Study Guide: American Slavery, 1607–1865

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering major figures, events, and political theories related to American slavery from 1607 up to the Civil War.

Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

An executive order issued by Abraham Lincoln proclaiming all slaves in Confederate-held territory to be free.

Harry Washington

A man enslaved by George Washington who escaped in 1775 to join Lord Dunmore’s British army, representing Black Americans waging a 'personal war of independence'.

South Carolina's Radicalism

A history of extreme political defiance led by 'Fire-Eaters' and John C. Calhoun, characterized by the Nullification Crisis and being the first state to secede.

Haitian Revolution (1804)

Led by Toussaint Louverture, it was the most successful slave revolt in history and prompted Napoleon to sell the Louisiana Territory to the U.S.

The Grimk sisters

Sarah and Angelina Grimk, daughters of a wealthy South Carolina slaveholder, who became leading abolitionists and women’s rights activists.

The Gold Rush (1849–1850)

A migration of roughly 300,000 'forty-niners' to California that brought enslaved African Americans into the territory despite it being a 'free state'.

Pro-Slavery Pro-West Expansion Logic

The belief among Southern slaveholders like James Henry Hammond that slavery 'must expand or perish' to maintain political power and combat soil exhaustion.

Secession Movement (1860–1861)

The withdrawal of 11 Southern states from the Union following Abraham Lincoln’s election, led by radicals like William Lowndes Yancey.

Southern 'Code of Honor'

An unwritten code where reputation depended on defending one’s name through violence or dueling, fueling aggressive responses to Northern abolitionism.

The Republican Party (1854)

An anti-slavery party organized specifically to stop the westward expansion of slavery; Abraham Lincoln was its first President.

The Missouri Compromise (1820)

A law banning slavery north of the $36^\circ 30'$ line, which was later repealed by the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854.

Mexican-American War (1846–1848)

A war initiated by President James K. Polk over a border dispute in Texas to seize California and New Mexico, reopening debates over slavery's expansion.

Women's Rights Movement

A movement for suffrage and equality, led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, that began formally at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848.

Dred Scott Decision (1857)

A Supreme Court ruling by Chief Justice Roger Taney stating that Black people were not citizens and Congress could not ban slavery in any territory.

Mudsill Thesis

James Henry Hammond's argument that every society needs a 'mudsill' class (slaves) to perform menial tasks so the upper class can advance civilization.

Nat Turner's Rebellion (1831)

A violent revolt in Virginia that killed approximately 60 white people and led to new restrictions, including laws banning slave literacy.

Black Seminoles

Runaway slaves who found refuge in Seminole villages, reflecting the complex relationship between Native Americans and slavery.

The Texas Revolution (1836)

A rebellion by Anglo-Texan settlers against Santa Anna’s Mexican government, largely fought to preserve slavery which Mexico had abolished.

Sherman's Special Field Order No. 15

An order that set aside abandoned coastal land in SC and GA for freed slaves, often remembered as '40 acres and a mule'.

Slave Codes in Western Territories

Draconian laws passed in Utah and New Mexico in the 1850s to protect slavery, demonstrating slaveholder power in the Far West.

Bacon's Rebellion (1676)

A violent uprising that convinced elites to replace white indentured servants with enslaved African labor to prevent future cross-racial rebellions.

The Fugitive Slave Act

A provision of the Compromise of 1850 that required Northerners to help catch runaway slaves, radicalizing Northern anti-slavery sentiment.

Gag Rule

Resolutions passed by the House of Representatives from 1836 to 1844 that banned all Congressional discussion of anti-slavery petitions.

Anti-Slavery vs. Abolitionist

'Anti-slavery' advocates sought to limit expansion (e.g., Republican Party); 'Abolitionists' demanded the immediate, total end to slavery (e.g., William Lloyd Garrison).

John C. Frmont

The first Republican presidential candidate (1856) whose success in Northern states signaled to Southerners that an anti-slavery majority was inevitable.

Slavery as a 'Positive Good'

An ideological shift by Southern leaders like Calhoun who argued slavery benefitted both races, used to refuse plans for gradual emancipation.

Nullification Crisis (1832)

A conflict where South Carolina attempted to void federal tariffs, establishing the doctrine of state sovereignty.

Economic value of slavery (Antebellum)

Slavery was the primary driver of the U. S. economy and its most valuable form of property, estimated at $3 billion.

Plantation Hierarchy: The 'Mammy' figure

An enslaved woman responsible for the master’s children, living under constant surveillance and often in conflict with the Plantation Mistress.

Transcontinental Railroad Conflict

A fierce Congressional debate over whether the rail line would run through Chicago or a Southern port, deciding commercial control of the West.

William Walker

A pro-slavery adventurer who led 'filibusters' or unauthorized military invasions of Latin American nations to reinstitute slavery.

Theory of Gradual Extinction

Abraham Lincoln's plan to place slavery on a path to death by banning its expansion, which Southerners saw as a threat to their social order.

Slave Prices in the 1850s

Costs rose dramatically, concentrating ownership among the elite and making territorial expansion more desperate for aspiring slaveholders.

Fort Pillow Massacre (1864)

The brutal massacre of surrendered Black Union troops by Confederate forces under Nathan Bedford Forrest.

Three-Fifths Compromise

A Constitutional provision that along with the Fugitive Slave Clause provided legal support for the growth of slavery.

Fort Sumter (1861)

The opening battle of the Civil War in South Carolina which forced upper South states to choose sides and secede.

Cornerstone Speech

Given by Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens, it proclaimed the Confederacy was built on the 'cornerstone' of Black inequality.

Bleeding Kansas

The period of violence resulting from the repeal of the Missouri Compromise and the introduction of 'popular sovereignty' in territories.