Recording-2025-03-26T01:05:04

Kansas Nebraska Act

A law passed in the 1850s that created two territories and introduced the concept of popular sovereignty, leading to conflicts known as Bleeding Kansas.

Nullification Crisis

A confrontation in the late 1820s and early 1830s when South Carolina attempted to nullify federal tariffs, leading to tensions between the state and the federal government.

Harpers Ferry

Location of John Brown's failed insurrection in 1859 aimed at inciting a slave rebellion.

Fort Sumter

The site of the first battle of the Civil War in 1861, significant for triggering wider hostilities.

Friedman's Bureau

Established during Reconstruction to aid formerly enslaved people and poor whites in the South, providing food, education, and other assistance.

Gag Rule

A congressional rule that prevented debates on slavery, reflecting its contentious nature during the 1830s.

10% Plan

Lincoln's lenient Reconstruction policy that allowed Southern states to rejoin the Union if 10% of voters pledged loyalty.

Ghost Dance Movement

A religious movement among Native Americans in the late 19th century that sought to revive native culture and resist assimilation.

Dawes Act

An 1887 law that aimed to assimilate Native Americans by allotting individual plots of land, resulting in significant land loss for tribes.

Wounded Knee Massacre

A massacre in 1890 where U.S. troops killed approximately 300 Lakota men, women, and children practicing the Ghost Dance.

Seneca Falls Convention

The first women's rights convention held in 1848, advocating for women's suffrage and property rights.

Bleeding Kansas

A series of violent events in the mid to late 1850s that erupted as pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions fought over the legality of slavery in Kansas.

Dred Scott Decision

A controversial Supreme Court ruling in the 1850s declaring that African Americans were not citizens and the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional.

Compromise of 1850

A series of laws aimed at resolving tensions between slave and free states, one of the main legislative efforts leading up to the Civil War.

Radical Republicans

A faction within the Republican Party during Reconstruction that advocated for strict policies and measures to protect African American rights.

Black code

Laws enacted in the Southern states after the Civil War that restricted the freedoms of African Americans and aimed to maintain white supremacy.

Indian removal

A policy initiated in the 1830s by the U.S. government aimed at relocating Native American tribes from their ancestral lands to designated territories west of the Mississippi River, leading to significant suffering and loss, exemplified by the Trail of Tears.

Missouri compromise

An agreement passed in 1820 that allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state and Maine as a free state, maintaining the balance between slave and free states.

King cotton

A term used to describe the dominance of cotton production in the Southern economy before the Civil War, highlighting its economic significance and influence on slavery.

Homestead act

A 1862 law that provided 160 acres of public land to settlers for a small fee, provided they improved the land by building a dwelling and cultivating crops.

sand creek massacre

A 1864 attack where Colorado U.S. volunteers killed over 150 Cheyenne and Arapaho people at Sand Creek, reflecting the violent conflicts between Native Americans and settlers.

Transcontinental railroad

A railroad system completed in 1869 that connected the eastern United States with the Pacific Coast, facilitating westward expansion, transportation of goods, and migration.

Battle of little big horn

A 1876 battle between the U.S. Army and a coalition of Native American tribes, including the Lakota Sioux, where General Custer's forces were defeated, marking a significant victory for Native Americans.

Lowell mill

A textile mill located in Lowell, Massachusetts, known for its role in the American Industrial Revolution and for employing young women known as 'mill girls' under challenging working conditions.

Seneca falls convention

The first women's rights convention held in 1848, which advocated for women's suffrage and property rights.