Time Period 5 (1844-1877)

Manifest Destiny

the belief that it was the divine right and duty of the United States to expand its territory and spread its values, such as democracy and capitalism; used to justify the expansion of the U.S

Mexican-American War

a conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848, primarily over territorial disputes following the U.S. annexation of Texas ~ resulted in significant land gains (California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming

Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo

treaty ending the Mexican-American war and also granting the U.S. the lands known as the Mexican-Cession

Compromise of 1850

a set of legislative measures aimed at easing tensions between free and slave states after the Mexican-American War; inclusion of the Fugitive Slave Act and the idea of popular sovereignty

Fugitive Slave Act

a law passed in 1850 that required the return of runaway slaves to their owners and imposed penalties on anyone who aided their escape ~ intensified the sectional conflict between North and South

54 40 or fight

a slogan used during the 1844 presidential campaign, advocating for the U.S. to claim the entire Oregon Territory up to latitude 54 50

Gold Rush

a mass migration of an estimated 300,00 people to California between 1848 and 1855 after gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill

Abraham Lincoln

the 16th President of the United States; known for leading the nation through the Civil War, preserving the Union, and abolishing slavery through the Emancipation Proclamation and the passage of the 13th Amendment

popular sovereignty

the political doctrine that the legitimacy of government is created and sustained by the consent of its people ~ majority vote for slaves/freed

Missouri Compromise of 1820

an agreement passed by the United States Congress to maintain the balance of power between free and slave states = admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state; established a line at latitude 36 30, north of the line prohibited slavery

Kansas Nebraska Act

created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, allowing for the principle of popular sovereignty to determine whether theses territories would allow slavery

Dred Scott decision

a Supreme Court ruling in 1857 that denied citizenship and constitutional rights to African American slaves, specifically ruling that enslaved person Dred Scott could not sue for his freedom

Stephen Douglas

known for his role in the debates over slavery and territorial expansion, particularly through the Kansas Nebraska Act; championed the idea of popular sovereignty

Bleeding Kansas

refers to the violent conflict that erupted in the Kansas Territory between 1854 and 1859 over the issue of slavery, following the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which allowed settlers to determine if they would permit slavery

Confederacy

formed by eleven southern states that seceded from the United States; sought to establish itself as a separate nation, primarily to preserve the institution of slavery and maintain their way of life

secession

formal withdrawal of a group from a political entity

Ulysses S. Grant

the 18th president of the U.S. and a Union general during the American Civil War; played a crucial role in securing Union victories (Vicksburg and Appomattox)

Emancipation Proclamation

an executive order issued by Lincoln that declared the freedom of all enslaved people in the Confederate states

Gettysburg Address

delivered by Lincoln; emphasized the principles of human equality and the importance of preserving the Union

Oregon Territory

a vast region in the Pacific Northwest of North America that was jointly occupied by the U.S. and Great Britain from the early 19th century

Potato Famine

a catastrophic period of mass starvation and disease in Ireland from 1845 to 1852, primarily caused by a potato blight that devastated the staple crop

Old Immigrants - Irish, German, English

the wave of immigrants who arrived in the United States primarily from Northern and Western Europe between the early 19th century and the 1880s ~ sought better economic opportunities, religious freedom, and escape political turmoil

Gadsden Purchase

an 1854 agreement in which the U.S. acquired a 29,670 sq mile region from Mexico

Ostend Manifesto

a secret diplomatic communication arguing that the U.S. should acquire Cuba by force if Spain refused to sell it, the leaked document angered many northerners who opposed any efforts at slavery expansion

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

an anti-slavery novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, published in 1852, that portrays the harsh realities of slavery and its moral implications; ignited anti-slavery sentiment in the North

Harriet Beecher Stowe

American author and abolitionist best known for her novel ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’

Republican Party

a political party in the U.S. founded in the 1850s, primarily to oppose the expansion of slavery westward

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

a series of seven debates in 1858 between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas, primarily focused on the issue of slavery and its expansion into the territories; crucial in shaping public opinion on slavery

Harper’s Ferry Raid

an armed attack led by abolitionist John Brown aimed to seize the federal armory at Harpers Ferry to spark a slave uprising

John Wilkes Booth

assassinated Abraham Lincoln

Robert E. Lee

a Confederate general during the American Civil War

suspension of habeas corpus

allowed military officials to arrest and detain suspected Confederate sympathizers without trial or formal charges

Homestead Act

a law passed in 1862 that granted 160 acres of public land to settlers for a small fee, provided they improved the land by building a dwelling and cultivating crops if they stayed for five years

Pacific Railway Act

a series of laws passed by the U.S. Congress in the 1860s that promoted the construction of a transcontinental railroad, facilitating the link between the eastern states and California

Transcontinental Railroad

significantly spurred economic development by enabling faster transportation of goods and people across the country; connection between the east and west allowed for expanded trade routed, increased migration to western territories

Sherman’s March to the Sea

led by Union General William Sherman during the American Civil War, refers to the military campaign that took plane in late 184, where Sherman and his troops marched from Atlanta, Georgia, to the coastal city of Savannah

Border States

Lincoln’s strategies to maintain the loyalty of the border states during the Civil War, which were slave states that remained in the Union