APUSH Unit 5 Key Terms

Manifest Destiny (TOM)

The belief in the 19th century that American expansion across the North American continent was both justified and inevitable. This ideology drove territorial expansion and influenced policies resulting in the annexation of vast areas.

Texas Revolution

A rebellion from 1835 to 1836 in which Texas colonists fought for independence from Mexican rule, leading to the establishment of the Republic of Texas.

Election of 1844

A presidential election in which James K. Polk defeated Henry Clay, significantly influencing America's expansionist policies and leading to the annexation of Texas.

Mexican-American War

A conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848, resulting in significant territorial gains for the U.S. and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

The peace treaty that ended the Mexican-American War, resulting in the U.S. acquiring territories such as California and New Mexico.

Mexican Cession

The region ceded by Mexico to the United States in 1848 following the Mexican-American War, comprising present-day California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming.

Wilmot Proviso

An unsuccessful 1846 proposal to ban slavery in territories acquired from Mexico, igniting debates over the expansion of slavery, written by David ______.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle that the settlers of a territory have the right to decide whether slavery would be allowed within that territory, a response to the Wilmot Proviso.

Free-Soil Party

A political party formed in 1848 that opposed the expansion of slavery into the western territories, promoting free land for settlers.

California Gold Rush

A mass migration to California starting in 1849, driven by the discovery of gold, leading to rapid economic and population growth.

Compromise of 1850

A series of laws passed to ease tensions between slave and free states, including California's admission as a free state and the strengthened Fugitive Slave Act, remember POPFact.

Fugitive Slave Act

A law enacted in 1850 that required federal and state officials to assist in the capture and return of escaped slaves to their owners, increasing penalties for those who aided fugitives.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

A novel published in 1852 by Harriet Beecher Stowe that portrayed the harsh reality of slavery, fueling anti-slavery sentiments in the North and significant controversy in the South.

Kansas Nebraska Act

A law passed in 1854 that created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, allowing residents to decide on the legality of slavery through popular sovereignty, leading to violent conflict known as "Bleeding Kansas."

Republican Party

A political party formed in the 1850s, primarily to oppose the expansion of slavery into the territories, drawing support from former Whigs, Free Soilers, and abolitionists.

Bleeding Kansas

A series of violent confrontations in the mid-1850s between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in Kansas, resulting from the Kansas-Nebraska Act. This conflict highlighted the intense divisions over slavery in the United States.

John Brown

A radical Republican who believed in the use of violence to end slavery, known for his raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859.

Dred Scott vs. Stanford

A landmark Supreme Court case in 1857 that ruled African Americans could not be American citizens and that Congress lacked the authority to prohibit slavery in the territories.

Abraham Lincoln

The 16th President of the United States who led the nation during the Civil War, believed in preserving the Union, and issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.

Raid on Harper’s Ferry

An abolitionist raid led by John Brown in 1859 aimed at inciting a slave revolt and capturing weapons to arm enslaved people. It failed, and John Brown was publicly executed.

Election of 1860

A pivotal presidential election in which Abraham Lincoln was elected, significantly heightened sectional tensions, and contributed to the start of the Civil War.

Fort Sumter

The first battle of the Civil War, occurring in April 1861, when Confederate forces fired upon the union garrison. This marked the official beginning of armed conflict between the North and South.

Border states

States such as Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri that were located between the North and South during the Civil War, and Lincoln was very focused on keeping them neutral and out of rebellion, because 50% of the south’s population was within them.

Antietam

A significant battle in the Civil War fought in September 1862, notable for being the bloodiest single-day battle in American history and leading to a strategic Union victory. This battle gave Lincoln the victory he needed to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.

Emancipation Proclamation

An executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln in January 1863, which declared the freedom of all enslaved people in Confederate-held territory, redefining the Civil War's purpose to include the abolition of slavery.

Gettysburg

A pivotal battle fought from July 1 to July 3, 1863, known for being the turning point of the Civil War and leading to a significant defeat for the Confederacy.

Gettysburg Address

A speech delivered by President Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in ________, Pennsylvania, emphasizing the principles of liberty and equality.

Sherman’s March

A military campaign led by General William Tecumseh _______ during the American Civil War, from November 15 to December 21, 1864, aimed at destroying the South's war resources and morale.

Appomattox Courthouse

The site where General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865, effectively ending the Civil War.

13th Ammendment

The constitutional amendment that abolished slavery in the United States, ratified on December 6, 1865.

Freedmen’s Bureau

A federal agency established in 1865 to aid freed slaves in obtaining education, jobs, and housing after the Civil War.

Carpetbaggers

Southerners name for northerners who moved to the South after the Civil War for political and economic gain, often perceived as opportunists.

Radical Republicans

A faction within the Republican Party after the Civil War, they advocated for the full citizenship and rights of freed slaves and strict policies against the former Confederate states.

Black Codes

Laws enacted in the South after the Civil War to regulate the behavior and rights of freed African Americans, often aimed at maintaining white supremacy and limiting their freedoms.

Vagrancy laws

Legislation that targeted unemployed African Americans and imposed fines or forced labor, further restricting their freedoms and perpetuating racial discrimination.

Sharecropping

A system of agriculture where tenant farmers, often former slaves, would work land owned by someone else and pay rent with a share of the crops produced, leading to economic dependency.

Lost Cause

A narrative that romanticizes the Confederacy and portrays the Civil War as a noble struggle for states' rights, while downplaying slavery's role.

Civil Rights Bill of 1866

Legislation aimed at protecting the rights of African Americans by granting citizenship and equal protection under the law, countering Black Codes.

14th ammendment

The amendment granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States and ensured equal protection under the law.

Military Reconstruction

The process initiated by Congress in 1867 to rebuild the Southern states after the Civil War, focusing on integrating formerly enslaved individuals into society and ensuring their rights.

Andrew Johnson

The 17th President of the United States who succeeded Abraham Lincoln and oversaw the initial phase of Reconstruction after the Civil War.

15th ammendment

The amendment granted African American males the right to vote, prohibiting the federal and state governments from denying this right based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Hiram Revels

The first African American to serve in the U.S. Congress, representing Mississippi in the Senate during Reconstruction.

Ku Klux Klan

A white supremacist hate group formed in the southern United States during Reconstruction, advocating for racial segregation and the suppression of African American rights.

Colfax Courthouse Massacre

A violent attack by white supremacists on African Americans in Colfax, Louisiana in 1873, resulting in numerous deaths and highlighting the struggle for Reconstruction-era rights.

KKK Act

A federal law passed in 1871 aimed at curbing the violence and intimidation perpetrated by the Ku Klux Klan, allowing the government to prosecute offenders and protect civil rights.

Redeemers

Southern Democrats who sought to restore white supremacy and reduce African American rights in the post-Reconstruction South, often through violence and intimidation.

Home Rule

The political system in the post-Reconstruction South where local Democratic governments regained control, often leading to the disenfranchisement of African Americans and the imposition of segregationist laws.

Slaughterhouse Cases, 1873

A series of Supreme Court cases that significantly limited the scope of the Fourteenth Amendment, ruling that it protected only against federal infringement of rights, not state actions.

Grandfather Clauses

Laws that allowed individuals to bypass literacy tests and other voting requirements if their grandfathers had voted before the Civil War, effectively disenfranchising African Americans.

Poll Taxes

Fees required for voting, often used to disenfranchise poor and minority voters in the South.

Literacy Tests

These were examinations that required voters to demonstrate reading and writing skills, often used to disenfranchise African Americans and poor voters.

Compromise of 1877

An unwritten deal that settled the 1876 presidential election and led to the withdrawal of federal troops from the South, effectively ending Reconstruction.