Period 5 Apush Study Cards

Manifest Destiny

The 19th-century belief that the United States was destined to expand its territory across the North American continent.

James K

The 11th President of the United States who played a key role in manifest destiny and westward expansion.

"Fifty-Four Forty or Fight!"

The slogan reflecting American expansionist desires to claim the entire Oregon Territory up to the latitude line of 54°40'.

Texas Annexation

The incorporation of the Republic of Texas into the United States in 1845, leading to tensions with Mexico and triggering the Mexican-American War.

Mexican-American War

The conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848, resulting in significant territorial gains for the U.S.

Wilmot Proviso

The proposal to prohibit slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico during the Mexican-American War, heightening sectional tensions.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the Mexican Cession

The treaty ending the Mexican-American War and resulting in Mexico ceding territories to the U.S.

Gadsden Purchase

The acquisition of a strip of land from Mexico in 1853 to facilitate the construction of a southern transcontinental railroad.

Ostend Manifesto

The diplomatic proposal suggesting the United States should purchase Cuba from Spain or consider taking it by force, raising concerns about Southern expansion and slavery.

Compromise of 1850, including Fugitive Slave Act details

The series of laws aimed at addressing the sectional divide over slavery, including the controversial Fugitive Slave Act.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel portraying the harsh realities of slavery, fueling anti-slavery sentiments in the North.

Kansas-Nebraska Act (and its relation to the Missouri Compromise)

The act that repealed the Missouri Compromise and established popular sovereignty in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska.

Republican Party

The political party that emerged in the mid-1850s, opposing the spread of slavery into new territories.

Bleeding Kansas

The violent clashes and political turmoil in the Kansas Territory during the 1850s, foreshadowing the Civil War.

Charles Sumner

A senator from Massachusetts and prominent anti-slavery figure who was brutally attacked on the Senate floor.

Dred Scott Supreme Court decision

The 1857 Supreme Court decision ruling that enslaved individuals remained property, heightening tensions between North and South.

John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry

Abolitionist John Brown's failed attempt to start a slave rebellion in 1859, increasing tensions between North and South.

Election of 1860

The election that led to Abraham Lincoln's presidency and prompted Southern states to secede from the Union.

Crittenden Compromise

A failed proposal to prevent Southern secession by extending the Missouri Compromise line and protecting slavery.

Emancipation Proclamation

President Lincoln's 1863 proclamation declaring enslaved individuals in Confederate-held territories to be free.

Gettysburg Address

President Lincoln's 1863 speech emphasizing equality and national unity.

Reasons the Union defeated the Confederacy in Civil War

Factors contributing to the Union's victory, including industrial superiority, effective leadership, and a larger population.

Homestead Act

The 1862 act providing public land to settlers for a small fee to encourage westward expansion.

13th Amendment

The 1865 amendment abolishing slavery in the United States.

Freedmen's Bureau

The federal agency established in 1865 to assist and protect newly freed African Americans during Reconstruction.

Black Education

Efforts to establish schools and educational opportunities for newly freed African Americans during Reconstruction.

Lincoln's 10% Plan

President Lincoln's Reconstruction plan offering amnesty to Southern states that pledged loyalty to the Union and accepted the abolition of slavery.

Wade-Davis Bill (1864)

A more stringent Reconstruction proposal requiring a majority of white males in Southern states to take an "ironclad" oath of allegiance and guarantee equal rights for freedmen.

Andrew Johnson versus the Radical Republicans (including Impeachment and Senate Trial)

President Johnson's clashes with Radical Republicans over Reconstruction policies, leading to his impeachment in 1868.

Black Codes

Discriminatory laws enacted by Southern states in the post-Civil War era, limiting the rights and freedoms of African Americans.

Civil Rights Acts of 1866

The first federal laws defining citizenship and affirming equal protection for all citizens.

Reconstruction Act of 1867

The act dividing the Southern states into military districts and requiring them to guarantee black male suffrage and ratify the 14th Amendment.

14th Amendment

The 1868 amendment granting citizenship and equal protection under the