The Failure of Compromise (Mexican-American War to the Civil War)

Flashcards covering key events, concepts, and societal structures leading up to the American Civil War from the Mexican-American War to the early 1860s.

What compromise method was used to address the debate over slavery before the 1840s?

Adding two states at a time, one free and one slave, to maintain balance in the Senate.

What was the social structure of the South before the Civil War?

It included the Planter Aristocracy, Yeoman Farmers, Poor Whites, Free Blacks, and Slaves.

What was one way Planter Aristocrats maintained their dominance in Southern society?

They controlled politics and society, owned significant wealth, and typically educated their children in Northern schools or abroad.

What was the significant outcome of the Wilmot Proviso?

It proposed that land gained from the Mexican War should be closed to slavery, creating significant controversy.

What was the Compromise of 1850?

A legislative arrangement that admitted California as a free state and established popular sovereignty for New Mexico and Utah, among other provisions.

How did the death of President Zachary Taylor impact the Compromise of 1850?

Millard Fillmore approved the Compromise, believing it would solve the issue of slavery in new territories.

What was the significance of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854?

It opened territories to popular sovereignty, leading to violent conflict known as 'Bleeding Kansas'.

What was the Dred Scott decision?

The Supreme Court ruled that Congress could not stop slavery anywhere, which delighted Southerners while outraging Northerners.

What did Abraham Lincoln argue in his 'House Divided' speech?

He stated that the country cannot endure being half slave and half free.

What was John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry and its impact?

It was an unsuccessful attempt to incite a slave uprising, leading Southerners to view him as a representative of the North.

What did Lincoln advocate during the election of 1860?

That slavery could remain where it already existed but could not spread into new territories.

What event marked the beginning of the Civil War?

The firing on Fort Sumter in April of 1861.