Time Period 5

Manifest Destiny

belief that the expansion of the US throughout the continent was justified and inevitable.

Oregon Trail

pioneer trail that began in missouri and crossed into the oregon country; exploration Westward

Martin Van Buren

8th President, presidency marred by an economic depression resulting from policies of his predecessor, Andrew Jackson.

Panic of 1837

financial crisis lasted from 1837 till mid 1840s, caused in part by Andrew Jackson killing the Bank of the United States.

Whig Party

born to oppose Jacksonian Democrats, favored economic nationalism and strong central government(Jeffersonian Republicans)

William Henry Harrison

9th President. Served March 1841, famously dying after 31 days in office.

John Tyler

Tenth President. Served April 4, 1841 to 1845. The first vice president to ascend to the presidency upon the death of the incumbent.

Daniel Webster

U.S. senator from Massachusetts and Secretary of State under Harrison and Tyler. A Whig politician and member of the Great Triumvirate.

Webster-Ashburton Treaty

An 1842 treaty that divided a contested territory in northern Maine between the United States and Britain.

James K. Polk

Eleventh President. Served 1845-1849. Advocated for Manifest Destiny and oversaw the controversial Mexican-American War.

Mexican-American War

Resulted from Boundary conflicts on the Rio Grande River. A conflict between the United States and Mexico from 04/’46 to 02/’48, following the 1845 American annexation of Texas.

Sam Houston

As President of Texas, he advocated annexation by the United States and later resisted efforts at secession to join the Confederacy.

Battle of Alamo

Mexican forces led by Santa Anna took the Alamo, resulted in the independence of Texas from Mexico (Founding Republic of Texas)

Republic of Texas (Lone Star Republic)

A republic declared in 1836, forced Santa Anna to sign a peace treaty recognizing its independence from Mexico.

Compromise of 1850

An important attempt made by national leaders to resolve the issues surrounding slavery.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

An important legislative attempt to resolve the issues surrounding slavery.

Dred Scott decision

An important court decision that attempted to resolve the issues surrounding slavery.

Civil War

A conflict that arose due to the widening gap between the North and South, leading to the South's secession.

Emancipation Proclamation

Declared an end to slavery during the Civil War by President Lincoln.

Thirteenth Amendment

Officially ended slavery in the United States.

Fourteenth Amendment

Further expanded the rights of African Americans.

15th Amendment

Further expanded the rights of African Americans, gave the right to vote except women

Confederate States of America

Formed by the 11 states that seceded from the United States.

Union

The northern states during the Civil War, which defeated the Confederacy.

Superior military strategy

A key factor that contributed to the Union's victory over the Confederacy.

Infrastructure

The physical systems of a nation, which were stronger in the Union compared to the Confederacy.

Population

The Union had a larger population than the Confederacy, contributing to its victory.

Santa Anna

Mexican leader who signed Texas independence treaty, officer in the Mexican-American War

John Slidell

Envoy sent by Polk to negotiate with Mexico.

Zachary Taylor

Twelfth President and Mexican-American War general.

Abraham Lincoln

Sixteenth President, led Union during Civil War.

Wilmot Proviso

Proposed banning slavery in new territories post-war.

Bear Flag Republic

Short-lived independent California led by Fremont.

John C. Fremont

Leader of Bear Flag Republic and first Republican nominee.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

1848 treaty ending Mexican-American War; territorial gains.

Gadsden Purchase

1853 treaty resolving border issues; $10 million deal.

Abolitionists

Advocates for ending slavery based on moral grounds.

George Fitzhugh

Proslavery intellectual who defended Southern slavery.

Free Soil Party

Political party opposing slavery's expansion into territories.

Lewis Cass

Democratic nominee advocating popular sovereignty on slavery.

Gold Rush

Mass migration to California for gold, 1848-1855.

Forty-Niners

Nickname for gold seekers in California, 1849.

Henry Clay

Known as 'The Great Compromiser' in U.S. politics.

Fugitive Slave Act

Law requiring return of escaped slaves to owners.

Great Triumvirate

Clay, Calhoun, and Webster; key 19th-century politicians.

William H. Seward

Abolitionist senator and Secretary of State, purchased Alaska.

Millard Fillmore

Thirteenth President, served from 1850 to 1853.

Stephen A. Douglas

Senator from Illinois, creator of Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Underground Railroad

Network aiding slaves escaping to the North.

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, influential abolitionist.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Novel highlighting Northern abolitionist sentiments against slavery.

Republican Party

Founded in 1854, emerged from anti-slavery factions.

James Buchanan

Fifteenth President, served 1857-1861, supported Dred Scott ruling

Henry Ward Beecher

Abolitionist clergyman, aided anti-slavery settlers in Kansas.

Bleeding Kansas

Period of violence over Kansas' status as free/slave state.

Lecompton Constitution

Proslavery constitution for Kansas, faced intense Congressional debate.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

1857 case ruling African Americans not citizens.

Roger Taney

Fifth Chief Justice, authored Dred Scott decision.

John Brown

Abolitionist who led violent actions against slavery.

Harper's Ferry

Federal arsenal raided by John Brown in 1859.

Freeport Doctrine

Douglas' response to Lincoln on popular sovereignty and Dred Scott.

John C. Breckenridge

Democratic nominee in 1860, supported Confederacy.

Constitutional Union Party

Party formed to preserve the Union, nominated John Bell.

Perry Expedition

Mission to open trade with Japan, led by Fillmore.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

Series of debates focusing on slavery and state rights.

Dred Scott ruling

Declared Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, intensified sectional tensions.

Proslavery forces

Groups supporting slavery, active in Bleeding Kansas.

Antislavery forces

Groups opposing slavery, fought in Bleeding Kansas.

Typhoid fever

Disease that caused Stephen A. Douglas's death.

Border ruffians

Proslavery activists from Missouri, attacked Kansas settlers.

John Bell

Constitutional Union candidate in the 1860 election.

Charles Sumner

Senator nearly beaten for opposing slavery in Kansas.

Robert E. Lee

Led forces against John Brown at Harper's Ferry.

Jefferson Davis

The sole President of the Confederate States. Served February 22, 1862 to May 10, 1865. Davis was a Democrat from Mississippi.

John Crittenden

A senator from Kentucky who proposed an amendment to the Constitution to extend the Missouri Compromise line to the Pacific border.

John C. Calhoun

A South Carolina politician and member of the Great Triumvirate. Calhoun was an ardent supporter of states' rights, nullification, and slavery.

Fort Sumter

A sea fort near Charleston, South Carolina where the first shots of the Civil War were fired on April 12-13, 1861.

New York Draft Riots

Rioting in New York City from 7/13 to 7/16, 1863, primarily started by Irish immigrants, resulting in hundreds killed & city blocks destroyed. Military fought citizens then drafted citizens

Copperheads

Northern Democrats who demanded a peace settlement with the Confederacy, initially a pejorative term coined by Republicans.

Battle of Bull Run/Battle of Manassas

The (First) Battle of Bull Run took place on July 21, 1861, marking an early Confederate victory in the Civil War.

"Stonewall" Jackson

A Confederate general involved in every major battle in the eastern theater of the war until his death in 1863.

Winfield Scott

A U.S. Army general who served as a strategist during the Civil War and was too old for field service.

Anaconda Plan

Winfield Scott's four phase plan to defeat the Confederacy, including a naval blockade and capturing Richmond.

George McClellan

A veteran of the Mexican-American War, known for his short tenure as general-in-chief of the Union Army during the Civil War.

Second Battle of Bull Run

A Confederate victory in August 1862, leading to an opening for Robert E. Lee's Maryland Campaign.

John Pope

His defeat at the Second Battle of Bull Run created an opening for Robert E. Lee's Maryland Campaign.

Antietam

A Civil War battle on September 17, 1862, known as the bloodiest single-day battle in U.S. history with 22,717 killed.

Ambrose Burnside

Selected by Lincoln to replace General McClellan as general-in-chief of the Union Army after Antietam.

Battle of Fredericksburg

A Civil War battle fought December 11-15, 1862. A lopsided Confederate victory, it saw Union forces suffer 3-to-1 casualties. Lincoln removed General Burnside as a result, replacing him with Joseph Hooker.

Ironclads

Steam-powered warship armored in iron plates. While an evolutionary halfway point between wooden sailing ships and all-metal ships, it represented a revolution in naval warfare. The South's first ironclad was named Merrimac while the North's first was called the Monitor. In a five-hour battle in March 1862, the two ships fought to a draw.

Ulysses S. Grant

18th President, 1869-1877. Served in Mexican-American War, working as a quartermaster. Led Union forces in the West, winning at Shiloh & Vicksburg. Eventually placed in command of the whole US Army in 1864, fighting several engagements with Lee. Supervised Reconstruction & prosecuted efforts against KKK. He served two terms as president, The cronyism of his administration led to push for civil service reform.

Battle of Gettysburg

Arguably the most significant battle of the Civil War. Fought July 1-3, 1863 in southern Pennsylvania. Over 50,000 men died there. It was the final major Confederate push into the North, and Lee's defeat ended any hope of Britain or France recognizing the Confederacy as a legitimate nation. General Meade's failure to chase and destroy Lee's retreating army, however, lengthened the war.

Gettysburg Address

A brief, poignant address by Abraham Lincoln commemorating the Battle of Gettysburg. It was delivered on November 19, 1863. Harkening back to the Declaration of Independence 87 years prior, Lincoln proposed the idea of equality—"all men are created equal"—as the core spirit of the Declaration and the Constitution. He goes on to reframe the context of the Civil War as a trial to see if equality can endure rather than being solely an issue of preserving the Constitution's political framework ("the Union").

William Tecumseh Sherman

A Union general. Sherman's army captured and destroyed Atlanta in September of 1864. Sherman then marched to South Carolina, and ordered troops to burn and destroy fields, homes, and cities as they marched through Georgia. His goal was to inflict misery on Southerners so they would be compelled to surrender. This strategy made the Civil War the first modern "total war," with citizens as targets. Sherman was able to capture Savannah, Georgia in December 1864 and Columbia, South Carolina in February 1865. Famously disdained war itself, stating that its "glory is all moonshine."

Appomattox Court House

The site of the formal surrender of General Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia to Union forces led by General Grant. This act triggered a series of other Confederate forces surrendering, finally ending the Civil War. Took place on April 9, 1865, in the parlor of the house owned by Wilmer McLean.

Confiscation Acts

Laws passed early in the Civil War that allowed Union troops to seize enemy property that could be used in an act of war. Slaves fit under the loose definition of property and could, thus, be confiscated. The second of these acts freed slaves in any territory that was currently in rebellion against the Union. These were the first steps in the emancipation.

John Wilkes Booth

While a famous actor in his own lifetime, Booth is best remembered for orchestrating the assassination of Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865 at Ford's Theater. Booth and his co-conspirators had tried on multiple occasions to assassinate Lincoln. In fact, other key cabinet figures were supposed to be killed simultaneously with Lincoln, but those plots failed for varying reasons. Shot while attempting to evade capture in the ensuing manhunt.

Writ of habeas corpus

During the Civil War, Lincoln exercised his executive power to limit Americans' civil rights and liberties to protect the Union. He suspended the writ of habeas corpus, which meant that the federal government could hold an individual in jail with no charges levied against him or her. For many alleged traitors, this meant long jail terms with no charges ever filed. Lincoln intended for this suspension to be only temporary, and the constitutional right would be restored after the war was over. When the Taney Court ruled his actions illegal, Lincoln ignored the court order.

Homestead Act of 1862

A law that provided a settler with 160 acres of land if he promised to live on it and work it for at least five years. About 500,000 families took advantage of this Homestead Act, while many more bought land from private purveyors. Unfortunately, the parcels of land on the Great Plains were difficult to farm, owing to lack of rain and hard-packed soil. Many homesteaders left the land behind and returned home.

Morrill Land Act

1862, act gave federal lands to states for the purpose of building schools that would teach agriculture, engineering, and technical trades. It provided the foundation for the state university system still in use throughout the United States.