Civil War, Reconstruction & Gilded Age Exam Study Guide

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary and important concepts related to the causes and consequences of the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the Gilded Age, helping students prepare for their exam.

Causes of the Civil War

The main factors leading to the Civil War include: slavery, constitutional disputes, economic differences, and political blunders.

Wilmot Proviso

A proposed legislation that aimed to ban slavery in new territories acquired from Mexico, which ultimately failed in Congress.

Compromise of 1850

A package of laws aimed at settling disputes over slavery, which included California as a free state and popular sovereignty for Utah and New Mexico.

Dred Scott Decision

A landmark Supreme Court ruling that effectively legalized slavery in all U.S. territories and declared that African Americans could not be citizens.

Emancipation Proclamation

An executive order issued by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 proclaiming the freedom of enslaved people in the states in rebellion.

Reconstruction Era

The period following the Civil War (1865-1877) focused on rebuilding the South and integrating freed slaves into society.

13th Amendment

Constitutional amendment that abolished slavery throughout the United States.

Plessy v. Ferguson

Supreme Court case that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the 'separate but equal' doctrine.

Sharecropping

A system where freedmen worked land owned by others in return for a share of the crop, often leading to a cycle of poverty.

Social Darwinism

A sociopolitical theory that applied the concept of 'survival of the fittest' to justify social inequality and monopolistic practices.

Gilded Age

The period of American history marked by rapid industrialization and economic growth, while also characterized by corruption and social issues.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

An 1854 act that created Kansas and Nebraska territories allowing for popular sovereignty, leading to violent conflict known as 'Bleeding Kansas.'