Dual Credit US HISTORY Final: SEMESTER 1

Plessy v. Ferguson

Supreme Court case that legalized segregation under “separate but equal,” strengthening Jim Crow laws.

Erie Canal

Man-made waterway connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic; boosted trade and helped New York City grow.

2nd Great Awakening & Reform Movements

Religious revival that inspired major reform movements like abolition, temperance, education reform, and women’s rights.

Declaration of Sentiments

Document from the Seneca Falls Convention demanding equal rights for women; modeled after the Declaration of Independence.

Nat Turner’s Rebellion

Slave uprising in Virginia that led to harsher slave laws and increased Southern fear of more revolts.

Manifest Destiny

Belief that Americans were destined to expand westward, leading to territorial growth and conflict.

Mexican American War Effects

U.S. gained large western territories; reignited debates about the expansion of slavery.

“Positive Good” of Slavery Argument

Belief by some Southern leaders that slavery was beneficial and morally justified.

Underground Railroad

Secret network that helped enslaved people escape to free states or Canada.

Dred Scott Decision

Supreme Court ruling that enslaved people were not citizens and Congress could not ban slavery in territories.

Causes of Civil War

Failed compromises, violent events like Bleeding Kansas, economic differences, and Lincoln’s election.

Emancipation Proclamation

Lincoln’s order freeing enslaved people in Confederate states and allowing Black men to join the Union Army

Gettysburg Address

Short speech by Lincoln emphasizing equality, unity, and the purpose of the Civil War.

Fort Sumter

First shots of the Civil War, marking the beginning of the conflict.

Battle of Gettysburg

Major turning point battle where the Union stopped a Confederate invasion.

Sherman’s March to the Sea

Union campaign using total war tactics to destroy Confederate resources.

Appomattox Court House

Site where Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant, ending the Civil War.

Reconstruction Amendments

13th: abolished slavery; 14th: citizenship/equal protection; 15th: voting rights regardless of race (for men).

Freedmen’s Bureau

Government agency assisting formerly enslaved people with education, food, jobs, and legal help during Reconstruction.

Compromise of 1876

Ended Reconstruction by withdrawing federal troops from the South in exchange for Hayes becoming president.