Renewing the Sectional Struggle

Practice flashcards covering key terms related to the sectional struggle in the United States during the mid-19th century.

Wilmot Proviso

A proposed declaration that lands seized from Mexico would be off-limits to slavery, gaining support among northern legislators.

Free-Soil Party

A short-lived political party that opposed the expansion of slavery into the territories, nominated candidates in the elections of 1848 and 1852.

Underground Railroad

A secret network aiding escaped slaves in their journey to freedom, known for its symbolic rather than significant impact.

Compromise of 1850

Legislative package aimed at resolving issues related to slavery; included California as a free state and strict Fugitive Slave laws.

Filibusters

Groups of armed Southerners seeking to expand U.S. territory in South or Central America to create more slave states.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

1854 legislation that allowed the status of slavery in Kansas and Nebraska to be determined by popular sovereignty, overriding the Missouri Compromise.