The civil war

3/5 Compromise

An agreement during the Constitutional Convention that counted slaves as three-fifths of a person for taxation and representation purposes.

Missouri Compromise

A legislative agreement in 1820 that regulated the extension of slavery in the U.S., allowing Missouri to enter as a slave state and Maine as a free state.

Tariffs

Taxes on imported goods, which are paid by consumers and favored by northern manufacturers but opposed by southern agricultural interests.

Dred Scott Decision

A 1857 Supreme Court ruling that stated slaves could not be free by living in a free territory, upholding the legality of slavery.

Harper’s Ferry

The site of a 1859 raid led by John Brown aimed at initiating a slave revolt by seizing a U.S. military armory.

Secession

The act of withdrawing from an organization or political entity, particularly the southern states withdrawing from the Union.

Emancipation Proclamation

An executive order issued by President Lincoln in 1862, declaring the freedom of all slaves in the Confederate states.

Battle of Gettysburg

A pivotal battle fought from July 1-3, 1863, viewed as the turning point of the Civil War with a Union victory.

Appomattox Court House

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

Suspension of Habeas Corpus

A temporary act by President Lincoln to allow the arrest and detention of suspected spies, violating the right of due process.

African-American troops in Civil War

African-Americans, such as the Massachusetts 54th Regiment, fought for the Union Army, helping to reclaim Fort Sumter.

John Wilkes Booth

The assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, who murdered him at Ford's Theater in 1865.