Jacksonian Period to Reconstruction Era Flashcards

Flashcards in the VOCABULARY style based on lecture notes about the Jacksonian Period through the Reconstruction Era.

Manifest Destiny

Belief held by Americans that it was their destiny to spread freedom across the continent and into Asia.

Mexican War

War that began due to tensions over Texas and the disputed border between the US and Mexico.

Sam Houston

Governor of Tennessee who became a popular figure in Texas.

Stephen F. Austin

Slave owner who led settlers into Texas.

Santa Anna

Mexican general and politician whose actions led to the Texas Revolution.

Battle of San Jacinto

Battle where White Texans, led by Sam Houston, defeated Santa Anna, leading to Texas independence.

James Knox Polk

US President who supported the annexation of Texas and Oregon. Dark Horse President.

Rio Grande

River claimed by the US as the southern border of Texas.

Nueces River

River claimed by Mexico as the southern border of Texas.

Zachary Taylor

US General who led forces to the Nueces River, later became president.

Thornton Affair

Incident where Mexican forces attacked US troops, used by Polk to justify the Mexican War.

Spot Resolutions

Speeches given by Abraham Lincoln opposing the Mexican War, questioning Polk's justification.

John Quincy Adams

Whig who opposed the Mexican War.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Treaty that ended the Mexican-American War, ceding California and New Mexico to the US and recognizing the Rio Grande as the border.

Chicanos

Mexican-Americans living in the newly acquired territories.

Filibusters

Southern schemers who attempted coups in Latin America to create pro-slavery states.

Wilmot Proviso

Proposed abolition of slavery in any territory gained from Mexico.

Compromise of 1850

Package of bills that aimed to resolve disputes over slavery in newly acquired territories.

Henry Clay

Proposed the Compromise of 1850. (1. Cali was a free state/ 2. Texas drops land claims/ 3. popular sovereignty for Utah and NM/ 4. DC Slave trades banned/ 5. Fugitive Slave Act of 1850)

Stephen A. Douglas

Proposed breaking up the Compromise of 1850 into separate legislative pieces.

Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

Stricter law requiring citizens to assist in the capture of runaway slaves.

Vigilance committees

Groups formed by free African Americans to protect against slave catchers.

Underground Railroad

Secret network of routes and safe houses used by slaves to escape to freedom.

Harriet Tubman

Famous conductor on the Underground Railroad.

Transcontinental Railroad

Railroad project that intensified the debate over slavery due to its potential impact on free and slave state balance.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Act that allowed popular sovereignty in Kansas and Nebraska, leading to conflict over slavery.

Popular Sovereignty

The concept that political power rests with the people who can create, alter, and abolish government.

Lecompton Constitution

Pro-slavery constitution proposed in Kansas.

Border Ruffians

Pro-slavery activists from Missouri who crossed into Kansas to influence the vote.

Charles Sumner

Senator who gave the “Crimes Against Kansas” speech and was later attacked for it.

Preston Brooks

Congressman who attacked Charles Sumner with a cane.

John Brown

Abolitionist who led violent actions against pro-slavery men in Kansas.

Bleeding Kansas

Term used to describe the violent conflicts in Kansas over slavery.

Republican Party

Political party formed from Free Soilers, Northern Whigs, and Democrats, opposing the expansion of slavery.

Free Soil

The opposition to the expansion of slavery into the western territories.

Doughface

Northerner that sympathizes with the South

James Buchanan

US President, considered a

Ostend Manifesto

Plan to purchase Cuba from Spain to expand slave territory.

Dred Scott

Enslaved man who sued for his freedom, leading to a Supreme Court decision that denied citizenship to African Americans.

Roger Taney

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who delivered the Dred Scott decision.

Panic of 1857

Economic downturn triggered by the Dred Scott decision, heightened fears about slavery’s spread.

Harper's Ferry

Site of John Brown’s raid on a federal arsenal, aiming to start a slave insurrection.

John C. Breckinridge

Nominee for Southern Democrat in Election of 1860, wanted to uphold Dred Scott conviction.

John Belle

Nominee for Constitutional Union in Election of 1860.

Fire Eaters

Pro-slavery Democrats who advocated for secession.

Crittenden Compromise

Proposed amendments and resolutions to revive the Missouri Compromise and prevent secession. Lincoln opposed this.

Corwin Amendment

Proposed amendment to protect slavery from federal action.

Fort Sumter

Union fort in Charleston, South Carolina, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired.

Anaconda Plan

Northern strategy to blockade Southern ports and control the Mississippi River to strangle the Confederacy.

First Bull Run/Manassas

First major battle of the Civil War, resulting in a Confederate victory.

Homestead Act

Act granting 160 acres of land to settlers willing to develop it for five years.

Morill Act

Act giving land to states to sell and fund A&M colleges.

Emancipation Proclamation

Decree issued by Lincoln freeing slaves in Confederate-held territory.

Antietam

Bloodiest single-day battle of the Civil War, led to the Emancipation Proclamation.

Robert E. Lee

Confederate general who led the Army of Northern Virginia.

Ulysses S. Grant

Union general who prevailed at Forts Henry and Donnelson.

Sherman's March to the Sea

Union campaign led by General Sherman, cutting through Georgia and destroying Confederate infrastructure.

Copperheads

Democratic faction who wanted immediate end to the War

John Wikes Booth

Confederate sympathizer who assasinated Lincoln