Chapter 1 Part 1: The Origins of the Civil War (1820–1850) – Slavery and Sectional Tensions

A set of question-and-answer flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture notes on federalism, sectional differences, slavery, abolitionism, compromise, and westward expansion up to 1850.

What is federalism?

A system where power is shared between state governments and the national government.

Name the three branches of the U.S. federal government and their primary functions.

Judicial: interpret laws; Executive: enforce laws; Legislative: make laws.

How did a new territory become a state in the early United States?

Apply for territorial status, elect a territorial government, reach a population threshold, then apply for statehood.

What did the 3/5ths Compromise determine about enslaved people?

Slaves would be counted as three-fifths of a person for representation in the House.

Compare the House of Representatives and the Senate in terms of members, terms, age, and representation.

House: 435 members, 2-year terms, age 25+, representation by population. Senate: 100 members, 6-year terms, age 30+, representation by the states (equal).

What is a political platform?

A party's declared principles or issues.

What were the Democrats' general positions on government and tariffs?

Small federal government, states' rights, opposed intervention, supported lower tariffs.

What were the Whigs' general positions on government and tariffs?

Favored federal government intervention in economic and social matters, supported higher tariffs.

What is a tariff and what is a potential downside?

A tax on imported goods; can protect domestic industries but raise prices and provoke retaliation.

What is patronage in 19th-century politics?

Giving jobs or privileges to supporters.

Name the key North–South economic differences in the antebellum era.

North: industry, higher population, immigrants, railroads; South: agriculture with slave labor.

What were common cultural differences between the North and South?

North: more urban and open to new ideas; South: more rural and conservative, with 'Southern chivalry' ideals.

Why did abolitionism grow in the North?

Moral condemnation of slavery by Protestants and Enlightenment ideals of liberty and equality.

What was the impact of the cotton gin?

1793 invention that made cotton highly profitable and increased demand for slave labor (King Cotton).

Who was Frederick Douglass?

Born a slave in Maryland (1818), abolitionist reformer, author of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and speaker on emancipation.

What was The Liberator and who founded it?

Abolitionist newspaper founded by William Lloyd Garrison in 1831."

How did the Second Great Awakening relate to abolitionism?

It heightened moral opposition to slavery in the North but did not unify all groups; abolitionist activity often faced opposition.

What was Nat Turner’s Rebellion and its significance?

1831 slave revolt in Virginia that intensified Southern fears of abolition and led to harsher slave laws.

How many enslaved people and free Blacks lived in 1860 in the United States (roughly)?

About 4 million enslaved; roughly 250,000 free Blacks in the South and about 200,000 in the North.

What did the Wilmot Proviso propose and what was the outcome?

1846 proposal to ban slavery in the Mexican Cession; passed the House but failed in the Senate—showed sectional voting.

What is the Calhoun Doctrine?

1847 doctrine claiming Congress could not regulate slavery in territories; slaves could be taken as property; argued for states’ rights and secession if violated.

What is popular sovereignty and who advocated it?

Idea that settlers in a territory should decide by vote whether slavery would exist there; advocated by Lewis Cass and Stephen Douglas.

Who were the main candidates in the 1848 election and their parties?

Zachary Taylor (Whig), Lewis Cass (Democrat), Martin Van Buren (Free Soil).

What was the status of California and New Mexico under the 1850 Compromise?

California admitted as a free state; Utah and New Mexico organized as territories with slavery to be decided later; slave trade banned in D.C.; stronger Fugitive Slave Act; Texas debt resolved in exchange for land."

What is the Fugitive Slave Act and why was it controversial?

Law requiring the return of escaped slaves and penalizing those who aided them; heightened tensions between sections.

What was the 1850 Compromise and why did it matter?

A package of measures to resolve the crisis: CA free state; territories of Utah and NM; end of slave trade in DC; Fugitive Slave Act; Texas debt settlement; temporarily preserved union.

What did the Mexican War and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo contribute to the slavery debate?

Gained new territories (California and NM/parts of the region); intensified debates over whether new lands would be free or slave states.