ap united states history unit 5

Oregon Territory

territory of Oregon, Washington, and portions of what became British Columbia, Canada; land claimed by both U.S. and Britain and held jointly under the Convention of 1818

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

treaty that ended the Mexican War, granting the U.S. control of Texas, New Mexico, and California in exchange for $15 million

Manifest Destiny

belief that Americans had the right to spread across the continent

Compromise of 1850

agreement designed to ease tensions caused by the expansion of slavery into western territories

Gadsden Purchase

1853 purchase by the United States of southwestern lands from Mexico

Popular Sovereignty

belief that ultimate power resides in the people

California Gold Rush

1849 (San Francisco 49ers) Gold discovered in California attracted a rush of people all over the country and world to San Francisco

Underground Railroad

a system of secret routes used by escaping slaves to reach freedom in the North

Kansas Nebraska Act

a law that allowed voters in Kansas and Nebraska to choose whether to allow slavery

Uncle Tom's Cabin

a novel published by Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1852 which portrayed slavery as brutal and immoral

Bleeding Kansas

1856 a series of violent fights between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces in Kansas who had moved to Kansas to try to influence the decision of whether or not Kansas would a slave state or a free state

Dred Scott v. Sandford

1857 Supreme Court decision that stated that slaves were not citizens; that living in a free state or territory, even for many years, did not free slaves; and declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional

Harper's Ferry

John Brown's scheme to invade the South with armed slaves, backed by sponsoring, northern abolitionists; seized the federal arsenal; Brown and remnants were caught by Robert E. Lee and the US Marines; Brown was hanged

Election of 1860

Lincoln, the Republican candidate, won because the Democratic party was split over slavery. As a result, the South no longer felt like it has a voice in politics and a number of states seceded from the Union

Gettysburg Address

1863 a speech given by Abraham Lincoln after the Battle of Gettysburg, in which he praised the bravery of Union soldiers and renewed his commitment to winning the Civil War; supported the ideals of self-government and human rights

Emancipation Proclamation

Proclamation issued by Lincoln, freeing all slaves in areas still at war with the Union

Freedman's Bureau

focus was to provide food, medical care, administer justice, manage abandoned and confiscated property, regulate labor, and establish schools

Lincoln's Reconstruction Plan

granted amnesty to those who took a loyalty oath, and statehood would be re-established if 10% of citizens took the oath. didn't pardon important military generals

Johnson's Reconstruction Plan

a plan that gave pardon to all those who took loyalty oaths. It punished plantation owners and forced states to abolish slavery before readmittance

Radical Reconstruction

reconstruction strategy that was based on severely punishing South for causing war

Ku Klux Klan

white supremacy organization that intimidated blacks out of their newly found liberties

Black Codes

southern laws designed to restrict the rights of the newly freed black slaves

Johnson's Impeachment Process (Tenure of Office Act)

this process was due to his violation of Johnson’s veto. Congress created and passed this act which limited the power of the president if deemed necessary to do so

Free Soil Party

a political party dedicated to stopping the expansion of slavery

Know Nothing Party

political party that was anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant

Republican Party

political party that believed in the non-expansion of slavery & consisted of Whigs, N. Democrats, & Free-Soilers in defiance to the Slave Powers

54th Massachusetts

first African American unit to fight a battle, to show the other soldiers that they could fight

Scalawags and Carpetbaggers

1) hoped to gain political offices with the help of the African-American vote and then use those offices to enrich themselves 2) Democrats that used an equally unflattering name for Northerners who moved to the South after the war

Reconstruction Act

1867 law that threw out the southern state governments that had refused to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment

Stephen Douglas

a moderate who introduced the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854 and popularized the idea of popular sovereignty

Commodore Matthew Perry

navy commander who became the first foreigner to break through the barriers that had kept Japan isolated from the rest of the world for 250 years

John Brown

an abolitionist who attempted to lead a slave revolt by capturing Armories in southern territory and giving weapons to slaves, was hung in Harper's Ferry after capturing an Armory

13th Amendment

abolished slavery

14th Amendment

declared that all persons born in the U.S. are citizens and are guaranteed equal protection of the laws

15th Amendment

gave African American men the right to vote