American Civil War and Reconstruction - 1850s Political Sectionalism

Vocabulary flashcards covering key political events, court cases, and sectional conflicts leading up to the American Civil War.

1850s Political Sectionalism

A period marked by increasing sectionalism, extreme conflict and violence, and the dissolution of both the Whig party and the Democratic party.

Kansas Nebraska act

An act that opened state territories to popular sovereignty about slavery, causing pro- and anti-slavery people to pour into the states to influence the votes.

Bleading Kansas

Deadly fights over slavery involving the murder of pro-slavery Americans, which increased sectionalism and made John Brown an abolition symbol.

Brooks Summer affair

An event where Sumner criticized slavery by comparing it with prostitutes, and Brooks beat Sumner near to death in the Senate chamber over issues about slavery and expansion.

Election of 1856

An election held among a divided population where Buchanan ran as a neutral candidate to appease the North and South.

Dred Scott x Sanford

A case in which an enslaved person was taken to free territory and back to slavery and sued for freedom; ruled that enslaved people are property which the government has no right to interfere with, nullifying the Missouri Compromise and any law about slavery.

Raid on Hapers Ferry

A slave rebellion planned by John Brown that failed because no slaves came forward, leading the North to view Brown as a martyr and the South to view him as a terrorist.

Election of 1860

The election where Abraham Linconl won the presidency, representing the end of slavery.