Pre-Civil War Flashcards

What were the three S’s of the Civil War?

1. Slavery

2. States Rights (belief that your state is more important than your nation)

3. Sectionalism (sectioning off from other states)

What was each area of the US known for?

• North: area of industry and commerce

• South: large plantations

• West: small family farms

How did each area feel about slavery?

• North: No

• South: yes

• West: no

How did each area feel about internal improvements?

• North: yes

• South: no

• West: no

What were the 3 main ideas of the States Rights argument?

1. The Inion was a compact among sovereign states

2. Each state had the right to decide for itself whether a federal law was constitutional

3. each state had power of nullification: don’t have to follow federal law

Who was the head of the anti-states rights argument?

Daniel Webster

What were the 3 main ideas of anti-states rights argument?

1. The nation is a union of people rather than states

2. Federal government is supreme over the state government

3. Only the Supreme Court can have power to declare a law unconstitutional

What was the Missouri Compromise of 1820?

• Missouri would enter the union as a slave state

• Maine would enter as a free state

• No slavery above the line 36-30

What was the Compromise of 1850?

• Put together by Henry clay

• California admitted to the Union as a free state

• Utah and New Mexico could decide by voting if they wanted slavery

• No slave trade in Washington DC

• New fugitive slave law passed making it easier for slave owners to regain runaway slaves.

What is popular sovereignty?

Where a state could vote for whether it wanted to have slavery or not

What was the Kansas-Nebraska Act?

In 1854, Stephen Douglas proposed letting a territorial government choose if they wanted slavery or not

What was Bleeding Kansas?

When pro and anti-slavery groups fought in the areas of Kansas and Nebraska.

How many died during Bleeding Kansas?

300

Who was the man who was granted freedom, but after he returned to the south he was deemed a slave?

Dred Scott

What did the Dred Scott decision do?

The Supreme Court stated that a slave was property and could not be granted freedom and not entitled to the same freedoms as whites.

Who led the raid on Harper’s Ferry, Virginia in 1859?

John Brown

What happened to John Brown?

He was captured and put to death.

Who won the 1860 presidential election?

Abraham Lincoln

Who was the first state to leave the Union after Lincoln was elected president?

South Carolina, on Dec. 20, 1860

Who was the president of the Confederacy?

Jefferson Davis

What event started the Civil War?

When the South fired on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861

How long was the Civil War?

4 years

Who was the head of the states rights argument?

John c Calhoun