Wilmot Proviso
Proposed, but rejected, 1846 bill that would have banned slavery in the territory won from Mexico in the Mexican American War
Popular Sovereignty
political policy that permitted the residents of federal territories to decide on whether to enter the union as free or slave states
Compromise of 1850
political agreement that allowed California to be admitted as a free state by allowing popular sovereignty in the territories and enacting a stricter fugitive slave law
Underground Railroad
system that existed before the Civil War, in which black and white abolitionists helped escaped slaves travel to safe areas, especially Canada
Kansas-Nebraska Act
1854 law that divided the Nebraska Territory into Kansas and Nebraska giving each territory the right to decide whether or not to allow slavery
Bleeding Kansas
Term used to describe the 1854-1856 violence between proslavery and antislavery supporters in Kansas
Fort Sumter
federal fort located in Charleston, South Carolina, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired
Blockade
military tactic in which a navy prevents vessels from entering or leaving its enemy's ports
Anaconda Plan
three-step northern Civil War strategy to starve the South by blockading seaports and controlling the Mississippi River
Emancipation Proclamation
Decree by President Lincoln that freed enslaved people living in Confederate states still in rebellion
Battle of Bull Run
first large battle of the Civil War, proved that the Civil War would be a longer and more brutal conflict than either side originally anticipated
Battle of Antietam
1862 Civil War battle in which 23,000 troops were killed or wounded in one day. It was the bloodiest single day of fighting
Battle of Vicksburg
1863 battle which resulted in Union forces finally gaining control of the Mississippi River
Battle of Gettysburg
battle in 1863 in which Confederate troops were prevented from invading the North and which resulted in more than 50,000 casualties
Appomattox Court House
where Lee finally surrendered to Grant, ending the Civil War
Gettysburg Address
speech by President Lincoln in which he dedicated a national cemetery at Gettysburg and reaffirmed the ideas for which the Union was fighting
Conscription
drafting of citizens into military service
Total War
military strategy in which an army attacks not only enemy troops but the economic and civilian resources that support them. Best seen by Sherman's March
13th Amendment
1865 constitutional amendment that abolished slavery
Reconstruction
program implemented by the federal government between 1865 and 1877 to repair damage to the South caused by the Civil War and restore the southern states to the Union
14th Amendment
1868 constitutional amendment which defined citizenship and guaranteed citizens equal protection under the law
15th Amendment
1870 constitutional amendment that guaranteed voting rights regardless of race or previous condition of servitude
Compromise of 1877
agreement by which Rutherford B. Hayes won the 1876 presidential election and in exchange agreed to remove the remaining federal troops from the South
Ten Percent Plan
Lincoln's plan for reconstruction after the Civil War. Stated that a state could be reintegrated to the Union when 10% of its voters pledged their allegiance to the US, and recognized the freedom of formerly enslaved people
Presidential Plan for Reconstruction
Required former Confederate states to uphold the 13th Amendment and swear loyalty to the Union. Then they could re-write their state constitutions, hold elections, and begin sending representatives to Washington