Period 5 ID Terms

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Abolitionist and author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, a novel that raised awareness of the harsh realities of slavery.

William Lloyd Garrison

Prominent abolitionist and journalist, best known for founding the Liberator, an anti-slavery newspaper.

Dred Scott Decision

1857 Supreme Court case ruling that African Americans could not be citizens and the federal government had no power to regulate slavery in territories.

Abraham Lincoln

16th President of the United States who led the nation during the Civil War and issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

Clara Barton

Nurse and founder of the American Red Cross, providing critical care to soldiers during the Civil War.

Jefferson Davis

President of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War.

Mathew Brady

Famous photographer known for documenting the Civil War through his photographs.

Stonewall Jackson

Confederate general renowned for his leadership and tactics during the Civil War.

U.S. Grant

General in the Union Army and 18th President of the United States, credited with leading the Union to victory in the Civil War.

Robert E. Lee

General in the Confederate Army, known for his leadership and military strategy during the Civil War.

Charles Francis Adams

U.S. diplomat and son of President John Quincy Adams who played a key role in preventing British intervention during the Civil War.

Mary Todd Lincoln

Wife of Abraham Lincoln, First Lady during the Civil War, known for her mental health struggles.

Robert Gould Shaw

Union Army officer who led the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, the first official African American units in the Civil War.

William Sherman

Union general known for his 'March to the Sea' during the Civil War, devastating the South’s resources.

George McClellan

Union general early in the Civil War, known for his cautious nature.

John Wilkes Booth

Actor and assassin of President Abraham Lincoln.

Homestead Act

1862 law that provided 160 acres of public land to settlers willing to farm it for at least five years.

Morrill Land Grant Act

1862 law providing federal land to states to fund colleges focusing on agriculture and mechanic arts.

Commodore Matthew Perry

U.S. naval officer who played a key role in opening Japan to the West with the Treaty of Kanagawa.

Stephen Douglas

U.S. senator known for the Lincoln-Douglas debates and advocating for popular sovereignty.

Frederick Douglass

Former enslaved African American and leading abolitionist who advocated for African American rights.

Harriet Tubman

Former enslaved woman who became a conductor on the Underground Railroad, leading many slaves to freedom.

Louisa May Alcott

Author of Little Women and a nurse during the Civil War, supporting the abolitionist cause.

Carl Schurz

German-American abolitionist and politician who supported the Union during the Civil War.

Angelina and Sarah Grimké

Sisters and abolitionists among the first women to speak publicly against slavery.

Sally Tompkins

Confederate nurse and the only woman to hold an official rank in the Confederate Army.

Caning of Sumner

1856 incident where Congressman Preston Brooks attacked Senator Charles Sumner, symbolizing tensions over slavery.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

1848 treaty that ended the Mexican-American War, granting the U.S. vast territories.

Compromise of 1850

Series of laws aimed at resolving disputes over slavery, admitting California as a free state.

Fugitive Slave Act

Law requiring the return of escaped enslaved people to their owners, even in free states.

Harpers Ferry/John Brown

1859 raid led by John Brown to initiate a slave rebellion, resulting in his capture.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

1854 law allowing settlers to decide on slavery in Kansas and Nebraska, leading to violence.

Manifest Destiny

Belief that the U.S. was destined to expand across North America from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Popular Sovereignty

Principle that the people of a territory should decide on the legality of slavery.

Lincoln/Douglas Debates

Series of debates focusing on slavery between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas in 1858.

Election of 1850

Typo; no election in that year; major elections were in 1856 and 1860.

Secession

The act of Southern states leaving the Union, starting with South Carolina in 1860.

Free Soil Party

Political party formed in 1848 opposing the expansion of slavery into western territories.

Republican Party

Anti-slavery party founded in 1854, with Abraham Lincoln as its first successful presidential candidate.

Radical Reconstruction

Period post-Civil War marked by strict policies to rebuild the South and implement Amendments.

Freedmen's Bureau

Government agency created in 1865 to assist former slaves with food, medical care, and education.

13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments

Series of Constitutional amendments that abolished slavery and established citizenship and voting rights.

Gettysburg Address

Speech by Abraham Lincoln reaffirming principles of equality during the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery.

Scalawags and Carpetbaggers

Terms used during Reconstruction; scalawags were Southern supporters of Reconstruction, carpetbaggers were Northern migrants for gain.