American History Exam 4 Vocabulary

Exam 4 Study Guide: American History

Events to Recognize

Fugitive Slave Act (21)

• Passed in 1850.

• If slaves escaped to free states, the government could capture and return them to their masters.

Uncle Tom's Cabin (21)

• Written by Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1852.

• A story depicting the harsh realities of slavery in the South.

• Stowe was the daughter of a radical abolitionist pastor.

• The book negatively portrayed slavery in the South and changed public perception on the issue.

Kansas-Nebraska Act (21)

• Passed by Congress in 1854.

• Allowed new states to decide on slavery through popular vote.

• Led to a rush of people into these states to influence the vote.

• Kansas became known as "Bleeding Kansas" due to violence between anti-slavery "Jayhawks" and pro-slavery "Bushwhackers."

• These lands were originally promised to the natives.

Fort Sumter (22)

• The South initiated a peaceful siege of Fort Sumter in protest.

• Lincoln sent a fleet to reinforce the North, leading the South to open conflict.

• Confederates quickly seized Fort Sumter.

• Lincoln called for troops to suppress the rebellion, met with enthusiasm, especially in Ohio.

• More states seceded in response, unwilling to fight against other sister states.

Battle of Bull Run (22)

• Fought on July 21, 1861.

• The first major battle of the Civil War.

• Union commander Irwin McDowell and Confederate commander Pierre Beauregard were evenly matched.

• Jackson's arrival helped the South win.

• The South did not capitalize on the victory by attacking Washington D.C., missing an opportunity to end the war.

• They did not understand Jackson’s argument that attacking and ending the war would be self-defense.

Antietam (23)

• September 1862, in Maryland.

• Lee's army of 40,000 men struck Maryland, seen as liberators.

• Lee's battle plans were lost and found by General McClellan.

• McClellan had 75,000 troops but was overcautious, leading to a costly battle with 23,000 casualties in one day.

• Lee fought with the creek at his back, which is a disadvantageous position.

Gettysburg (23)

• July 1863, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

• Lee led 76,000 men against General Meade.

• Joshua Chamberlain defended Little Round Top.

• Pickett's Charge: Lee sent George Pickett and his men into the center of the Union lines, resulting in heavy casualties.

• Out of 20 commanders, 15 died and 5 were wounded.

• Only 100 men made it to the other side.

March to the Sea (23)

• Led by Sherman.

• Sherman's forces created a 60-mile-wide path of destruction to the sea and Savannah.

• Savannah given to Lincoln as a Christmas present.

Gettysburg Address (23)

• Given by Abraham Lincoln in November after the Battle of Gettysburg.

• Lincoln reflects on the cost of the war and questions his worldview and his values about the war.

• One of the most famous speeches in history.

Reconstruction Act (24)

• Removed Southern officials from office.

• Divided Confederate states into five military districts.

• Confederate states could rejoin the Union if they became new states that followed the requirements of the Union.

People to Know

Henry Clay (21)

• From Kentucky.

• Secretary of State under John Quincy Adams.

• Managed to ward off the Nullification Crisis.

• Forged the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850.

Daniel Webster (21)

• From New Hampshire.

• Secretary of State under President Fillmore.

• Argued 223 cases before the Supreme Court.

• Known for his eloquent speeches.

John C. Calhoun (21)

• From South Carolina.

• Vice President and cabinet member under three presidents.

• Known as "The Great Intellectual."

• Saw slavery as a states' rights issue.

• Held to concurrent majority and original confederacy ideas.

Abraham Lincoln (21)

• Born in Kentucky.

• Humble beginnings; self-taught in reading and grammar.

• Ran as a Whig.

• Supported tariffs, subsidizing railroads, a national bank, and government control of trade.

• Opposed the Mexican War.

• A nationalist who wanted to preserve the Union.

• Skeptical of Christianity, but his wife claimed his life changed later on.

Jefferson Davis (22)

• Confederate President, born in Kentucky.

• West Point graduate, Secretary of War, planter.

• Known for his kindness.

• Committed to the Constitution.

Robert E. Lee (22)

• Turned to the Scriptures for guidance.

• Denied the position of Commander, committed only to his home and state.

• Known as a man of worship and prayer.

Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson (22)

• Orphaned and raised by relatives.

• West Point graduate.

• Slow-minded but stubborn and steady.

• Taught at the Virginia Military Institute.

• Man of constant prayer.

• Commanded his men to "Give them the black flag" (take no prisoners).

William T. Sherman (23)

• West Point graduate from Ohio.

• Grant's right-hand man.

• Capable, grizzled, ruthless, and nervous.

• Always at the forefront of battle.

• Bravery in warfare.

• Accusations of war crimes.

George McClellan (23)

• Replaced McDowell.

• A believer who ran against Lincoln because he believed that Lincoln had violated the Constitution too many times.

• A great planner but overcautious, always thought he needed more men.

Nathan Forrest (23)

• Most influential commander at the time.

• Born in Tennessee, later a planter in Mississippi.

• Lost his father at age 16.

• Involved in slave trading but gave it up; possibly became a Christian after the war.

• Believed in winning small-scale battles.

Ulysses S. Grant (23)

• West Point graduate from Ohio.

• Patient, excellent tactics and horseman.

• Court-martialed for being drunk on duty.

Andrew Johnson (24)

• A Southerner.

• Radical Republicans hated him.

• Opposed their reconstruction acts and dismissed Edwin Stanton.

• Impeached but not convicted.

• Replaced by Ulysses S. Grant in 1869.

Radical Republicans (24)

• e.g. Charles Sumner, Thaddeus Stevens.

• Viewed the South as conquered enemies, and wanted to treat them as such

Carpetbaggers (24)

• Northerners who came to the South and bribed officials for opportunities.

Scalawags (24)

• Southerners who falsely tattled on neighbors to gain property.

Ascendents (24)

• African Americans who supported the Union.

• Often well-educated and held political offices.

• Many lost jobs during Reconstruction.

Cornelius Vanderbilt (25)

• "The Commodore."

• Started a ferry business with $100 from his mother.

• Opened a ship business crossing the Hudson River.

• Ferried passengers across the Atlantic Ocean and built a railroad empire.

• Opposed by Daniel Drew, Jim Fisk, and Jay Gould.

Andrew Carnegie (25)

• Steel industry tycoon.

• Believed in "The Gospel of Wealth" (earn money and do good).

• Practiced Vertical Integration (owning every type of business in the steel industry).

• Increased the steel industry's production ten times in twenty years, lowering the price from 160/ton to 70/ton.

• Never went into debt and was a benefactor.

• Carnegie Hall is named after him.

John Rockefeller (25)

• Standard Oil company.

• Practiced Horizontal Integration (controlling all refineries in a region).

• Standard Oil became one of the greatest companies until antitrust laws shut them down in 1914 because it was too big.

Teddy Roosevelt (26)

• President for two terms and Vice President for one by age 50.

• Governor and youngest legislator of New York.

• Believed in redeeming his time.

• Negotiated peace between Russia and Japan.

• Founded National Parks and constructed the Panama Canal.

• Fought for racial equality.

Booker T. Washington (26)

• Ex-slave who valued education.

• Founded Tuskegee Institute.

• Excellent speaker, intellectual, and worker.

• Largely ignored by white men due to his skin color.

Concepts to Understand

Lincoln and Constitutional Law (21)

• Lincoln shut down newspapers and jailed dissenters, violating freedom of speech to preserve the Union.

Views of North and South Towards Each Other (22)

• North gained the "treasury of virtue" by winning and ending slavery, even if accomplished wrongly.

• South became aggressively defensive and gained a "great alibi" as victims.

Secession of First States (22)

• South Carolina appealed for a return to the Missouri Compromise but was rejected.

• South Carolina seceded based on the 10th Amendment.

• Believed they had a voluntary right to leave.

• Joined by Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas by February 1861.

Why Was the Civil War Fought?

• The main debate was between Federalism and Nationalism/Statism, not slavery.

• The North believed in the authority of the Federal government.

• The South argued for state sovereignty.

Views Regarding Treatment of Ex-Confederate States (24)

• Lincoln and Johnson wanted Confederates to rejoin the Union through the Amnesty Plan (10% loyalty oath).

• Republicans wanted to make it harder for them to rejoin.

• Radical Republicans viewed the South as conquered enemies.

Black Codes (24)

• Gave African Americans free marriage and property rights but also oppressed them.

• Prohibited them from testifying against white people, voting, or serving in the army.

• Allowed deportation if unemployed.

Social Gospel (25)

• Belief that the Gospel should be applied to the world, but sin and a Sovereign God were ignored.

• Advocated for a works-based faith and legal realism.

• Walter Rauschenbusch taught that the Scriptures were full of errors and Jesus’ focus was to create a Heaven on earth (rather than atoning for sinners).