APUSH: Period 5 Timeline of Major Ideas and Events (1844-1877)

Congress Preemption Acts of the 1830s and 1840s

Also called Squatter's Rights, it is a policy by which first settlers on public lands could purchase the property they had improved.

"Fifty-four Forty or Fight" (Election of 1844)

First book of a trilogy by Emerson Hough. the title refers to the land Polk called for. The expansion would include Texas, California, and the Oregon Territory.

Annexing Texas (1844)

Texas was admitted into the United Stated as the 28th state in 1845. James K. Polk accomplished this through the transaction of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo officially signed in 1848.

Samuel Morse's Electric Telegraph (1844)

The telegraph revolutionized long-distance communication. It worked by transmitting electrical signals over a wire laid between stations.

Mexican-American War (1845-1848)

An armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. Americans wished to obtain another slave state, in this case Texas, that was currently being occupied by Mexicans.

Wilmot Proviso (1846)

An unsuccessful 1846 proposal in the United States Congress to ban slavery in territory acquired from Mexico prior to the Mexican-American War.

Elias Howe's Sewing Machine

An American inventor best known for his creation of the lock-stitch sewing machine. The machine allowed for quicker production of textiles and essentially cheaper clothing throughout the United States.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848)

Officially ended the Mexican American War, adding an additional 525,000 square miles to the United States territory, including Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Wyoming.

Free-Soil Party (1848)

A short-lived political party in the United States formed by an anti-slavery group in the North. Although unsuccessful in presidential elections, the group was successful in spreading the awareness of antislavery and advocated federal aid for internal improvements, an idea made popular from Clay's American System.

California Gold Rush (1849)

Began when gold was found by James Marshall. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people from not only the rest of the United States but also from around the world.

Know-Nothing Party (1849)

A prominent political party during the late 1840s and early 1850s. Its members opposed immigrants and followers of the Catholic Church.

Clayton-Bulwer Treaty (1850)

A treaty between the United States and Great Britain that resolved tensions over the American plan to build a Nicaraguan Canal connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

Compromise of 1850

Slavery becomes outlawed in Washington D.C. Meanwhile, California is admitted as a free state, and Utah and New Mexico will determine if slavery is allowed through popular sovereignty. The Fugitive Slave Law is also put into action.

Fugitive Slave Law (1850)

These were laws that provided for return of escaped slaves to owners. However, the north did little to enforce such an act which heavily angered southerners, further increasing tensions that eventually lead up to state secession.

Underground Railroad

A network of secret routes and safe houses used by African Americans to escape into free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies.

Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852)

An anti-slavery novel written by Harriett Beecher Stowe that had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery.

Gadsden Purchase (1853)

A 29,670 square mile region of present-day south Arizona and southwestern New Mexico that the United States purchased from Mexico.

Republican Party (1854)

Organized in 1854 by a combination of anti-slavery Whigs, Democrats, and Free Soilers in response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Ostend Manifesto (1854)

A document written that described the rationale for the United States to purchase Cuba from Spain and to declare war against them if they refused to a purchase. However, it was seen by many northerners as a means of admitting a new slave state into the Union.

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

A compromise that suspended the Missouri Compromise by allowing slavery north of the 36-30 line in the Kansas and Nebraska territories which would be decided upon by popular sovereignty. The idea angered many northerners which greatly increased sectional tensions.

"Bleeding Kansas" (1855-1856)

A sequence of violent events involving abolitionists and pro-slavery elements in Kansas. Some events include the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Potawatomie Massacre, and the Wilmot Proviso.

Caning of Senator Summer (1856)

Senator Charles Sumner was beaten with a cane by Preston Brooks until unconscious. This was the first violent act committed from sectional indifference.

Panic of 1857

An economic crash due to the inflation caused by the rapid inpouring of California gold during the late 1840s.

Impending Crisis of the South (1857)

A novel written as a strong attack on slavery as inefficient and a barrier to economic advancement for whites.

Lecompton Constitution (1857)

A pro-slavery constitution written to allow Kansas to be admitted into the Union in opposition to the Topeka Constitution. However, it was later rejected when Kansas was admitted as a free state.

Dred Scott v. Stanford (1857)

This case stated 3 reasons to keep Dred Scott in slavery:

1) blacks could not sue in federal court

2) because blacks were considered an owner's property, they could be moved anywhere under a master's control without being free

3) Congress had no power to ban slavery in any territory

Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858)

The two candidates argued over important issues including the use of popular sovereignty in Kansas and Nebraska, the Lecompton Constitution, and the Dred Scott decision. Although one was the winner, the other would gain much needed attention to lead to his eventual success in the election of 1860.

John Brown's Raid at Harper's Ferry (1859)

He was a militant abolitionist who seized a United States arsenal at Harper's Ferry where he planned on ending slavery by massacring white slave owners.

Election of 1860

In this election, Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln defeated the two Democratic candidates Stephen Douglas and John C. Breckenridge along with the Congressional candidate John Bell. Many were upset at his win because he did not receive the popular vote but instead won with his outstanding number of electoral votes.

Formation of the Confederate States of America (February 1861)

Formed on February 4, 1861, the states farthest south where slavery dominated formed the Confederate States of America with Jefferson Davis as president.

Crittenden Compromise (1861)

A series of constitutional amendments proposed to serve as a compromise between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions. One of these amendments would revert back to the Missouri Compromise, allowing slavery only south of the 36-30 line. However, these amendments were later rejected by Congress.

Fort Sumter (April 12, 1861)

This was a sea fort in Charleston, South Carolina notable for its two battles during the Civil War. It is classified as having high structural integrity with high walls and notable masonry.

Lincoln's Use of Executive Power

Lincoln used unprecedented powers without the authorization from Congress. He called for 75,000 volunteers to put down the southern insurrection and also writ of Habeas Corpus.

Union Wartime Advantages

A large population over that of the south.

Immigrants were oftentimes enlisted in the Union military.

Emancipated slaves fought in the Union army.

They upheld a loyal US Navy.

They had a large area to conquer.

Confederacy Wartime Advantages

Only had to fight defensively to win the war.

Had to move troops much shorter distances than that of their enemies.

Their large coastline made it difficult to blockade.

They carried experienced leaders and a high sense of morale.

Confederate Problems

Civil discontent spurred by concern for loved ones and resentment toward a rich man's war, leading to large numbers of men leaving the Confederate army.

Morrill Tariff Act (1861)

This tariff superseded the low tariff of 1857 and increased duties by 5-10%. It also included two additional tariffs that raised much needed wartime revenue.

Homestead Acts (1862)

These were laws by which an applicant could acquire ownership of government land or the public domain if they proceeded to take care of the land over a certain amount of time.

Morrill Land Grant Acts (1862)

Congress granted each state public land which the state was free to sell if they saw fit, as long as the income was used for purposes that Congress had intended.

Pacific Railway Act (1862)

A series of acts that promoted the construction of the transcontinental railroad in the United States through authorizing the issuance of government bonds and grants of land to railroad companies.

First Battle of Bull Run (July 1861)

The first major land battle in Virginia where the Union army under Irvin McDowell marched from Washington to face Confederate forces.

Trent Affair (1861)

A Union warship stopped a British warship that was smuggling two Confederate diplomats, and captured the two men. When Britain threatened war against the United States, Lincoln released the two men as he did not want to fight a two-front war.

Peninsula Campaign (March 1862)

This was the Union's grand plan for victory early on the Civil War. It included a plan to capture Richmond so as to stop the war as early on as possible.

Monitor v. Merrimac (March 1862)

These two American warships were the first two ironclad ships, revolutionary when compared to the performing quality of wooden ships. The Monitor was of Union ownership where the Merrimac belonged to the Confederacy.

Second Battle of Bull Run (August 1862)

This battle ended in decisive victory for Confederate leader Robert E. Lee when he pushed further forward into North Union territory.

Grant's Capture of New Orleans (April 1862)

This decision cut off Confederate shipping through this popular trading post in Louisiana.

Antietam (September 1862)

This battle ended Lee's first invasion of the North. it was known as the bloodiest day in the Civil War, and led to the Emancipation Proclamation.

Fredericksburg (December 1862)

At this battle, extreme folly was committed by the Army of the Potomac General Burnside who marches waves and waves of trooped into Confederate territory on December 13, 1862.

Confiscation Acts (1861-1862)

The first of these acts states that any Confederate property could legally be seized by federal forces, including slaves to bring in forces for the Union army. The second authorized the seizure of property of persons rebelling against the Union and stated that any escaped slave into Union territory was considered free forever.

Emancipation Proclamation (January 1863)

Lincoln's 1863 declaration that freed slaves in the Confederacy following the Battle at Antietam.

Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction (1863)

This was Lincoln's plan for reconstruction following the Civil War which was sadly cut short when he was assassinated. However, it was a method of reinstating seceded states back into the Union where Unionists would be held in higher power than secessionists. States could only be readmitted by a 10% pledge of loyalty to the Union and by rewriting state constitutions to outlaw slavery.

Massachusetts 54th Regiment

This was a volunteer infantry that saw excessive service in the Union army during the American Civil War. It was the first organized African-American regiment in United States history.

Battle of Vicksburg (May-July 1863)

General Grant led Union forces where they defeated two Confederate armies and destroyed the town of Vicksburg where they would have full control of Mississippi only 5 days later.

Battle of Gettysburg (July 1863)

On July 1, two great armies met accidentally. It was an incredibly bloody battle that left Lincoln infuriated, but it was a major victory for Union forces.

New York Draft Riots (July 1863)

Violent disturbances in Manhattan that were characterized as a culmination of working-class discontent with new laws that were passed by Congress authorizing the draft of men into the Civil War.

Wade-Davis Bill (1864)

Proposed by Radical Republicans to oppose Lincoln's Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction where they would raise the 10% oath loyalty to 50%. However, it was later rejected by Lincoln.

Sherman's March to the Sea (1864-1865)

Sherman and several other men marched from Atlanta to South Carolina. They applied the idea of total warfare, destroying homes and towns that would cost millions of dollars in damage.

Freedman's Bureau (March 1865)

Established by Congress to help the millions of freed slaves and poor white southerners during the period of reconstruction.

Surrender at Appomattox (April 9, 1865)

This was one of the last battles during the Civil War where Union forces blocked Lee from retreating, forcing him to surrender, leading to the Confederacy's defeat in the end of the Civil War.

Assassination of Lincoln (April 14, 1865)

He was assassinated in Ford Theater on April 14, 1865 by John Wilkes Booth. Booth also attempted to assassinate General Ulysses S. Grant and other major political leaders.

13th Amendment (1865)

Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime, shall exist within the United States or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

Johnson's Reconstruction Policy (1865)

This plan gave the south a free hand in regulating the transition from slavery to freedom but had no role for freed blacks in politics of the south. The three differing plans among Johnson, Lincoln, and Congress left the United States with no settled reconstruction plan.

Southern Governments of 1865

Black codes were passed to ensure a stable and subservient labor force under white control. There was no social assimilation of ex-slaves or political opportunity for African Americans.

Black Codes

Laws passed by southern states denying ex-slaves full civil rights that should otherwise be granted to them. It also ensured a stable yet subservient labor force for the southern states that maintained white men superior to African Americans.

Johnson's Vetoes

Johnson utilized the idea of pocket vetoes, which allow an indirect veto of a bill, in an excessive and unprecedented way.

Civil Rights Act of 1866

This was the first United States law to assign citizenship and affirm that all citizens are equally protected by the law. With this came the ratification of the 14th amendment.

14th Amendment (1866; ratified 1868)

All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof are citizens of the United States. Also, no state or territory of the United States can deprive anyone of life, liberty, or the pursuit of happiness.

Report of the Joint Committee (1866)

This displayed a Republican theory of forfeited rights where the Confederate states had forfeited all civil and political rights when they seceded from the Union.

Reconstruction Acts of 1867

This organized the south into 5 military districts that must have had a political leader from the north. It also stated that all southern states must remove black codes and they must ratify the 14th amendment.

Tenure of Office Act (1867)

Forbade the president from removing civil officers from political power without senatorial consent. In this case, it was intended to prevent Johnson from removing Radical Republicans from his cabinet.

15th Amendment (1869; ratified 1870)

Provided that no government shall prevent a citizen from voting based on race, color, or previous conditions of servitude.

Civil Rights Act of 1875

This was meant as a response to civil rights violations towards African Americans with the purpose of protecting all citizens in their civil and legal rights.

Building Black Communities

Black Americans reunited families and learned to read and write as an opportunity for achieving independence from white superiority or political control.

Sharecropping

A system of work for freedmen who were employed in the cotton industry. The system was designed as a means of trading labor for the use of a house, its land, and under certain occasions other accommodations.

Compromise of 1877

This settled the heavily disputed 1876 United States presidential election. It involved Democrats who controlled the House of Representatives who allowed the decision to be made by the Electoral Commission.