Antebellum America Flashcards

Flashcards about Antebellum America

Abolitionist Movement

Movement to end slavery, including Moderate and Radical factions.

Abraham Lincoln's Early Political Stance

As a member of the Whig Party, Lincoln was moderate on abolition early in his career.

Underground Railroad

A network of secret routes and safe houses used by enslaved African Americans to escape into free states and Canada. Harriot Tubman was a key figure.

Missouri Compromise of 1820-21

Agreement brokered by Henry Clay that regulated slavery in western territories.

1824 'Corrupt Bargain' Election

Controversial presidential election.

Founding of the Democratic Party

Founded by Senators Andrew Jackson (Tennessee) and Martin Van Buren (New York).

1828 Presidential Election

Election of Andrew Jackson.

Andrew Jackson's Populism and Anti-Intellectualism

Jackson's political appeal was rooted in populism and a distrust of intellectuals.

Spoils System

Practice of rewarding political supporters with government jobs.

President Jackson's governing philosophy

"Small government is best government" focusing on reduced federal bureaucracy and spending.

Nullification Crisis (1832-1833)

Confrontation between the federal government and South Carolina over tariffs.

Bank War (1832-1836)

Andrew Jackson's campaign against the Second Bank of the United States.

Federal Removal Policy of the 1830s and the Trail of Tears

Forced relocation of Native American tribes, resulting in immense suffering and death.

Formation of the Whig Party

Formed in the 1830s by Andrew Jackson's opponents: John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, and Daniel Webster; Start of the Second Political Party System.

Annexation of the Republic of Texas (December 1845)

Incorporation of Texas into the United States; a cause of the Mexican-American War.

President James K. Polk

U.S. President during the Annexation of the Republic of Texas and the causes of the Mexican American War of 1846-1848.

Abraham Lincoln's stance on the Mexican-American War

As a Whig Representative from Illinois, Lincoln opposed the war and voted against its declaration in 1846.

Oregon Treaty (June 1846)

Established the border between the United States and British North America (Canada).

Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo (1848)

Ended the Mexican-American War; significant territorial gains for the U.S.

Compromise of 1850

Series of laws addressing slavery: California admitted as a free state, slave markets closed in DC, Fugitive Slave Act, popular sovereignty in Mexican Cession territories.

Concept of Popular Sovereignty

The principle that the authority of a state and its government are created and sustained by the consent of its people, through their elected representatives.

Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854

Legislation that allowed popular sovereignty to decide the slavery issue in Kansas and Nebraska; sponsored by Senator Stephen A. Douglas.

Bleeding Kansas (1855-1856)

Violent conflict over slavery in the Kansas Territory.

Formation of the Republican Party

Formed in response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act; start of the Third Political Party System in the United States.

Dred Scott Case (1857)

Supreme Court decision that denied citizenship to enslaved people and declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional; Chief Justice Roger B. Taney.

Slave Power Conspiracy

The conspiracy theory that the South sought to control the federal government and expand slavery.

John Brown’s Raid on Harper’s Ferry (October 1859)

An attempt to start an armed slave revolt by seizing a federal arsenal; heightened tensions between North and South.