Unit 5: Chapter 13 APUSH Terms

Free-Soil Movement (1848-1865)

1) This was formed in response to the U.S. gaining more land after the Mexican War.

2) Believers in this were the first to oppose allowing slavery in new territories.

3) They wanted to protect the jobs of small white farmers.

Stephen Douglas (1850s)

1) He was a politician who defeated Abraham Lincoln in a congressional election but lost the presidency to him. 2) He believed that people should vote on if slavery should be allowed in a new territory (aka popular sovereignty).

3) Some Southerners wanted him to take a more aggressive stance on protecting slavery which split the Democratic party.

Know-Nothing party (1850s)

1) This group formed in reaction against the influx of Irish and German immigrants arriving to the United States.

2) Its main purpose was to oppose immigration.

3) It never won any national elections and waned in popularity.

Compromise of 1850 (1850)

1) This compromise was created by Henry Clay because California wanted to become a state, which would upset the balance between slave and free states in the U.S.

2) California was admitted to the union as a free state. Additionally, Utah and New Mexico allowed its residents to decide whether or not to permit slavery. The slave trade was also banned in Washington, D.C.

3) The most controversial aspect of it was the Fugitive Slave Law, which required the north to help southerners apprehend runaway slaves. This element of the compromise caused the most division, and many northerners resisted its enforcement.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852)

1) This novel was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe and showed the human side to slavery.

2) The book depicted slave owners in a vicious and cruel manner, making readers empathetic to slaves.

3) It was the second-best-selling book of the 19th century (behind the Bible) and was so controversial that it was banned in parts of the South.

George Fitzhugh (1850s)

1) He was one of the most influential proponents of slavery in the 19th century through writing.

2) He argued that blacks were morally inferior to whites and could not survive in a free society.

3) He defended slavery by claiming that slaves were more free and enjoyed a better life than a factory-worker.

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

1) This was proposed by Stephen Douglas who advocated for these territories being settled by popular sovereignty.

2) People within these territories got to vote if slavery would be allowed or not there which violated the 1820 Missouri Compromise line.

3) As a result many pro and anti-slavery advocates poured into the region which resulted in 55 deaths and was known as "Bleeding Kansas".

Founding of the Republican party (1854)

1) This was a response against the Kansas-Nebraska Act as many angry Northerners joined this.

2) Its main purpose was to not allow slavery to spread to new territories.

3) Abraham Lincoln was the first president elected from this group.

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

1) This Supreme Court case involved a slave arguing for his freedom after living in a free territory.

2) The court ruled that, as a slave, he had no right to sue in a court of law because he was not a citizen.

3) It also ruled the Missouri Compromise as unconstitutional because it excluded slavery from territories like Wisconsin.

John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry (1859)

1) He led a raid on a federal arsenal, hoping to arm slaves and start a rebellion in Virginia.

2) The raid was unsuccessful, and he was tried and executed for treason.

3) Many in the south were frightened of similar events in the future.

Election of 1860 (1860)

1) The Democrats were divided over their candidates and split their support among two candidates, whereas the Republicans nominated Abraham Lincoln.

2) Lincoln won the election.

3) As a result of Lincoln's victory, South Carolina was the first state to secede from the union.

Underground Railroad (1830s-1850s)

1) A system that helped enslaved African Americans follow a network of escape routes out of the South to freedom in the North or Canada.

2) The Underground Railroad was neither underground, nor a railroad, but a system of homes, barns, churches, and businesses that helped runaway slaves hide and escape to the north.

3) The most famous "conductor" along the Underground Railroad was Harriet Tubman, who made at least 19 trips to the south, after escaping slavery herself.