APUSH Period 5 Terms

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manifest destiny

A 19th-century doctrine that the expansion of the US throughout the American continents was both justified and inevitable.

'slave power'

A term used to describe the political influence of slave owners in the pre-Civil War United States.

54-40 or fight

A slogan used in the Oregon boundary dispute, advocating for US control of the entire Oregon Territory up to latitude 54°40′.

Ostend Manifesto

A document that justified the United States' desire to acquire Cuba from Spain in the 1850s.

'spot resolutions'

A series of resolutions introduced by Abraham Lincoln questioning President Polk's justification for the Mexican-American War.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

The 1848 treaty that ended the Mexican-American War and resulted in the US acquiring territories including California and New Mexico.

Mexican Cession

The region of the present-day southwestern United States that Mexico ceded to the US in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

Wilmot Proviso

An unsuccessful proposal to ban slavery in territory acquired from Mexico during the Mexican-American War.

'popular sovereignty'

The principle that the settlers of a territory should determine whether slavery would be allowed there.

Free Soil Party

A political party formed in the 1840s that opposed the expansion of slavery into the western territories.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

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

Fugitive Slave Law

A law that required the return of escaped slaves to their owners and penalized those who aided in their escape.

Underground Railroad

A network of secret routes and safe houses used by enslaved people to escape to free states and Canada.

Gadsden Purchase

An 1854 agreement in which the US acquired land from Mexico for $10 million to facilitate a southern transcontinental railroad.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

An 1854 law that created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and allowed for popular sovereignty regarding slavery.

'Bleeding Kansas'

A series of violent political confrontations in the Kansas Territory between 1854 and 1861 over the issue of slavery.

Dred Scott v. Sanford

An 1857 Supreme Court case that ruled that African Americans were not citizens and that Congress could not prohibit slavery in the territories.

Panic of 1857

A financial crisis in the United States that led to a severe economic downturn and increased tensions over slavery.

'Freeport Doctrine'

A principle articulated by Stephen A. Douglas stating that territories could effectively exclude slavery by not adopting laws to protect it.

Harpers Ferry

The site of John Brown's 1859 raid on a federal armory, which aimed to incite a slave rebellion.

Constitutional Union Party

A political party formed in 1860 that aimed to preserve the Union and avoid the issue of slavery.

Crittenden Compromise

An unsuccessful proposal to resolve the secession crisis by extending the Missouri Compromise line to the Pacific.

Emancipation Proclamation

An executive order issued by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 that freed slaves in the Confederate states.

Salmon P. Chase

A prominent abolitionist and politician who served as Secretary of the Treasury during the Civil War.

Revenue Act of 1861

The first income tax law in the United States, enacted to help fund the Civil War.

'greenback'

Paper currency issued by the US during the Civil War that was not backed by gold or silver.

Homestead Act

A law passed in 1862 that provided 160 acres of public land to settlers for a small fee, encouraging westward expansion.

Morrill Land Grant

An 1862 law that provided federal land to states to fund the establishment of colleges focused on agriculture and the mechanic arts.

'Lost Cause'

A term used to describe the romanticized view of the Confederacy and the Civil War, portraying it as a noble struggle.

Special Field Orders, No. 15

An order issued by General Sherman during the Civil War that allocated land to freed slaves.

13th Amendment

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

Radical Republicans

A faction of the Republican Party during the Civil War and Reconstruction that advocated for the rights of African Americans.

'Ten-Percent Plan'

A reconstruction plan proposed by Abraham Lincoln that allowed a southern state to rejoin the Union if 10% of its voters took an oath of allegiance.

Wade-Davis Bill

An 1864 proposal for Reconstruction that required a majority of white males in a state to take an oath of loyalty before rejoining the Union.

'Restoration'

The process of restoring the Southern states to the Union after the Civil War, often associated with Andrew Johnson's policies.

black codes

Laws passed in the South after the Civil War that restricted the rights of freed African Americans.

vagrancy

The state of being without a permanent home or employment, often used in laws to criminalize homelessness.

Freedmen's Bureau

A federal agency established in 1865 to aid freed slaves in the South during the Reconstruction era.

Civil Rights Act of 1866

A law that granted citizenship and equal rights to all persons born in the US, except Native Americans.

14th Amendment

The constitutional amendment ratified in 1868 that granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the US.

'Military Reconstruction'

The period of Reconstruction during which the military was used to enforce laws and protect the rights of African Americans.

ex parte Milligan

An 1866 Supreme Court case that ruled it unconstitutional to try civilians in military courts during peacetime.

Tenure of Office Act

An 1867 law that restricted the president's power to remove certain officeholders without the Senate's approval.

'Redeemer' Democrats

Southern Democrats who aimed to regain control of the South after Reconstruction and restore white supremacy.

Ku Klux Klan

A secret society formed in the South during Reconstruction that used terror and violence to suppress African American rights.

15th Amendment

The constitutional amendment ratified in 1870 that granted African American men the right to vote.

Naturalization Act

An 1870 law that extended naturalization rights to persons of African descent.

Civil Rights Act of 1871

A law that aimed to protect the civil rights of African Americans and allowed for lawsuits against individuals violating those rights.

paramilitary groups

Organizations that operate like military forces but are not officially recognized as part of the armed forces.

Election of 1876

A controversial presidential election that resulted in a compromise leading to the end of Reconstruction.

'Compromise of 1877'

An agreement that resolved the disputed 1876 presidential election and led to the withdrawal of federal troops from the South.