AMH 1010 – Early American History – Final Exam Review

Flashcards covering key terms and concepts from early American history relevant for the final exam in AMH 1010.

Indian Removal Act

Legislation that authorized the forced removal of Native American tribes from their ancestral lands.

Tariff of Abominations

A controversial tariff that highlighted sectional conflicts within the United States in the 1830s.

Nullification

The dispute over whether states could nullify federal laws they deemed unconstitutional.

Force Bill

Legislation that authorized President Jackson to use military force to enforce federal laws.

The Bank War

Conflict over the renewal of the charter of the Second Bank of the United States, which President Jackson vetoed.

Poor white non-slaveholding farmers

The largest group of southern whites during the antebellum period.

Percentage of Southern white families owning slaves

Only about 25% of Southern white families owned slaves.

Antebellum Southern politics

Dominated by wealthy planters and pro-slavery ideology.

Southern defense of slavery

Non-slaveholders supported slavery for economic and social stability.

Paternalism

A societal structure where slaveholders viewed themselves as benevolent guardians of their slaves.

Manifest Destiny

The belief that American expansion across the continent was both justified and inevitable.

The Alamo

A pivotal battle site in Texas where a small group of American texians fought against Mexican forces.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

The treaty that ended the Mexican-American War and ceded significant territories to the U.S.

Wilmot Proviso

A proposal to ban slavery in territories acquired from Mexico.

Popular sovereignty

The principle that the settlers of a territory should determine if slavery would be allowed there.

Compromise of 1850

A series of laws intended to settle the slavery issue in the new territories.

Fugitive Slave Act

A law requiring the return of runaway slaves, which provoked Northern opposition.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

A novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe that depicted the harsh realities of slavery and galvanized anti-slavery sentiment.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Legislation that created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, allowing for popular sovereignty regarding slavery.

Dred Scott v. Sanford

A Supreme Court case that ruled slaves were property and not citizens, reinforcing pro-slavery statutes.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

A series of debates that brought Abraham Lincoln into the national spotlight and discussed the issue of slavery.

John Brown’s Raid

An attempt by abolitionist John Brown to initiate an armed slave revolt, increasing Southern fears of insurrection.

Jefferson Davis

The President of the Confederate States during the Civil War.

Fort Sumter

The site where the first shots of the Civil War were fired.

Resources of the Civil War

Each side had different advantages: the North had industrial resources; the South had strong military leadership.

Emancipation Proclamation

An executive order by Lincoln that freed slaves in rebellious states.

First Modern War

The Civil War is characterized by its use of technology, trench warfare, and large-scale battles.

Unprecedented Carnage

The Civil War saw high casualties due to new military technology and tactics.

Habeas Corpus

Lincoln's suspension of this constitutional right allowed for the detention of dissenters without trial.

Appomattox Court House

The location where General Lee surrendered to General Grant, effectively ending the Civil War.

Major Battles in the East and West

Key battles such as Gettysburg and Antietam that were crucial in determining the war's outcome.

Solomon Northrup

Author of a slave narrative that highlighted the cruelty of slavery and helped influence public opinion.