fire-eaters
impassioned southern nationalists
Lewis Cass
War of 1812 veteran, Democratic candidate in 1848; while Democrats remained silent on slavery, he was the father of popular sovereignty
popular sovereignty
doctrine that stated that the sovereign people of a territory, under the general principles of the Constitution, should themselves determine the status of slavery
Zachary Taylor
Whig nominee of 1848 who relied on virtue rather on policy
Free Soil Party
third party in the Election of 1848, formally against slavery
Martin Van Buren
Free Soil candidate in 1848
New York
state that swung the election to Taylor since too many people voted for the Free Soilers over the the Democrats
American River
where gold was found near Sutter’s Mill, CA in 1848
California gold rush
attracted tens of thousands of people to California, where many did not make incredible profits
South
politically and economically strongest region in the United States
Harriet Tubman
Most famous “Conductor” of the underground railroad
Nashville
Where southerners announced they would meet in 1850 to consider withdrawing from the Union
John Calhoun
His last formal speech, given in response to the Nashville convention, predicted that slavery would destroy the Union, called to leave slavery alone and restore the political balance, and proposed to elect two presidents: one from the North and one from the South
Seventh of March
Daniel Webster’s speech that argued that God made slavery nonexistent in the Mexican Territory through climate and geography, so compromise and concession were necessary
Young Guard
group of new leaders in Congress from the North who were more interested in purifying the United States and eliminating slavery than in compromise
William Seward
New York Senator who called for an even “higher law” than the Constitution when discussing slavery; one of the Young Guard
Millard Fillmore
Replaced Zachary Taylor as president in 1850 when Taylor died
Compromise of 1850
deal that accepted California into the Union as a free state, let New Mexico and Utah decide on slavery through popular sovereignty, gave Texas $10 million to pay off its debts, and set up the Fugitive Slave Law in the North
Fugitive Slave Law
prevented fleeing slaves from testifying on their own behalf without a jury and forced any Northerner to join the slave-catchers
Franklin Pierce
Democrat nominee in 1852, the second dark horse candidate in American history; he was eager to continue Polk’s territorial expansion and endorsed the Compromise of 1850
Winfield Scott
Whig nominee in 1852, an able general; supported the Compromise of 1850, but not enthusiastically
Whigs
party that disappeared after the Election of 1852 over the issue of slavery
Clayton-Bulwer Treaty
1850 agreement that avoided confrontation with Britain that said that neither the US nor Britain would try to fortify any future isthmian waterways
Cuba
America tried to buy this sugar rich country, owned by Spain, in order to expand south and possibly split it into several states to equal the balance of power in the Senate
Ostend Manifesto
secret plan to buy Cuba from Spain, and if Spain refused the $120 million, then the U.S. would be justified in taking it by force; this failed when the North found out
Opium War
series of conflicts between Britain and China that ended with Britain gaining free access to five ports and control of Hong Kong
Treaty of Wanghia
diplomatic agreement between China and Caleb Cushing that gave the U.S. “most favored nation” status; the first formal agreement between the two countries
Treaty of Kanagawa
diplomatic agreement between Japan and Matthew Perry, that provided for proper treatment of shipwrecked sailors, American coaling rights, and consular relations
Gadsden Purchase
$10 million land purchase with Mexico to help build a railroad connecting Texas to California
Stephen Douglas
wanted the railway to go through Chicago; organized the Kansas-Nebraska Act to make it happen
Kansas-Nebraska Act
conflicting with the Missouri Compromise, the Nebraska Territory would be split into Kansas and Nebraska, where slavery would be determined by popular sovereignty
Republican
party formed in response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, as both the Missouri Compromise and Compromise of 1850 were thrown out the window
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book that was a success at home and abroad; made many people aware of the horrors of slavery
New England Emigrant Aid Company
Anti-slavery organization that helped move northerners to Kansas in order to vote against slavery in the territory
Border Ruffians
slavery supports from Missouri that voted in the first territorial legislature elections in Kansas, resulting in two governments in Kansas
John Brown
abolitionist in Kansas that, with a band of followers, killed five men and started a civil war in Kansas
Lecompton Constitution
document in Kansas that regardless of whether people voted with slavery or against it, there would still be slavery in Kansas, and as a result the Kansas state constitution was approved with slavery in 1857
Charles Sumner
attacked by Preston S. Brooks of South Carolina with a cane on the Senate floor
James Buchanan
Democrat nominee in 1856, a minister to London during the Kansas drama and so not tainted by it
John Fremont
Republican candidate in 1856, the Pathfinder of the West
Millard Fillmore
Know-Nothing party’s 1856 candidate, whose antiforeign and anti-Catholic old Whig supports cut into Republican strength
Dred Scott
black slave that moved from Missouri to Illinois and sued for his freedom; the Supreme Court ruled that black people could not sue in federal courts and that slaves could be taken anywhere, regardless of local slavery rules
Roger Taney
Supreme Court justice who ruled on the Dred Scott case
Panic of 1857
caused by inpouring California gold inflation and overstimulated the growth of grain for the Crimean War while overspeculating land and railroads
North
Who was hardest hit by the Panic of 1857 because they did not export much abroad
160
As a result of the Panic of 1857, many people called for free farms of this many acres from the public domain
Tariff of 1857
passed just before the Panic of 1857, this reduced duties to about 20% to appease the South
Freeport
most famous Lincoln-Douglas debate took place here, where Lincoln asked if people already voted down slavery, did the Dred Scott decision apply? Who prevails, the Court or the people?
Freeport Doctrine
Douglass’ reply to Lincoln stating that regardless of what the Court ruled, slavery would stay down if people voted it down; this bit Douglas in the presidential election of 1860
Harper’s Ferry
located in Western Virginia where a federal arsenal was seized by Brown and several of his men and several people were killed; ended when Robert E. Lee captured Brown
Constitutional Union Party
middle-of-the-road third party in the Election of 1860, nominating John Bell for president; the “Do Nothings”
less
Did Abraham Lincoln win more or less than 50% of the vote?
Breckinridge
Ran for president in 1860 for the southern Democrats
South Carolina
four days after the election of Lincoln, this state called for a special convention and voted to leave the Union
John Crittenden
Kentucky Senator that tried for one last compromise on slavery after the Election of 1860
Crittenden amendments
Series of proposed amendments to the Constitution designed to appease the South after South Carolina seceded; they included federal protection for slavery in all southern states and future northern states would have to choose whether to allow slavery; flatly rejected by Lincoln
Jefferson Davis
President of the Confederacy
no
Did Buchanan send in the military to stop secession?
Declaration of Independence
From which document did southern states reference the principle of self-determination and nationalism to justify leaving the Union?
the South provoked it
In his first inaugural address, Lincoln made it clear that there would be no conflict unless?
payment of national debt, control over joint territories, fugitive slave laws
What were the three controversies between the North and South in 1860?
Fort Sumter
The first shots fired in the Civil War were at this fort in South Carolina after Lincoln decided to provision it (not reinforce it)
Richmond
Capital of the Confederate States of America
Border States
the important states of Missouri, Maryland, Delaware, and especially Kentucky that had slaves but did not leave the Union
Ohio River
important river that flows along the northern border of Kentucky and has two tributaries that flow into the South, making keeping Kentucky important for Lincoln
to preserve the Union
What was Lincoln’s initial reason for fighting the Civil War?
Confederacy
Which side did the Five Civilized Tribes fight for?
South
Which side had more talented officers when the Civil War broke out?
Cotton
Which crop, exported to Britain, did the South believe would lead to Britain assisting the South? Britain ultimately did not need it as the South produced a surplus and found it elsewhere
North
Which side had the better economy, better control of the sea, and better railroads once the Civil War broke out?
wheat and corn
What did the North export that was more important than cotton to hungry British workers?
Trent
British mail streamer which was stopped by a Union warship and found to hold two Confederate diplomats
Alabama
British-built commerce raider, manned by Britons, that flew the Confederate flag
Dominion of Canada
established by the British Parliament in 1867 to bolster Canadians politically and spiritually against the United States
Mexico City
During the Civil War, Emperor Napoleon III dispatched a French army to occupy this city in 1863 and set up his puppet, Austrian archduke Maximilian, as emperor of Mexico
yes
Did the Confederate government have to worry about states seceding from the Confederacy in the future?
Congress was not in session
Why was Lincoln able to increase his presidential powers not given in the Constitution when the Civil War began?
writ of habeus corpus
privilege that President Lincoln suspended, allowing Anti-Unionists to be arrested
$300
How much could northerners pay to get out of the Civil War draft?
20
How many slaves did a southerner need to oversee to be exempt from the draft?
New York
Fueled by antiblack and underprivileged Irish Americans, the worst anti-draft riots occurred here
Morrill Tariff Act
increased duties 5-10% after many antiprotection Southern members had seceded; used to raise money for the government and protect northern manufacturers
Greenbacks
paper money not backed by gold printed by the Washington Treasury, so its value was determined by the nation’s credit
runaway inflation
What made the South’s printed money useless?
National Banking System
authorized by Congress in 1863 to stimulate the sale of government bonds and establish a standard bank-note currency
millionaires
What class first appeared in the Civil War?
Elizabeth Blackwell
America’s first female physician, helped organize the U.S. Sanitary Commission to assist the Union armies on the field
decreased
Between the years 1860 and 1870, what happened to the South’s percentage of national wealth?
90
How many days did Lincoln envision his initial 75,000 militiamen would serve?
Bull Run
Lincoln thought that an attack here would demonstrate the superiority of Union arms; first battle of the Civil War; the Union lost the battle but ultimately this led to a drop in southern enlistments and won northern support
Thomas Stonewall Jackson
Confederate general who was integral at the Battle of Bull Run and was mistakenly killed by his own men at Chancellorsville
George McClellan
Union general who was given command of the Army of the Potomac, but would rather drill than move on Richmond
Peninsula Campaign
led by George McClellan, forced by Lincoln to approach Richmond
Seven Days’ Battles
Devastating counter attack by Robert E. Lee against George McClellan outside of Richmond during the Peninsula Campaign
total war
Union strategy that involved blockades, liberating slaves, seizing the Mississippi River, sending troops through Georgia and the Carolinas, capturing Richmond, and grind the enemy’s main strength into submission
Tennessee
Ulysses Grant’s victories at Ft. Henry and Ft. Donelson, in this state, led to his promotion to head of the Union Army
Shiloh
A Confederate victory at this gory battle confirmed that there would be no quick end to the Civil War
Merrimack
former U.S. warship plated with old iron railroad rails by the Southerners that threatened the Yankee blockading fleet
Monitor
built in 100 days, this Union ironclad fought the Merrimack to a draw, bringing about the end of the era of wooden warships
Maryland
Following the victory of the Second Battle of Bull Run, Robert E. Lee took his Confederate Army in to this state