U.S. History Exam Study Guide

Flashcards for U.S. History Exam Review

Nat Turner

Enslaved man who led a rebellion that killed over 50 people and resulted in the prohibition of slaves learning to read and write.

Missouri Compromise 1820

Solved the issue of slavery and balance of power in the Senate (between slave and free states).

Mexican-American War

Occurred from April 25, 1846 – February 2, 1848; resulted in a huge expanse of territory being added to the United States.

Compromise of 1850

Brought about by Henry Clay; allowed popular sovereignty (citizen vote) to decide if a free state/territory would be free or slave and introduced the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.

Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854

Popular sovereignty will decide freedom v. slavery. Nebraska voted to be a free state; Pro-slavery and anti-slavery supporters rushed into Kansas to sway the vote.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle that the people living in a territory or state should have the right to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery or not, typically through voting.

Border Ruffians

Pro slavery groups in Missouri battled anti slavery groups in Kansas.

Bleeding Kansas

A series of violent conflicts between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers in the Kansas Territory as a result of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854.

Free-Soil Party

A political party in the United States that wanted to stop the expansion of slavery to the west; founded August 9, 1848.

Fugitive Slave Act

Strict, harsher punishments (required northern states to help return fugitives).

Dred Scott v. Sandford

Case appeared before the Supreme Court in February 1856; Court first ruled that he could not file a lawsuit because he was a slave and not considered a citizen.

Ableman v. Booth

Sherman Booth (abolitionist) busted Joshua Glover (escaped from slavery) out of jail. Wisconsin Supreme Court said Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was unconstitutional. U.S. Supreme Court said no it’s fine

John Brown

An American abolitionist who attacked Harper’s Ferry in October 1859 to try and arm enslaved people to start a rebellion.

Confederate States of America

South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia

Union Army

Advantages included extensive railroad networks, a large population, a stronger military and navy, and manufacturing capabilities.

Abraham Lincoln

President of America who led the U.S. through the Civil War, preserved the Union, and abolished slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment.

Jefferson Davis

President of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War who led the South’s secessionist efforts against the Union.

Robert E. Lee

The commanding general of the Confederacy; very strong and experienced.

Ulysses S. Grant

Commanding general of the Union; led the Union Army to victory after two fails of commanding generals.

Battle of Fort Sumter

April 12–13, 1861; the first battle of the Civil War. Confederate forces bombarded the Union at Fort Sumter. The Union surrendered after 34 hours of fighting. Officially started the Civil War. The Confederacy won.

U.S. Naval Blockade

A naval blockade around Confederate ports to cut off supplies, trade, and reinforcements. Known as the Anaconda Plan, it aimed to squeeze the Confederacy's economy and weaken their ability to fight.

Battle of Antietam

September 17, 1862; bloodiest single-day battle in U.S. history, with around 22,000 casualties. The battle took place near Sharpsburg, Maryland, between General Robert E. Lee (Confederacy) and General George McClellan (Union).

Emancipation Proclamation

Announced January 1, 1863; Made slaves free and allowed African Americans to enlist in the US Army.

54th Massachusetts Regiment

An all African American combat regiment led by Col. Robert Gould Shaw; Their courage at Fort Wagner convinced everyone to add more like it. Soldiers in it helped fight for equality and justice for African Americans.

Clara Barton

Nurse who founded the American Red Cross.

Battle of Gettysburg

July 1–3, 1863; It was a turning point in the war. Lee’s army was forced to retreat. made it clear that the Confederacy was not going to win easily.

Sherman’s March to the Sea

November 15, 1864; Ulysses S. Grant ordered General William Tecumseh Sherman to capture Atlanta; Sherman captured at Atlanta and burnt everything in his path that could be useful to the South; The destruction made it harder to fight back and the South weaker.

Reconstruction

The period of time in which the South was “reconstructed” following the end of the Civil War (1865-1877).

Lincoln’s Ten Percent Plan

10% of voters had to swear loyalty to the Union. Had to abolish slavery

Freedmen’s Bureau

A government agency created to help former slaves and poor whites.

Andrew Johnson

Supported the South and the Confederacy -- states had to ratify the 13th amendment and swear loyalty to the Union in order to be readmitted

Radical Republicans

Republicans who believed in African Americans rights and in reconstructing the South.

Civil Rights Act of 1866

Ensured full citizenship for Black Americans.

Reconstruction Act

1867; Instituted military occupation of the South and disbanded southern state governments that had refused to pass the 14th Amendment.

Poll Tax

Taxes you had to pay in order to vote (abolished by the 24th Amendment in 1964).

13th Amendment

Passed on January 31, 1865; Ratified on December 6, 1865; abolished slavery in the United States.

14th Amendment

Ratified on July 9, 1868; Made everyone born in the US a citizen and could not have laws made against them and gave them equal protection

15th Amendment

Ratified on February 3, 1870; Gives the right to vote regardless of “race, color, or previous condition of servitude”

Hiram Revels

First African American to be elected in the US Senate.

Compromise of 1877

Officially ended Reconstruction -- Rutherford B. Hayes was given the presidency in exchange for ending Reconstruction.

Plessy v. Ferguson

The court ruled that segregation was allowed if “separate but equal”.

Nativism

The idea of limiting immigration and preserving the US of white natural born citizens

Chinese Exclusion Act

Passed in 1882; Barred Chinese Laborers from entering the US for 10 years and prevented Chinese immigrants from becoming citizens.

Bribe

When a politician gives a political favor in exchange for personal gain.

Boss Tweed

One of the most dishonest and notorious politicians. Political Boss who controlled politics in New York in the Gilded Age (18502-1870s) Stole 100 million dollars from the city and state. Corrupt

Sherman Antitrust Act

Passed in 1890; first legislation to regulate market competition in the United States; It included provisions to protect against price fixing or monopolies in the American economy; It’s main role was to prevent any attempts to restrain trade

Land conservation

The process of protecting natural resources from industrial development and/or private ownership.

John Muir

A famous environmentalist and founder of the Sierra Club who helped to get Yosemite secured as a park through his writings and travels.

Buffalo Soldiers

6 all-black regiments formed to help rebuild the Us and to fight on the Western Frontier during the Plains Wars

Seneca Falls Convention

1848; called for voting rights, property ownership, and employment rights for women.

19th Amendment

Gave women the right to vote.

Strikes

A collective refusal to work to secure a particular goal or set of goals.

Labor unions

An organized group of workers (in a specific industry or across industries) that work together to negotiate with employers.

Mother Jones

She was a woman who immigrated from Ireland and was very involved in Labor Reform, specifically child labor reform.

Upton Sinclair

He was an author and wrote The Jungle which showed (although fiction) the corruption of meatpackers.

Lewis Hine

A photographer for the National Child Labor Association. He ultimately helped to lead to the abolition of child labor in America by photographing the conditions in factories, mines, and mills.

NAACP

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; They fought in court against discrimination including Brown v. Board of Education.

SNCC

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee; Advocated for the collective use of Civil Disobedience to secure, desegregation and voting rights.

SCLC

Southern Christian Leadership Conference; Co Founded by MLK. They led with non violent protest and christian values. They organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott, March on Washington, etc.

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Kansas (1954)

That segregation of schools violates the 14th Amendment.

Civil disobedience

Non violent protests against unjust laws.

Sit-ins

When people sit and refuse to leave

CORE

A group that stood for the Congress of Racial Equality; organized “Freedom Rides”.

John Lewis

He was a civil rights activist. He was the chairman of SNCC. He strongly believed in non violence. He worked closely with MLK.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

He was a civil rights activist during the civil rights movement; he was a preacher. He was the leader of the SCLC and led the Montgomery Bus boycotts.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Ended discrimination in hiring and ended segregation in public spaces.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

It banned Literacy Tests, Grandfather Clauses, Poll Taxes. Prohibited states from restricting voting rights of citizens

Malcolm X

He was a Civil Rights Activist. He was a part of the Nation of Islam, a religious and political group that promoted Black self-reliance and separation from white society, and he gave speeches.