NW Period 5 Flashcards: 1844-1877, Civil War

Manifest Destiny

19th-century belief that the United States was destined to expand across the North American continent, often used to justify westward expansion and territorial acquisition.

Mexican-American War

Conflict between the United States and Mexico (1846-1848) over territorial disputes, resulting in significant territorial gains for the United States, including California, Texas, and the Southwest

Compromise of 1850

Series of legislative measures intended to address sectional tensions over slavery, including the admission of California as a free state and the implementation of popular sovereignty in the territories.

Fugitive Slave Act

1850 law requiring the capture and return of escaped enslaved people to their owners, intensifying tensions between the North and South over the issue of slavery.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

1854 law allowing settlers in the Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide on the issue of slavery through popular sovereignty, leading to violence and conflict in "Bleeding Kansas."

Dred Scott case

Landmark Supreme Court case (1857) in which the Court ruled that enslaved people were not citizens and could not sue in federal courts, further dividing the nation over the issue of slavery.

Harriet Tubman

African American abolitionist and conductor of the Underground Railroad, leading enslaved people to freedom in the North and Canada.

Underground Railroad

Network of secret routes and safe houses used by enslaved people to escape to free states and Canada, aided by abolitionists like Harriet Tubman

Oregon Treaty of 1846

Agreement between the United States and Britain establishing the boundary between the Oregon Territory and British North America (Canada) at the 49th parallel

Fifty-Four Forty or Fight

Slogan used by expansionists advocating for U.S. control of the Oregon Territory up to the 54°40′ parallel, leading to a compromise with Britain

Battle at the Alamo

1836 battle during the Texas Revolution in which a small Texan force defended the Alamo mission against a much larger Mexican army, resulting in a Mexican victory but inspiring Texan resistance.

James K. Polk

President known for his expansionist policies, including the annexation of Texas, the Mexican-American War, and the acquisition of California and the Southwest

Annexation of Texas

Incorporation of the Republic of Texas into the United States in 1845, leading to tensions with Mexico and eventually the Mexican-American War

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

1848 peace treaty ending the Mexican-American War, in which Mexico ceded vast territories to the United States, including California, New Mexico, and parts of Arizona, Colorado, and Utah.

Wilmot Proviso

Proposed amendment to a congressional appropriations bill (1846) that sought to prohibit slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico, heightening sectional tensions over the expansion of slavery

Stephen Douglas

Illinois senator and Democratic presidential candidate, known for his role in the Kansas-Nebraska Act and popular sovereignty, and for debating Abraham Lincoln during the Lincoln-Douglas debates.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

1852 novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe depicting the harsh realities of slavery and galvanizing Northern abolitionist sentiment.

Know-Nothing Party

Nativist political party of the 1850s, advocating for restrictions on immigration and political rights for immigrants, particularly Catholics

Bleeding Kansas

Period of violent conflict in Kansas (1854-1859) between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers, resulting from the Kansas-Nebraska Act and popular sovereignty.

John Brown

Radical white abolitionist known for his raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859, aimed at starting a slave rebellion, which ultimately failed and led to his execution

Election of 1860

Presidential election in which Abraham Lincoln, representing the newly formed Republican Party, won the presidency, leading to Southern secession and the Civil War.

Abraham Lincoln

16th President of the United States (1861-1865), known for his leadership during the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation, and efforts to preserve the Union.

Secession

Withdrawal of Southern states from the Union in 1860-1861, leading to the formation of the Confederate States of America and the Civil War

Emancipation Proclamation

Executive order issued by President Lincoln in 1863, declaring all enslaved people in Confederate-held territory to be free, changing the purpose of the Civil War to include the abolition of slavery.

Battle of Gettysburg

Major battle of the Civil War (1863) in Pennsylvania, resulting in a Union victory and a turning point in the war

Confederate States of America

Government formed by Southern states that seceded from the Union in 1861, leading to the Civil War

Jefferson Davis

President of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War, advocating for Southern independence and leading the Confederacy until its defeat.

Crittenden Plan

Compromise proposal to prevent Southern secession by extending the Missouri Compromise line to the Pacific, ultimately rejected by Republicans

Anaconda Plan

Union military strategy during the Civil War, aiming to blockade Confederate ports and control the Mississippi River to strangle the Confederacy.

Robert E. Lee

Confederate general during the Civil War, known for his tactical skill and leadership, commanding the Army of Northern Virginia.

Gettysburg Address

Speech delivered by President Lincoln in 1863 at the dedication of the Gettysburg battlefield cemetery, expressing the ideals of freedom, equality, and national unity.

Sherman's March to the Sea

Union military campaign led by General William Tecumseh Sherman (1864), aimed at destroying Confederate infrastructure and morale through a destructive march across Georgia.

Reconstruction

Period following the Civil War (1865-1877) focused on rebuilding the South, reintegrating former Confederate states into the Union, and addressing the status of newly freed African Americans.

Radical Republicans:

Faction of the Republican Party during Reconstruction advocating for harsher policies toward the South, including civil rights for freedmen and military occupation of former Confederate states.

Reconstruction Act of 1867

Congressional legislation dividing the South into military districts and implementing measures for readmitting former Confederate states to the Union, including African American suffrage and new state constitutions.

Carpetbaggers

Term used to describe Northerners who moved to the South during Reconstruction, often with political or economic motivations.

Scalawags

Southern whites who supported Reconstruction and the Republican Party, often seen as traitors by other Southerners.

Ku Klux Klan

White supremacist terrorist organization founded in the Reconstruction South, aimed at intimidating African Americans and their allies through violence and intimidation.

Compromise of 1877

Informal agreement resolving the disputed presidential election of 1876, leading to the withdrawal of federal troops from the South and the end of Reconstruction.

Freedmen

Formerly enslaved people who were emancipated during and after the Civil War, often facing challenges in securing their rights and freedoms.

Freedmen's Bureau

Federal agency established during Reconstruction to provide assistance to formerly enslaved people and impoverished whites, offering education, employment, and social services.

Black Codes

Laws passed by Southern states during Reconstruction to restrict the rights and freedoms of African Americans, enforcing segregation and maintaining white supremacy.

Sharecropping

Agricultural system prevalent in the South after the Civil War, in which landless farmers, often African Americans, rented land and paid with a share of their crops, perpetuating cycles of poverty and debt.

Thaddeus Stevens

Radical Republican leader in Congress during Reconstruction, advocating for civil rights for freedmen and harsh policies toward the South.

13th Amendment

Constitutional amendment ratified in 1865, abolishing slavery in the United States.

14th Amendment

Constitutional amendment ratified in 1868, granting citizenship and equal protection under the law to all persons born or naturalized in the United States.

15th Amendment

Constitutional amendment ratified in 1870, prohibiting the denial of voting rights based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.