US History Period 5 (1844-1877)

A set of vocabulary flashcards to review key terms and definitions related to U.S. History Period 5, covering significant events and figures from 1844 to 1877.

George Fitzhugh

Argued that southern slavery was more humane than exploited northern wage workers.

Gag Resolution 1836

Prohibited antislavery appeals/petitions in Congress; supported by South, opposed by North as harm to free speech.

Manifest Destiny

19th century belief that the US was divinely ordained to expand its territory across North America.

Fugitive Slave Law

Federal enforcement of fugitive slave act requiring the return of escaped slaves; a national issue, not just Southern.

Bleeding Kansas

Violent conflict between abolitionists and pro-slavery factions fighting for control over Kansas.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

Supreme Court ruling that stated black people could not sue in federal courts and Congress could not deprive people of property.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe that heightened Northern support for abolition and escalated sectional conflict.

Emancipation Proclamation

Lincoln's declaration that all persons held as slaves in rebellious states are free; did not end slavery.

Thirteenth Amendment

An amendment that outlawed slavery in the United States.

Black Codes

Laws passed by Southern states after the Civil War to maintain white supremacy.

Freedman's Bureau

US federal agency established to aid newly emancipated African Americans.

Compromise of 1877

Settled the intense presidential election dispute of 1876 between Tilden and Hayes.

Carpetbagger

Northerners who moved to the South during Reconstruction.

Scalawag

Southerners who supported the Republican Party and Reconstruction policies.

Morrill Tariff Act

High protective tariff issued by the North after Southern states seceded.

National Banking System

Federally chartered banks to establish a uniform national currency and finance the Union war effort.

Panic of 1857

Short-lived economic depression caused by over-speculation.

Spot Resolution

Written by Abraham Lincoln, it asked where exactly the war with Mexico started.

California Gold Rush

Gold discovered in 1848 fueled rapid economic growth in California.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Ended the Mexican-American War, with the US gaining California and the Mexican Cession.