Period 5 Study Guide

Aroostook War

A conflict that arose over the disputed boundary between Maine and Canada.

Webster-Ashburton Treaty

A treaty that settled border disputes between the U.S. and Britain and resolved issues stemming from the Aroostook War.

Manifest Destiny

The 19th-century doctrine that the expansion of the United States across the American continents was both justified and inevitable.

Oregon Settlement

Agreement that settled the border dispute between the U.S. and Britain, leading to U.S. control of the Oregon Territory.

Mexican-American War

A conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848, motivated by the U.S. desire to acquire territories like Texas.

Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo

The 1848 treaty that ended the Mexican-American War, ceding significant territories to the U.S.

Free-Soil Party

A political party that opposed the expansion of slavery into the territories.

Clayton-Bulwer Treaty

An agreement between the U.S. and Britain concerning the construction of a canal in Central America.

Ostend Manifesto

A document that suggested the U.S. should acquire Cuba by force if Spain refused to sell it, which caused controversy.

California Gold Rush

A mass migration to California in 1849 after gold was discovered there, significantly impacting migration and economy.

Wilmot Proviso

An unsuccessful proposal to ban slavery in territories acquired from Mexico.

Dred Scott v. Sanford

A landmark Supreme Court case that denied citizenship to African American slaves and ruled that Congress could not prohibit slavery in the territories.

Compromise of 1850

A series of laws aimed at resolving the sectional conflict over slavery, including the admission of California as a free state.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Legislation that created the Kansas and Nebraska territories and allowed settlers to determine if they would allow slavery.

Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin

A novel that depicted the realities of slavery and contributed to anti-slavery sentiment in the North.

Lecompton Constitution

A pro-slavery constitution for Kansas that was controversial and rejected by Congress.

Know-Nothing Party

A political party that arose in the 1850s based on nativism and opposition to immigration and Catholicism.

Lincoln-Douglass debates

A series of debates in 1858 focused on the issues of slavery and its expansion into new territories.

John Brown

An abolitionist who used violence in his fight against slavery and led the raid on Harpers Ferry.

Anaconda Plan

The Union's military strategy during the Civil War aimed at blockading Southern ports and controlling the Mississippi River.

Border states

Slave states that did not secede from the Union and were critical in Lincoln's strategy during the Civil War.

Emancipation Proclamation

An executive order issued by Lincoln in 1863 that freed enslaved people in rebel states.

Conscription

The mandatory enlistment in military service, which led to public protests in the North.

Copperheads

A faction of Northern Democrats who opposed the Civil War and wanted an immediate peace settlement with the Confederacy.

Reconstruction

The period following the Civil War focused on rebuilding the South and integrating freed slaves into society.

Freemen’s Bureau

A U.S. agency established in 1865 to help formerly enslaved people transition to freedom.

13th Amendment

The constitutional amendment that abolished slavery in the United States.

14th Amendment

The constitutional amendment that granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S.

15th Amendment

The constitutional amendment that granted African American men the right to vote.

Union League

A group of organizations established during the Civil War to support the Union and promote Republican policies.

Scalawags

Southern whites who supported Reconstruction and the Republican Party.

Carpetbaggers

Northerners who moved to the South after the Civil War, often for personal gain during Reconstruction.

Ku Klux Klan (KKK)

A secret society that used violence and intimidation against African Americans and their allies during Reconstruction.

Grant administration scandals

A series of political scandals during Ulysses S. Grant’s presidency that tarnished the Republican Party's reputation.

Panic of 1873

A financial crisis that triggered a severe economic depression and diminished Northern support for Reconstruction.

Supreme Court undermining legislation

Actions taken by the Supreme Court that weakened protections for African Americans and allowed for discrimination.

1876 presidential election compromise

An agreement that resolved the disputed election of 1876, leading to the end of Reconstruction.