civil war and reconstruction

Key Figures and Ideas Leading to the Civil War

Senator Henry Clay (Kentucky): Known as the "Great Compromiser," Clay believed in maintaining the balance in the Senate. He proposed that California should be a free state and Texas should be a slave state to achieve this.
Senator John C. Calhoun (South Carolina): Advocated for states' rights, arguing that each state, including Missouri, should have the right to decide whether it would be a slave or free state.

Missouri Compromise of 1820

Terms: Missouri entered as a slave state, Maine as a free state.
Territorial Impact: Any state formed north of the Missouri Compromise line (36°30' latitude) in the Louisiana Territory would be free, while states south of the line would permit slavery.

Manifest Destiny

Definition: The belief that it was God's will for Americans to expand across the North American continent.

Texas and American Settlers: Originally part of Mexico, Americans were encouraged to settle in Texas. Eventually, they fought for independence and joined the U.S.
California and Mexico: Mexico owned California and refused to sell it to the U.S., leading to tensions and eventually war.
War Strategy: The U.S. provoked Mexico into firing the first shot to gain support for the war.
Bear Flag Republic: California declared independence from Mexico during the conflict.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848): Mexico ceded over 500,000 square miles of territory to the U.S., and the U.S. paid $15 million and forgave $3 million in Mexican debts.

Significance of the Mexican-American War

Territorial Gains: Texas was admitted as a slave state, and California as a free state.
Fugitive Slave Law: Enacted to require the return of escaped slaves to their owners.
Compromise of 1850: California became a free state, with the North agreeing to pass the Fugitive Slave Law.

Abolitionist Definition: People who opposed slavery and helped enslaved individuals escape, often via the Underground Railroad.
Harriet Beecher Stowe: Wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852) to expose the brutality of slavery, fueling Northern opposition to the Fugitive Slave Law.

Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854

Impact: Divided the Nebraska Territory into Kansas and Nebraska, allowing popular sovereignty to decide the issue of slavery, effectively repealing the Missouri Compromise.
Formation of the Republican Party: Opposed the extension of slavery into new territories.
Bleeding Kansas: Violent clashes between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions as they fought over Kansas' status.

Dred Scott Decision (1857)

Ruling by Chief Justice Roger Taney:
- Dred Scott, a slave, was not a citizen and therefore could not sue in federal court.
- Slaves were property, and Congress could not take away property without due process.

John Brown: Led a failed raid at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1859, aiming to incite a slave revolt. Captured and executed.
Harriet Tubman: Conductor of the Underground Railroad, made 19 trips to the South, freeing over 300 slaves.
William Lloyd Garrison: Founded The Liberator newspaper, declaring slavery a moral issue.
Frederick Douglass: Escaped slavery, founded The North Star newspaper, and became a prominent anti-slavery voice and U.S. Minister to Haiti.
Sojourner Truth: Former slave who became a powerful speaker against slavery.

Definition: Loyalty to one's region (North, South, or West) rather than the nation as a whole.
Northern Life: Industrial economy; influx of over 5 million immigrants.
Southern Life: Agricultural economy reliant on slavery; "Cotton is king" due to the cotton gin's impact on production.

Free-Soilers and States' Rights Debates

Free-Soilers: Northerners who opposed the expansion of slavery into new territories for economic reasons.
Opponents of States' Rights: Believed that federal law was supreme and that states could not secede.
Supporters of States' Rights: Argued for the right to nullify federal laws and secede from the Union if deemed necessary.

Key Political Events and Figures

Wilmot Proviso: Proposed banning slavery in territories won from Mexico.
Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858): Highlighted differing views on slavery, with Lincoln opposing its extension into new territories.
Election of 1860: Lincoln’s victory led Southern states, beginning with South Carolina, to secede from the Union.

Fort Sumter: The first shots of the Civil War were fired here.
Anaconda Plan: Union strategy to blockade Southern ports and cut off resources.
First Battle of Bull Run: Confederate victory in Virginia.
Battle of Antietam: Bloodiest single day of the war, leading to Lincoln's decision to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.
Emancipation Proclamation: Freed slaves in Confederate states, transforming the war into a fight for freedom.
Gettysburg and Vicksburg (1863): Turning point battles that crippled the Confederate forces and split the South.

End of the Civil War

Sherman’s March to the Sea: Destroyed the South's resources, leading to their eventual surrender.
Appomattox Court House: General Lee surrendered to General Grant, effectively ending the war in April 1865.
Lincoln’s Assassination: Occurred five days after the Confederate surrender.

13th Amendment: Abolished slavery.
Lincoln’s 10 Percent Plan: Pardoned Confederates who swore allegiance to the Union; readmitted states when 10% of voters took the oath.
Andrew Johnson’s Plan: Similar to Lincoln’s but excluded high-ranking Confederates and wealthy planters; allowed former Confederates to regain property and rights.

Radical Republican’s Reconstruction

Disagreement with Johnson: Believed his plan was too lenient; pushed for harsher measures and full civil rights for African Americans.
Civil Rights Act of 1866: Prohibited racial discrimination and granted citizenship to all born in the U.S.
Freedmen’s Bureau: Provided aid to African Americans, including education and legal assistance.
14th Amendment: Established citizenship for all born in the U.S.
Reconstruction Act of 1867: Divided the South into military districts to enforce black voting rights.

Johnson’s Impeachment and Reconstruction’s End

Impeachment: Johnson violated the Tenure of Office Act; was impeached but not removed from office.
15th Amendment: Granted voting rights regardless of race or previous servitude.
Black Codes: Laws passed in the South to limit the freedoms of African Americans.
Compromise of 1877: Ended Reconstruction by withdrawing Union troops from the South, leading to the return of Southern states to their pre-war conditions.
Ku Klux Klan: Formed to oppose Reconstruction and prevent African American integration into society.