US History Chapter 2 Flashcards

History Alive! Pursuing American Ideals Chapters 8,9,10, and 11 TCI

Why is Shay's rebellion an important event in U.S. History

I led to passage of a new constitution

The greatest challenge for the delegates at the constitutional convention

balancing the interests of large and small states

What was one weakness of the Articles of Confederation?

Congress could not impose taxes

What was the long-term effect of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787?

Territories eventually became states

What idea did both the Virginia and New Jersey Plans include?

three branches of government

Following the American Revolution, what did Congress fear about a strong central government?

The rights for which people fought would be lost

What was the original purpose of the convention in May 1787?

to revise the Articles of Confederation

The delegates to the Constitutional Convention gave the job of choosing a chief executive to?

Electors chosen by the states.

What land was affected by the Land Ordinance of 1785?

land bound by the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and the Great Lakes

Why is James Madison known as the "Father of the Constitution"?

He was well prepared to lead the discussion at the convention.

The group that supported the new constitution

11. the Federalists?

The delegates to the Constitutional Convention agreed to establish a republic. Describes a republic?

a country led by elected representatives

What did the Great Compromise decide?

Representation in Congress

The number of members of what branch is affected by state population?

House of Representatives

What was the greatest concern of the opponents to the Constitution?

giving up state power to form a stronger Union

Describe a federal system of government?

Power is shared by the national and state governments.

Missouri Compromise

sponsored by House Speaker Henry Clay and passed by Congress in 1820: Missouri would enter the Union as a slave state and Maine would enter as a free state to preserve balance of power in Senate. Also "drew" a line at latitude 36 30' - north of which slavery was banned, south of which it was allowed.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

passed in 1854 to establish Kansas and Nebraska as territories with popular sovereignty (voters in those territories would decide whether or not to allow slavery)

Fort Sumter

a federal fort in Charleston harbor (South Carolina), where, on April 12, 1861, Southern forces fired on federal troops. Federal troops surrendered. This marked the beginning of the Civil War!

secession

formal withdrawal by a state from the Union

Compromise of 1850

introduced by Henry Clay passed by Congress in 1850: 1) California admitted into the Union as a free state, 2) the rest of the Southwest divided into 2 territories: New Mexico & Utah, with popular sovereignty on the issue of slavery (people decide), 3) ended slave trade in Washington, DC but allowed existing slaveholders there to keep their slaves, 4) included stronger Fugitive Slave Law (imposing fines, etc.)

Republican Party

US political party founded in 1854 by antislavery activists/settlers ("Free-Soilers"); formed to try to prevent slavery from spreading; they took a stand against the Fugitive Slave Law and the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Fugitive Slave Law

first passed in 1793 but modified as part of Compromise of 1850: established fines on federal officials who refused to enforce the law or from whom a runaway slave escaped, established fines on individuals who helped slaves escape, banned runaway slaves from testifying on their own behalf in court, and gave special commissioners power to enforce the law

Dred Scott decision

Slave whose owner moved to a Missouri (a free state) and kept Scott as a slave. Scott sued his owner (Scott vs. Sandford) but the Supreme Court ruled that enslaved Africans were not "men," and not entitled to equality; it also ruled that Scott wasn't a citizen of Missouri so wasn't entitled to file suit there. Also declared that slaves are "property," not people, and under the 5th amendment, private property is protected; therefore, the Missouri Compromise was ruled unconstitutional because citizens couldn't be prohibited from owning slaves. This case s unconstitutional and the incident increased tension in north.

sectionalism

a strong attachment to regional interests (loyalty to one's own region of the country, rather than to the nation as a whole)

Uncle Tom's Cabin

a novel written by HARRIET BEECHER STOWE in 1852 that described the cruelties of slavery through a slave named Uncle Tom; the book increased hostility that Northerners had toward the South.

John Brown's raid

a raid led by abolitionist John Brown in 1859 in hopes of seizing the federal arsenal (where guns/ammunition kept) at Harper's Ferry, VA so he could give slaves weapons for a revolt against slavery. Federal troops captured him and his men and he was convicted of treason and executed. This raid shocked the South and caused fear of a slave rebellion; Brown was a hero/martyr to many Northerners.

popular sovereignty

rule by the PEOPLE (they vote on issues such as whether to allow slavery or not)

rural

living in or characteristic of farming or country life

agrarian

relating to land; relating to the management or farming of land

Harriet Tubman

escaped slave-turned-abolitionist who helped other slaves escape from the South through the Underground Railroad after the Fugitive Slave Law made it a federal crime to help runaway slaves

Underground Railroad

a system of secret escape routes and safe houses for runaway slaves established by radical abolitionists and actively used by Harriet Tubman

Harriet Beecher Stowe

author of best selling novel Uncle Tom's Cabin

Stephen Douglas

Democratic Senator from Illinois who introduced the bill that became the Kansas-Nebraska Act, who was in favor of popular sovereignty. In 1858, he defeated Abraham Lincoln in the Illinois senate race.

Abraham Lincoln

Republican nominee for Illinois senator who lost to Stephen Douglas in 1858 but was elected as 16th President of the U.S. in 1860. He condemned slavery; his election prompted Southern states to secede from Union in fear of slavery being abolished by Lincoln.

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.

Confederate States of America

entity formed by 7 southern states that seceded from the Union between 1860-1861; Jefferson Davis was its President

Jefferson Davis

President of the Confederate States of America

What impact did territorial expansion have on the United States?

It created tension between them as they were trying to gain control over the state with popular sovereignty

How did the growth result in the growing divide between the North and South?

People from the two sides were fighting over the territory because most of the westward states were ruled as popular sovereignty so they fighting to gain its control as a free or slave state.

Explain the historical events that lead to the Civil War.

What historical events led to the civil war?

I. John Browns raid

A. raids Harpors Ferry VA, radical abolitionist, for slave revolt

II. Uncle Toms cabin

A. Book showing evil of slavery, infuriates southerners

III. Sumner Brooks incident

A. Sumner was a Ma Senator who was beaten by Brooks a senator from Sc and eas severly injured

IV. Dred Scott's case

A. Slave whos moved with owner to a free state and sues for not being let free, supreme court rules that slaves are property not people, dred rules unconstitutional

Explain the Political Decisions that lead to the Civil War?

What political decisions led to the civil war?

I. Compromise of 1850

A. Fugitive slave act

B. California becomes a free state

C. Utah and New Mexico are under Popular Sovereignty

D. Washington D.C. becomes a free state

II. Kansas Nebraska act

A. Kansas and Nebraska are under popular sovereignty

B. Bleeding Kansas

III. Missouri compromise

A. Missouri becomes a slave state

B. Maine is a free state

1. Equal amount of free and slave states

C. Ohio river divides country with 30 60 line

IV. Election of 1860

A. the election of Abraham Lincoln angered southerners and they felt threatened

What was the perspective of the Unionists and confederates to these events and decisions?

***John Browns raid:

Unionists=Good

Confederates= Bad

***Uncle Toms cabin:

Unionists=Good

Confederates=bad

***Sumner Brooks incident:

Unionists= Supported Sumner

Confederates= Brooks

***Dred Scott's case:

Unionists= Dred Scott

Confederates= decision made by supreme Court.

***Compromise of 1850:

Unionists= Supported first, then thought it was bad.

Confederates= Supported

***Kansas Nebraska Act:

Unionists= Bad

Confederates=Good

Missouri Compromise:

Unionists= Good

Confederates= Bad

***Election of 1860:

Unionists=Good

Confederates=Bad

Describe the position of the abolitionists on slavery?

They thought that slavery should be stopped as soon as possible. Slavery is unconstitutional and not right and the fact that people are being mistreated is an outrage. They were trying to abolish slavery

Describe the position of the pro-slavery movement on slavery?

They tried to secede from the united states because they felt that if they wanted slavery and the rest of the country didn't they could just leave. The cheap labor was good for their economy so they didn't care about rights, they just wanted money.

How did peoples' personal lives and area where they lived effect their position?

Depending on if they lived in the north and the south they would have different opinions because the south was afraid of what could happened if slaves were made illegal. The north became much more anti slavery after uncle toms cabin was published which would also change peoples opinion in the north.

Was the Civil War inevitable?

yes

Consider the role of Geography and sectionalism in causing the war?

The Missouri Compromise split the slave states and free states with the 30 60 line.

Sectionalism played a part because the North and South were separated because of Slavery.

Consider the role of slavery and economics in causing the war

Slavery was key because it causes the North and the South to split. Slavery them became more of an issue.

The economics also were important because the North needed the South economically so the union has enough money.

Consider the role of compromise in causing the war?

the compromises were the main causes to the war. Both sides wanted to claim as many states as they could to gain more of the power for the final decision on slavery. As the South started gaining more states it angered the north. When it finally came down to Kansas, fights broke out to gain the land. Eventually, it lead to the civil

Elijah P. Lovejoy

He was an antislavery editor

His message was "the system of Negro slavery is an awful evil and sin"