Political Conflict Over Slavery Practice Flashcards

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering major legislative compromises and conflicts regarding slavery in the mid-19th century United States.

1820 Missouri Compromise

An agreement where Missouri became a slave state, Maine became a free state, and a line was drawn west where all future states north of it would be free and south of it could have slavery.

President Polk

The U.S. President who campaigned and helped get Texas annexed.

Wilmot Proviso

A proposed law suggesting that no slavery should exist in newly acquired lands from the Mexican-American War.

John C. Calhoun

A political figure who argued that slavery cannot be banned by Congress or a territorial government in any territory.

Free Soil Party

A political party formed for the 1848 Presidential Election made up of Democrats and Whigs who were angry their parties were not addressing slavery.

Compromise of 1850

A deal brokered by Henry Clay where CA entered as a free state, other territories were open to slavery, the slave trade ended in DC, and a strong fugitive slave law was enacted.

Fugitive Slave Act

A law stating escaped slaves could be returned even from free states, made helping escaped slaves illegal, and allowed slave catchers to enter free states.

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

A proposal by Senator Steven Douglas that allowed people in the territories to vote on whether they wanted slavery.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle that people in a territory can vote to decide the legality of slavery themselves.

Border Ruffians

Armed pro-slavery individuals who entered Kansas to violently intimidate anti-slavery settlers.

John Brown

A radical abolitionist who led an attack that killed 5 pro-slavery people, contributing to the conflict known as 'Bleeding Kansas'.

Topeka, Kansas

The location where anti-slavery groups established a rival government after pro-slavery forces won the initial vote.