period 5 (1844-1877)

Question 1

what is the concept of manifest destiny?

Answer 1

the idea that it was america’s destiny to expand westward until the west coast

Question 2

what and when were some different mining expeditions? how did they contribute to westward expansion?

Answer 2

california gold rush 1849
nevada’s comstock lode (silver) 1859
pike’s peak 1869
it encouraged more settlers to move westward because they wanted to make money

Question 3

what three government acts encouraged westward expansion in 1862?

Answer 3

morrill act of 1862- granted government land to states for education
pacific railroad act of 1862- granted government land directly to railroad companies and corporations
homestead act of 1862- gave settlers land for free if they farmed it

Question 4

what other acts (other than the three passed in 1862) encouraged westward expansion?

Answer 4

timber culture act of 1873- gave settlers additional land if they grew trees on a portion of it
desert land act of 1877- gave land to settlers if they promised to irrigate it

Question 5

how did the democrats’ opinions on slavery differ from those of the whigs?

Answer 5

democrats favored slavery and westward expansion more than the whigs

Question 6

what three important events happened in 1854? explain them.

Answer 6

kanagawa treaty- opened japanese and american trade
kansas/nebraska act- an act that created the kansas and nebraska territories, and solidified popular sovereignty as the final policy for whether kansas and nebraska would be slave free or slave states. it went against the 1820 missouri compromise
ostend manifesto- a failed american attempt to buy cuba to spread slavery there

Question 7

what and when was the gadsden purchase?

Answer 7

an 1853 purchase of more southern land for the transcontinental railroad

Question 8

what was the wilmot proviso?

Answer 8

a failed 1846 bill to ban slavery in any lands gained from the mexican american war

Question 9

how and when did texas join the united states?

Answer 9

texas declared independence from spain in the 1830s, and joined the united states with a joint resolution in 1845

Question 10

why did the mexican american war start? what years did it happen? what treaty ended it? what were the terms of the treaty?

Answer 10

a disputed boundary between texas and spain after texas joined the united states as a state. texas believed it was the rio grande river, but the spanish thought it was further inward. polk sent troops to protect the american-believed border, and when the troops were fired upon, polk ordered troops to fire back, starting the mexican american war.
1846-1848
treaty of guadalupe-hidalgo 1848
texas got the disputed territory and the boundary of the rio grande river
any spanish territory in from texas westward to california was also given to america, including california

Question 11

why was polk’s role in starting the mexican american war controversial?

Answer 11

depending on which border one believes is the real one (rio grande or not) polk’s statement that “american blood was spilled on american land” might be truthful or untruthful, thus he might have provoked the war on purpose (considering he favored expansion)

Question 12

what were polk’s four main goals, and how did he accomplish them?

Answer 12

1. restart the independent treasury- did so during the early days of his presidency
2. lower tariffs- walker tariff of 1846 lowered tariffs
3. gain the oregon territory- the oregon treaty of 1846 gave oregon to american rather than the joint control established in 1818.
4. gain california- this did not happen during his presidency, but soon after

Question 13

what years was van buren president? political party?

Answer 13

1837-1841

democratic

Question 14

what years was william henry harrison president? political party?

Answer 14

1841-1841

whig

Question 15

what years was tyler president? political party?

Answer 15

1841-1845

whig (technically)

Question 16

what years was polk president? political party?

Answer 16

1845-1849

democratic

Question 17

what years was taylor president? political party?

Answer 17

1849-1850

whig

Question 18

what years was fillmore president? political party?

Answer 18

1850-1853

whig

Question 19

what years was pierce president? political party?

Answer 19

1853-1857

democratic

Question 20

what years was buchanan president? political party?

Answer 20

1857-1861

democratic

Question 21

what years was lincoln president? political party?

Answer 21

1861-1865 (elected for a second term, but killed)

republican

Question 22

what years was andrew johnson president? political party?

Answer 22

1865-1869

union

Question 23

what years was grant president? political party?

Answer 23

1869-1877

republican

Question 24

what and when was the treaty of fort laramie?

Answer 24

an 1851 treaty between westward-moving pioneers and natives in the west. stated that remaining native lands would be left alone as long a corridor/path was cleared for american wagons

Question 25

what and when was the great sioux uprising?

Answer 25

an 1862 uprising of sioux against colonies intruding on native land in violation of the 1851 treaty of fort laramie

Question 26

when and what was the sand creek massacre?

Answer 26

an 1864 massacre of natives by pioneers as revenge for natives killing a settler family

Question 27

what was popular sovereignty?

Answer 27

the idea that the people of a territory should decide on the slave status of that state- whether it is slave-free or allows slavery

Question 28

what was the compromise of 1850? what were some of its most important terms?

Answer 28

compromise of northern and southern wants made to allow california to join the union as a free state
california could join america as a free state
fugitive slave act of 1850: tightened fugitive slave rules- runaway slaves needed to be returned, even in slave-free states
the new mexico cession land was given to new mexico
new mexico and utah would decide the slavery question through popular sovereignty

Question 29

what was the seventh of march speech?

Answer 29

speech made by webster in an attempt to get northerners to compromise with the south. eventually helped influence opinion towards the compromise of 1850

Question 30

why did immigration increase during the mid-1800s? where were those immigrants from? what movement did the sudden surge in immigration bring about?

Answer 30

germany- many tried to escape after the failed 1848 revolutions for a more democratic government
ireland- the 1848 potato crisis
the nativism movement- a movement emphasizing discrimination against immigrants and that those born in america originally were superior to immigrants

Question 31

how were settlement houses important? what is an example? founded by who?

Answer 31

they were important in helping immigrants adjust and to provide support services for the poor
hull house, founded by jane addams (helped immigrants a lot)

Question 32

what was the know-nothing party?

Answer 32

a party that followed the nativist philosophy and believed that those born in america were superior to all immigrants

Question 33

what were personal liberty laws? why were they important?

Answer 33

laws passed by northern states to avoid following the fugitive slave act of 1850
this angered the south because it seemed extremely unfair, and increased anti-abolitionist sentiment

Question 34

what was uncle tom’s cabin?

Answer 34

a book released in 1852 showing the experience of slaves. it was highly impactful in helping turn people to the abolitionist movement

Question 35

who was john brown? what did he do?

Answer 35

an extremely violent abolitionist associated with a massacre of proslaveryites in the pottawatomie creek massacre (1856) and a raid on harper’s ferry (1859)

Question 36

what was bleeding kansas? how did it relate to the lecompton constitution and the topeka constitution?

Answer 36

bleeding kansas was the violence that occurred in kansas around 1856 as a result of northerners and southerners crowding into kansas to sway the vote (popular sovereignty for the slavery question in kansas)
the lecompton constitution was a constitution proposed by the southern legislature of the kansas territory in about 1857 that gave people the option to vote for a non-slavery or slavery version. however, the non-slavery option still protected slave owners- tried to sway votes to slavery side
topeka constitution- constitution proposed by northern legislature of kansas territory

Question 37

what was the sumner v.s. brooks incident?

Answer 37

violence in 1856 between a pro-slavery senator brooks and abolitionist senator sumner

Question 38

what and when was the dred scott decision? why was it important?

Answer 38

an 1857 supreme court decision that slaves couldn’t run away in slave-free territory, because they were the property of slave masters
it was important because it implied that a slave was less than a person, and that the government had no power over what a state decided about slavery

Question 39

how did the national political parties divide according to the slavery issue?

Answer 39

the democrats became mostly pro-slavery, and were concentrated in the south
the whigs became divided into conscience whigs (anti-slavery) and cotton whigs (proslavery)

Question 40

what was the american colonization society?

Answer 40

group that wanted to ship all african americans to a colony in africa, had both good and bad intentions

Question 41

how did the election of 1860 affect the nation?

Answer 41

abraham lincoln got elected, and thus

many southern states seceded, forming the confederate states of america and forming the basis for the civil war

Question 42

what were the advantages and disadvantages of the union and confederacy in the civil war?

Answer 42

union: more organized central government and thus more government authority, more people (not counting slaves), better transportation lines, better developed industry, but had to fight an offensive war
confederacy: better war generals, fewer people BUT civilians generally better at fighting, little government control causing disorganization, less money due to worse industry, badly developed transportation, only had to fight a defensive war
for both: the effect of foreign intervention/nonintervention

Question 43

what were the three stages in the union plan to defeat the confederacy?

Answer 43

1. anaconda plan- use navy to blockade the southern ports
2. divide the confederacy in half through gaining control of the mississippi river
3. take control of richmond, the confederate capitol and win the war

Question 44

why did the south fail to gain foreign support from european countries like britain and france?

Answer 44

the south counted on cotton diplomacy/king cotton, the european demand for cotton that would make them intervene to help the south. however, they miscalculated. efficient cotton production and trade by the south in years past caused a cotton surplus in europe. the european countries also needed northern wheat more, and thus wouldn’t intervene on behalf of the south. any country that further needed cotton would then buy from india, eliminating foreign intervention as a possibility for the south

Question 45

how did the government fund the civil war?

Answer 45

legal tender acts of 1862-1863: permitted the government to print paper money not backed by gold or silver, but only by faith in the government
national bank act of 1863: created the national banking system, allowing other banks to issue the Treasury notes as currency
this was meant to give the government more control over how much money was currently in circulation, to inflate or deflate as they saw fit, and include more banks to make this type of currency widespread

Question 46

what were the two main purposes of the war? what were border states? how did the border states change lincoln’s declared purpose of the war?

Answer 46

to reunite the union and to free the slaves
the border states, which were states that fought on the side of the union but still allowed slavery, meant lincoln needed to be careful about making the war not about freeing slaves at first, or he would lose their support. thus, the official purpose he declared for the war was to reunite the union

Question 47

what are some important events and battles that happened throughout the civil war?

Answer 47

fort sumter 1861 (confederate win)
first battle of bull run 1861 (confederate win)
seven days battle 1862 (confederate win)
battle of hampton roads 1862 (union win)
antietam 1862 (union win)
emancipation proclamation 1863
battle of gettysburg 1863 (union win)
gettysburg address 1863
sherman’s march to the sea 1864 (union win, not really a battle though)
appomattox courthouse 1865 (war ending negotiations)

Question 48

why was the emancipation proclamation important to the purpose of the war?

Answer 48

it changed the purpose from being solely about reuniting the united states of america but also about freeing the slaves

Question 49

what and when was the emancipation proclamation?

Answer 49

a 1963 declaration that freed all slaves in confederate states
but not in any border states, as the union needed their support to win the war

Question 50

what and when was the gettysburg address? why was it important?

Answer 50

a 1963 speech given by lincoln after the battle of gettysburg to dedicate the field of that battle to those fallen soldiers.
it was important because it encouraged the rest of the union to keep fighting to honor those soldiers and the cause they fought for- to make america the country it was in the constitution, where everyone had the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”

Question 51

when was the draft instilled? what was the public reaction?

Answer 51

1863

public reaction was bad. the same year, the new york city draft riots happened- violent rebellion against the draft

Question 52

what and when was the thirteenth amendment?

Answer 52

an 1865 amendment that made slavery illegal in all states, and freed all slaves still in bondage

Question 53

what and when was the fourteenth amendment?

Answer 53

an 1868 amendment that forbade the discrimination of civil rights and citizenship based on race
(granted citizenship and all its rights to formerly enslaved people)

Question 54

what was the civil rights act of 1866?

Answer 54

an earlier version of the 14th amendment
granted citizenship and all related civil rights to former slaves
later given permanent federal protection in 1868 through the 14th amendment

Question 55

what and when was the fifteenth amendment?

Answer 55

an 1870 amendment that gave all african american men the right to vote

Question 56

how were the wade davis bill and the 10% plan related?

Answer 56

the 10% plan was lincoln’s plan for reincorporating the southern states into the government- 10% of the population of a state looking to rejoin should swear allegiance to the united states, and the 13th amendment should be ratified
the wade davis bill was congress’s plan for reincorporation, and stated that 50% of a state must say they’ve never supported the confederacy, and the state must agree to the 13th and 14th amendments before it would be allowed back into the united states

Question 57

what was the freedmen’s bureau? why were they important?

Answer 57

a government agency that was meant to help blacks and displaced southerners recover from the war
they were important because they helped blacks by providing basic necessities (food and water) and most importantly established schools

Question 58

what were the black codes?

Answer 58

laws meant to keep freed african americans in a state of near-slavery attempted to keep the southern economy the same as it was before the civil war

Question 59

what and when was the reconstruction act?

Answer 59

an 1867 act that split the south into military reconstruction districts with union militia to speed up reconstruction
ordered the ratification of the 14th and 15th amendments for the troops to leave

Question 60

what and when was the tenure of office act?

Answer 60

an 1867 act that forbid president andrew johnson from firing any of his cabinet members without the approval of congress
meant to protect a spy in johnson’s cabinet, who he fired anyway

Question 61

why did congress and andrew johnson dislike each other?

Answer 61

andrew johnson was a democrat, and the majority of congress was republican (because many democrats were southerners, and the civil war split the north and south)
thus they had many disagreements over how reconstruction should work, especially over how to treat the southern states
ex) johnson tried to veto the 1866 civil rights act

Question 62

who were the redeemers?

Answer 62

white southerners after the civil war who tried to take power and prevent african americans from participating in politics

Question 63

who were the kkk? what actions did the government take against them?

Answer 63

a violent white supremacist group responsible for extreme violence against african americans
force acts of 1870-1871: allowed the government to use military force to put down the kkk

Question 64

what were jim crow laws? why were they not forbidden by the fourteenth amendment?

Answer 64

jim crow laws- laws passed by several southern state governments making segregation legal in those states
segregation rested on the idea of “separate but equal” and thus didn’t count as discrimination
since the 14th amendment only forbid the discrimination of citizenship based on race, and respective civil rights, it didn’t technically apply to segregation
also- supreme court decisions in 1873 and 1896

Question 65

what and when was the plessy v. ferguson decision?

Answer 65

an 1896 act that ruled having “separate but equal” facilities under segregation was legal

Question 66

what and when was the slaughterhouse case?

Answer 66

an 1873 supreme court decision stating that the 14th amendment only protected national rights, not state given rights
it thus legalized jim crow laws

Question 67

what was the sharecropping system? why was it important?

Answer 67

a system where a farmer would rent out land and farming supplies from a landowner and pay it back using a portion of their harvested crops
important because it was similar to slavery, despite being after slaves were freed

Question 68

why did reconstruction end? how did the election of 1877 relate to it?

Answer 68

it ended because of southern resistance and the north getting tired
the election of 1877 included the compromise of 1877, where hayes was allowed to take the votes from three states to become president. in exchange, he removed military troops in those states and stopped military reconstruction

Question 69

what was the compromise of 1877?

Answer 69

a compromise in which hayes received votes from three southern states to secure his presidency in exchange for removing reconstruction troops from that area

Question 70

how was the 15th amendment related to the feminist movement of the late 19th century?

Answer 70

it discouraged the feminist movement, as it forbade the discrimination of voting rights based on race (thus giving voting rights to black men) it didn’t include terms that forbade voting discrimination based on sex

Question 71

what was johnson’s final decision regarding how to reincorporate the southern states? what was it called?

Answer 71

presidential reconstruction: he followed lincoln’s 10% plan, but also pardoned those who swore loyalty and returned their property
overall- more lenient towards southern states

Question 72

what was the tariff of 1842? why did it happen?

Answer 72

raised taxes

because tyler didn’t reform the independent treasury (polk did later on) and needed money