APUSH Period 5 Flashcards
Missouri Compromise
an effort by Congress to defuse the sectional and political rivalries triggered by the request of Missouri late in 1819 for admission as a state in which slavery would be permitted. At the time, the United States contained twenty-two states, evenly divided between slave and free.
Zachary Taylor
Whig slave holder. general that was a military leader in mexican-american war and 12th president of the united states. sent by president polk to lead the american army against mexico at rio grande, but defeated.
Wilmot Proviso
Proposal to prohibit slavery in any land acquired in the Mexican War, but southern senators, led by John C. Calhoun of South Carolina, defeated the measure in 1846 and 1847. It Failed
Popular Sovereignty
notion that the sovereign people of a given territory should decide whether to allow slavery. Seemingly a compromise, it was largely opposed by Northern abolitionists who feared it would promote the spread of slavery to the territories.
Compromise of 1850
Slavery becomes outlawed in Washington D.C., California is admitted as a free state, and Utah and New Mexico will determine whether slavery is allowed through popular sovereignty. Also, the Fugitive Slave Law is passed.
Millard Filmore
helped pass the compromise of 1850 by gaining the support of northern whigs for the compromise. became the 13th president when taylor died. he was largely self-educated, he had made his own way in the profession of a law and the rough-and-tumble world of ny politics, he was ready to make peace and used extreme caution, he support the compromise of 1850 and helped it pass.
Fugitive Slave Act of 1852
these laws provided for the return of escaped slaves to their owners. The North was lax about enforcing the 1793 law, which irritated the South to no end. The 1850 law was tougher and was aimed at eliminating the underground railroad.
Franklin Pierce
Democrat who won the election of 1852 over the Whigs and the Free Soilers. Devoted himself to avoid offending either of the sections of the nation, the slavery issue in particular. Instead, he was committed to expanding American interests with hawaii and Cuba, although this offended many northerners for fear that slavery would spread to those islands.
Stephen Douglas
Senator from Illinois who ran for president against Abraham Lincoln. Wrote the Kansas-Nebreaska Act and the Freeport Doctrine
Kansas-Nebraska Act
a compromise law in 1854 that suspended the Missouri Compromise and left it to voters in Kansas and Nebraska to determine whether they would be slave or free states. the law exacerbated sectional tensions when voters can to blows over the question of slavery in Kansas. It was very controversial, supported by President Pierce and not supported by Douglass
Pottawatomie MassacrePottawatomie Massacre
When John Brown (abolitionist) and followers murdered 5 pro-slavery settlers in Kansas then mutilated their bodies to scare other slave supporters and to keep slavery supporters from moving into Kansas.
Republican Party
organized in 1854 by antislavery Whigs, Democrats, and Free Soilers in response to the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act; nominated John C. Frémont for president in 1856 and Abraham Lincoln in 1860
Bleeding Kansas
A sequence of violent events involving abolitionists and pro-Slavery elements that took place in Kansas-Nebraska Territory. The dispute further strained the relations of the North and South, making civil war imminent.
Abraham Lincoln
honest frontiersman from IL; the “rail-splitter” officially joined politics after the KS-NE act; challenged Douglas for the IL senate seat and although he put up a good fight, lost; won the election of 1860 as 1st successful Republican
-president thru civil war
Know-Nothing Party
aka the American Party; major political force from 1854-1855; objective: to extend period of naturalization, undercut immigrant voting strengths, and keep aliens in their place
Free Soil Party
was against slavery in the new territories. They also advocated federal aid for internal improvements and urged free government homesteads for settlers.
James Buchanan
For popular sovereignty. the 15th president of the united states (1857-1861). he tried to maintain a balance between proslavery and antislavery factions, but his moderate views angered radicals in both north and south, and he was unable to forestall the secession of south carolina on december 20, 1860.
Sumner-Brooks Incident
1856 - Charles Sumner gave a two day speech on the Senate floor. He denounced the South for crimes against Kansas and singled out Senator Andrew Brooks of South Carolina for extra abuse. Brooks beat Sumner over the head with his cane, severely crippling him.
Dred Scott Decision
Supreme Court decision that stated three things: Blacks were not citizens and therefore could not sue in federal courts; Because a slave is their master’s property, they can be taken into any territory and held there in slavery; Congress had no power to ban slavery from the territories
Panic of 1857
An economic crash that arose due to the inflation caused by inpouring California gold. The demands of the Crimean War over-stimulated grain growth and land speculation, and when the collapse came over five thousand businesses failed. Northern farmers were hard-hit by the panic, while the South basically went untouched. Also the panic created a clamor of higher tariff rates.
LeCompton Constitution
pro-slavery constitution written for Kansas’ admission to the union in opposition to the anti-slavery Topeka Constitution; it was eventually rejected and Kansas became a free state in 1861
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
A series of seven debates. The two argued the important issues of the day like popular sovereignty, the Lecompton Constitution and the Dred Scott decision. One of the two won these debates, but the other’s position in these debates helped him win in the 1860 presidential election.
“A House Divided”
Famous speech by Lincoln before the Civil War about the economy. “This country cannot be half slave and half free….”
John Brown’s Raid
In 1859, the militant abolitionist John Brown seized the U.S. arsenal at Harper’s Ferry. He planned to end slavery by massacring slave owners and freeing their slaves. He was captured and executed.
Freeport Doctrine
Stated that exclusion of slavery in a territory (where it was legal) could be determined by the refusal of the voters to enact any laws that would protect slave property. Stated by Stephen Douglass during the Lincoln-Douglass debates, eventually led to his loss in the 1860 presidential election
Secession Winter
Secession winter was the winter of 1860-1861, when 7 southern states (South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas) seceded in rapid succession.
Election of 1860
Lincoln represented the Republicans. Stephen Douglas represented Northern Democrats, and John Breckinridge represented Southern Democrats. John Bell represented the Constitutional Party who wanted to heal the split between the North and South. Lincoln was not on the ballot in most southern states. It was primarily a sectional election (north v. south). Lincoln received the most popular votes (40%) and won the election with the electoral vote.
Fort Sumter
A fort in SE South Carolina, guarding Charleston Harbour. Its capture by Confederate forces (1861) was the first action of the Civil War.