AP US History Unit 5 Study Notes

Manifest Destiny

The 19th-century belief that the United States was divinely destined to expand its dominion and spread democracy and capitalism across the entire North American continent.

Homestead Act

A 1862 law that provided 160 acres of free public land to settlers who agreed to live on and improve it, incentivizing westward migration.

Treaty of Kanagawa

A treaty negotiated by Matthew Perry that forced Japan to open its ports to American trade, expanding U.S. influence in Asia.

James K. Polk

The 11th U.S. President (1845-1849) known for his expansionist goals. He successfully oversaw the annexation of Texas and led the U.S. into the Mexican-American War.

Mexican-American War

A conflict from 1846 to 1848 sparked by border disputes (Rio Grande vs. Nueces River) following the annexation of Texas. The U.S. victory resulted in the massive acquisition of territory.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848)

The treaty ending the Mexican-American War. Mexico ceded the Mexican Cession to the U.S. in exchange for 15 million, and the Rio Grande was established as the border.

Compromise of 1850

A package of five bills that admitted California as a free state, established popular sovereignty in Utah/New Mexico, ended the slave trade in D.C., and enacted a stricter Fugitive Slave Act.

Fugitive Slave Act

Part of the Compromise of 1850; it required citizens to assist in the capture of runaway slaves and denied fugitives the right to a jury trial, fueling Northern abolitionism.

Frederick Douglass

An escaped slave and prominent abolitionist. He was a gifted orator and author who used his platform to expose the hypocrisy of American 'liberty' while slavery existed.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

A novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe (1852) that depicted the harsh reality of slavery. It swayed Northern public opinion against the institution and increased sectional tension.

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

Law that allowed settlers in Kansas and Nebraska to decide on slavery through popular sovereignty. It repealed the Missouri Compromise and led to the violent 'Bleeding Kansas' conflict.

Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)

Supreme Court ruling stating that African Americans were not citizens and that Congress had no power to prohibit slavery in federal territories, rendering the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional.

Abraham Lincoln

16th U.S. President whose 1860 election triggered Southern secession. He led the Union through the Civil War with the goal of preserving the Union and eventually ending slavery.

Emancipation Proclamation

An executive order issued by Lincoln in 1863 freeing slaves in Confederate-held territories. It reframed the war's purpose as a moral crusade against slavery.

Battle of Gettysburg (1863)

The turning point of the Civil War in the East. Lee's second invasion of the North failed, resulting in massive casualties and a permanent shift in momentum toward the Union.

13th Amendment

Constitutional amendment ratified in 1865 that officially abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States, except as punishment for a crime.

14th Amendment

Ratified in 1868, it granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S. and guaranteed 'equal protection of the laws,' targeting Southern Black Codes.

15th Amendment

Ratified in 1870, it prohibited the government from denying a citizen the right to vote based on 'race, color, or previous condition of servitude.'

Black Codes

Restrictive laws passed by Southern states during Reconstruction to limit the freedom of African Americans and compel them to work in a labor economy based on low wages.

Compromise of 1877

An informal deal that settled the 1876 presidential election. Rutherford B. Hayes became president in exchange for the removal of federal troops from the South, effectively ending Reconstruction.