APUSH Period 5 (1844-1877) - American Civil War

The time period of the American Civil War and the abolishment of slavery.

Manifest Destiny

The belief that the expansion of the United States across the American continents was both justified and inevitable.

Mexican War

A conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848, driven by the U.S. belief in Manifest Destiny, which resulted in significant territorial gains for the U.S.

Nativism

The political policy of promoting the interests of native inhabitants against those of immigrants. Nativism often involves a strong opposition to immigration and can lead to societal tensions.

Free Soil Movement

A political movement and party formed in the 1840s that opposed the expansion of slavery into the western territories, advocating for the rights of free men on free soil.

Abolitionists

Activists who sought to end slavery in the United States, often advocating for equal rights and opportunities for African Americans.

States’ Rights

The political doctrine asserting that states have the authority to govern themselves independently from federal oversight, often used to justify slavery and resist federal laws.

Mexican Cession

The region ceded to the United States by Mexico in 1848 following the Mexican-American War, which included present-day California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming.

Compromise of 1850

A set of legislative measures passed in 1850 aimed at resolving territorial and slavery disputes after the Mexican-American War. It included California's admission as a free state and the establishment of stricter fugitive slave laws.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

A 1854 law that created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, allowing settlers to determine if they would allow slavery through popular sovereignty, leading to significant conflict.

Dred Scott Decision of 1857

The 1857 Supreme Court ruling that declared African Americans were not citizens and that Congress had no authority to prohibit slavery in federal territories, intensifying the national debate over slavery.

Second Party System

Republican Party

A political party formed in the 1850s that opposed the expansion of slavery into the territories, drawing support from former Whigs, Free Soilers, and anti-slavery Democrats.

Election of 1860

The presidential election in which Abraham Lincoln was elected as the first Republican president, leading to several Southern states seceding from the Union.

Abraham Lincoln

The 16th President of the United States, who led the nation during the Civil War and issued the Emancipation Proclamation, abolishing slavery.

The Civil War

A conflict fought from 1861 to 1865 between the Northern states (Union) and Southern states (Confederacy) over issues including states' rights and slavery.

Union/Confederacy

Union consisting of the Northern states committed to preserving the nation and the Confederacy formed by the Southern states seeking independence.

Emancipation Proclamation

An executive order issued by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 that freed slaves in the Confederate states, redefining the purpose of the Civil War.

Gettysburg Address

A speech delivered by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery, emphasizing equality and the preservation of the Union.

Reconstruction

The period following the Civil War in which the United States sought to rebuild the South and integrate formerly enslaved individuals into society.

Radical Republicans

A faction within the Republican Party during Reconstruction that advocated for harsh policies against the South and strong protections for the rights of freedmen.

13th Amendment

The amendment that abolished slavery in the United States, ratified in 1865.

14th Amendment

The amendment that granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States and guaranteed equal protection under the law, ratified in 1868.

15th Amendment

The amendment that granted African American men the right to vote, prohibiting any state from denying this right based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude, ratified in 1870.

Sharecropping

An agricultural system that emerged after the Civil War where former slaves and poor whites would farm land owned by others in exchange for a share of the crop.