Key Concepts from U.S. History: Period 5 (1844-1877)

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and definitions related to U.S. history from 1844 to 1877, focusing on major themes including Manifest Destiny, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and their impacts.

Manifest Destiny

The belief that American expansion to the Pacific was destined by God.

Sectionalism

A strong attachment to regional interests, which contributed to the conflict over slavery.

Civil War (1861-1865)

A conflict between the Northern states (Union) and Southern states (Confederacy) primarily over slavery.

Reconstruction

The period after the Civil War, focusing on rebuilding the South and integrating freed slaves into society.

Emancipation Proclamation

Issued by Lincoln in 1863, it declared that all slaves in Confederate territories were to be freed.

Black Codes

Laws passed in the South during Reconstruction to limit the freedoms of emancipated African Americans.

Wilmot Proviso

An unsuccessful proposal to ban slavery in territories acquired from Mexico.

Freedmen's Bureau

Established in 1865 to assist freed slaves and poor whites in the South during the Reconstruction era.

13th Amendment

Ratified in 1865, it abolished slavery in the United States.

14th Amendment

Ratified in 1868, it granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S.

15th Amendment

Ratified in 1870, it prohibits denying the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Sharecropping

An agricultural system that emerged in the South where farmers worked land owned by someone else in exchange for a share of the crops.

Klu Klux Klan

A secret society formed in the South during Reconstruction that aimed to maintain White supremacy and oppose civil rights for African Americans.

Industrial Revolution

A period of rapid industrial growth and technological advancement that altered economic and social life in the U.S.

Compromise of 1850

A series of legislative measures aimed at resolving conflicts between free and slave states.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

An 1857 Supreme Court case that ruled that African Americans were not citizens and thus could not sue for freedom.

The Gadsden Purchase

A 1853 agreement between the United States and Mexico in which the U.S. acquired land (present-day southern Arizona and New Mexico) for $10 million.

Texas Fight for Independence from Mexico

The struggle between Texas colonists and the Mexican government from 1835 to 1836, leading to the establishment of the Republic of Texas.

Gold Rush

A period beginning in 1848 when thousands of people moved to California in hopes of finding gold and striking it rich.

Mexican-American War

A conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848, resulting in significant territorial gains for the U.S.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

An anti-slavery novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe, published in 1852, which highlighted the harsh realities of slavery.

Bleeding Kansas

A series of violent confrontations in the mid-1850s between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in Kansas, a key event leading up to the Civil War.

Pottawatomie Massacre

A violent event in 1856, led by John Brown, where five pro-slavery settlers were killed in Kansas.

Harpers Ferry

The site of John Brown's failed raid on the federal armory in 1859, aimed at starting a slave uprising.

Fort Sumter

The location in South Carolina where the first shots of the Civil War were fired on April 12, 1861.

Gettysburg Address

A speech delivered by Abraham Lincoln in November 1863, emphasizing the principles of human equality and the importance of preserving the Union.

Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

The political process initiated in 1868 against President Andrew Johnson, primarily for violating the Tenure of Office Act.

Enforcement Acts

Laws passed in 1870 and 1871 designed to protect the voting rights of African Americans and combat the Klu Klux Klan.

Compromise of 1877

An unwritten deal that settled the disputed 1876 presidential election, resulting in the withdrawal of federal troops from the South and effectively ending Reconstruction