US History - Unit 5

Chapters 11, 12, and 13

cause of civil war

slavery, especially disagreements over its expansion into new territories, which led to deep political and economic conflict between the north and south.

effect of civil war

ended slavery, preserved the union, strengthened the federal government, and left the south economically and physically devastated.

goals for north

to preserve the union, end slavery, and defeat the confederacy.

goals for south

to protect slavery, preserve states’ rights, and remain independent from the union.

advantages for north

a larger population, more factories, more railroads, a stronger navy, and a more established government and economy.

disadvantages for north

fighting mostly in southern territory, long supply lines, less knowledge of the land, and initially less experienced military leadership compared to the south.

advantages for south

fighting on their home territory, strong military leadership, a more motivated army, and knowledge of the land.

disadvantages for south

smaller population, fewer factories and railroads, a weaker navy, and a less developed economy to support the war.

populism

a political movement in the late 1800s that represented farmers and laborers, advocating for government regulation of railroads, silver currency, and political reforms to help common people.

homestead act

a law that gave 160 acres of free land to settlers who farmed it for at least five years, encouraging westward expansion.

13th amendment

abolished slavery in the United states, making it illegal everywhere

14th amendment

granted citizenship to all people born in the US, including formerly enslaved individuals, and guaranteed equal protection under the law

15th amendment

gave African American men the right to vote, stating that voting could not be denied based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

emancipation proclamation

issued by Abraham Lincoln and freed enslaved people in confederate states, making the civil war a fight to end slavery as well as preserve the union.

dawes act

a law that divided native American tribal lands into individual plots to encourage assimilation into American society, weakening tribes and reducing their land.

clara barton

a nurse during the civil war cared for wounded soldiers and later founded the American red cross

plains indians

native American tribes, such as the sioux, Cheyenne, and Comanche, who lived on the great plains, relied on buffalo hunting, and had nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyles

battle of gettysburg

a major civil war battle in Pennsylvania where union forces defeated the confederacy, marking a turning point in the war

anaconda plan

the union’s civil war strategy to block southern ports and control the Mississippi River, squeezing the confederacy like a giant anaconda until it surrendered

reconstruction

the period after the civil war when the US worked to rebuild the south, reintegrate southern states, and protect the rights of freed African Americans.

president andrew jackson

the 7th US President, known for expanding democracy, opposing the national bank, enforcing the Indian removal act, and promoting the “common man” in politics

abraham Lincoln

the 16th president who led the country during the civil war, issued the emancipation proclamation, and worked to preserve the union before being assassinated

sharecropping

a farming system after the civil war where freedom and poor farmers worked land owned by others, giving a share of the crops as rent, often trapping them in debt and poverty.

african Americans/union

enslaved and free african americans fought for the union army after the emancipation proclamation, serving as soldiers, laborers, and support staff, helping the north wind the civil war and fight for freedom and equality

robert e. lee

the leading confederate general during the civil war, known for his command of the army of northern Virginia and surrendering at appomattox court house in 1865

appomattox court house

the Virginia site where confederate general Robert e. lee surrendered to union general Ulysses s. grant, effectively ending the civil.

battle of wounded knee

a massacre in south Dakota where the US army killed over 150 Lakota Sioux, mostly women and children, marking the end of major native American resistance in the plans.

carpetbagger

a northerner who moved south after the civil war to take part politics or business during reconstruction

scalawag

a southern white who supported reconstruction and the republican party, often disliked by other southerners

civil rights act of 1866

a law that granted citizenship and equal rights to all people born in the US, including formerly enslaved African Americans, and protected them from discrimination

thaddeus stevens

a radical republican leader in Congress who fought for African American rights, strict reconstruction policies, and punishment for former confederates after the civil war.

bimetallism

a monetary system where the government uses both gold and silver to back its currency, often supported by farmers and populists to increase money supply and cause inflation

marrill act

a law that gave federal land to states to fund colleges focused on agriculture and mechanics, expanding access to higher education in the US

ironclads

warship covered with iron armor used during the civil war, making them stronger and harder to sink than traditional wooden ships.

radical republicans

a group in Congress after the civil war who wanted strict reconstruction, full rights for freed African Americans, and punishment for former confederates.

reservations

areas of land set aside by the US government for native American tribes, often as part of forced relocation, limiting their traditional ways of life

andersonville

a Confederate prison camp in Georgia during the civil war, officially called camp Sumter, where union prisoners suffered from overcrowding, disease, and starvation, and thousands died

conscription

a military draft requiring certain people to serve in the army, used by both the union and confederacy during the civil war when volunteer numbers were low

us grant

a union general who led the north to victory in the civil war and later became the 18th us president

william jennings bryan

a politician and orator who supported farmers, populism, and free silver, famous for his “cross of gold” speech in the 1896 presidential election

george a. custer

a US army general who fought in the Indian wars and was killed at the battle of little bighorn in 1876, famously against sitting bull and the Lakota Sioux.

ghost dance

a native American religious movement in the late 1800s that promised the return to their lands and ancestors and the disappearance of white settlers, leading to us fears and the wounded knee massacre

sitting bull

a hunk papa Lakota leader who resisted us government efforts to take native lands, led his people at the battle of little bighorn, and later joined buffalo bill’s wild west show

fort pillow

a Confederate attack in 1864 on a union fort in Tennessee where many African American soldiers were killed after surrendering, highlighting the brutality of the civil war

william t. sherman

a union general during the civil war known for “sherman’s March to the sea,” using total war tactics to destroy southern resources and weaken the confederacy

freedmen’s bureau

a government agency that helped freed African Americans and poor whites after the civil war by providing food, education, medical care, and job assistance

compromise of 1877

an agreement that ended reconstruction by removing federal troops from the south in exchange for Rutherford b. Hayes becoming president.

end of reconstruction

occurred in 1877 when federal troops withdrew from the south, allowing southern states to regain control and leading to segregation and loss of rights for African Americans.