1850s - Sheet1 Flashcards
“The Scarlet Letter”
(1850) A controversial American novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and a transcendentalist watershed. Set in 17th century Puritan Boston, the author explores themes of legalism, sin, and guilt.
Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
A controversial part of the Compromise of 1850, it demanded that all slaves must be returned to their owners.
Harriet Tubman
A conductor of the Underground Railroad and armed scout and spy for the North during the Civil War. In 2016, the U.S. treasury department announced she would replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
An 1852 anti-slavery novel by Harriet Beatrice Stowe which stoked abolitionist flames. Uncle Tom is a long-suffering black slave. The sentimental novel depicts the reality of slavery while also asserting that Christian love can overcome something as destructive as enslavement of fellow human beings. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was the best-selling novel of the 19th century. The book and the plays it inspired helped popularize a number of stereotypes about black people. These include the affectionate, dark-skinned “mammy”; the “pickaninny” stereotype of black children; and the “Uncle Tom.”
Yontoket Massacre
1853 California. Another example of anti-Native violence, 450 Tolowa indians were killed while praying.
Bloody Monday
1855- 22 Irish-Catholics were killed by Protestants over a contested Democratic win over a “Know-Nothing” candidate in Kentucky.
The Know-Nothings
A nativist political party, active during the mid 1850s, which arose in response to an influx of migrants and promised to “purify” American politics by limiting or ending the influence of Irish Catholics and other immigrants, thus reflecting nativist and anti-Catholic sentiment. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, whom they saw as hostile to Republican values and as being controlled by the Pope. Nominated former president Millard Fillmore as its first presidential candidate in 1856.
Great Train Wreck of 1856
A deadly train collision which lead to an increase in train regulation.
Dred Scott v. Sandford
A landmark 1857 case which said that African-Americans could not be United States citizens.
Elisha Otis
Inventor of the elevator.
Mountain Meadows massacre
(1857) A militia of Mormons, wrapped in hysteria, brutally slaughtered 100-120 settlers including men, women, and children.
SS Central America
30,000 pounds of gold was lost when this ship sunk in a hurricane, contributing to the Panic of 1857.
Pike’s Peak Gold Rush
A gold rush (1858-1861) which lead to the creation of the territory of Colorado.
Remington Model 1858
A revolver which saw use in the American West and by the Union during the Civil War.
