Period 5 Vocab

abolitionist

a person who wanted to end slavery in the US

- started a significant movement in the US that led to the end of slavery

American Colonization Society

American organization dedicated to transporting freeborn black and emancipated slaves to Africa

- established Liberia

Amistad

a Spanish slave ship that was seized by revolting African slaves

- led to a dramatic US Supreme Court case that freed the slaves on the ship

Fugitive Slave Law

set high penalties for anyone who aided escaped slaves and compelled all law enforcement officers to participate in retrieving runaways

- strengthened the anti-slavery cause in the North

Hudson River School

an American art movement that portrayed North American nature and landscapes

- reflected themes of discovery, exploration, and settlement

Protestant Revivalism

a revival in protestant beliefs in the late 18th-early 19th centuries

- more people believed that each individual could reach salvation

Seneca Falls Convention

(1848) the first national women's rights convention at which the Declaration of Sentiments was written

- argued for the right of women to vote

shakers

a religious movement founded by Ann Lee Stanley that had elements of socialism

- lived in a shared community with separation of the sexes

temperance movement

a social movement against the consumption of alcoholic beverages

- resulted in the passage of the 18th amendment, which resulted in Prohibition

transcendentalism

a philosophy pioneered by Ralph Waldo Emerson in the 1830's and 1840's, in which each person has direct communication with God and Nature, and there is no need for organized churches

- greatly influenced literature

utopian societies

a group of small societies that appeared during the 1800s in an effort to reform American society and create a "perfect" environment

- wanted to improve life

compromise of 1850

five laws passed that dealt with the issue of slavery and territorial expansion

- meant to keep that slave vs free balance in the Senate

dred scott decision

declared that African Americans were not citizens of the United States and could not sue in federal courts

- extended federal protection of slavery

election of 1860

Lincoln was elected because the Democrats were split over the issue of slavery

- caused most slave states to secede from the Union

Fugitive slave act

(1850) a law that made it a crime to help runaway slaves; allowed for the arrest of escaped slaves in areas where slavery was illegal and required their return to slaveholders

- gave the federal government power over runaway slaves

Gold rush

a period from 1848 to 1856 when thousands of people came to California in order to search for gold

- prompted California to apply for statehood

Free Soil Movement

a political party with the main purpose of stopping the expansion of slavery in Western territories

- Abe Lincoln was a member of this party

Gadsden Purchase

Gadsden Purchase

an agreement between the US and Mexico in which the US paid Mexico $10 million for a small portion of what became Arizona and New Mexico

- provided a route for a trans-continental railroad

Harper´s Ferry

abolitionist John Brown attempted to seize weapons from the federal arsenal in order to arm the slaves to start a rebellion

- one of the immediate causes of the Civil War

Kansas-Nebraska Act

created Nebraska and Kansas as states and gave the people in those territories the right to choose to be a free or slave state through popular sovereignty

- led to Bleeding Kansas

Manifest Destiny

the belief that America had the "God-given" right to expand from sea to shining sea

- drove many of the purchases of the US of land

Mexican war

(1846-1848) the war between the United States and Mexico in which the United States acquired one-half of the Mexican territory

- the first armed US conflict chiefly fought on foreign soil

oregon trail

pioneer trail that began in Missouri and crossed the great plains into the Oregon country

- more than 3,000 migrants used it

popular sovereignty

notion that the sovereign people of a given territory should decide whether to allow slavery

- largely opposed by the North

republican party

political party that believed in the non-expansion of slavery and consisted of whigs, northern democrats, and free-soilers

- Abe Lincoln represented it

the Alamo

a fortress in Texas where 400 American volunteers were slain by Santa Anna in 1836

- is one of the most symbolic freedom battles in US history

transcontinental railroad

a railroad connecting the west and east coasts of the continental US, finished in 1869

- made traveling over the country much easier and safer

treaty of guadalipe-hidalgo

treaty that ended the Mexican War, granting the US control of Texas, New Mexico, and California in exchange for $15 million

- Mexico ceded 55% of its territory

wilmot proviso

1846 proposal that outlawed slavery in any territory gained from the war with Mexico

- effectively nullified the Missouri Compromise

young america

coined by Ralph Waldo Emerson; new era of commercial development, technological progress, and territorial expansion led by progressive new young generation

- celebrated America's unique strengths and virtues

antietam

the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil; it was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with almost 23,000 casualties

- afterwards, Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation

appomattox court house

the site of the surrender of the Confederate Army under Robert E. Lee to Union commander Ulysses S. Grant

- the end of the Civil War

bull run

first major battle of the Civil War and a victory for the South

- dispelled Northern illusions of a swift victory

emancipation proclamation

declared all slaves in rebelling states to be free but did not affect slavery in non-rebelling border states

- closed the door on a possible compromise with the South

fort sumter

South Carolina location where Confederate forces fired the first shots of the Civil War in April of 1861, after Union forces attempted to provision the fort

- started the Civil War

battle of gettysburg

1863, this three day battle was the bloodiest of the entire Civil War, ended in a Union victory, and is considered the turning point of the war

- the South never again managed to invade the North

gettysburg address

a 3-minute address by Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War (November 19, 1963) at the dedication of a national cemetery on the site of the Battle of Gettysburg

- reflected Lincoln's belief that this was a fight for freedom and equality for all

greenbacks

paper money issued by the government during the Civil War

- intended to help finance the Civil War

homestead act

the 1862 act that gave 160 acres of free western land to any applicant who occupied and improved the property

- led to the rapid development of the American west

march to the sea

the campaign of total war waged by General William Tecumseh Sherman following the capture and burning of Atlanta intended to cripple the Confederacy

- they destroyed anything of any importance to the war effort

morrill land grant act

set aside federal lands to create colleges to benefit the agricultural and mechanical arts

- was intended to give people of color access to education

atlanta compromise

a speech made by Booker T. Washington that outlined the philosophy that blacks should focus on economic gains, go to school, learn skills, and work their way up the social ladder

- also argued that the southern whites should help them

black codes

laws passed throughout the south to restrict the rights of emancipated blacks, particularly with respect to negotiating labor contracts

- increased northerner's criticisms of president Andrew Jackson's lenient reconstruction policies

carpetbaggers

northerners who moved south after the war during reconstruction

- they were thought to be exploiting the locals for their own financial/political/social gain

compromise of 1877

Rutherford B. Hayes was awarded the presidency in exchange for removing federal troops from the south

- settled the disputed 1876 presidential election

crop-lien system

farmers used harvested crops to pay back their loans

- allowed farmers to get more credit

enforcement acts

prohibited states from discriminating against voters on the basis of race and gave the federal government the power to supersede the state courts and prosecute violations of the law

- intended to protect African Americans with federal power

reconstruction amendments (13th, 14th, 15th)

abolished slavery, gave citizenship to all people born in the US, and gave Black Americans the right to vote

- they weren't enforced for a while

freedmens bureau

created to aid newly emancipated slaves by providing food, clothing, medical care, education, and legal support

- had a major impact on the education field

jim crow laws

state or local laws that enforced/legalized racial segregation

- intended to keep African Americans from assimilating into white culture

ku klux klan

a secret society created by white southerners in 1866 that used terror and violence to keep African Americans from obtaining their civil rights

- tried to keep African Americans from using their new freedoms

new south

a vision of a south that wouldn't be dependent on slavery or cotton but rather an industrialized, integrated part of the nation's economy

- agriculture continued to be the primary economic activity

panic of 1873

a world wide depression that began in the United States when one of the nation's largest banks declared bankruptcy, leading to the collapse of thousands of banks and businesses

- triggered the first "great depression" in the US

plessy v. ferguson

upheld the constitutionality of segregation laws, saying that as long as blacks were provided with "separate but equal" facilities, these laws did not violate the 14th amendment

- prevented constitutional challenges to racial segregation for more than 50 years

radical republicans

congressional group that wished to punish the south for its secession from the Union

- pushed for measures that gave economic and political rights to newly freed blacks in the south and made it difficult for former confederate states to rejoin the Union

reconstruction bills

divided the south into five military districts, disenfranchised former confederates, and required that southern states ratify the 14th amendment and write state constitutions granting freedmen rights

- outlined the terms for readmission to the Union

scalawags

derogatory term for pro-Union southerners whom southern democrats accused of plundering the resources of the south in collaboration with republican governments after the civil war

- joined with reconstruction, freedmen, and carpetbaggers

sharecropping

an agricultural system that emerged after the civil war in which black and white farmers rented land and residences from a plantation owner in exchange for giving him a certain "share" of each year's crop

- pushed poor farmers far into debt

wade-davis bill

a proposal that declared the reconstruction of the south was a legislative, not executive, matter

- an attempt to weaken the power of president Lincoln

Manifest Destiny

the 19th century American belief that the United States was destined to expand across the continent. It was used by Democrats in the 1840s to justify the war with Mexico; the concept was denounced by Whigs, and fell into disuse after the mid-19th century. First used for the annexation of Texas issue. Opposed by Clay, Webster and Lincoln, but supported by Polk.

Clipper Ship

Second quarter of 1800s. Long, narrow, wooden ships with tall masts and enormous sails. Unequalled in speed and were used for trade, especially for transporting perishable products from distant countries like China and between the eastern and western United States.

Matthew Perry

Commodore who steamed into harbor Tokyo in 1854; said "We have met the enemy and they are ours: two ships, two brigs, one sloop and a schooner."; persuaded the Japanese in 1854 to sign a memorable treaty

Missionary

a person sent on a religious mission, especially one sent to promote Christianity in a foreign country.

Nativism

An anti-foreign feeling that arose in the 1840s and 1850s in response to the influx of Irish and German Catholics.

Know Nothing Party

aka the American Party; major political force from 1854-1855; objective: to extend period of naturalization, undercut immigrant voting strengths, and keep aliens in their place

Gold Rush

in California that brought thousands to the newly claimed California territory. California quickly became a state in 1850 along with the compromise of 1850. San Francisco grew from a little town to a booming city in a very short amount of time. People came to California from all over the world struck up a relationship with the Chinese people.

Homestead Act

Act of 1862 that permitted any citizen or prospective citizen to claim 160 acres of public land and to purchase it for a small fee after living on it for five years.

Mariano Vallejo

-Encouraged Bear Flag Report

-military and political leader in California, serving the Mexican government until 1846; elected senator to the first state legislature 1849.

Sand Creek Massacre

an attack on a village of sleeping Cheyenne Indians by a regiment of Colorado militiamen on 29 November 1864 that resulted in the death of more than 200 tribal members

Little Big Horn

A battle in Montana near the river named after this between United States cavalry under Custer and several groups of Native Americans (1876); Custer was pursuing Sioux led by Sitting Bull; Custer underestimated the size of the Sioux forces (which were supported by Cheyenne warriors) and was killed along with all his command

Minstrel Shows

was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the Civil War, black people in blackface. They lampooned black people as dim-witted, lazy, buffoonish, superstitious, happy-go-lucky, and musical.

Kansas Nebraska Act

This Act set up Kansas and Nebraska as states. Each state would use popular sovereignty to decide what to do about slavery. People who were pro-slavery and antislavery moved to Kansas, but some antislavery settlers were against the Act. This began guerrilla warfare.

Dred Scott Decision

A Missouri slave sued for his freedom, claiming that his four year stay in the northern portion of the Louisiana Territory made free land by the Missouri Compromise had made him a free man. The U.S, Supreme Court decided he couldn't sue in federal court because he was property, not a citizen.

Free Soil Party

organized by anti-slavery men in the north, democrats who were resentful at Polk's actions, and some conscience Whigs. It was against slavery in the new territories. They also advocated federal aid for internal improvements and urged free government homesteads for settlers. It foreshadowed the emergence of the Republican party.

Radical Republicans

self proclaimed radicals in their opposition to the likes of Abraham Lincoln and the likes of moderates and the conservative factions. They were strongly abolitionists, and after the war was done they wanted strict punishment to the ex-Confederates as well as voting rights for the new Freedman. They also passed their own Reconstruction plan thru Congress but it was vetoed by Lincoln.

Hiram Revels

He was the first African-American senator, elected in 1870 to the Mississippi seat previously occupied by Jefferson Davis. Born to free black parents in North Carolina, he worked as a minister throughout the South before entering politics. After serving for just one year, he returned to Mississippi to head a college for African American males.

Robert Smalls

famous black leader of Civil War-Reconstruction era, hijacked Confederate ship and surrendered it to the Union, later elected into U.S. Congress

Blanche Bruce

An American politician. He represented Mississippi as a U.S. Senator from 1875 to 1881 and was the first black to serve a full term in the Senate.

Battle of Gettysburg

Turning point of the War that made it clear the North would win. 50,000 people died, and the South lost its chance to invade the North.

Wilmont Proviso

Proposal to prohibit slavery in any land acquired in the Mexican War, but southern senators, led by John C. Calhoun of South Carolina, defeated the measure in 1846 and 1847. It Failed

Ostend Manifesto

took place in 1854. A group of southerners met with Spanish officials in Belgium to attempt to get more slave territory. They felt this would balance out congress. They tried to buy Cuba but the Spanish would not sell it. Southerners wanted to take it by force and the northerners were outraged by this thought.

Stephen Austin

son of Moses Austin; took up his dream; learned Spanish and established a colony where there was no 'drunkard, gambler, profane swearers, or idler; even banished some families for being undesirable and ordered public flogging; Mainly Scot-Irish made up most of the colony;

Aroostook War

Boundary dispute between US/Canada. Near the river with the same name as this war , Canadian lumberjacks were sent to work and Maine's Americans tried to eject them. Canada wanted to send an army but General Scott prevented this. It was solved by the Webster-Ashburton Treaty in 1842.

Winfield Scott

General-in-Chief of the Union Army, 3 part strategy for winning the war- US navy used to blockade Southern ports and cut off essential supplies from reaching South (Anaconda Plan), Divide the Confederacy in two by taking control of the Mississippi River, Raise and train an army 500000 strong to take Richmond

John Fremont

Republican, "Pathfinder of the West", "Kansas-less", Against extension of slavery in territories. an american military officer, explorer, the first candidate of the republican party for the office of president of the united states, and the first presidential candidate of a major party to run on a platform in opposition to slavery.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

(1848) Ended Mexican-American War; Mexico gave up all claims to land from Texas to California for $15 million

Clayton-Bulwar Treaty

Signed by Great Britain and the United States, it provided that the two nations would jointly protect the neutrality of Central America and that neither power would seek to fortify or exclusively control any future isthmian waterway. Later revoked by the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty of 1901, which gave the United States control of the Panama Canal.

Gadsden Purchase

Acquired additional land from Mexico for $10 million to facilitate the construction of a southern transcontinental railroad.

Walker Expedition

William Walker, a southern adventurer, tried to take Baja California from Mexico in 1853; took Nicaragua to develop a proslavery empire but collapsed when he was killed by Honduran authorities

Free-Soil Movement

1848-1852 A political party with the main purpose of stopping the expansion of slavery in western territories, arguing free men on free soil.

"Bleeding Kansas"

Kansas was being disputed for free or slave soil during 1854-1857, by popular sovereignty. In 1857, there were enough free-soilers to overrule the slave-soilers. So many people were feuding that disagreements eventually led to killing in Kansas between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces.

Lecompton Constitution

The pro-slavery constitution suggested for Kansas' admission to the union. It was rejected.

Pottawatomie Creek

In reaction to the sacking of Lawrence by pro-slavery forces, John Brown and a band of abolitionist settlers killed five pro-slavery settlers north of Pottawatomie Creek in Franklin County, Kansas

Popular Sovereignty

The concept that political power rests with the people who can create, alter, and abolish government. People express themselves through voting and free participation in government

Lewis Cass

Named father of "popular sovereignty." Ran for president in 1848 but Gen. Taylor won. The north was against Cass because popular sovereignty made it possible for slavery to spread.

Compromise of 1850

This compromise signed by Millard Fillmore deals with disputed territory, and the controversy of whether California should join. The results were that California joined as a free state, and what was left of the Mexican Cession land became New Mexico and Utah, and did not restrict slavery. The compromise benefited the North more than the South.

Crittenden Compromise

a plan proposed in December 1860 attempting to save the Union; it would divide the western territories by using the old Missouri Compromise line

Fugitive Slave Law

Enacted by Congress in 1793 and 1850, these laws provided for the return of escaped slaves to their owners. The North was lax about enforcing the 1793 law, which irritated the South to no end. The 1850 law was tougher and was aimed at eliminating the underground railroad.

Underground Railroad

abolitionists secret aid to escaping slaves, a system that helped enslaved African Americans follow a network of escape routes out of the South to freedom in the North