u5 vocab

Webster-Ashburton Treaty

1842 agreement between the U.S. and Britain that settled border disputes in the Northeast and improved relations.

John O'Sullivan

Journalist who coined the term 'Manifest Destiny' to justify westward expansion.

Manifest Destiny

The belief that the U.S. was destined to expand across North America.

Oregon Trail

A route used by settlers traveling to Oregon in the mid-1800s.

54 40 or Fight

Slogan demanding U.S. control of Oregon up to the 54°40′ latitude.

Oregon Treaty (1846)

Treaty between the U.S. and Britain that set the Oregon boundary at the 49th parallel.

Treaty of Fort Laramie (1851)

Agreement between the U.S. and Native American tribes to allow safe westward migration.

Texas Revolution

War (1835-1836) where Texas fought for independence from Mexico.

Remember the Alamo

Battle cry honoring Texan defenders at the Battle of the Alamo.

Lone Star Republic

Texas as an independent nation (1836-1845) before joining the U.S.

James K. Polk

11th U.S. president, expansionist, led the Mexican-American War.

Mexican-American War

War (1846-1848) over Texas and western U.S. land disputes.

Civil Disobedience (Thoreau)

Thoreau's protest against war and slavery by refusing to pay taxes.

Mexican Cession

Land Mexico ceded to the U.S. after the Mexican-American War.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

1848 treaty ending the Mexican-American War, giving U.S. new territory.

Wilmot Proviso

Proposal to ban slavery in territories gained from Mexico.

Popular Sovereignty

Allowing states to decide on slavery through voting.

Free-Soil Party

Political party opposing slavery's expansion into new territories.

California Gold Rush

Mass migration to California after gold was found in 1848.

Forty-Niners

Gold seekers who moved to California in 1849.

Compromise of 1850

Laws balancing free and slave states, including California's admission.

Fugitive Slave Act

Law requiring escaped slaves to be returned to owners.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel exposing slavery's cruelty.

Commodore Matthew Perry

U.S. naval officer who opened Japan to trade.

Gadsden Purchase

U.S. bought land from Mexico for a railroad.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Allowed popular sovereignty in Kansas and Nebraska, undoing Missouri Compromise.

Republican Party

Political party founded to oppose slavery's expansion.

Bleeding Kansas

Violent conflicts over slavery in Kansas.

Lecompton Constitution

Pro-slavery Kansas constitution, rejected by Congress.

John Brown

Abolitionist who led violent raids against slavery.

Pottawatomie Massacre

John Brown's attack on pro-slavery settlers in Kansas.

Harper's Ferry

John Brown's failed raid to start a slave revolt.

Brooks-Sumner Incident

Senator Sumner was beaten by Congressman Brooks over slavery remarks.

Republican Platform

Party stance opposing slavery's expansion.

Democratic Platform

Supported states' rights and slavery's expansion.

Dred Scott Decision

Supreme Court ruling denying citizenship to enslaved people.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

1858 debates on slavery between Lincoln and Douglas.

Freeport Doctrine

Douglas's idea that states could block slavery despite the Dred Scott ruling.

House Divided Speech

Lincoln's speech stating the U.S. couldn't remain divided on slavery.

Anaconda Plan

Union strategy to blockade and strangle the Confederacy.

Fort Sumter

Site of the Civil War's first battle.

Conscription

Forced military service (draft).

First Battle of Bull Run

First major Civil War battle, Confederate victory.

Battle of Antietam

Bloodiest single-day battle of the Civil War.

Emancipation Proclamation

Lincoln's order freeing enslaved people in Confederate states.

Writ of Habeas Corpus

Protection against unlawful imprisonment.

Battle of Gettysburg

Major Union victory, turning point in the Civil War.

Gettysburg Address

Lincoln's speech honoring fallen soldiers and democracy.

Sherman's March

Union march through the South using total war tactics.

Total War

Warfare strategy targeting civilian and military resources.

13th Amendment

Abolished slavery in the U.S.

Appomattox Court House

Site of Confederate surrender in 1865.

The Freedmen's Bureau

Government agency aiding freed slaves post-war.

Compromise of 1877

Ended Reconstruction, withdrew federal troops from the South.