Wilson APUSH Period 5 Vocab 26-50

Know-Nothing Party:

A short-lived political party of the 1850s, officially called the American Party. It was strongly anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic, reflecting rising nativist tensions before the Civil War. The party declined when divisions over slavery split its members.

Ostend Manifesto:

An 1854 document written by American diplomats proposing that the U.S. buy Cuba from Spain—and take it by force if necessary. It aimed to expand slave territory but caused outrage in the North when made public.

Sumner-Brooks Affair:

In 1856, Congressman Preston Brooks attacked Senator Charles Sumner with a cane on the Senate floor after Sumner criticized slaveholders. The assault symbolized the violent breakdown of compromise over slavery.

Lecompton Constitution:

A proposed pro-slavery constitution for Kansas in 1857. It was supported by President Buchanan but rejected by Congress after evidence of election fraud, showing deep divisions over whether new states would allow slavery.

Election of 1860:

Abraham Lincoln’s victory as the Republican candidate. He opposed the expansion of slavery, prompting Southern states to secede, believing his win threatened their way of life.

Secession:

The act of Southern states leaving the Union after Lincoln’s election, starting with South Carolina in 1860. Eleven states eventually seceded, forming the Confederate States of America.

Fort Sumter:

A Union fort in Charleston Harbor attacked by Confederate forces in April 1861. The bombardment marked the official start of the Civil War.

Confederate States of America:

A government formed in 1861 by eleven seceded Southern states, led by President Jefferson Davis. It was based on preserving states’ rights and slavery.

Jefferson Davis:

President of the Confederate States of America. He struggled to unify the seceded states politically and manage the South’s limited resources during the war.

Border States:

Slaveholding states—Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri—that stayed loyal to the Union. Their strategic locations and resources were vital to Union success.

Crittenden Compromise:

A last attempt in 1860 to prevent secession by protecting slavery south of the Missouri Compromise line. Rejected by Lincoln and Congress, it failed to stop the coming conflict.

Battle of Antietam:

A major 1862 battle in Maryland and the bloodiest single day in U.S. history. The Union’s strategic victory gave Lincoln confidence to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.

Battle of Gettysburg:

A three-day battle in July 1863 in Pennsylvania. The Union victory halted Lee’s invasion of the North and became a turning point in the war.

Battle of Shiloh:

An 1862 Union victory in Tennessee marked by high casualties. It showed how brutal and costly the Civil War would be.

Battle of Vicksburg:

A key 1863 Union victory that gave control of the Mississippi River to the North, splitting the Confederacy in half.

First Battle of Bull Run:

The first major battle of the Civil War in 1861. The Confederate victory shattered hopes for a short war and showed both sides were unprepared.

Anaconda Plan:

The Union’s military strategy to blockade Southern ports and control the Mississippi River, cutting off Confederate supplies and trade.

Total War:

A military strategy that targets an enemy’s economy, infrastructure, and civilian resources to break its will to fight—used effectively by Sherman and Grant.

Sherman’s March to the Sea:

General William T. Sherman’s 1864 campaign from Atlanta to Savannah, destroying Southern infrastructure and morale to force surrender.

Appomattox Court House:

The Virginia site where Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant in April 1865, marking the end of the Civil War.

Ulysses S. Grant:

Union general who led the North to victory through aggressive tactics and total war strategy; later became the 18th U.S. president.

Robert E. Lee:

Commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Known for his tactical skill and leadership, though ultimately forced to surrender in 1865.

William Tecumseh Sherman:

Union general known for his harsh but effective “scorched-earth” tactics, especially during his March to the Sea, which hastened the Confederacy’s defeat.

Emancipation Proclamation:

Issued by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, it declared enslaved people in Confederate-held areas free, redefining the war as a fight for human freedom.

Gettysburg Address:

A brief speech by Abraham Lincoln in November 1863 honoring those who died at Gettysburg. It redefined the Civil War’s purpose as a struggle for liberty and equality.