civil war and reconstruction

Senator Henry Clay

Known as the "Great Compromiser," he believed California should be a free state and Texas a slave state to maintain Senate balance.

Senator John C

Advocated for state’s rights, believing states should decide on slavery.

Missouri Compromise of 1820

Established Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, with a boundary for future states in the Louisiana Territory.

Manifest Destiny

The belief that God granted the entire North American continent to Americans.

Mexican-American War

Sparked by U.S. expansionist desires and refusal of Mexico to negotiate over California.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Ended the Mexican-American War, with Mexico ceding over 500,000 square miles to the U.S. and receiving $15 million.

Fugitive Slave Law

Required escaped slaves to be returned to their owners.

Compromise of 1850

Made California a free state while enforcing the Fugitive Slave Law.

Abolitionist

A person opposed to slavery, often aiding in the escape of slaves via the Underground Railroad.

Harriet Beecher Stowe

An abolitionist who wrote "Uncle Tom’s Cabin," highlighting the horrors of slavery.

Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854

Divided Nebraska Territory into Kansas and Nebraska, allowing popular sovereignty to decide on slavery.

Bleeding Kansas

Violence erupted in Kansas over the issue of slavery, resulting from the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Dred Scott Decision

Supreme Court ruling that denied citizenship to slaves and upheld slaveowner property rights.

John Brown

An abolitionist who led a failed slave revolt at Harpers Ferry in 1859.

Harriet Tubman

A key conductor of the Underground Railroad, freeing over 300 slaves.

William Lloyd Garrison

Abolitionist who published "The Liberator," framing slavery as a moral issue.

Frederick Douglass

Former slave and abolitionist who founded "The North Star" newspaper.

Sojourner Truth

Former slave and powerful speaker against slavery in the 1840s.

Sectionalism

Loyalty to a specific region over the country as a whole.

Cotton Gin

Invention that increased cotton production and demand for slave labor in the South.

Free-Soilers

Northerners opposing the spread of slavery into new territories for economic reasons.

Wilmot Proviso

Proposed to ban slavery in territories acquired from Mexico.

Tenth Amendment

States that powers not given to the federal government are reserved for the states.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

Debates where Lincoln argued against the expansion of slavery.

Confederate States of America

Formed by Southern states seceding from the Union after Lincoln's election.

Anaconda Plan

Union strategy to blockade Southern ports and divide the South to weaken it.

Battle of Antietam

The bloodiest single day of the Civil War, leading to a Union claim of victory.

Emancipation Proclamation

Lincoln's declaration freeing slaves in rebelling states, transforming the war's purpose.

54th Massachusetts Regiment

Notable African American regiment that fought for the Union.

Gettysburg

A decisive battle marking the turning point of the Civil War in favor of the Union.

Gettysburg Address

Lincoln's speech dedicating a cemetery and reaffirming the war's purpose.

Vicksburg

Union victory that split the Confederacy and cut off supply routes.

Sherman’s March to the Sea

Union campaign using total war tactics to cripple the Confederacy.

Appomattox Court House

Site of Lee's surrender to Grant, effectively ending the Civil War.

Lincoln's Assassination

Occurred just days after the end of the Civil War.