APUSH Period 5 Topics: 5.4-5.5

Ostend manifesto

1852; agreement that the diplomats drew up when pierce sent three diplomats to Belgium where they secretly negotiated to buy Cuba from Spain. Was leaked to the press and anti-slavery members of Congress got mad and forced pierce to drop this scheme

Walker expedition

William Walker (southern adventure) tried unsuccessfully to take Baja California from Mexico in 1853, then he seized power in Nicaragua in 1855; gained temporary recognition from the US in 1856, but his scheme to develop proslavery central American empire collapsed when it collation of central American countries invaded and defeated him. He was executed by Mandarin authorities in 1860

Clayton-Bulwer Treaty

Great Britain and the United States agreed to so they would prevent each other from seizing opportunity to build canal. Provided neither nation would attempt to take any exclusive control of any future canal route in Central America

Gadsden purchase

Pierced bought small strip of land from Mexico in 1853 for 10 million. Laid on best route for a rail road through region, and forms the southern sections of present day New Mexico and Arizona

Freesoil movement

Northern democrats and wigs supported Wilmot Pro Viso in position that all African-Americans should be excluded from Mexican cession. Abolitionist advocated eliminating slavery everywhere, Northerners who opposed westward slavery did not oppose it in south. Wanted west to be white only, no slaves or free blacks

Free soil party

Organized by Northerners who opposed allowing slavery in western territories; advocated free homesteads and internal improvements. Slogan was free soil, free labor, Free men

Barnburners

Members of the free soil party; call to discuss defection threaten to destroy democratic party

Lewis cass

Democratic senator from Michigan; proposed the compromise solution that won considerable support from moderates across the country. Suggested that matter of slavery in western territories be determined by vote of people in territory

Popular sovereignty

Cass approach to problem of slavery in western territories (be determined by vote of people who lived there)

Zachary Taylor

Mexican war hero in general who was nominated for president in 1848. He had no political experience or no position on slavery in the territories

Henry clay

Kentucky senator who proposed the compromise for crisis on seccession.
Admitted California as a free state
Divide the rest of the Mexican cession into Utah and New Mexico and allow settlers to decide if slavery is allowed there
Give land dispute between Texas and the New Mexican territories to new territories in return for federal government assuming Texas public debt of 10 million
ban slave trade in DC but permit whites to own slaves there
Adopt a new fugitive slave law and enforce it

Compromise of 1850

Group of five laws that made concessions to both free and slave states in attempt to please both sides
The taxes provision, Texas relinquished disputed territories in exchange for 10 million to pay off debt
California provision, California enters as a free state
New Mexico Utah provision, These territories would be ruled by popular sovereignty.
DC provision, slave trade permitted but slavery could be practiced
Fugitive slave law, aid in the recovery a fugitive slaves

Industrial technology

New factories produced shoes, sewing machines, ready to wear clothing, fire arms, precision tools, and iron products for railroads

Elias Howe

Invented sewing machine which took much production of clothes out of homes and into factories

Samuel FB Morse

Invented electric telegraph which went hand-in-hand with growth of railroads and enormously speeding up communication and transportation across the country

Railroads

Connected country and made transportation of people and goods easier and faster

Panic of 1857

Financial panic; causes sharp decrease in price is for Midwestern agriculture products and sharp increase in unemployment in northern cities. Cotton prices remain high in south was less affected. Resulted in South believing their economy was better than North

Nativism

Hostility towards new immigrants who came to the US. Nativeborn feared immigrants would steal their jobs

Irish

Tenant farmers driven from homeland by crop failures in devastating famine and 1840s. Came with limited interest in farming and few skills and a little money. Discriminated because they were Roman catholic, most stayed in northern cities, spoke English, understood electoral parties, and join Democrats

Roman catholic

Religion of Irish; Christian denomination originating in Rome

Germans

Economic hardships and failure of democratic revolutions in 1848 caused them to seek refuge in the US; skills as farmers and artisans. Established homesteads in old Northwest, supported education, and a post library

Tammany hall

New York City's Democratic organization which the Irish controlled by 1800s

Fugitive slave law

In force capture and return of runaway slaves within the US. Purpose was to help owners track down slaves that ran away to north. Remove slave cases from state courts and move them to federal courts; us commissioners could issue warrants for arrest fugitives. Anyone who attempted to hide runaways what subject to heavy penalties

Underground railroad

Loose network of activist who helped enslaved people escaped in north or Canada to gain freedom

Harriet Tubman

Most famous conductor of the underground railroad. Woman who had escaped slavery; made at least 19 trips and rescue to 300 people

Uncle Tom's cabin

Most influential book of it today; about an enslaved man in brutal white slave owner (Simon LeGree) published in 1852, moved people to see slave owners as inhumane

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Wrote/published uncle Tom's cabin; a northerner

Hinton R helper

Row impending crisis of south, was from North Carolina

Impending crisis of the south

Attacked slavery by using statistics to show how it weakens the southern economy. Southern states band it, but North distributed it; nonfiction

George Fitzhugh

Best known proslavery author who questioned the principle of equal rights for unequal in attack the way just dumb as worse than slavery

Sociology for the south

Written by Fitzhugh; said capitalism of Northwest failure, slavery was justified compared to cannibalistic approach of capitalism