HISTORY 3 VOCABEmancipation Proclamation Definition: An executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, declaring all slaves in Confederate-held territory to be free. Significance: It shifted the Civil War’s focus to a fight against slavery, discouraged European nations from supporting the Confederacy, and paved the way for the 13th Amendment.

Emancipation Proclamation

• Definition: An executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, declaring all slaves in Confederate-held territory to be free.

• Significance: It shifted the Civil War’s focus to a fight against slavery and paved the way for the 13th Amendment.

Freedmen’s Bureau

• Definition: A federal agency established in 1865 to aid freed slaves and poor whites in the South during Reconstruction by providing food, housing, education, and legal assistance.

• Significance: Played a critical role in rebuilding Southern society and supporting African Americans' transition from slavery to freedom, though its impact was limited by opposition and funding issues.

Ulysses S. Grant

• Definition: Commanding General of the Union Army during the Civil War and the 18th President of the United States (1869–1877).

• Significance: As a general, he led the Union to victory. As president, he supported Reconstruction and fought against the Ku Klux Klan but faced criticism for corruption in his administration.

Ku Klux Klan

• Definition: A white supremacist group founded in 1865 that used violence and intimidation to oppose Reconstruction efforts and suppress African American rights.

• Significance: Highlighted the deep resistance to racial equality in the South and the challenges Reconstruction faced in enforcing civil rights for freedmen.

13th Amendment

• Definition: Ratified in 1865, it abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States, except as punishment for a crime.

• Significance: Marked the formal end of slavery in the U.S. and was a cornerstone of Reconstruction.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

• Definition: An anti-slavery novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe

• Significance: Stirred strong anti-slavery sentiments in the North, angered the South, fueling tensions that led to the Civil War.

William T. Sherman

• Definition: A Union general known for his "March to the Sea" during the Civil War, employing total war tactics.

• Significance: His strategies devastated the South's infrastructure and economy, hastening the end of the Civil War.

Congressional (Radical) Reconstruction

• Definition: A period during Reconstruction when Radical Republicans in Congress took control, emphasizing civil rights and strict measures for Southern states' readmission to the Union.

• Significance: Resulted in significant progress in African American rights, including the 14th and 15th Amendments, but faced violent resistance.

Andrew Johnson

• Definition: The 17th President of the U.S. (1865–1869), succeeding Abraham Lincoln after his assassination.

• Significance: His lenient approach to Reconstruction and opposition to civil rights legislation led to his impeachment by Congress, though he was acquitted

15th Amendment

• Definition: Prohibited denying a citizen the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

• Significance: Expanded African American suffrage

14th Amendment

• Definition: Ratified in 1868, it granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S. and guaranteed equal protection under the law.

• Significance: A cornerstone of civil rights, it provided the legal basis for future efforts to combat racial discrimination.

Bleeding Kansas

• Definition: A series of violent confrontations in Kansas Territory (1854–1861) between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions.

• Significance: Showed the deep divisions over slavery and was a precursor to the Civil War, emphasizing the failure of popular sovereignty.

Henry Clay

• Definition: A prominent U.S. politician and statesman, known as the "Great Compromiser" for his role in major agreements like the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850.

• Significance: His efforts sought to maintain the Union and delay the Civil War through compromise on slavery issues.

Presidential Reconstruction

• Definition: The initial phase of Reconstruction (1865–1867) under Presidents Lincoln and Johnson, focusing on lenient terms for Southern states’ reintegration.

• Significance: Criticized for failing to protect the rights of freedmen and allowing former Confederates to regain power.

Anaconda Plan

• Definition: The Union's strategic plan during the Civil War to blockade Southern ports and control the Mississippi River, effectively "squeezing" the Confederacy.

• Significance: Played a major role in the Union's victory by cutting off supplies and dividing Confederate territory.

Charles Sumner

• Definition: A leading Radical Republican senator known for his advocacy of abolition and civil rights.

• Significance: His leadership in Reconstruction policies helped push for equality, though he was a divisive figure in Congress.

Harper’s Ferry

• Definition: The site of John Brown’s 1859 raid on a federal arsenal in Virginia, intending to incite a slave uprising.

• Significance: Intensified sectional tensions and made Brown a martyr for abolitionists, while alarming Southern slaveholders.

Alexander Stephens

• Definition: Vice President of the Confederacy during the Civil War.

• Significance: His "Cornerstone Speech" infamously justified the Confederacy as based on white supremacy and the preservation of slavery.

Paternalism

• Definition: The ideology used by slaveholders to justify slavery, claiming they provided care and guidance to enslaved people as a father figure.

• Significance: Highlighted the moral justifications used to defend slavery despite its inherent brutality.

Manifest Destiny

• Definition: The 19th-century belief that the United States was destined to expand across the North American continent.

• Significance: Fueled territorial expansion, leading to conflicts like the Mexican-American War and intensifying debates over slavery in new territories.

King Cotton

• Definition: A slogan emphasizing the economic and political importance of cotton production to the Southern states.

• Significance: Demonstrated the South's reliance on slavery and agriculture, shaping its strategy during the Civil War.

Stephen Douglas

• Definition: A U.S. senator and advocate of popular sovereignty, best known for his role in the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Lincoln-Douglas debates.

• Significance: His policies attempted to balance regional tensions but inadvertently fueled conflict over slavery, leading to "Bleeding Kansas."

Wilmot Proviso

• Definition: A proposed amendment (1846) that sought to ban slavery in territories acquired from Mexico during the Mexican-American War.

• Significance: Heightened sectional tensions as it symbolized the growing Northern opposition to slavery's expansion.

Rutherford B. Hayes

• Definition: The 19th President of the United States (1877–1881), whose election marked the end of Reconstruction.

• Significance: His presidency is associated with the Compromise of 1877, which withdrew federal troops from the South, effectively abandoning Reconstruction efforts.

Compromise of 1877

• Definition: An informal agreement that resolved the disputed 1876 presidential election by awarding Hayes the presidency in exchange for removing federal troops from the South.

• Significance: Ended Reconstruction, leading to the rise of Jim Crow laws and disenfranchisement of African Americans.

Fire-Eaters

• Definition: Radical pro-slavery Southern politicians who advocated for secession and the formation of the Confederacy.

• Significance: Played a major role in pushing the South toward secession and Civil War.

Constitutional Union Party

• Definition: A short-lived political party in the 1860 election, advocating for preservation of the Union and avoiding sectional conflict over slavery.

• Significance: Highlighted the desperation to maintain unity, though it failed to prevent secession.

Republican Party

• Definition: Founded in 1854 as an anti-slavery party, it opposed the expansion of slavery into new territories.

• Significance: Played a central role in the Civil War and Reconstruction, with Abraham Lincoln as its first successful presidential candidate.

Declaration of Immediate Causes

• Definition: A document issued by Southern states like South Carolina to justify secession, citing the North’s hostility toward slavery.

• Significance: Showed how slavery was the primary catalyst for the Civil War.

Dred Scott Case

• Definition: A landmark 1857 Supreme Court case in which Dred Scott, an enslaved man, sued for his freedom. The court ruled that African Americans were not citizens and had no rights.

• Significance: Deepened sectional tensions, nullified compromises on slavery, and emboldened pro-slavery factions.

Beecher’s Bibles

• Definition: A term for rifles sent to anti-slavery settlers in Kansas, funded by Northern abolitionists and clergyman Henry Ward Beecher.

• Significance: Symbolized the increasing militancy of the abolitionist movement during "Bleeding Kansas."

Fort Sumter

• Definition: A federal fort in South Carolina where the first shots of the Civil War were fired in April 1861.

• Significance: Marked the official start of the Civil War after Confederate forces attacked Union troops.

Whig Party

• Definition: A political party active in the mid-19th century, opposing Andrew Jackson and the Democrats, supporting industrialization, and a strong federal government.

• Significance: Its collapse over divisions about slavery led to the rise of the Republican Party.

Cornerstone Speech

• Definition: A speech by Alexander Stephens, Vice President of the Confederacy, in 1861, declaring that the Confederacy was founded on the principle of white supremacy and slavery.

• Significance: Served as an explicit justification for the Confederate cause, underscoring slavery as the cornerstone of Southern secession.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

• Definition: A 1854 law allowing residents of Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide the issue of slavery through popular sovereignty.

• Significance: Repealed the Missouri Compromise, leading to violent conflicts in "Bleeding Kansas" and further polarizing the nation.

John Tyler

• Definition: The 10th President of the United States (1841–1845), known for annexing Texas and being the first vice president to ascend to the presidency due to a president's death.

• Significance: His presidency emphasized expansionism but also deepened sectional tensions over slavery.

Fugitive Slave Act

• Definition: A law passed as part of the Compromise of 1850 that required the return of escaped slaves to their owners, even from free states.

• Significance: Angered abolitionists and strengthened the anti-slavery movement in the North

10% Plan

• Definition: President Abraham Lincoln’s Reconstruction plan, proposing that a Southern state could be reintegrated into the Union if 10% of its voters swore loyalty to the Union.

• Significance: Criticized for being too lenient, it was designed to quickly reunite the nation but clashed with Radical Republicans’ stricter Reconstruction policies.

Appomattox

• Definition: The site in Virginia where Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865.

• Significance: Marked the effective end of the Civil War.

First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas)

• Definition: The first major battle of the Civil War, fought in Virginia in July 1861, resulting in a Confederate victory.

• Significance: Shattered the Union's hopes for a quick victory and revealed that the war would be long and costly.

Popular Sovereignty

• Definition: The principle that residents of a territory should decide the issue of slavery through voting.

• Significance: Led to violent conflicts, especially in Kansas, as pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers clashed.

Elizabeth Van Lew

• Definition: A Union spy during the Civil War, operating in Richmond, Virginia, and providing intelligence to Union forces.

• Significance: Played a crucial role in aiding Union prisoners and providing critical information about Confederate activities.

Compromise of 1850

• Definition: A series of laws aimed at resolving sectional tensions, including admitting California as a free state and passing the Fugitive Slave Act.

• Significance: Temporarily eased tensions between North and South but planted seeds for future conflict.

Confiscation Act of 1861

• Definition: A law authorizing the seizure of Confederate property, including enslaved people used in the war effort, declaring them "contraband of war."

• Significance: Laid the groundwork for emancipation by treating enslaved people as free when they escaped to Union lines.

John Brown

• Definition: An abolitionist who believed in armed insurrection to end slavery. He led the raid on Harper’s Ferry in 1859.

• Significance: His actions polarized the nation, making him a hero to abolitionists and a villain to the South, further intensifying sectional tensions.

Battle of Gettysburg

• Definition: A major Civil War battle fought in July 1863 in Pennsylvania, resulting in a Union victory and considered the war's turning point.

• Significance: Marked the Confederacy's last major invasion of the North and set the stage for their eventual defeat.

Battle of Vicksburg

• Definition: A Civil War battle (May-July 1863) in which Union forces, led by Ulysses S. Grant, captured Vicksburg, Mississippi.

• Significance: Gave the Union control of the Mississippi River, splitting the Confederacy in two and bolstering Union strategy.

Jefferson Davis

• Definition: President of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War.

• Significance: Led the Confederacy throughout the war, but his leadership faced criticism for failing to unify Southern efforts effectively.

John Wilkes Booth

• Definition: An actor and Confederate sympathizer who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865.

• Significance: His actions shocked the nation and intensified the challenges of Reconstruction under Andrew Johnson’s presidency.

General Order No. 3

• Definition: The order issued by Union General Gordon Granger on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, announcing the emancipation of enslaved people.

• Significance: This event is celebrated as Juneteenth, marking the end of slavery in Texas and symbolizing freedom for all enslaved people.

Enrollment Act of 1863

• Definition: A Union law instituting the first federal military draft during the Civil War.

• Significance: Met with significant opposition, including the New York City Draft Riots, reflecting class and racial tensions in the North.

Black Codes

• Definition: Laws passed in Southern states after the Civil War to restrict the freedom of African Americans and force them into exploitative labor arrangements.

• Significance: Showed the persistence of white supremacy and laid the groundwork for Jim Crow laws.

Civil Rights Bill of 1866

• Definition: Legislation granting citizenship and equal protection under the law to African Americans.

• Significance: The first significant federal civil rights law, it laid the foundation for the 14th Amendment but faced strong resistance from President Andrew Johnson.

Enforcement Act of 1870

• Definition: A federal law designed to combat the Ku Klux Klan and other groups that suppressed African American voting rights during Reconstruction.

• Significance: Demonstrated federal commitment to protecting civil rights during Reconstruction but had limited long-term impact due to lack of enforcement.

Convict Leasing

• Definition: A system in which Southern states leased prisoners to private industries after the Civil War, often targeting African Americans.

• Significance: Effectively re-enslaved many freedmen under brutal conditions, perpetuating racial inequality.

Pottawatomie Creek Massacre

• Definition: An 1856 attack led by John Brown and his followers, who killed pro-slavery settlers in Kansas.

• Significance: Escalated the violence in "Bleeding Kansas" and symbolized the increasing militancy of abolitionist efforts.

Election of 1876

• Definition: A highly contested presidential election between Rutherford B. Hayes (Republican) and Samuel J. Tilden (Democrat).

• Significance: The disputed results led to the Compromise of 1877, ending Reconstruction and marking a shift in federal policy toward Southern states.

Compromise of 1877

• Definition: An informal agreement resolving the 1876 election, giving Hayes the presidency in exchange for withdrawing federal troops from the South.

• Significance: Effectively ended Reconstruction, allowing Southern states to implement Jim Crow laws and disenfranchise African Americans.

Manifest Destiny

• Definition: The belief that the United States was destined to expand across the North American continent.

• Significance: Justified territorial expansion, leading to conflicts like the Mexican-American War and debates over the expansion of slavery.

Fort Sumter

• Definition: A federal fort in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, where Confederate forces fired the first shots of the Civil War on April 12, 1861.

• Significance: Marked the official start of the Civil War and rallied the North to the Union cause.

Whig Party

• Definition: A political party active in the United States from the 1830s to the 1850s, opposing Andrew Jackson and supporting modernization, banking, and federal infrastructure projects.

• Significance: The party's collapse over slavery-related divisions contributed to the rise of the Republican Party.

Cornerstone Speech

• Definition: A speech delivered by Alexander Stephens, Vice President of the Confederacy, in 1861, stating that the Confederacy's foundation rested on the institution of slavery and white supremacy.

• Significance: Provided clear evidence of the Confederacy's commitment to preserving slavery, solidifying its role as the central cause of the Civil War.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

• Definition: An 1854 law allowing the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide on the issue of slavery through popular sovereignty.

• Significance: Repealed the Missouri Compromise, led to violent clashes in "Bleeding Kansas," and escalated sectional tensions.

John Tyler

• Definition: The 10th President of the United States (1841–1845), known for assuming the presidency after William Henry Harrison’s death and supporting the annexation of Texas.

• Significance: Set a precedent for vice-presidential succession and increased sectional tensions by promoting expansionism linked to slavery.

Appomattox

• Definition: The site of Confederate General Robert E. Lee's surrender to Union General Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865.

• Significance: Marked the effective end of the Civil War and the Confederacy’s defeat.

Popular Sovereignty

• Definition: The principle that settlers in a territory should decide for themselves whether to permit slavery.

• Significance: This idea led to violent clashes in "Bleeding Kansas" and was criticized for its failure to resolve the slavery question peacefully.

Elizabeth Van Lew

• Definition: A prominent Union spy during the Civil War, operating in Richmond, Virginia, where she gathered intelligence for the Union Army.

• Significance: Her espionage efforts played a crucial role in providing the Union with vital information and helping to undermine Confederate operations.

Compromise of 1850

• Definition: A series of five laws passed in 1850 to settle disputes over slavery in newly acquired territories, including the admission of California as a free state and the strengthening of the Fugitive Slave Act.

• Significance: Temporarily alleviated sectional tensions, but it ultimately failed to resolve the slavery issue, fueling further conflict.

Confiscation Act of 1861

• Definition: A law passed by the Union during the Civil War that authorized the seizure of Confederate property, including enslaved people, as contraband of war.

• Significance: Set a precedent for the emancipation of enslaved people and marked a shift in Union policy toward abolition.

Battle of Gettysburg

• Definition: A significant battle fought in Pennsylvania in July 1863, resulting in a Union victory.

• Significance: It was a turning point in the Civil War, as the Confederacy’s invasion of the North was halted and the Union gained momentum toward victory.

Battle of Vicksburg

• Definition: A crucial Civil War battle (May–July 1863) in which Union forces, led by General Grant, captured Vicksburg, Mississippi.

• Significance: It gave the Union control of the Mississippi River, effectively splitting the Confederacy in two and securing a vital strategic advantage.

Jefferson Davis

• Definition: The President of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War.

• Significance: He struggled to maintain Confederate unity and faced criticism for his leadership during the war, which ultimately led to the South's defeat.

John Wilkes Booth

• Definition: The assassin who killed President Abraham Lincoln in April 1865.

• Significance: Booth’s assassination shocked the nation and complicated the Reconstruction process, plunging the country into mourning and uncertainty

General Order No. 3

• Definition: An order issued by Union General Gordon Granger in June 1865, announcing the emancipation of enslaved people in Texas.

• Significance: It marked the formal end of slavery in Texas and became a symbol of the nationwide abolition of slavery, celebrated annually as Juneteenth.