Sectional Conflict

What was the Fugitive Slave Act?

This law allowed slave owners to capture and return runaway slaves from free states. It was part of the Compromise of 1850 and further divided the North and South over the issue of slavery.

What was the Missouri Compromise?

An 1820 law that admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state while prohibiting slavery in the Louisiana Territory north of the 36°30' parallel. It was overturned by the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854.

Who was involved in Harper's Ferry?

Harper's Ferry involved an abolitionist named John Brown and his followers, who attempted to start a slave rebellion by seizing a federal arsenal in Virginia in 1859.

What was included in the Compromise of 1850?

Legislation passed by Congress to resolve territorial disputes between free and slave states. It included the admission of California as a free state, the abolition of slave trade in D.C., and the creation of the Fugitive Slave Act.

Who was considered the "Moses" of the Underground Railroad?

Harriet Tubman - Moses of the Underground Railroad. Born into slavery, she escaped and became a famous abolitionist, leading hundreds of slaves to freedom.

Dred Scott decision

A Supreme Court ruling that declared African Americans were not citizens and had no standing to sue in federal court. The decision also stated that Congress had no power to regulate slavery in the territories, effectively overturning the Missouri Compromise.

Abolitionist

A person who advocates for the immediate and complete end of slavery. Abolitionists believed that slavery was morally wrong and fought for its abolition through various means, including political activism, public speaking, and civil disobedience. Some famous abolitionists include Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and William Lloyd Garrison.

What is popular sovereignty? How did this affect the relationship between the North and the South?

A principle that allowed settlers in a territory to vote on whether to allow slavery or not. It created tension between the North and the South because it was seen as a way for the South to expand slavery into new territories.

Flashcard: What was "Bleeding Kansas"?

A term used to describe the violent conflicts between pro-slavery and anti-slavery groups in Kansas territory during the mid-1850s. These clashes were a precursor to the American Civil War.

What was the Underground Railroad?

A secret network of people and safe houses that helped enslaved people escape to freedom in the 19th century.

Who were some of the conductors of the Underground Railroad? List some facts about each of them.

Underground Railroad Conductors:


1. Harriet Tubman - Born into slavery, escaped and returned to lead over 300 people to freedom.
2. Levi Coffin - Sheltered over 3,000 slaves in his home and helped them escape.
3. William Still - Son of escaped slaves, assisted over 800 slaves to freedom and documented their stories.
4. Frederick Douglass - Escaped slave, abolitionist, and writer who helped slaves escape through his newspaper.
5. John Fairfield - White abolitionist who disguised himself as a slave trader to rescue slaves.