Apush unit 555555

George Fitzhugh and Northern Wage Slavery

Proslavery writer who argued slavery was more humane than Northern industrial wage labor

Gag Resolution (1836)

Congressional rule that prevented discussion of antislavery petitions in the House

William Henry Harrison

Whig president elected in 1840 who died shortly after taking office

Webster–Ashburton Treaty (1842)

Treaty that resolved U.S.–British border disputes in the Northeast

Texas

Former Mexican territory that won independence and was later annexed by the United States

Manifest Destiny

Belief that the U.S. was destined to expand westward across North America

Santa Anna

Mexican general and president involved in the Texas Revolution and Mexican-American War

Goliad and the Alamo

Texas defeats that became rallying symbols against Mexican forces

Battle of San Jacinto

Battle that secured Texas independence after the capture of Santa Anna

James K. Polk

Expansionist president responsible for major territorial growth through war and diplomacy

John Tyler

President who pushed through the annexation of Texas

Liberty Party

Early political party that opposed slavery and sought its abolition

Wilmot Proviso (1848)

Proposal to ban slavery in territory gained from Mexico

Oregon Trail

Major route settlers used to migrate west

Oregon Treaty (1846)

Agreement setting the U.S.–British boundary at the 49th parallel

Walker Tariff (1846)

Lower tariff that supported free trade and Democratic policies

Mexican-American War (1846–1848)

War fought over territorial disputes that resulted in major U.S. land gains

Conscience Whigs

Northern Whigs who opposed slavery and the Mexican-American War

Spot Resolution

Lincoln’s demand that Polk identify the exact location where fighting began

Abraham Lincoln

Illinois politician who opposed slavery’s expansion and later became president

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848)

Treaty ending the Mexican-American War and granting land to the U.S.

Free Soil Party (1848–1854)

Political party opposing the expansion of slavery into new territories

Popular Sovereignty

Idea that settlers should vote on whether slavery would be allowed

Zachary Taylor

War hero elected president who opposed the spread of slavery

Stephen A. Douglas

Senator who promoted popular sovereignty and authored the Kansas-Nebraska Act

California Gold Rush

Gold discovery that rapidly increased western migration

Clayton–Bulwer Treaty (1850)

Agreement with Britain preventing exclusive control of a Central American canal

Ostend Manifesto

Proposal suggesting the U.S. acquire Cuba from Spain

Compromise of 1850

Series of laws addressing slavery and territorial issues

Fugitive Slave Law

Law requiring escaped enslaved people to be returned to owners

Franklin Pierce

President whose support of the Kansas-Nebraska Act worsened sectional tensions

Young America

Movement promoting progress

Black Belt

Southern region with fertile soil and a large enslaved population

Mason-Dixon Line

Boundary symbolizing division between free and slave states

Underground Railroad (1790s–1860s)

Network aiding enslaved people escaping to freedom

Gadsden Purchase (1854)

U.S. purchase of land from Mexico for railroad construction

Treaty of Wanghia

First U.S. treaty with China granting trade rights

Treaty of Kanagawa

Agreement opening Japan to U.S. trade

New England Emigrant Aid Company

Organization supporting antislavery settlement in Kansas

Henry Ward Beecher

Abolitionist preacher who supported antislavery causes

Lecompton Constitution

Proslavery constitution proposed for Kansas

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

Law allowing popular sovereignty and repealing the Missouri Compromise

Republican Party (1854)

Party formed to oppose the expansion of slavery

Bleeding Kansas (1854–1859)

Violent conflict over slavery in Kansas territory

Pottawatomie Massacre (1856)

Violent antislavery attack led by John Brown

Charles Sumner

Senator attacked for an antislavery speech

Preston Brooks

Congressman who assaulted Charles Sumner

The Impending Crisis of the South (Hinton Helper)

Antislavery book arguing slavery hurt Southern economy

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

Supreme Court case ruling enslaved people were not citizens

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Antislavery novel that increased Northern opposition to slavery

Roger Taney

Chief Justice who authored the Dred Scott decision

Panic of 1857

Economic downturn that worsened sectional tensions

Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858)

Senate debates over slavery and popular sovereignty

Harpers Ferry (1859)

John Brown’s failed raid attempting to start a slave rebellion

Election of 1860

Election that led to Southern secession after Lincoln’s victory

Constitutional Union Party

Party that sought to preserve the Union by avoiding slavery debates

Confederate States of America

Government formed by Southern states after secession

Fort Sumter (1861)

First battle of the Civil War

Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

Executive order freeing enslaved people in Confederate states

Gettysburg Address (1863)

Lincoln speech redefining the war as a fight for equality

Thirteenth Amendment (1865)

Amendment abolishing slavery

Sherman’s March (1864)

Military campaign using total war tactics through the South

Harriet Tubman

Abolitionist who helped enslaved people escape via the Underground Railroad

William Walker

Filibuster who attempted to establish American control in Central America

Matthew Perry

Naval officer who opened Japan to U.S. trade

Border States

Slave states that remained loyal to the Union

Billy Yank

Nickname for Union soldiers

Johnny Reb

Nickname for Confederate soldiers

Jefferson Davis

President of the Confederate States of America

Writ of Habeas Corpus

Legal protection against unlawful imprisonment

New York City Draft Riots

Violent protest against military conscription

Greenbacks

Paper money issued by the Union during the Civil War

Morrill Tariff Act

Protective tariff passed to raise revenue for the Union

National Banking System

Federal system creating uniform national currency

Homestead Act (1862)

Law granting free land to settlers

Elizabeth Blackwell

First woman doctor in the United States

Clara Barton

Nurse who later founded the American Red Cross

First Bull Run

First major Civil War battle showing the war would be long

Peninsula Campaign

Failed Union attempt to capture Richmond

George McClellan

Union general criticized for caution

Merrimack and Monitor

First battle between ironclad warships

Antietam

Bloodiest single-day battle that led to the Emancipation Proclamation

Stonewall Jackson

Skilled Confederate general

Robert E. Lee

Leading Confederate general

Ulysses S. Grant

Union general who led successful campaigns against the Confederacy

Vicksburg

Union victory that split the Confederacy

Copperheads

Northern Democrats who opposed the Civil War

Clement Vallandigham

Leader of the Copperheads

Union Party

Political party supporting Lincoln and the war effort

Appomattox

Site of Lee’s surrender ending the Civil War

John Wilkes Booth

Assassin of Abraham Lincoln

William Seward

Secretary of State attacked the night of Lincoln’s assassination

Andrew Johnson

President who clashed with Congress over Reconstruction

Freedmen’s Bureau

Agency aiding formerly enslaved people after the war

Sharecropping

Labor system trapping freedpeople in debt

Black Codes

Laws restricting the rights of African Americans

Civil Rights Bill (1866)

Law granting citizenship and equal protection

13th Amendment

Amendment abolishing slavery

14th Amendment

Amendment granting citizenship and equal protection

15th Amendment

Amendment protecting voting rights for Black men