Period 5 1844-1877

Manifest Destiny (Context)

The belief that the expansion of the US across the American continents was both justified and inevitable. This ideology fueled American territorial growth and was used to justify the annexation of lands such as Texas and California.

California Gold Rush

A mass migration of people to California in 1849 following the discovery of gold, leading to rapid population growth and economic change in the region.

Indian Removal Act

A law passed in 1830 that authorized the forced removal of Native American tribes from their ancestral homelands in the southeastern United States to designated "Indian Territory" west of the Mississippi River.

Mexican American War

A conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848, resulting from the U.S. annexation of Texas and leading to significant territorial gains for the U.S.

Wilmot Proviso

A proposed amendment aiming to ban slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico during the Mexican-American War, highlighting the rising tensions over slavery in the United States.

Indentured Servants

Laborers who agreed to work for a specific period in exchange for passage to America, land, or other benefits.

Mexican Cession

The region ceded by Mexico to the United States through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, which included present-day California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming.

Fugitive Slave laws

Laws that mandated the return of escaped slaves to their owners, and imposed penalties on anyone assisting them in their flight.

Great Compromiser vs Great Nullifier

Refers to the political rivalry between Henry Clay, known as the "Great Compromiser" for his role in brokering agreements to ease sectional tensions, and John C. Calhoun, dubbed the "Great Nullifier" for his advocacy of states' rights and nullification of federal laws.

Compromise of 1850

A series of legislative measures aimed at resolving tensions between free and slave states following the Mexican-American War. It included provisions such as the admission of California as a free state and reinforced the Fugitive Slave Act.

Domestic Slave Trade

The transportation and sale of enslaved people within the United States, particularly between slave states in the South, following the abolition of the international slave trade in 1808. This trade was a significant aspect of the economy and the institution of slavery in the antebellum South.

Yeoman Farmers

Independent farmers who owned small plots of land and worked it themselves, primarily in the South.

Nat Turners rebellion

an 1831 slave uprising led by Nat Turner in Virginia that resulted in the deaths of many enslaved people and increased fear among slaveholders.

Abolitionism

A movement aimed at ending slavery and promoting social and political rights for enslaved people, gaining momentum in the early to mid-19th century.

Garrison

a prominent American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer who founded the anti-slavery newspaper The Liberator and advocated for the immediate emancipation of all enslaved people.

Frederick Douglass

an escaped slave and prominent abolitionist who became an influential speaker, writer, and advocate for African American rights.

Nativism

the political policy of promoting the interests of native inhabitants over those of immigrants. In the 19th century, nativism was characterized by a strong opposition to immigration, particularly against Irish and German immigrants, as well as others who were perceived as culturally different.

Know Nothing Party

A political party in the United States during the 1850s known for its strong anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic sentiments. The party's members, who were secretive about their affiliations, advocated for restricting immigration and promoting the interests of native-born Americans.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle that the authority of a state and its government is created and sustained by the consent of its people, typically through their elected representatives. In the context of the 1850s, it was used to determine whether new territories would allow slavery.

Kansas Nebraska Act

The 1854 law that allowed settlers in Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery within their territories, effectively repealing the Missouri Compromise.

Democrats vs Whig Party

The two dominant political parties in the United States during the mid-19th century, representing differing ideologies: the Democrats generally supported slavery and states' rights, while the Whig Party favored modernization and economic development but eventually dissolved in the 1850s.

Free Soil Party

A political party formed in the 1840s that opposed the expansion of slavery into the western territories, advocating instead for free soil and free labor.

Harpers Ferry

A key event in the abolitionist movement where John Brown led a raid in 1859 to initiate a slave uprising.

Dred Scott Case

A landmark Supreme Court case in 1857 that ruled African Americans could not be considered citizens and therefore had no standing to sue in federal court.

Second Party System

The political framework in the United States from the 1830s to the 1850s characterized by the dominance of two major parties, the Democrats and the Whigs, which shaped electoral politics and party organization.

Emancipation Proclamation

An executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 that declared the freedom of all slaves in Confederate-held territory, marking a pivotal moment in the Civil War.

Gettysburg Adress

Delivered by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, it emphasized the principles of human equality and the importance of preserving the Union.

Black Codes

Thirteenth Amendment

Freedmen’s Bureau

Civil Rights Act

Fourteenth Amendment

Fifteenth Amendments

Ku Klux Klan

Jim Crow Laws

Carpetbaggers and Scalawags

Force Acts

KKK Act

Brown V Board of Education

Compromise of 1877

An informal agreement that settled the disputed 1876 presidential election, resulting in the withdrawal of federal troops from the South and effectively ending Reconstruction.

First African American Congress

Share Cropping

Southern Democrats