Untitled Flashcards Set

Manifest Destiny

The belief that Americans had a God-given duty to expand and spread civilization and democracy across the continent.

Texas Revolution

The revolt led by Sam Houston against the Mexican dictator Santa Anna, which eventually led to Texas seeking annexation by the US.

Election of 1844

James K. Polk, a pro-annexation candidate, won the election, emphasizing territorial expansion including Oregon and California.

Mexican-American War

A conflict between the United States and Mexico (1846-1848) sparked by territorial disputes after the annexation of Texas.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

The 1848 treaty that ended the Mexican-American War, granting the US California and New Mexico in exchange for $15 million.

Wilmot Proviso

A proposed amendment aimed at prohibiting slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico; it was never passed.

Ostend Manifesto

A failed proposal to acquire Cuba from Spain, reflecting the desire for expansion based on plantation economics.

Gadsden Purchase

The 1853 acquisition of land from Mexico to facilitate a southern transcontinental railroad.

Free Soil Movement

A political movement opposing the expansion of slavery into the western territories, seeking economic opportunities for white settlers.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle allowing states to vote on whether or not to permit slavery, proposed by politician Lewis Cass.

Compromise of 1850

Legislation aimed at resolving territorial disputes over slavery by admitting California as a free state and establishing the Fugitive Slave Law.

Fugitive Slave Law

Part of the Compromise of 1850 that mandated the return of escaped slaves to their owners and was highly controversial in the North.

Underground Railroad

A network of secret routes and safe houses aiding enslaved African Americans to escape to free states.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

A novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe that exposed the harsh realities of slavery and heightened Northern anti-slavery sentiments.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

An 1857 Supreme Court case that ruled African Americans were not citizens and that Congress could not prohibit slavery in territories.

John Brown's Raid

An 1859 attempt by abolitionist John Brown to lead a slave revolt by capturing the armory at Harpers Ferry, which heightened tensions.

Secession

The act of Southern states withdrawing from the Union following the election of Abraham Lincoln, leading to the Civil War.

Civil War

A conflict (1861-1865) between the Northern states (Union) and Southern states (Confederacy) primarily over the issues of slavery and states' rights.

Emancipation Proclamation

An executive order by President Lincoln in 1863 that freed slaves in the Confederate states.

Reconstruction

The period following the Civil War focused on rebuilding the South and integrating freed slaves into society.

Black Codes

Laws passed in Southern states aimed at restricting the rights and freedoms of African Americans post-Civil War.

Radical Republicans

Factions within the Republican Party during Reconstruction that sought civil rights reforms and stricter measures against the South.

15th Amendment

Ratified in 1870, it guarantees the right to vote regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Compromise of 1877

An agreement that resolved the disputed 1876 presidential election, leading to the withdrawal of federal troops from the South and effectively ending Reconstruction.