Vocab (copy)

Here’s a brief summary of each term using the provided notes:

California Gold Rush

The discovery of gold in California in 1848 led thousands to migrate west in search of wealth. This rapid influx of settlers helped California quickly meet the requirements for statehood, sparking debates about whether it would enter as a free or slave state.

Nashville Convention

A meeting of Southern leaders in 1850 to discuss their response to the Compromise of 1850 and the possibility of Southern secession if their demands were not met.

Compromise of 1850

A plan proposed by Henry Clay to admit California as a free state while strengthening the Fugitive Slave Act to appease the South. This compromise sought to balance free and slave states in the Senate but further divided the nation.

Fugitive Slave Act

Part of the Compromise of 1850, this law required Northerners to assist in capturing and returning runaway slaves, fueling abolitionist anger.

Underground Railroad

A network of abolitionists, led by figures like Harriet Tubman, that helped enslaved people escape to freedom in the North or Canada.

Harriet Tubman

An escaped enslaved woman and key conductor of the Underground Railroad who helped hundreds of enslaved people reach freedom.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

A novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe that exposed the horrors of slavery and galvanized Northern abolitionist sentiment, angering Southerners.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

A law introduced by Stephen Douglas in 1854 that allowed the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide the issue of slavery through popular sovereignty, repealing the Missouri Compromise.

Bleeding Kansas

The violent aftermath of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, as pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers clashed over the future of slavery in Kansas.

John Brown

An abolitionist who led violent attacks in Kansas and a failed raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry in an attempt to incite a slave rebellion.

Sumner-Brooks Incident

After giving an anti-slavery speech, Senator Charles Sumner was beaten nearly to death by Congressman Preston Brooks on the Senate floor, symbolizing the growing violence over slavery.

Dred Scott Decision

A Supreme Court ruling that declared enslaved people were property with no rights, effectively opening all territories to slavery and enraging Northern abolitionists.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

A series of debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas during their Senate race in Illinois, focusing on slavery’s morality and the use of popular sovereignty.

Harpers Ferry

John Brown’s failed attempt to seize a federal arsenal in Virginia and incite a slave rebellion, which further deepened North-South divisions.

Election of 1860

Abraham Lincoln’s election as president despite not receiving a single Southern vote, leading Southern states to secede from the Union.

Fort Sumter

The site of the Civil War’s first battle when Confederates fired on a Union supply ship, prompting Lincoln to call for troops and marking the start of the war.

Anaconda Plan

The Union’s strategy to win the Civil War by blockading Southern ports and seizing control of the Mississippi River to cut off the Confederacy’s resources.

“King Cotton”

The South’s belief that their cotton exports would secure support from European powers during the Civil War, which ultimately failed.

Antietam

A major Civil War battle in Maryland that ended in a Union victory, giving Lincoln the confidence to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.

Emancipation Proclamation

Lincoln’s declaration that enslaved people in Confederate-held territories were free, giving the war a moral cause and discouraging European support for the Confederacy.

Gettysburg

A turning point in the Civil War, this massive battle resulted in a Union victory and marked the Confederate army’s retreat from the North.

Vicksburg

The Union’s capture of this Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River split the Confederacy in half and secured Union control of the river.

Sherman’s March to the Sea

Union General William Sherman’s campaign of total war through Georgia and South Carolina, destroying Southern infrastructure and weakening Confederate morale.

Appomattox Court House

The site where Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the Civil War.

Massachusetts 54th

An all-Black regiment in the Union army that fought bravely during the Civil War, symbolizing African American contributions to the Union war effort.

NYC Draft Riots

Violent protests in New York City by Irish immigrants against the Union draft, fueled by fears of job competition with freed African Americans.

Copperheads

Northern Democrats who opposed the Civil War and Lincoln’s policies, often sympathizing with the South.

Sanitary Commissions

Organizations that provided medical supplies and support for Union soldiers during the Civil War.

Presidential Reconstruction

Lincoln’s lenient plan to reunite the nation, requiring 10% of voters to pledge loyalty and banning slavery through the 13th Amendment.

13th Amendment

A constitutional amendment that abolished slavery in the United States.

Black Codes

Laws passed by Southern states after the Civil War to restrict the rights and freedoms of African Americans.

Thaddeus Stevens

A leader of the Radical Republicans who fought for civil rights and strict Reconstruction policies in the South.

Civil Rights Act, 1866

A law granting citizenship and equal protection to African Americans, later solidified by the 14th Amendment.

Tenure of Office Act

A law requiring Senate approval for the president to remove certain officials; Johnson’s violation of this led to his impeachment.

Military Reconstruction Act

Congressional Reconstruction policy that divided the South into military districts to enforce civil rights and Reconstruction amendments.

14th Amendment

Guaranteed citizenship and equal protection under the law to all people born or naturalized in the U.S.

15th Amendment

Guaranteed voting rights regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Freedmen’s Bureau

An organization created to assist freed African Americans with education, jobs, and basic needs during Reconstruction.

Carpetbaggers

Northerners who moved to the South after the Civil War, often seeking economic or political opportunities.

Scalawags

Southern whites who supported Reconstruction and the Republican Party.

Hiram Revels

The first African American senator in U.S. history, elected during Reconstruction.

“40 Acres and a Mule”

A promise made to freed African Americans during the Civil War that was largely unfulfilled after the war ended.

Sharecropping

An agricultural system in which freed African Americans and poor whites worked land owned by others in exchange for a share of the crops, often leading to cycles of debt.

Redeemers

Southern Democrats who sought to restore white supremacy and end Reconstruction reforms.

Ku Klux Klan

A white supremacist organization formed during Reconstruction to intimidate African Americans and Republican supporters through violence.

Colfax Massacre

An 1873 attack in Louisiana where over 100 African Americans were killed by white supremacists protesting Reconstruction efforts.

Panic of 1873

A financial crisis that led Northerners to lose interest in funding Reconstruction.

Compromise of 1877

An agreement resolving the disputed 1876 presidential election by making Rutherford B. Hayes president in exchange for ending Reconstruction and withdrawing federal troops from the South.

Plessy vs. Ferguson

An 1896 Supreme Court decision that upheld racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine.

Poll Taxes/Literacy Tests

Measures used in the South to disenfranchise African Americans by making voting rights conditional on fees or literacy exams.