DE Civil War: Slavery, Westward Movement, and Political Conflicts

main cause of the Civil War

Slavery, which was the root of all major conflicts.

What argument did Southern states make regarding slavery?

They argued for 'states' rights' to maintain the institution of slavery.

purpose of the Office of Indian Affairs

To manage the relocation of Native Americans onto reservations.

Fort Laramie Treaty

It set Native American reservations and promised goods if they remained there.

By 1860, percentage of the U.S. population lived west of the Appalachians

50% of the U.S. population.

What was one major danger faced by settlers moving west?

Long, risky journeys on trails like the Oregon and California Trails.

What happened to the Donner Party in 1846-47?

They were trapped in the Sierra Nevada and resorted to cannibalism.

What triggered the Gold Rush in California?

The discovery of gold in 1848 led to mass migration of '49ers'.

What was the Homestead Act (1862)?

It offered 160 acres of free land if settlers lived on and improved it for 5 years.

What is Manifest Destiny?

The belief that U.S. expansion across the continent was God-given and inevitable.

What caused the Mexican-American War (1846-48)?

U.S. annexation of Texas and border disputes.

What was the outcome of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo?

The U.S. gained Southwest territory (California to Texas) for $15 million.

Wilmot Proviso

A proposal to ban slavery in new territories acquired from Mexico.

What did the Compromise of 1850 establish regarding California?

California was admitted as a free state.

What did the Compromise of 1850 strengthen?

The Fugitive Slave Law, requiring free states to return escaped slaves.

What was the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)?

It repealed the Missouri Compromise and allowed popular sovereignty in the territories.

Bleeding Kansas

Pro- and anti-slavery settlers fought, resulting in 50-200 deaths.

symbolized national division in Congress

Senator Charles Sumner was beaten by Preston Brooks for insulting the South.

Gadsden Purchase

It acquired land from Mexico to facilitate a southern route for the transcontinental railroad.