Antebellum America Flashcards

Antebellum America: Slavery, Politics, and the Growing Sectional Crisis

Abolition Movement

• Abolition Movement: This movement aimed to end slavery, with two main factions:
  • Moderate Abolitionists: Advocated for gradual emancipation and often focused on preventing the expansion of slavery into new territories.
  • Radical Abolitionists: Demanded immediate and unconditional emancipation, viewing slavery as a moral evil that needed to be eradicated swiftly.

Abraham Lincoln

• Abraham Lincoln's Early Stance: Initially a member of the Whig Party, Lincoln held moderate views on abolition early in his political career. He was not initially an advocate for the immediate abolishment of slavery but rather focused on preventing its expansion.

Underground Railroad

• Underground Railroad: A network of secret routes and safe houses established to help enslaved African Americans escape to free states and Canada.
• Harriet Tubman: A prominent figure in the Underground Railroad, known as the "Moses of her people," she made numerous trips back to the South to guide slaves to freedom.

Missouri Compromise (1820-1821)

• Missouri Compromise of 1820-21: Legislation that admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, maintaining the balance between free and slave states in the Senate. It also prohibited slavery in the remaining Louisiana Purchase lands north of the 36°30′ parallel.
• Henry Clay: Known as the "Great Compromiser" for his role in crafting the Missouri Compromise and other key legislative solutions to address sectional tensions.

1824 Presidential Election: "Corrupt Bargain"

• 1824 "Corrupt Bargain" Election: A presidential election in which no candidate received a majority of electoral votes. The House of Representatives chose John Quincy Adams as President, and supporters of Andrew Jackson accused Adams and Henry Clay of a "corrupt bargain" because Clay, as Speaker of the House, allegedly supported Adams in exchange for being appointed Secretary of State.

Founding of the Democratic Party

• Founding of the Democratic Party: Founded by Andrew Jackson (Tennessee) and Martin Van Buren (New York). It emerged from the Democratic-Republican Party and became a major force in American politics.

1828 Presidential Election: Andrew Jackson

• 1828 Presidential Election: Andrew Jackson won the election, marking a significant shift in American politics due to his appeal to the common man.

Jackson's Populism and Anti-Intellectualism

• Jackson’s populism and anti-intellectualism: Jackson's political approach emphasized the rights and power of the common people, often contrasting with the elite and intellectual classes.

Spoils System

• The “spoils system”: The practice of rewarding political supporters with government jobs, regardless of their qualifications. Jackson defended this system as a way to prevent the development of a permanent bureaucracy.

Jackson's Stance on Government

• President Jackson = “small government is best government”: Jackson advocated for limited federal government, seeking to reduce bureaucracy and spending.

Nullification Crisis (1832-1833)

• The Nullification Crisis (1832-1833): A sectional crisis during the presidency of Andrew Jackson, which involved a confrontation between South Carolina and the federal government. South Carolina declared that the federal Tariffs of 1828 and 1832 were unconstitutional and therefore null and void within the state. Jackson opposed nullification and threatened to use military force to enforce federal law.

Bank War (1832-1836)

• The “Bank War” (1832-1836): Jackson's campaign against the Second Bank of the United States, which he believed was a corrupt and elitist institution. Jackson eventually succeeded in destroying the bank by withdrawing federal deposits and placing them in state banks.

Federal Removal Policy and the Trail of Tears

• The Federal Removal Policy of the 1830s and the “Trail of Tears”: A series of forced relocations of Native American tribes from their ancestral lands in the southeastern United States to areas west of the Mississippi River, particularly the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). The "Trail of Tears" refers specifically to the removal of the Cherokee Nation, during which thousands died due to disease, starvation, and exposure.

Formation of the Whig Party

• 1830s – the formation of the Whig Party: Formed by Andrew Jackson’s political opponents, including John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, and Daniel Webster. This marked the start of the Second Political Party System in the United States.

Annexation of Texas and the Mexican-American War

• The annexation of the Republic of Texas (December 1845) and the causes of the Mexican American War of 1846-1848: Texas was annexed by the U.S. in 1845, leading to border disputes with Mexico. President James K. Polk supported expansion and ultimately led the U.S. into war with Mexico.

Lincoln's Anti-War Stance

• Representative Abraham Lincoln, Whig from Illinois: Gave an anti-war speech and voted against the declaration of war in 1846, criticizing President Polk's handling of the border dispute with Mexico.

Oregon Treaty (1846)

• The Oregon Treaty (June 1846): A treaty between Great Britain and the United States that settled the boundary dispute in the Oregon Territory. The treaty established the 49th parallel as the boundary between U.S. and British territories, resolving a long-standing issue.

Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo (1848)

• Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo (1848) and its importance: The treaty that ended the Mexican-American War. Mexico ceded vast territories to the United States, including California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. The U.S. paid Mexico 15 million in compensation.

Compromise of 1850

• Compromise of 1850: A series of laws passed by Congress to address the issue of slavery in the territories acquired from Mexico:
  • California = free state: Admitted California into the Union as a free state, upsetting the balance between free and slave states.
  • Slave markets in Washington, DC, were permanently closed: Ended the slave trade in the nation's capital but did not abolish slavery itself.
  • The Fugitive Slave Act: Required citizens to assist in the capture and return of runaway slaves, imposing penalties on those who helped slaves escape. This act was highly controversial and increased tensions between the North and South.
  • Popular sovereignty in the Mexican Cession: Allowed the future status of slavery in the territories of the Mexican Cession to be determined by "popular sovereignty."

Concept of Popular Sovereignty

• The concept of “popular sovereignty”: The idea that residents of a territory should decide whether to allow slavery. It was intended as a compromise but often led to violence and instability.

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

• Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854: Legislation introduced by Senator Stephen A. Douglas (Democrat of Illinois) that organized the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and allowed the residents to decide whether to permit slavery through popular sovereignty. This act effectively repealed the Missouri Compromise and led to violence.
  Senator Stephen A. Douglas (Democrat) of Illinois
• Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854: Legislation introduced by Senator Stephen A. Douglas (Democrat of Illinois) that organized the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and allowed the residents to decide whether to permit slavery through popular sovereignty. This act effectively repealed the Missouri Compromise and led to violence.

Bleeding Kansas (1855-1856)

• “Bleeding Kansas” (1855-1856): A series of violent confrontations in Kansas between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers, as they sought to influence the decision on whether Kansas would become a free or slave state.

Formation of the Republican Party

• The formation of the Republican Party: Arose in response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act. It was formed by anti-slavery activists and former Whigs. The start of the Third Political Party System in the United States.

Dred Scott Case (1857)

• The Dred Scott case and its controversial decision (1857): A Supreme Court case in which Dred Scott, an enslaved man, sued for his freedom after living in free territories. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney ruled that slaves were not citizens and had no right to sue in federal court. The decision also declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, further inflaming sectional tensions.
  Chief Justice Roger B. Taney
• The Dred Scott case and its controversial decision (1857): A Supreme Court case in which Dred Scott, an enslaved man, sued for his freedom after living in free territories. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney ruled that slaves were not citizens and had no right to sue in federal court. The decision also declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, further inflaming sectional tensions.

Slave Power Conspiracy

• The “slave power conspiracy”: The belief among Northerners that slaveholders were secretly conspiring to expand slavery throughout the nation and exert undue influence over the federal government.

John Brown’s Raid on Harper’s Ferry (1859)

• John Brown’s Raid on the Federal Arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia (October 1859) and its importance: John Brown, a radical abolitionist, led an unsuccessful raid on the federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, with the intention of arming slaves and starting a rebellion. The raid was quickly suppressed, and Brown was captured and executed. However, the raid further polarized the nation, with many Northerners viewing Brown as a martyr and many Southerners viewing him as a terrorist.