Copy of Unit 3 Test Study Guide GROUP

Missouri Compromise (1820)

• Admitted Missouri as a slave state in exchange for Maine as a free state.

• Outlawed slavery above the 36º 30' latitude line (southern border of Missouri).

Louisiana Purchase (1803)

• Acquisition of the Louisiana territory from France for $15 million (4 cents per acre).

• Robert Lee's interpretation: U.S. gained imperial rights, did not simply buy land.

• Impact on Native Americans: Forced displacement via the Trail of Tears.

• Impact on Slavery: Established free and slave states, prolonging slavery debates.

Mexican-American War

• Annexation of Texas: Texas rebelled against Mexico due to outlawing slavery (1829) and immigration laws targeting Anglo settlers (1830).

• Key Statement: President Polk's claim of "American blood on American soil" sparked the call for war against Mexico.

• Causes for U.S. Victory: Superior training and equipment, contrasted with Mexico's outdated resources and internal issues.

• Opposition to the War: Belief it aimed to expand slave territory.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

• Overview: Ended the Mexican-American War, but raised new slavery controversies and did not extend beyond the Louisiana Purchase.

Compromise of 1850

• California's admission as a free state disrupted the balance of free vs. slave states.

• Components:

  1. Texas to cede disputed lands for $10 million.

  2. New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah territories organized sans slavery mention.

  3. Washington D.C. to abolish the slave trade, but permit slavery.

  4. California as a free state.

  5. Fugitive Slave Act (required citizen assistance in recovering fugitive slaves, denied trials).

• Fugitive Slave Act Controversy: Fueled abolitionist sentiment; led to mass exodus to Canada.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

• Introduced popular sovereignty in Kansas and Nebraska, overturning the Missouri Compromise.

• Significance: Turned Kansas into a battleground over slavery, catering to Southern interests (transcontinental railroad).

Abolitionist Movement

• Beecher’s Bibles: Sharps rifles given to Northern settlers in Kansas to fight for freedom.

• Border Ruffians: Pro-slavery Missourians crossing into Kansas disrupting elections.

• Violence in Kansas (Bleeding Kansas): Conflicts between pro- and anti-slavery factions led to numerous deaths and chaos.

The Free Soil Movement

• Advocated against the expansion of slavery, focusing on free territory for free white people.

• Manifest Destiny: Justification for westward expansion by settlers, regardless of existing populations.

Civil War Context

• Election of 1860: Highlighted divisions between North and South; North favored abolition, South sought to protect slavery.

• Impact on Slavery: Shifts leading to Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment, permanently banning slavery.

Post-Civil War Developments

• Legalized Segregation: Plessy v. Ferguson (1896).

• Overturned Segregation: Brown v. Board of Education (1954).

Indian Removal Act of 1830

• Implemented by President Andrew Jackson:

• Key Cases: Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831) and Worcester v. Georgia (1832) favored Cherokee land claims.

• Trail of Tears: Enforced removal causing significant Native American death tolls.

Post-Civil War South

• Black Codes (1860s): Laws aimed at restricting Black people's rights.

• Jim Crow Laws (1880s): Institutionalized segregation intensified after Reconstruction ended in 1877.

American Indian Policies

• Dawes General Allotment Act (1887): Allotted reservations to individual families, with strict restrictions.

• "Kill the Indian, Save the Man": Reflecting policies aimed at erasing Native cultures.

• Purpose of Indian Boarding Schools: Assimilate Native Americans into Anglo-American culture.