The Slide Toward Civil War

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to the events leading to the American Civil War in the 1850s.

Compromise of 1850

A series of laws aimed at resolving conflicts between northern and southern states regarding slavery, including provisions for popular sovereignty.

Bleeding Kansas

A series of violent confrontations in Kansas between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions between 1854 and 1859.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

The 1854 legislation that allowed settlers in those territories to determine if they would allow slavery within their borders.

Dred Scott Decision

The 1857 Supreme Court ruling that declared African Americans were not U.S. citizens and that Congress could not prohibit slavery in the territories.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

A series of debates in 1858 between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, primarily focusing on the issue of slavery.

Know-Nothing Party

A political party formed in the 1850s that opposed immigration and the influence of immigrants in American politics.

John Brown's Raid

An attempt by abolitionist John Brown to incite a slave revolt in 1859 by attacking the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia.

Southern Chivalry Argument

The idea that southern males felt a duty to protect the honor and virtue of southern women, often used to justify violence in defense of slavery.

Election of 1856

A pivotal election where the Democratic candidate James Buchanan won, indicating the division in the country along the lines of slavery.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle that the authority of a state and its government is created and sustained by the consent of its people, often used to decide the status of slavery in new territories.