Unit 4: Manifest Destiny and Sectional Divide

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering early compromises, Manifest Destiny, Texas independence, the Mexican-American War, the Southern cotton economy, the women's rights movement, abolitionism, and the sectional crisis of the 1850s.

Northwest Ordinance

An early federal compromise and policy governing territorial expansion that established early decisions regarding the territorial division between free and slave areas.

3/5 Compromise

A constitutional agreement (alongside Article I, Section 9) addressing slavery and congressional representation that contributed to early sectional compromises dividing the nation.

Fugitive Slave Clause

A provision established in Article IV, Section 2, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution requiring the return of escaped enslaved persons, serving as an early compromise that fueled sectional divisions.

Missouri Compromise

An agreement that maintained the balance between free states and slave states established in 1819 and attempted to provide a lasting territorial solution for future state admissions.

Manifest Destiny

The 19th-century concept describing the belief in the inevitable territorial expansion of the United States, associated with both positive and negative consequences.

American Progress

An allegorical painting by John Gast featuring symbolic elements that depict and justify the fulfillment of Manifest Destiny.

Tejanos

Spanish-speaking native residents of Texas who shared a common goal with American Texans in the drive for independence from the Mexican government.

Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna

The Mexican leader whose policies and actions escalated tensions in Texas, culminating in the Battle of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto.

Battle of the Alamo

A pivotal military conflict during the drive for Texas independence against Mexican forces led by Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.

Battle of San Jacinto

The decisive battle in the Texas drive for independence that resulted in victory over Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna's army and led toward statehood.

Juan Seguin

A prominent Tejano figure whose personal experiences and changing treatment reflected the shifting American attitudes in Texas following independence.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

The peace treaty defining the formal terms that concluded the Mexican-American War and resulted in substantial expansion of United States territory.

Californio

A Spanish-speaking resident or native of California whose land, status, and community were profoundly altered by the Mexican-American War and the Gold Rush.

King Cotton

A phrase characterizing the Southern economy after a transformative technological invention expanded cotton production and entrenched the institution of slavery.

Cult of Domesticity

A 19th-century social ideology defined by 4 specific domestic traits expected of women, which helped spark early resistance and the movement for women's rights.

Seneca Falls Convention

A landmark early gathering in the movement for women's rights that brought together key organizers and speakers to define the goals and outcomes of the movement.

Declaration of Sentiments

The principal outcome document drafted and adopted at the Seneca Falls Convention outlining the goals and civil rights demanded by women.

Abolition

The social and political movement to end slavery in the United States, marked by 3 distinct degrees of intensity and methods across the North.

William Lloyd Garrison

A leading abolitionist studied for his particular strengths, reform tactics, and the social barriers he faced in the movement to end slavery.

Angelina Grimke

A prominent female abolitionist examined for her background advantages, unique tactics, and the challenges of speaking publicly against slavery.

Frederick Douglass

A formerly enslaved African American leader and abolitionist recognized for his rhetorical strengths, firsthand knowledge, anti-slavery tactics, and racial barriers encountered.

Compromise of 1850

A series of congressional agreements and territorial arrangements formulated to settle the intense dispute between North and South over admitting California as a state.

Popular Sovereignty

A political doctrine incorporated into the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act allowing territorial settlers to decide the legal status of slavery.

Fugitive Slave Act

A controversial component of the Compromise of 1850 that mandated federal and northern assistance in capturing runaway slaves, drastically worsening North-South tensions.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

An 1854 law that organized the Kansas and Nebraska territories under the principle of popular sovereignty, reigniting the national conflict over slavery.

Bleeding Kansas

A period of prolonged violent conflict and factional warfare resulting from the implementation of popular sovereignty over slavery in the Kansas territory.

Bleeding Sumner

A violent incident in the United States Senate that intensified sectional animosity following the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act.