APUSH Ch. 19, 20, and 21

New England Emigrant Aid Company

This was an antislavery organization from New England who was notoriously involved with sending antislaveryites to Kansas to vote on the matter of popular sovereignty. They sent about two thousand people to Kansas to both make a profit, and prevent the South from enabling slavery in Kansas on the basis of popular sovereignty.

John Brown

Considered by some to be a martyr, but others to be an insane terrorist, he led a band of rebels to Pottawatomie Creek in May of 1856 where five proslaveryites were hacked to death, and civil war was inspired in Kansas. Despite attempts by loved ones to claim he was insane and belonged in an asylum, he was executed, but his spirit of revolt lived on.

Buchanan (Old Buck)

Strongly under Southern influence, he was elected as President of the United States as a part of the Democratic party in 1856. Though he was elected for his moderate nature, especially regarding Kansas, he was the faulted figurehead of the Financial Panic of 1857 and he did little to stop southern states from seceding during the “lame-duck” period.

Preston Brooks

He was a congressman from South Carolina who sought vengeance for Charles Sumner’s speech of “The Crime Against Kansas” as he was related to Senator Andrew Butler and took personal offense to the attacks on his character. He beat Sumner with his cane until it broke, and though he resigned from the House of Reps., he was promptly re-elected as a sign of South Carolina’s support against Sumner and his fellow abolitionists.

Know-Nothing Party

This was the political party which was organized by nativists who were against immigrants as well as Catholics. They nominated the candidate in 1856 of Millard Fillmore, but he lost the election likely due to his indifference on the matter of slavery.

Constitutional Union

This was a political group that was organized with the hope of saving the Union from splitting. It was composed of former Whigs, Know-Nothings, and older conservatives who sought to put forth the neutral presidential candidate of John Bell from Tennessee.

Chief Justice Taney

He was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from Maryland who ruled in the case of Scott v. Sandford, that slaves were private property, had no rights as they were not citizens of the United States, and supported the repeal of the Missouri Compromise as it was believed to be unconstitutional.

Abraham Lincoln

Originally from Illinois, he first began his career as a lawyer and began his path to political prominence. Though he lost senatorial debates for Illinois to Stepehn A. Douglas, he rose with his free soil principles to eventually become the first Republican president in the Election of 1860.

John Bell

He was the compromise candidate who was put forth for the Constitutional Union party as he was seen as moderate in nature and as a result, a compromise candidate in the Election of 1860.

Henry Crittenden

He was a senator from Kentucky who proposed amendments to the Constitution in order to appease the South and reunite them. His proposal of maintaining the 36º 30’ line for free states in the North and slave states in the South with federal protection for them, and future states admitted into the Union with the decision to declare slavery legal or illegal was rejected by Abraham Lincoln.

Jefferson Davis

He was selected as the president of the Confederate States of America. He was a recent member of the Senate as a senator from Mississippi, and though he had broad military and administrative knowledge from his time at West Point, he suffered from health issues that presumably impaired him from fighting himself. He was said to be following in the footsteps of the early colonies in seceding from a tyrannical king, and expressed to the United States that the Confederate States of America simply wanted to be left alone.

The Impending Crisis of the South

This was the title of a book written by North Carolinian Hinton R. Helper. His book, though banned in the South, was popular in the North, as it despised both slavery and blacks, and argued with a range of statistics that non-slaveholding whites struggled the most from the institution of slavery within the United States. 

Nebrascals

This was the derogatory nickname given to people of Nebraska as southerners believed they were out not only to abolish slavery in Nebraska, but within the potential slave state of Kansas as well. This was especially so as members of organizations such as the New England Emigrant Aid Company traveled into Kansas to be able to vote on the matter.

Beecher’s Bibles

As the New England Emigrant Aid Company sent men to Kansas with the intentions to make profit and prevent the South from achieving the verdict of slavery in Kansas, they were nicknamed this as Reverend Henry Ward Beecher had raised funds for their purchase of land.

Border Ruffians

 This was the nickname given to proslaveryites who on the election day in 1855 when popular sovereignty would determine the legality of slavery, traveled into Missouri to vote early and frequently in hopes of expanding the institution. 

Lecompton Constitution

This was a document constructed by southerners in power which stated that as it was voted upon in Kansas, it could be voted upon with or without slavery, but if it was voted for against slavery, the rest of the document would protect the owners of slaves who were already residing in Kansas. The document was put to a popular vote where freesoilers were victorious, preventing Kansas from being admitted as a state until 1861.

Bleeding Kansas

In what is known as the Pottawatomie Creek Massacre, John Brown led a band of raiders to kill pro-slaveryites for the abolitionist cause. Not only were five men hacked to death by Brown’s men, but civil war over popular sovereignty commenced in Kansas.

“The Crime Against Kansas”

This was a speech made by Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner regarding the South and proslavery men. As a result of his condemnation of Senator Andrew Butler from South Carolina, he was brutally attacked by Congressman Preston S. Brooks.

“Land for the Landless”

This was a campaign slogan by the Republicans in the Election of 1860 as an appeal was made to the large population of German and Irish immigrants that had been otherwise isolated in American society. Additionally, it appealed to impoverished people as a goal of the campaign was to make free homesteads from the public domain accessible.

“lame-duck”

This was the period between when Lincoln was elected as president and was not inaugurated into office as James Buchanan remained in office for four months. Though seven southern states seceded from the Union during this time, Lincoln could not act, and James Buchanan practiced inaction as he could not find constitutional authority to militarily halt their plans.

Low Tariff of 1857

In a response to southern pressures, this tariff reduced duties to a measly 20%. It was believed to be a cause of the panic of 1857 as the revised rates were followed shortly by economic disparity for northern industrialists within the country.

Election of 1856

This was an election that began to show the irreversible divide forming within the United States. The three candidates were Millard Fillmore of the Know-Nothing Party, John Fremont of the newly formed Republican party, and James Buchanan of the Democratic party. Though Buchanan was narrowly victorious, a large portion of the North began to align with the Republican party and their candidates.

Election of 1860

This election was a four-party election with each regional section of the country putting forth a candidate. The Republican candidate was Lincoln, Democrats put forth the candidates of both Stephen Douglas and John C. Breckinridge, and John Bell was nominated by the Constitutional Union party. Though Lincoln won the election, the country began to physically divide as many southern states began to secede upon his victory.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

These were a series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas regarding the senatorial position for Illinois. Though Douglas won the Senator of Illinois position, as a result of his orating, Lincoln began to amass a greater following that would be influential for his presidential campaign. The most important was considered to be the debate in Freeport, Illinois, as Stephen Douglas in the “Freeport Doctrine” continued to firmly stand behind popular sovereignty.

Dred Scott Decision

 In the case of Sandford v. Scott, Chief Justice Taney ruled against the slave of Dred Scott who was suing for his freedom after having resided in the free territory of Wisconsin. The verdict of the case indicated that slaves were not citizens and therefore did not have the right to sue in federal court, and that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional as Congress did not have the authority to regulate slavery in U.S. territories. 

Financial Crash of 1857

Though not the worst financial crash which the country had ever seen, it majorly dampened American spirits. It was thought to be caused by inflation of currency, overstimulated grain growth, speculation in land, and as the North suffered while the South was protected by the cotton industry, northern industrialists blamed the crisis on the recently lowered tariff.

John Breckinridge

As southern Democrats were angered by the North’s passion for Stephen Douglas, they organized a separate nominating convention in Baltimore. Here, they nominated this moderate man from Kentucky as their presidential candidate.

Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson

For much of the Civil War, he served as Chief Lieutenant for General Robert E. Lee.  He was considered to be a masterful theorist and tactfully speedy and deceptive with his tactics.

Ulysses S. Grant

Despite Abraham Lincoln’s struggles to appoint an effective military leader, he was eventually successful with the appointment of this man following a lengthy period of trial and error regarding the appointments of failed political officers.

Emperor Napoleon III of France

As the United States faced inner turmoil with the Civil War, in 1863, Napoleon sent a French Army to occupy Mexico City and appointed Austrian archduke Maximillian to rule the territory in 1864. After the conclusion of the Civil War, threats by Secretary of State William Seward incentivized Napoleon to retreat and Maxamilian was executed by a Mexican firing squad.

Clara Barton

 As nursing was acknowledged as a respectable profession during the course of the Civil War, this woman who served for the Union is notably regarded for heroic service to the injured.

Border States

The border states during the Civil War were Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia.

Five Civilized Tribe

This group consisted of the tribes of the Cherokees, the Creeks, the Choctaws, the Chickasaws, and the Seminoles, and they primarily sided with the Confederacy

Billy Yank and Johnny Reb

These were the nicknames given to the Union and the Confederacy to express the idea that the conflict divided families as well as unified groups of people based on their own personal ideas. For example “Billy Yank” volunteers might be from the South such as “mountain whites,” while “Johnny Reb” volunteers for the Confederacy could be from the North. Not only could the idealistic splits occur between regions, but often in families, for within even a pair of brothers, one might serve the North and another for the South.

King Wheat and King Corn

These nicknames were in reference to the leading agricultural cops in the North’s economy. Through ideal harvests and the innovation provided by the mechanical reaper, along with the demand in Europe for the crops after bad harvests, profits prospered.

bounty brokers

As wartime volunteers in the Union began to amass wages, members of these crews both at home and abroad searched the poorhouses of the British Isles and western Europe and forced residents such as Irishmen or Germans to enlist. They “bounty brokers” took advantage of the less fortunate as they would claim the wages for themselves.

cradle and grave

This was the phrase used to describe the desperation of the Confederate Army. As they mandated conscription a year before the Union, they enlisted men as young as seventeen as referred to by the “cradle” and men as old as fifty as referred to by the “grave.”

Morrill Tariff Act

This act was passed early in 1861 and increased the existing duties on goods from 5% to 10%, overruling the low tariff of 1857. As the tariff progressively increased due to the necessities of war in order to protect manufacturers and raise additional revenue, it became associated with the Republican party as American industrialists who primarily belonged to the party would heavily reap the benefits of the additional income.

Homestead Act

This was an incentive for further westward expansion. In 1862, this act was passed which provided free plots of land to pioneers in order to support further expansion and settlement in the West.

Habeas corpus

This was an unconstitutional wartime measure that was taken by Lincoln, causing a questionable exercise of his executive power. He suspended these rights protected by the fifth amendment so that anti-Unionists could be quickly arrested.

National Banking System

Despite Andrew Jackson’s killing of the bank in 1836, a new rendition was authorized by Congress in 1863. Its initiation was launched in part to stimulate the sale of government bonds, and also to establish a standard bank-note currency. Any bank that joined the system could issue paper money and buy government bonds, and the system remained functional until it was replaced by the Federal Reserve System in 1913.

shoddy millionaires

During the economic boom in the North in accordance with the Civil War, some dishonest manufacturers sneakily supplied shoes with cardboard soles or distributed uniforms out that were haphazardly made. Though they struck rich, this nickname was rightfully provided as their wealth was not for respectable reasons.

fifty-niners

This was the nickname provided to the groups that rushed to Pennsylvania in 1859 following the discovery of petroleum gushers. The discovery birthed a new industry of oil and many sought to strike wealth within it. 

Fort Sumter

One of two significant forts in the South that flew the Union flag, this fort located in Charleston harbor received reinforcements from Lincoln. Though he alerted the South Carolinians that he was sending provisions, not reinforcements, it was still perceived as a threat as naval forces mobilized, and on April 12, 1861, Carolinian cannons opened fire on the fort. Though no lives were lost during the thirty-four hour bombardment, the South was enthused by the fight and the North resultantly adopted a fighting spirit.

The Trent Affair

This was the first crisis with the British during the course of the American Civil War. In 1861, a Union warship stopped a British steamer, the Trent, off the coast of Cuba that contained two Confederate diplomats bound for Europe. After their forcible removal, careful diplomacy was exercised by Lincoln in order to diffuse Canadian and British tensions by eventually releasing the prisoners.

Alabama

This was a British-built ship intended to be utilized by Confederate commerce-raiders. Though manned by the British, after escaping to the Portuguese Azores, it flew the Confederate flag as it traveled between the Far East and Europe. It was eventually destroyed by a Union cruiser off the coast of France in 1864, but the matter of British-built Confederate ships remained in practice until American minister Charles Francis Adams posed the possibly harmful nature of the practice in Britain's future.

NYC Draft Riots

Following the mandate of conscription in 1863 by the Union, the highly Democratic area of New York City, several riots erupted. One of the most notable riots occurred in 1863 through the actions of antiblack Irish Americans. Numerous lives were lost, highly lynched Blacks, and several more minor riots erupted throughout the rest of the North. 

Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell

She is regarded for being the first American woman to earn a doctorate degree in medicine, practicing medicine during the war, and exemplifying the redefined role of women in the workforce and society during the conflict.

George McClellan

He was the first Union war general who was appointed for his knowledge of war tactics following the Mexican and Crimean wars. Despite his victory at the Battle of Antietam, he was replaced by General A. E. Burnside for he was too cautious and hesitant in nature, and his reluctance to engage in combat was compromising to Union forces.

George Meade

Following General Hooker’s shortcomings at the battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia, this man was appointed as Union general abruptly. Despite the victory he obtained at Gettysburg, Grant was brought in from the West to serve over him for his failure to pursue Robert E. Lee as he and his troops retreated from Gettysburg.

General Sherman

Known for his employment of total war tactics, this general captured Atlanta in September of 1864, promptly setting it on fire in his wake. He reemerged at Savannah alongside his force of sixty-thousand “blue bellies,” and sought to weaken the morale and supply quantity of the frontline Confederate forces. He continued north from Savannah to Columbia, South Carolina, and eventually had ventured into North Carolina by the time of the Civil War’s conclusion.

Monitor

Following the destruction which the Merrimack, later named Virginia Confederate ship brought upon the blockading Yankee fleet, this ironclad Union warship was constructed in merely one hundred days and after a four-hour standoff, brought the Merrimack to a pause. The craft’s actions eventually forced the Confederates to destroy the Merrimack in fear of it ever being captured and reused by the Union.

Confiscation Act of 1862

This was a wartime act passed by the Senate which allowed for the federal government to have the power to seize property used to support the Confederate rebellion, including slaves.

Emancipation Proclamation

Following the Battle of Antietam, Abraham Lincoln granted the decree in 1863 that slaves in Confederate states would be “forever free.” In addition to not granting freedom to slaves in any Border State, the proclamation also did little to physically release slaves beyond offering them shelter in the North if slaves in the Confederacy could successfully flee.

War Democrats

As the Democrats lacked a true leader in the Union following the death of Stepehn Douglass, two primary factions arose in time with the incoming Election of 1864. This faction of Democrats was in support of the Lincoln administration and stood behind war efforts made by such. 

Peace Democrats

Following Stephen Douglas’s death and the division of the Democrat party in the North, this faction arose that was strongly against Lincoln and his administration. Extremists known as “Copperheads” continuously sought to strike down war efforts with actions such as attacking the draft, Lincoln’s character itself, and the Emancipation Proclamation.

13th Amendment

This constitutional amendment which abolished slavery was achieved eight months after the end of the Civil War following individual ratification by the states. It was an example of expanded federal power following the war while eliminating the institution of slavery within the United States once and for all. 

Bull Run

This first battle of the Civil War was set to commence southwest of Washington in 1861 and be a concise victory for the Union forces, proving the Civil War to only be a “Ninety-Day war.” However, as “Stonewall” Jackson and his reinforcements fought relentlessly and forced the Union soldiers to flee in panic, it was demonstrated that the conflict would surpass three months. 

Antietam

As Lee proceeded into Maryland, he reached an important point of battle in Antietam Creek, Maryland. As McClellan stumbled upon Lee’s battle plans, the decisive yet bloody draw between the two forces led to the retreat of Lee and the Union’s first point of victory as the Confederate force was drawn back. The retreat was especially important for the Union as it demonstrated to the foreign powers of Europe and Britain that interference was not needed. 

Seven Days’ Battle

As General McClellan was sent by Lincoln to pursue “Stonewall” Jackson following his successful capture of Yorktown, his perusal was eventually thwarted by a counterattack initiated by Robert E. Lee. Spanning from June 26 to July 2 in 1862, the Confederacy drove back McClellan to the sea. Despite its costliness, this campaign was a success for the Confederacy as it forced McClellan to abandon his Peninsula Campaign. 

Merrimack

This was a wooden U.S. warship that was plated with iron railroads and renamed the Virginia by Confederate forces. It was used to destroy wooden ships of the Union Navy in the Chesapeake Bay, as well as threaten the blockading Union fleet. It was eventually brought to a standstill by the Union Monitor and destroyed by the Confederates to prevent further reuse upon potential recapture by the Union. 

Remember Fort Pillow

This was a phrase uttered by black units as they sought vengeance for the inhumane treatment that they and their fellow black soldiers had experienced. Initially, Confederate soldiers refused to recognize black soldiers as prisoners of war, and notably after a formal surrender by a force at Fort Pillow, the several black soldiers were brutally massacred. The inhumanity which black soldiers learned of served as motivation in their attacks against the Confederates where they too vowed to take no prisoner. 

Gettysburg

This faceoff in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania took place between Robert E. Lee of the Confederacy and George G. Meade of the Union. The battle spanned three days in the beginning of July with substantial losses on both sides, but Union victory was eventually obtained by the failure of George Pickett’s Charge. Additionally, the bloodshed and brutality of the battle inspired the famed memorializing speech delivered by Lincoln of the “Gettysburg Address."

Chancellorsville

At this location in Virginia, General Burnside of the Union faced off against Officer Hooker of the Confederacy. Lee’s risk of dividing his numerically lesser force to attack the Union flank worked and despite Hooker’s injury from a cannonball, the greatest loss for the Confederacy was the accidental death of “Stonewall” Jackson. 

Pickett’s Charge

This fateful operation was executed on the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg by General George Pickett. As he attacked the front of the Union forces on high ground, his failure cemented the Confederate’s loss in the battle itself, as well as the deterioration of their force as a whole within the entire war. 

Appomattox Courthouse

This was the location where the sudden terms of surrender by the Confederacy were granted by the Union. As the Union had captured Richmond and cornered Lee, he was forced to relinquish his control to Ulysses S. Grant in a private home in this town. Despite the initial reaction by Union soldiers to celebrate, they were silenced by Grant as he reminded his men that the “rebels” were no longer rebels, but now countrymen. 

Shiloh

As Grant sought to capture the Confederate railroad junction in Corinth, Mississippi, he was confronted by Confederate forces just over the border of Tennessee at Shiloh. Despite having a successful effort at a counterattack, the conflict at Shiloh demonstrated that the war even in the Western theater would be strenuous. 

Election of 1864

Despite it taking place in the middle of a war, this election was highly contested. Though Lincoln was the candidate who ran for the newly formed Union party, he was in competition with the “Peace Democrat” and “Copperhead” Northern Democrat candidate of General McClellan. As Lincoln appealed more to the South with vice presidential candidate Andrew Johnson being from Tennessee, he won more narrowly the popular vote, but more widely the electoral vote, especially with the introduction of the “bayonet vote” by soldiers from the frontlines.