Civil War Era: Key Terms (Antebellum to Fort Sumter)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and figures from the provided notes on the antebellum period, Civil War precursors, and major events up to Fort Sumter.

Border states

States on the border between the North and South: Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri.

Secede

To officially leave an organization.

Fugitive Slave Act (1850)

Part of the Compromise of 1850; a law that stated anyone who helped a fugitive slave could be fined or imprisoned.

Emancipation Proclamation

Decree issued by President Lincoln freeing enslaved people in those parts of the Confederacy still in rebellion on Jan. 1, 1863.

Habeas Corpus

A legal order that guarantees a prisoner the right to be heard in court.

Greenbacks

Paper money issued by the U.S. government.

Wilmot Proviso

Proposal to ban slavery in any lands the U.S. might acquire from Mexico.

Calhoun on slavery in territories

Sen. John C. Calhoun argued neither Congress nor any territorial government could ban slavery from a territory or regulate it.

1848 Election

Gen. Zachary Taylor (Whigs) and Sen. Lewis Cass (Dems) ignored the slavery issue.

Free-Soil Party

Party formed by anti-slavery advocates; slogan: “Free Soil, Free Speech, Free Labor and Free Men.”

Kansas-Nebraska Act

A bill introducing popular sovereignty to the territories, repealing the Missouri Compromise, letting each territory vote on slavery.

Popular sovereignty

Doctrine that the people in a territory should decide whether slavery would be legal there.

Missouri Compromise

Compromise regulating slavery in western territories; effectively repealed by the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Stephen A. Douglas

Senator from Illinois who supported popular sovereignty and sought to repeal the Missouri Compromise.

Border ruffians

Armed pro-slavery supporters who crossed from Missouri into Kansas to influence elections.

Bleeding Kansas

Civil war in Kansas between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions.

Lecompton

Pro-slavery capital of Kansas.

Topeka

Anti-slavery capital of Kansas.

John Brown

Abolitionist who defended anti-slavery causes in Kansas and led the Harpers Ferry raid.

Preston Brooks

South Carolina representative who struck Charles Sumner with a cane in the Senate.

Charles Sumner

Massachusetts senator attacked by Brooks; brain damage occurred.

Whig Party

Political party torn over slavery; eventually collapsed.

John Fremont

Republican nominee in 1856; famed western explorer.

James Buchanan

Democrat nominee in 1856; future president who faced sectional tensions.

Know-Nothing Party (American Party)

Anti-immigrant party that nominated Millard Fillmore in 1856.

Millard Fillmore

Nominee of the Know-Nothing Party in 1856.

Dred Scott v. Sanford

Supreme Court case concluding Dred Scott remained enslaved; he was not a citizen; Congress had no power to ban slavery in the territories; Missouri Compromise unconstitutional.

Roger B. Taney

Chief Justice who authored the Dred Scott decision, asserting slavery protected and that African Americans were not citizens.

Reaction to Dred Scott decision

Southerners felt empowered; Republicans were outraged, calling it a wicked and false judgment and the greatest crime.

Republican Party formation

Anti-slavery Whigs joined Free-Soilers to form the Republican Party; aimed to ban slavery in the territories.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

Seven debates between Lincoln and Douglas for Illinois Senate; central topic was slavery; Lincoln gained national reputation.

Harpers Ferry raid

John Brown's raid on a federal arsenal to arm enslaved people; defeated; Brown hanged; seen as martyr in the North.

Fort Sumter

U.S. fort guarding Charleston harbor; attacked by Confederates under Jefferson Davis; beginning of the Civil War.

Jefferson Davis

President of the Confederate States; ordered the attack on Fort Sumter.

Confederate States of America

Group of southern states that seceded and formed a separate government, emphasizing states’ rights.

1860 Election

Lincoln (Republican) won; slavery central issue; Lincoln’s name not on ballots in the South.

South Carolina secession

South Carolina formally seceded on December 20, 1860; other Southern states followed, forming the Confederacy.