APUSH Vocab Unit 5

Trent Affair

1861 diplomatic crisis where the Union stopped a British ship and seized Confederate diplomats, nearly causing war with Britain.

Writ of Habeas Corpus

A legal order requiring the government to justify imprisoning someone; Lincoln suspended it during the Civil War.

Morrill Tariff Act

1861 law raising tariffs to protect Northern industry, angering the South.

Homestead Act

1862 law granting 160 acres of free land to settlers who farmed it for five years, encouraging westward expansion.

Jefferson Davis

President of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War.

Fort Sumter

South Carolina fort where the first shots of the Civil War were fired in April 1861.

Clara Barton

Nurse during the Civil War and founder of the American Red Cross.

Bull Run

First major battle of the Civil War; Confederate victory showed the war would be long and costly.

Thomas Jackson

Confederate general known for strong defense and battlefield leadership.

George McClellan

Union general criticized for being overly cautious; failed to aggressively pursue Confederate forces.

Emancipation Proclamation

1863 executive order by Lincoln freeing enslaved people in Confederate-held territory.

Thirteenth Amendment

Constitutional amendment (1865) that abolished slavery in the United States.

Robert E. Lee

Commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.

Copperheads

Northern Democrats who opposed the Civil War and wanted peace with the Confederacy.

Union Party

Political party formed during the Civil War to support Lincoln and the war effort (Republicans + War Democrats).

A.E. Burnside

Union general defeated at the Battle of Fredericksburg.

Freedmen's Bureau

Federal agency that helped formerly enslaved people with education, jobs, and legal assistance after the war.

10 Percent Reconstruction Plan

Lincoln's plan allowing Southern states to rejoin the Union when 10% of voters pledged loyalty.

Black Codes

Southern laws restricting the rights of freed African Americans after the Civil War.

Scalawags

White Southerners who supported Reconstruction and the Republican Party.

Carpetbaggers

Northerners who moved South during Reconstruction, often to participate in politics or business.

Force Acts

Laws allowing federal enforcement to protect African American voting rights and suppress the KKK.

Tenure of Office Act

Law restricting the president's ability to remove federal officials; led to Andrew Johnson's impeachment.

Andrew Johnson

17th president; opposed Radical Reconstruction and was impeached (but not removed).

William Seward

Secretary of State under Lincoln and Johnson; negotiated the purchase of Alaska.

Fifteenth Amendment

Constitutional amendment (1870) prohibiting voting discrimination based on race, color, or previous servitude.