history exam unit 1 notes

Key People, Concepts, Places, Events

• This section covers key elements necessary for understanding the period.
• Emphasis on connecting these elements to larger concepts previously covered.

Westward Expansion

• The movement of settlers from the Eastern United States to the West.
• Driven by factors such as:
  • Land availability
  • Economic opportunities (e.g., gold rush, agriculture)
  • Belief in Manifest Destiny

Missouri Compromise

• An agreement passed in 1820 between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States Congress.
• Primarily involving the regulation of slavery in the western territories.
• Key provisions:
  • Missouri admitted as a slave state.
  • Maine admitted as a free state.
  • Slavery prohibited in the remaining Louisiana Purchase lands north of the $36°30'$ parallel.

Manifest Destiny

• The belief that the United States was destined to expand across the North American continent.
• Justified expansion by asserting American cultural and racial superiority.
• Fueled westward expansion, conflicts with Native Americans, and debates over slavery.

Mormon Migration

• The movement of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) to the West.
• Led by Brigham Young after the death of Joseph Smith.
• Settled in the Salt Lake Valley in present-day Utah.
• Sought religious freedom and established a thriving community.

Texas Independence and Annexation

• Texas declared independence from Mexico in 1836.
• The Texas Revolution resulted in the establishment of the Republic of Texas.
• Annexation by the United States in 1845.
• Increased tensions with Mexico, leading to the Mexican-American War.

Antebellum Era

• The period in the United States before the Civil War (roughly 1815-1860).
• Characterized by:
  • Growing sectionalism over slavery
  • Economic differences between the North and South
  • Political debates over states' rights and federal power

Kansas-Nebraska Act

• Passed in 1854.
• Created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska.
• Allowed for popular sovereignty to determine the issue of slavery.
• Repealed the Missouri Compromise.
• Led to violence in Kansas between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers (Bleeding Kansas).

Popular Sovereignty

• The principle that the authority of a state and its government are created and sustained by the consent of its people, through their elected representatives.
• Used in the context of slavery to allow residents of a territory to decide whether to permit slavery.
• Proved controversial and ineffective in resolving the slavery issue.

Reconstruction

• The period after the Civil War (1865-1877) during which the United States attempted to rebuild and reintegrate the South.
• Aimed to:
  • Rebuild the South's economy and infrastructure
  • Protect the rights of newly freed slaves
  • Readmit Confederate states to the Union
• Marked by political corruption, violence, and ultimately, the failure to achieve full racial equality.