Key Topics in U.S. History: Civil War and Westward Expansion

Manifest Destiny

The belief that the U.S. was destined to expand westward across the continent.

Liberty Party

A political party dedicated to ending slavery.

Antebellum South Per Capita Investments

Invested primarily in land and enslaved people.

Artisan Slaves

Performed specialized labor crucial for plantation operations and urban economies.

Gullah Language

A Creole language blending African dialects and English.

Up Country Whites

Lived on subsistence farms, often resenting plantation elites.

Southern Lady/Sapphire Image

Expected to embody virtue, domesticity, and submission while maintaining class distinctions.

The Conjure Chest

A cursed chest tied to folklore and spiritual resistance.

The Liberator

A newspaper advocating immediate emancipation.

Abolitionism/Anti-Slavery Movement

Movements aimed to end slavery in the U.S.

Wilmot Proviso

Legislation attempting to ban slavery in territories gained from Mexico.

Henry Clay's Compromise of 1850

A series of laws addressing slavery and territorial expansion.

Popular Sovereignty

Allowed territories to vote on slavery.

Stephen A. Douglas

Advocate for the Kansas-Nebraska Act and popular sovereignty.

Bleeding Kansas

Violent clashes over slavery's legality in Kansas.

John Brown

Led violent anti-slavery uprisings, including the Harpers Ferry Raid.

Dred Scott Decision

Supreme Court ruled African Americans were not citizens and had no legal rights.

First Bull Run/First Manassas

The first major battle of the Civil War.

Emancipation Proclamation

Freed slaves in Confederate states.

Civil War Purpose

To weaken the Confederacy and redefine the war's purpose.

Civil War Focus Shift

Shifted the Civil War's focus to ending slavery.

Gettysburg Address

Speech honoring fallen soldiers and reaffirming national unity.

Gettysburg Address Date

1863.

Gettysburg Address Location

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Gettysburg Address Purpose

To inspire the Union cause and redefine American ideals.

Gettysburg Address Impact

Became a defining statement of democracy and equality.

Sherman's March to the Sea

A military campaign destroying Confederate infrastructure.

Sherman's March Date

1864.

Sherman's March Location

From Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia.

Sherman's March Purpose

To weaken Southern morale and war resources.

Civil War Medicine

Primitive medical practices during the Civil War.

Civil War Medicine Period

1861-1865.

Civil War Medicine Location

Battlefield hospitals and camps.

Lincoln's 10% Plan

A Reconstruction plan requiring 10% of Southern voters to pledge loyalty to the Union.

Lincoln's 10% Plan Date

1863.

Lincoln's 10% Plan Purpose

To reintegrate the South quickly and reunify the nation.

John Wilkes Booth

Assassinated Abraham Lincoln.

John Wilkes Booth Date

1865.

Freedmen's Bureau

A federal agency assisting freed slaves.

Freedmen's Bureau Period

1865-1872.

15th Amendment

Granted African American men the right to vote.

15th Amendment Date

1870.

Compromise of 1877

An agreement resolving the disputed 1876 presidential election.

Compromise of 1877 Date

1877.

Ku Klux Klan

Used terror to suppress African Americans and Reconstruction efforts.

Homestead Act of 1862

Provided free land to settlers in the West.

Homestead Act Date

1862.

Transcontinental Railroad

Connected the East and West coasts by rail.

Transcontinental Railroad Completion Date

Completed in 1869.

Wounded Knee

Massacre of Native Americans.

Wounded Knee Date

1890.