Studied by 6 people
Bleeding Kansas
Term that described the prairie territory where a small-scale civil war erupted between Jayhawkers and Border Ruffians in 1856
Caning of Sumner
Involved violence in the United States Senate and a bloody beating of a Senator with a cane
Compromise of 1850
A series of agreements between North and South that temporarily ignored the slavery controversy and led to a short-lived era of national good feelings
Constitutional Union Party
A compromise party in the election of 1860 looking to appease Northerners and Southerners
Crittenden Proposal
A last-ditch effort to save the union by providing guarantees for slavery in the territories
Dred Scott Decision
Ruled that blacks had no civil or human rights, and that Congress could not prohibit slavery in the territories because slaves were private property
Freeport Doctrine
Stephen Douglas’ statement that slavery could not exist in a community of local citizens did not pass laws (angering Southern Democrats
Fugitive Slave Act
The provision of the Compromise of 1850 that required all freedom seekers, upon capture, be returned to the enslaver and that citizens of free states had to cooperate.
Gadsden Purchase
1853 treaty in which the United States bought from Mexico parts of what is now southern Arizona and southern New Mexico
Harper's Ferry
Site of a federal arsenal where a militant abolitionist attempted to start a stave rebellion
Harriet Tubman
Prominent conductor of the Underground Railroad believed to have helped over 300 people find freedom
The Impending Crisis of the South
A southern book that argued how reliance on enslavement weakened Southern economy (while also asserting white supremacy)
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Legislation that created new territories and enraged many by repealing the Missouri Compromise of 1820
Manifest Destiny
The widespread American belief that God had ordained the United States to occupy all of North America
Oregon Treaty
Resolved the dispute between Britain and the U. S. over land in 1846 and set the border at the 49th parallel
Ostend Manifesto
Document that threatened war with Spain to gain control of Cuba - seen as an attempt to acquire enslaved territory
Peculiar Institution
Southern justification of enslavement as unique to only those in Southern society
Popular Sovereignty
Principle that people living in a territory should decide if a region should be free or enslaved
Slidell Mission
The United States’ offer to Mexico to purchase California and New Mexico for $25 million
Stephen Austin
Brought 300 families into Texas, beginning a steady migration of American settlers to the vast territory
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
Treaty ending the Mexican-American War, acquiring about half of Mexico and payment of several million dollars in compensation
Treaty of Kanagawa
Agreement that established diplomatic relationship between the U.S. and Japan and opened up U.S. trade with Japan.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Influential book depicting enslavement’s vicious treatment that created strong opposition to slavery
Underground Railroad
The informal network that conducted freedom seekers from the South to Canada
Wilmot Proviso
Controversial proposal which passed the House but not the Senate, stipulating that enslavement should be forbidden in the territory acquired from Mexico
Emancipation Proclamation
Closed the door on possible compromise with the South
Ku Klux Klan
Paramilitary group that terrorized freedmen and sympathetic whites throughout the South after the Civil War
Sharecropping
Dominant form of southern agriculture where a person rents land from a plantation owner in exchange for giving a certain portion of each year’s crop
Conscription Act
Legislation that drafted men into the armed forces on a nationwide scale and whose provisions were grossly unfair to the poor
Habeas Corpus
Lincoln suspended this in Maryland to give military authorities the necessary power to silence dissenters
Substitute Provision
Enabled rich northerners to hire poorer individuals for $300 to take their place in the draft
New York City Drafts Riots
Occurring in 1863, violent reaction opposing conscription
Gettysburg Address
Reflected the struggle against enslavement as the fulfillment of America’s democratic ideals
Compromise of 1877
An informal arrangement that ended the Reconstruction Era in the South
Redeemers
Southern White Democrats who took control of state governments after reconstruction
Republicans
Issues of slavery, western settlement, and anti-immigrant nativism fostered the emergence of this largely Northern political party
Freedman’s Bureau
Federal agency that greatly assisted blacks educationally, but Congress refused to adequately fund it
Clara Barton
Known as the “Angel of the Battlefield” and founded the American Red Cross
Hiram Revels
Representing Mississippi, he was the first African American to serve in Congress
54th Massachusetts
Famous group of African American soldiers remembered for their bravery and fierce fighting against Confederate forces
Black Codes
The harsh southern state laws of 1865 that limited black rights and imposed restrictions to ensure a stable labor supply
10% Percent Plan
Lincoln's 1863 program for a rapid Reconstruction of the South
Military Reconstruction Act
Congressional law that imposed military rule on the South and demanded harsh conditions for readmission of the seceded states
Scalawags
Derogatory term for white southerners who cooperated with the Republican Reconstruction governments
Carpetbaggers
Derogatory term for Northerners who came to the South during Reconstruction and sometimes took part in Republican state governments
Ex-Parte Milligan
Supreme Court ruling that military tribunals could not try civilians when the civil courts were open
Tenure of Office Act
A constitutionally questionable law, violated by President Johnson, that formed the official basis for his impeachment
13th Amendment
The constitutional amendment freeing all slaves
14th Amendment
The constitutional amendment granting civil rights to freed slaves and barring former Confederates for office
15th Amendment
The constitutional amendment guaranteeing black men the right to vote
