’s geography during sectionalism?

The frontier beyond the Mississippi River with mountain men and isolated settlements.

What arguments did abolitionists commonly use?

Religious, moral, philosophical (Enlightenment rights), and economic arguments against slavery; used print culture to spread the message.

What were the Missouri Compromise provisions?

Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state; 36°30′ line restricting future slavery above it in the Louisiana Purchase lands.

What did the 36°30′ line establish?

A geographic boundary restricting slavery north of the line in the Louisiana Purchase lands.

What did the Balance of Power in Congress entail in the 1850s?

An equal number of slave and free states in Congress, giving the South considerable veto influence in the Senate.

How did California’s statehood affect slavery debates?

Its statehood as a free state shifted the balance of power and intensified sectional conflict.

What were the key terms of the Compromise of 1850?

California admitted as a free state; remaining Mexican Cession lands open to popular sovereignty; abolition of the slave trade in DC; a new Fugitive Slave Law.

What did the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 require?

Forbade aiding escaped slaves, compelled citizens to assist in capturing them, and denied jury trials to accused fugitives.

Why was Uncle Tom’s Cabin significant?

A widely read abolitionist novel that exposed the cruelties of slavery and energized anti-slavery sentiment.

What did the Dred Scott decision decide (1857)?

Slaves were considered property and could be taken into any U.S. territory; the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional.

What was “Bleeding Kansas”?

Violent clashes between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in Kansas after the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

What did the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) do?

Created Kansas and Nebraska territories and allowed popular sovereignty to decide on slavery, repealing the Missouri Compromise.

What was the result of the Lincoln-Douglas debates (1858)?

Raised Lincoln’s national profile; framed the moral and political conflict over slavery; featured the famous 'House Divided' quote.

What happened in the 1860 presidential election?

Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, won, contributing to sectional tensions and Southern secession threats.

What sparked Southern secession after Lincoln’s election?

Southern states began seceding in late 1860 and early 1861, forming the Confederate States of America.

What were the CSA’s capital and president?

Capital: Richmond, Virginia; President: Jefferson Davis.

What role did Florida play in the Civil War?

A Confederate state that contributed troops, produce, and cattle; sites like Fort Clinch played roles.

What are the three main points of the Emancipation Proclamation (1863)?

Freed slaves in Confederate-held areas; allowed Black men to join the Union Army; reframed the war as a fight against slavery.

What was Sherman’s March to the Sea (Nov–Dec 1864)?

A 'total war' march of about 60,000 Union troops from Atlanta to Savannah, destroying infrastructure to demoralize the Confederacy.

When and where did Lee surrender to Grant?

April 9, 1865, at Appomattox Court House, effectively ending the Civil War in the East.

Who were the major sides of the Civil War and their leaders?

Union (North) led by Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman; Confederacy (South) led by Robert E. Lee.

What event marked the beginning of the Civil War in 1861?

Fort Sumter, South Carolina, fired upon in April 1861.

Who assassinated Abraham Lincoln and when did it occur?

John Wilkes Booth; April 14, 1865.

What happened to Booth’s conspirators after Lincoln’s assassination?

Several conspirators were executed, including Mary Surratt, the first woman executed by the federal government.