APUSH U5 Important Events Overview

Front:
Annexation of Texas (1845)

Back:
The annexation of Texas led to the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). The U.S. admitted Texas as a state, which increased tensions over the spread of slavery and territorial expansion.

Front:
Mexican-American War (1846-1848)

Back:
The war was sparked by the U.S. annexation of Texas and a dispute over the southern border. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the war, giving the U.S. much of the Southwest (California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, etc.).

Front:
Wilmot Proviso

Back:
A failed proposal to prohibit slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico, highlighting sectional divisions over slavery.

Front:
California Gold Rush (1849)

Back:
The discovery of gold in California attracted thousands of settlers, increasing the population and leading to California's admission as a free state in 1850. The Gold Rush accelerated the need to address the issue of slavery in new territories.

Front:
Compromise of 1850

Back:
A series of laws intended to resolve the issue of slavery in the territories acquired from Mexico:

• California admitted as a free state.

• The Fugitive Slave Act, which required runaway slaves be returned to their owners.

• Popular sovereignty in Utah and New Mexico territories.

• Abolition of the slave trade in Washington, D.C.

Front:
Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

Back:
Proposed by Stephen Douglas, it created the Kansas and Nebraska territories and allowed residents to decide the slavery issue via popular sovereignty. Led to violent conflict between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers in Kansas, known as "Bleeding Kansas."

Front:
Dred Scott Decision (1857)

Back:
The Supreme Court ruled that Dred Scott, an enslaved man, could not sue for his freedom because African Americans were not considered citizens. It also declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, allowing slavery in all territories.

Front:
Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858)

Back:
A series of debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas over the issue of slavery in the territories. Lincoln's stance on "free labor" gained national attention and led to his rise in the Republican Party.

Front:
Election of 1860

Back:
Abraham Lincoln was elected president, prompting Southern states to secede from the Union, leading to the formation of the Confederacy.

Front:
Civil War (1861-1865)

Back:
Major Battles: Bull Run, Antietam, Gettysburg, Shiloh, Vicksburg, Sherman’s March to the Sea.
The Union’s victory in 1865 ended slavery and preserved the United States.

Front:
Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

Back:
Issued by President Abraham Lincoln, it freed slaves in Confederate-held territory and shifted the goal of the war to include abolition of slavery.

Front:
Homestead Act (1862)

Back:
Gave 160 acres of land to settlers in the West if they could improve the land. It encouraged westward migration and helped populate the Great Plains.

Front:
13th Amendment (1865)

Back:
Abolished slavery in the United States.

Front:
14th Amendment (1868)

Back:
Granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S.

Front:
15th Amendment (1870)

Back:
Gave African American men the right to vote.

Front:
Reconstruction Acts (1867)

Back:
These laws divided the South into military districts and required Southern states to create new constitutions, ratify the 14th Amendment, and allow African Americans to vote to rejoin the Union.