APUSH TERMS 4 Flashcards
A transcendentalist who wrote the essay “Civil Disobedience” which outlined his protest to the Mexican American war. This essay later influenced non-violent protests by Gandhi and M.L. King Jr.
Henry David Thoreau
A 19th century intellectual movement that posited the importance of an ideal world of mystical knowledge and harmony beyond the immediate grasp of the senses. Leaders called for the critical examination of society and emphasized individuality, self-reliance, and nonconformity
Transcendentalism
A network of safe houses used by abolitionists to aid the escape of Southern Slaves into the North.
Underground Railroad
An argument used by slavery supporters claiming slavery had benefits for the slaves as well as the United States.
Positive Good
Term used to describe the regions (Northeast, South & West) and differing economic, social and cultural systems and interests prior to the Civil War.
Sectionalism
An escaped slave who became a leading figure in the anti-slavery movement.
Frederick Douglass
Anti-slavery activists who demanded the immediate end of slavery.
Abolitionists
A war fought on the principle of “manifest destiny” and supported by southern planters desiring to expand the cotton culture. Was opposed by the Northeast who thought war was “unrighteous and gave the south more political power.
Mexican/American War
Slogan used by pro-war westerners wanting a war with Great Britain for all of the Oregon territory in the 1840’s.
“54 40 or Fight”
Economic Depression brought about by over speculation in land or railroads on a cycle of 20 to 10 years.
Panics of 1819, 1837, 1857, 1873, 1883, 1893
First national organization to protest the abuse of alcohol. They demanded “total” abstinence and pressured churches to expel members who condoned alcohol.
American Temperance Society
Unitarian Sunday School teacher who during the age of reform worked for better treatment for the mentally insane.
Dorethea Dix
Anti-Slavery (Abolitionist) newspaper founded by New Englander William Lloyd Garrison. Publisher was considered outspoken and controversial because of their unwavering stand on slavery.
Liberator
A procedure in the House of Representatives. From 1836-1844 by which antislavery petitions were automatically tabled when they were received so they could not become subject to debate
Gag Rule
Controversial 5 part Bill which allowed California to enter the union as a free state while agreeing to some southern demands on slavery issues.
Compromise of 1850
The most controversial portion of the compromise of 1850. It allowed southern slave-holders to retrieve escaped slaves in the north.
Fugitive Slave Law
Term used to describe the dominance of the South’s cash crop (Cotton) on politics, agriculture, and society prior to the Civil War in the Antebellum South.
King Cotton
Written by Harriet Beecher Stowe in response to the Fugitive Slave Law. It is considered to have been one of the most effective Anti-Slavery statements made prior to the Civil War.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
The idea that the people who live in the area should decide the rules and laws to govern them. Advocated by Lewis Cass and accepted by Democrats as a way to avoid tensions and political fallouts over the expansion of slavery
Popular Sovereignty
Also known as The Little Giant, a senator and presidential candidate from Illinois who authored the Kansas- Nebraska Act to benefit his political career.
Stephen A Douglas
Stephen Douglas’ attempt to allow popular sovereignty to decide the slavery issue in the territories in exchange for the Trans-Continental Railroad linking California and Illinois.
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Conflict over the expansion of slavery into the Kansas Territory during its transition to statehood. Free-Staters battled slavery supporters with violence.
Bleeding Kansas
Fanatic anti-slavery advocate. He was involved in Bleeding Kansas and later became the leader who attempted to start a massive slave uprising by seizing the federal armory at Harpers Ferry in 1859..
John Brown
1857 Supreme Court case that developed the fact that slaves were property not persons entitled to constitutional rights. It was the second Supreme Court decision to declare a law unconstitutional—Missouri Compromise
Dred Scott v. Sandford
