Untitled Flashcards Set
1. Missouri Compromise
Who: Henry Clay, U.S. Congress
When: 1820
Where: United States (Missouri, Maine)
Why: To maintain the balance between free and slave states.
What: Admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state; banned slavery north of 36°30′.
Significance: Temporarily reduced sectional tensions but foreshadowed future disputes over slavery.
2. Slave Power Conspiracy
Who: Northern abolitionists, Southern slaveholders
When: Mid-19th century
Where: United States
Why: Northerners believed that wealthy Southern elites controlled the federal government to expand slavery.
What: Theory that Southerners conspired to extend slavery nationwide.
Significance: Strengthened the abolitionist movement and sectional divide, contributing to the Civil War.
3. Nullification Crisis
Who: Andrew Jackson, John C. Calhoun, South Carolina politicians
When: 1832-1833
Where: South Carolina, Washington, D.C.
Why: South Carolina opposed the high tariffs of 1828 and 1832.
What: South Carolina attempted to nullify federal tariffs; Jackson responded with military threats.
Significance: Tested state vs. federal authority, foreshadowed secession.
4. Trail of Tears
Who: Cherokee, Andrew Jackson, U.S. government
When: 1830s
Where: Southeastern U.S. to Indian Territory (Oklahoma)
Why: Jackson's Indian Removal Act forced Native Americans off their land.
What: Forced migration of Native Americans, leading to thousands of deaths.
Significance: A symbol of U.S. government mistreatment of Native Americans.
5. Texas War of Independence
Who: Texas settlers, Mexican government (Santa Anna)
When: 1835-1836
Where: Texas (then part of Mexico)
Why: Texans sought independence from Mexican rule.
What: A rebellion leading to Texas becoming an independent republic.
Significance: Texas later joined the U.S., escalating tensions with Mexico.
6. 54’ 40” or Fight
Who: James K. Polk, Britain, U.S. settlers in Oregon
When: 1844-1846
Where: Oregon Territory
Why: U.S. expansionists wanted full control of Oregon.
What: A slogan demanding Oregon up to latitude 54°40′; resolved by compromise with Britain.
Significance: Strengthened U.S. expansionist policies, led to peaceful settlement of Oregon’s border.
7. Vera Cruz
Who: U.S. and Mexican forces
When: 1847
Where: Vera Cruz, Mexico
Why: Part of the U.S.-Mexico War, aimed at capturing Mexico City.
What: A major U.S. amphibious assault and victory.
Significance: Helped lead to the U.S. victory in the Mexican-American War.
8. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Who: U.S. and Mexico
When: 1848
Where: Mexico, U.S.
Why: To end the U.S.-Mexico War.
What: Mexico ceded California and the Southwest to the U.S. for $15 million.
Significance: Expanded U.S. territory, intensified the slavery debate.
9. Wilmot Proviso
Who: Proposed by Congressman David Wilmot (PA)
When: 1846
Where: U.S. Congress
Why: Intended to ban slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico during the Mexican-American War
What: A legislative proposal stating that slavery should not expand into new territories gained from the war
Significance: Though it never passed, it intensified sectional tensions between the North and South
10. Popular Sovereignty
Who: Championed by Senator Stephen Douglas
When: 1850s
Where: U.S. Western Territories
Why: To allow settlers in a given territory to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery
What: A policy promoting local control over slavery decisions instead of federal intervention
Significance: Led to violent conflicts such as "Bleeding Kansas" and further division over slavery
11. Compromise of 1850
Who: Henry Clay, Stephen Douglas, John C. Calhoun, Daniel Webster
When: 1850
Where: U.S. Congress
Why: To ease sectional tensions over slavery expansion
What: A set of laws admitting California as a free state, allowing popular sovereignty in Utah and New Mexico, strengthening the Fugitive Slave Act, and banning the slave trade in D.C.
Significance: Temporarily postponed the Civil War but angered both abolitionists and pro-slavery factions
12. Kansas-Nebraska Act
Who: Proposed by Stephen Douglas
When: 1854
Where: Kansas and Nebraska territories
Why: To organize the territories and allow popular sovereignty
What: Overturned the Missouri Compromise by allowing territories to decide on slavery
Significance: Led to violent conflict ("Bleeding Kansas") and contributed to the rise of the Republican Party
13. Sumner-Brooks Affair
Who: Senator Charles Sumner and Congressman Preston Brooks
When: 1856
Where: U.S. Senate Chamber
Why: Sumner gave a speech condemning slavery and insulted a pro-slavery senator
What: Brooks attacked Sumner with a cane on the Senate floor
Significance: Symbolized the deep divide between North and South, escalating tensions before the Civil War
14. Republican Party
Who: Founded by anti-slavery activists, former Whigs, and Free Soilers
When: 1854
Where: Northern U.S. states
Why: Formed in response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the expansion of slavery
What: A political party opposing slavery’s expansion
Significance: Became the dominant anti-slavery party, leading to Abraham Lincoln’s election in 1860
15. Election of 1860
Who: Abraham Lincoln (Republican), Stephen Douglas (Northern Democrat), John Breckinridge (Southern Democrat), John Bell (Constitutional Union)
When: 1860
Where: United States
Why: A pivotal election determining the future of slavery in America
What: Lincoln won without Southern support, leading Southern states to secede
Significance: Direct cause of the Civil War
16. Antietam
Who: Union (General George McClellan) vs. Confederacy (General Robert E. Lee)
When: September 17, 1862
Where: Maryland
Why: Lee invaded the North to gain European recognition and weaken Union morale
What: Bloodiest single-day battle of the Civil War
Significance: Led to Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation
17. Emancipation Proclamation
Who: President Abraham Lincoln
When: January 1, 1863
Where: Applied to Confederate-held territories
Why: To weaken the Confederacy and redefine the war as a fight against slavery
What: Declared all enslaved people in rebellious states free
Significance: Strengthened the Union cause, prevented European intervention, and paved the way for abolition
18. Gettysburg
Who: Union (General George Meade) vs. Confederacy (General Robert E. Lee)
When: July 1-3, 1863
Where: Pennsylvania
Why: Lee attempted another Northern invasion
What: Major Union victory, turning point of the Civil War
Significance: Ended Confederate hopes of invading the North
19. Vicksburg
Who: Union (General Ulysses S. Grant) vs. Confederacy
When: July 4, 1863
Where: Mississippi
Why: To control the Mississippi River
What: Union siege that forced Confederate surrender
Significance: Split the Confederacy in half, giving the Union control of the river
20. Reconstruction Amendments
Who: U.S. Congress
When: 1865-1870
Where: United States
Why: To secure rights for formerly enslaved people
What:
13th Amendment: Abolished slavery
14th Amendment: Granted citizenship and equal protection
15th Amendment: Gave Black men the right to vote
Significance: Laid the foundation for civil rights but faced resistance from Southern states
21. Freedman’s Bureau
Who: U.S. government
When: 1865-1872
Where: Southern U.S.
Why: To assist formerly enslaved people
What: Provided food, education, legal aid, and housing assistance
Significance: Played a crucial role in Reconstruction but was weakened by lack of funding
22. Sharecropping
Who: Formerly enslaved people and poor whites
When: Post-Civil War
Where: Southern U.S.
Why: Lack of economic opportunities for freedmen
What: A system where farmers worked on landowners’ property for a share of the crop
Significance: Kept many Black families in a cycle of debt and poverty
23. Election of 1876
Who: Rutherford B. Hayes (Republican) vs. Samuel Tilden (Democrat)
When: 1876
Where: United States
Why: Disputed election results
What: A compromise granted Hayes the presidency in exchange for ending Reconstruction
Significance: Led to the withdrawal of federal troops from the South and the rise of Jim Crow laws
24. Transcontinental Railroad
Who: Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads
When: Completed in 1869
Where: United States (Omaha, NE, to Sacramento, CA)
Why: To connect the country for trade and migration
What: First railroad linking the East and West coasts
Significance: Boosted economic growth but led to the exploitation of Chinese laborers
25. Gilded Age
Who: Industrialists like Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and political figures like Boss Tweed
When: 1870s-1900
Where: United States
Why: Post-Civil War industrial boom and economic expansion
What: A period of rapid economic growth, urbanization, and political corruption
Significance: Marked the rise of monopolies, social inequality, and the foundation of modern capitalism
26. The Robber Barons
Who: Industrial magnates like John D. Rockefeller (oil), Andrew Carnegie (steel), J.P. Morgan (finance), and Cornelius Vanderbilt (railroads)
When: Late 19th century
Where: United States
Why: Business leaders built massive corporate empires, often using exploitative practices
What: A term used to describe wealthy industrialists who used monopolistic and unethical business tactics
Significance: Helped shape the modern economy but also sparked labor movements and calls for regulation
27. Homestead Strike
Who: Workers at Carnegie Steel vs. Henry Clay Frick (Carnegie's manager) and the Pinkerton Agency
When: 1892
Where: Homestead, Pennsylvania
Why: Steelworkers protested wage cuts and poor working conditions
What: A violent labor strike that resulted in deaths and a failed attempt to unionize steelworkers
Significance: Showed the intense struggles between labor and big business, weakening labor unions
28. Spanish-American War
Who: United States vs. Spain; President William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, and Cuban revolutionaries
When: 1898
Where: Cuba, Puerto Rico, Philippines, Guam
Why: U.S. supported Cuban independence from Spain; USS Maine explosion in Havana harbor heightened tensions
What: A short war leading to U.S. victory and territorial expansion
Significance: Marked the U.S. emergence as an imperial power, gaining control of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines
29. Boxer Rebellion
Who: Chinese anti-foreigner group (Boxers), Qing Dynasty, and foreign powers (U.S., Britain, Germany, Japan, etc.)
When: 1899-1901
Where: China
Why: Growing anti-Western sentiment due to foreign influence and Christian missionary activities
What: A violent uprising against foreign control, ultimately crushed by an international alliance
Significance: Increased Western influence in China but weakened the Qing Dynasty, leading to its eventual collapse
30. Philippine Insurrection
Who: Filipino nationalists led by Emilio Aguinaldo vs. U.S. military forces
When: 1899-1902
Where: Philippines
Why: Filipinos fought against U.S. annexation after the Spanish-American War
What: A brutal war in which the U.S. suppressed Filipino independence movements
Significance: Led to U.S. colonial rule in the Philippines until 1946, sparking debates about American imperialism