Period 5 Test (Part 1) Flashcards
In the time period, describe how every social and political decision was received in America.
Everything was an issue and there was always a protest from the other side, politics were so divided.
What was the most liberal area in the country?
The northeast
What major social groups came from the northeast? Why?
Many new religious movements started and lived there because they were open-minded to different things.
What groups came from or settled in the liberal northeast?
- Unitarians
- First Great Awakening
- Catholics
- Jews
What other part of the country became very liberal?
Some areas out west and other large major cities.
What is the idea of unitarianism?
One God, not three trinity persons.
Describe the Second Great Awakening.
Similar to First Great Awakening, but without intense preachers and members, more subdued people.
What was the mission of the Second Great Awakening?
It was about offering opportunity to people who wanted to find God again and join the Church.
Who were the top names of the Second Great Awakening?
- Charles Grandison Finney
- Peter Cartwright
Describe Charles Grandison Finney.
He was more radical with his ideas about sinners.
What other religious group came about during the Second Great Awakening?
Mormons
Who founded the Mormons?
Joseph Smith
What is Joseph Smith’s story of how Mormons were created?
He was in his house in NY and angel brought him gold plates with etchings of principles of the Mormon faith. He took the etchings and wrote a book for Latter Day Saints.
How did people in NY respond to Smith’s angel story?
People in NY are confused with the story and do not really believe it.
What was one of the main principles of the Mormon faith?
You can only marry once.
What was ironic about Smith asking people to marry only once?
He had multiple wives and is under heat for it.
After the controversy with his story and beliefs, what did Smith and Mormons do?
He moved his faith west to Indiana and Illinois.
What are Mormons also called? Describe them.
They are very different in many social ways than traditional Christians. Their other name is the Latter Day Saints.
As Smith and the Mormons march west, what happens to them?
Smith is killed in Illinois as well as many of his followers.
What happens after Smith and others are killed in Illinois?
Bringham Young, one of the followers steps up and takes over.
Where did Bringham Young lead the Mormons to?
Utah
Why did Young take the Mormons to Utah?
Nobody lived there to fight them, only had to contend with Natives.
How was Utah a safe place for the Mormons?
Pretty safe place with desolate population, nobody could attack them easily.
How did people view Mormons?
Very similar to how today we view the Amish, a conservative community of their own ways where they did not let people get into it.
What major university was founded on Mormon basis?
BYU
Why was there so much prejudice against Mormons?
There was major misunderstanding about their faith.
What was the key component of education reform?
access
What was the motive of having more education access?
It is essential to building your world for more successful youth.
Before education reform, describe northern education.
There were one room schoolhouses for boys only, which was mandatory for them until a certain age, as they learned for 9 months and worked on the farm.
Before education reform, describe southern education.
You were only educated in the south if you had money to pay a tutor, only esteemed families with lots of money and smart kids went to college.
Who were the top names in the education reform?
- Emma Willard
- Horace Mann
- Noah Webster
- Mary Lyon
What did Emma Willard do?
She opened up Oberlin College to women, wanted women to get college education.
How did other colleges respond to Oberlin College’s opening to be co-ed?
They followed suit very slowly over time.
What did Horace Mann do?
He comes about with a school theory for hands on learning, practical knowledge, stuff to know moving forward.
What did Noah Webster do?
He created the first dictionary we know.
What was Noah Webster’s first job?
teacher
What did Webster create? What has happened to it?
He created a million dollar reward for the person who makes a phonetical dictionary, and it has never been cashed out.
What did Mary Lyon do?
She pushed for women’s educational rights.
What was the legacy of the education reform?
Education kept growing. Every step we took, we gave access to more kids to learn.
What did Dorothea Dix do?
She tried to reform treatment for the insane.
At that time, where did the insane go to?
You went into a ward.
What were the insanity wards look like?
You were locked in like it was a prison.
How were the insane treated in the wards before Dix’s reform?
- like a prisoner
- 3 sloppy meals
- occasional visitor, but nobody wanted association with the insane.
What did you have to do to be considered insane?
You needed a slight mental incapacitation that affected your behavior.
Where were the insane put if they were deemed insane besides the wards?
Treatment centers, not at home.
What did William Ladd do?
He founded the American Peace Society
What was the American Peace Society?
An anti-war group filled with some peaceful protestors of war.
Who was Neal S. Dow and what did he do?
He was the first temperance movement leader and passed the Maine law before the Civil War.
What was the Maine Law?
It prohibited liquor in a temperance movement in Maine, before the federal laws took place.
What else came about with American Society with communities?
Utopian Communities
Who was Robert Owne and what did he do?
He was from New Harmony, IN and made a utopia there.
Describe the utopia in New Harmony, IN .
One said that everyone can live here if you are nice to each other if they unlock their doors as a sign of trust.
How did the New Harmony, IN utopia work out?
It went well until thieves came in and took everything from the unlocked doors.
What are two other major utopian communities during the utopian trend?
- Oneida Colony
- Shakers
Where was the Oneida colony? How long did it last?
It was in New York and it did not last long
Who led the Shakers?
Mother Ann Lee
What was the problem with the Shakers? How did it affect them?
They believed in celibacy, which gave them problems to build up their population.
How many Shakers are left today?
2
Describe science in the early 1800s.
It was big in Europe of questioning how things worked, being an American scientists did not help.
What changed science and helped bring it to the US?
Age of enlightenment
How did the age of enlightenment affect science?
It debated science and religion, and pushed against ageless beliefs, but science backed things up.
When sciences came to the us, what could people do?
They could engage in studies like more people around the world did.
Who were the main scientists of the scientific revolution in America?
Benjamin Silliman and John J. Audubon
What did Silliman study?
He studied rocks and archaeology
What did Audubon study?
He studies birds, took pictures out west of new birds never seen before.
Describe American literature before this social change.
We had writers, but no storytellers until this time.
Who were the main storytellers in America during this time?
- James Fenimore Cooper
- William Cullen Bryant
- Washington Erving
What did Cooper write about?
Mohicans and Indian wars
What did Cullen Bryant write?
Thanatopsis
What did Erving write about?
Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle
Why was having storytellers so important to American culture?
They are stories, places where Americans can get lost in their minds, do not need to deal with reality, it was accessible to everyone.
What group of writers emerged from the new literature culture?
Transcendentalists
What were the transcendentalists all about?
Earth and nature, pouring heart and soul out and let nature take course of the world.
Were transcendentalists influenced by anything else?
No
Who were the main transcendentalists?
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Henry David Thoreau
- Walt Whitman
What was Ralph Waldo Emerson’s main quote?
“The man who can make hard things easy is the educator.”
What did Thoreau write?
Walden
What was Thoreau’s legacy as a citizen?
He was arrested by government because he refused to pay taxes.
Why did Thoreau not like to pay taxes?
He never believed in paying homage to an outside entity.
What did Walt Whitman do?
He was a poet, part of the Dead Poet Society, valued self-sufficiency.
Who were the other major writers of the new writing era?
- Nathaniel Hawthorne
- Edgar Allan Poe
- John Greenleaf Whittier
- Herman Melville
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
What did Poe wrote?
poems about his dark life
What is Hawthorne most famous for writing?
Scarlet Letter
What is Longfellow most famous for writing?
The Paul Revere poem
What was the significance of cotton?
It was the backbone to the southern society and economy, dominated everything.
What was cotton’s nickname in the south?
King Cotton
How did the south justify slavery?
Necessary evil
How did the south justify slavery as a necessary evil?
They felt the economy would fall apart.
Describe southern slave life.
It was hard, you could be abused, whipped or lack of hours, you were trapped, no freedom at all.
Were there slaves in the north?
Yes, but very few areas
How many plantations were in the south?
About a few hundred
Where were southern plantations built?
along rivers
Why were plantations built on rivers?
For harvesting crops, you needed easy access to ship it, waterways made shipping, irrigation, and communication easy.
What was the name for the area of southern slavery?
Black Belt
Where did most slave plantations exist?
Along Southeast coast and near Mississippi River, near waterways.
How were slave plantations founded?
It was a first-come, first-serve basis, whoever found water and good land first near water got the plantation.
What was done to find runaway slaves?
Posters were put out to find them and people were willing to pay others to find them.
How did domestic slaves move plantations?
Through slave buying and selling, and slave auctions.
How did the north really feel about slavery?
They did not want slavery to happen, but wanted to send the slaves back to Africa.
What did the north’s slave views imply about them?
They were both abolitionists and racists, this comes with major hypocrisy.
Why did the northerners not want slaves to go back to Africa?
They did not want them to come north and take over jobs
What movement comes up from this northern slave viewpoint?
Back to Africa Movement
Who led the Back to Africa Movement?
American Colonization Society
Once more blacks are sent back to Africa, what happens?
They set up a colony called Liberia.
What was the capital of Liberia?
Monrovia
Why was Liberia’s capital called Monrovia?
This was set up during Monroe’s Presidency.
What was the problem with the Back to Africa Movement?
They were not born in Africa anymore, they were born and raised in US, they had never been to Africa because their ancestors were part of the slave trade.
How did blacks feel about the Back to Africa Movement? Why?
They were very angry because they lived in America for generations and Africa was a new place for them.
Who was Theodore Dwight Weld and what did he do?
He was an author who wrote a narrative “American Slavery as it is”
Who was Harriet Beecher Stowe and what did she do?
She was an author who wrote “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”
How were Stowe and Weld’s books similar?
They were anti-slavery propaganda, writing about the roughness of slave life.
Who’s book, Stowe’s or Weld’s, took off more in society?
Stowe’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”
How were “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and “American Slavery as it is” different?
Weld’s book was based on fact, as he interviewed 1000 witnesses himself in the south, while Stowe’s book was a story, but she did not travel south or see plantation life, and it was based on slave stories she heard.
Who was William Lloyd Garrison and what did he do?
He was a writer who wrote a pro-abolition newspaper.
What was the name of Garrison’s newspaper?
The Liberator
How did the south respond to Garrison’s newspaper?
They hated it and burned every copy coming to them. Some states even banned it.
What did the south try to do to Garrison after his newspaper was released?
They had a bounty to get after him.
Did the south succeed with Garrison’s bounty?
No
Who was Sojourner Truth and what did she do?
She was an escaped slave, who spoke from personal account as a girl slave and told people how bad and violent slavery was.
Who was Frederick Douglass?
An escaped slave from DC/Baltimore area, who was self-educated.
How did Frederick Douglass escape from slavery?
He made arrangements to onto a frigate ship in sailor garb from Baltimore to Philadelphia to New York.
After Douglass escaped, what was placed on him?
The south placed a bounty on him for a while.
What happens to Douglass when he gets to NY?
The abolition society had him tell his story to people for abolitionist propaganda.
Describe Douglass’ orations.
They were so passionate about banning slavery.
Where did Douglass make speeches at?
All over the north.
Could Douglass speak in the south? Why?
No because of the fugitive slave bounty on him. Could not appear to slave catchers.
What was the abolitionists’ goal of having Douglass speak a lot?
The abolitionists were out there and trying to limit slavery and make a cutoff date in the country.
How was Douglass received in the north?
His speeches were a popular draw to people in the north to abolish slavery.
Who won the 1840 election?
Harrison
What happened to Harrison after his election?
He lasted 32 days in office and died form pneumonia in 1941.
Who took over for Harrison when he died?
His VP John Tyler
What was the significance of Harrison’s death and Tyler taking over?
- never had a dead President in office.
- nothing in Constitution that said VP could take over.
What was the Harrison-Tyler change called?
Tyler Precedent
What was the significance of Harrison lasting a month in office?
It was the shortest term ever by a President.
What was the main problem with Tyler taking over without total Constitutional permission?
He is more Democratic, while Harrison was a Whig.
How did people in government and in the country respond to President Tyler?
Nobody really wanted him, did not think he deserved to be President.
How long was Tyler President?
One term
When did Tyler run for re-election? Against whom did he run?
In 1845, he ran against James K. Polk.
Did Tyler have a decent chance to get re-elected?
No
What was Tyler’s big goal to achieve as President?
Getting Texas in the Union
How did Tyler’s Texas goal work out?
He pushed hard to get it, but Congress would not let him.
What was our history before Tyler of trying to bring in Texas?
Texas wanted to come into the US, but Jackson would not bring them in because of slave-no slave issues.
Who was in the 1844 election?
Henry Clay and James K. Polk
What was Polk’s political party?
Democrat
How did Polk feel about tariffs?
He disliked them, as he was a southerner.
How did Tyler respond to be shut down with Texas by Congress?
He decided to use an executive order to say Texas is in.
Who won the election of 1844?
Polk
After Texas gets in from Tyler, what must happen as it becomes part of the country?
- boundary issues
- Mexico was still mad at us
- needed a smooth transition
Why did Tyler want to get Texas in so badly in 1845?
He knew he was only going to be a one-term President and wanted to get credit for it. Polk also said it as an idea as he was elected.
What pieces of land did Polk work with when he was President? How did he do it?
- He fought over Oregon and made sure 54-40 or fight line is secured.
- He made sure Texas was in, no matter how Mexico felt.
- He won the Mexican War
What was Polk’s major goal’s name?
Manifest Destiny
Who created the concept of Manifest Destiny? When did he do it?
John O’Sullivan in the 1830s.
What is the belief in manifest destiny?
It said that Americans are destined to rule the entire coast and continent.
What was Manifest Destiny really a theory of?
white superiority
What was the Arostook War?
A small war with lumberjacks debating the border of Maine.
When we went into war with Mexico, how much did they have?
They had Cancun all the way halfway up to the West Coast through New Mexico, California, Arizona, etc.
How long did the Mexican War last?
Almost 2 years
What current day states declared independence from Mexico before the war?
California and Texas
Why did California and Texas leave Mexico?
There were Americans there and said they were done with control from Mexico
What was the independent name of California?
Bear Flag Republic
What part of land do we get after winning the Mexican war?
We get over half of Mexico’s land in the North.
Before the Mexican War, what did Polk do with the Bear Flag Republic?
He wanted to buy California
Why did Polk buy California from Mexico? Did Mexico agree to do it initially?
Mexico was essentially broke and we wanted more land. They initially agreed to it.
Who did Polk send to buy California?
John Slidell
When Slidell tried to buy California, what did Mexico do?
They said they would never give him California, and Mexico stuffed us.
How did the US feel about Mexico stuffing us with California?
We took offense to it.
How did the US respond to getting stuffed by Mexico with California?
Polk sent General Zachary Taylor march into Texas.
Before Polk calling Taylor to go in, how far had we gone into Texas?
The Nueces River, which was about halfway down Texas. We only stayed above this river.
Where does Polk tell Taylor to go?
To the Rio Grande river, and take everything north of it.
What happens as the Americans are at the Rio Grande?
Taylor claimed and reported that Mexico shot at them when they were there.
What was the significance of the Rio Grande Altercation?
They were the opening shots of the Mexican war.
During the Mexican War, what was Lincoln’s Job?
He was in HOR
What did Lincoln propose in House as Mexican War started?
He proposed the Spot Resolution.
What did the Spot Resolution do?
It made Taylor show us the spot where Mexico fired to make sure they fired first.
Did Taylor show where Mexico fired?
No
What was speculated once Taylor could not explain the spot of the opening fire?
There was much question if we provoked the gun shots.
Who were the other major generals who emerged in the Mexican War?
- Ulysses Grant
- Robert E. Lee
- Jefferson Davis
- William Sherman
What was significant about Grant and others being in the Mexican War?
They would fight again in the Civil War and saw guerrilla warfare experience for the first time in the Mexican war.
What was Taylor’s nickname?
Old Rough and Ready
Why was Taylor called Old Rough and Ready?
His uniform was always in bad condition, never had good appearance, just fought no matter what.
Who was the second major general in the Mexican war?
Gerald Winfield Scott
What was Gerald Winfield Scott’s nickname?
Old Fuss and Feathers
Why was Scott called Old Fuss and Feathers?
He cared about his appearance to his troops, wanted to look like a proper general going into battle.
Who was John Fremont?
He made a name in the Mexican war, but was a major figure in California politically.
Where did the Mexican war start?
Near the Rio Grande
Who came back on the Mexican side to fight?
Santa Ann
How did the Mexican War start?
Between Taylor’s encounter at the Rio Grande and putting Santa Anna on the run, it started.
How did Santa Anna come back to fight again in the Mexican War?
After the Texas war, he took money and raised troops and was ready to fight again.
How did the US chase Santa Anna in the Mexican War?
They chased them through Northern Mexico.
When did the Mexican war end?
When we surrounded Mexico City and Santa Anna surrendered.
What land did we want after the Mexican war?
We let the southern part go, but we wanted northern part.
What treaty settled the Mexican American war?
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
Who helped negotiate the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo?
Nicholas Trist
How did Trist settle the Mexican treaty?
He goes into Mexico and asserts that US gets all land north of the Rio Grande and northern Mexico to the west as well.
What does Mexico do in the treaty after the US gets all the northern Mexican land?
Mexico knows they owe reparations, so the land exchange is not complicated, and the US does not have ti pay much for the land.
What was the name of the land taken by the US after the Mexican war called?
The Mexican Cession
Who was Wilmot Proviso?
A Senator from Indiana
What did Proviso do?
He proposed a law that all land from the Mexican war should be slave free, except Texas.
How did the south view Proviso’s proposal?
They examine it and look at Lincoln’s Spot Resolution and are angry about Proviso’s plan.
What was significant about the south’s view of Proviso’s proposal?
There were more talks about potential secession.
Who started popular sovereignty?
Lewis Cass
What did Cass do as a politician?
He ran for President in 1848.
What was the idea of popular sovereignty?
Let people in territories as they join union to let them decide if slavery should exist or not.
What major politician was a big supporter of popular sovereignty?
Stephen Douglas
Where was Stephen Douglas from?
Illinois
When do the Mexican Cession states come into the union?
Decades later, so popular sovereignty did not matter, as slavery had been well outlawed by then.
What party came about to abolish slavery?
Free Soil Party
What was the platform of the Free Soil Party?
Free labor, free men.
What was the one promise of the Free Soil Party?
Having no slavery in new territories.
Where did the Free Soilers have support?
In the north, nowhere else.
Who was one of the most famous free soilers?
John Fremont
What kind of people were deemed as free soilers?
Abolitionists in the north
When did the gold rush start?
1848
How was gold first founded in California?
A man found gold in a California riverbed.
How did California’s first gold finder respond to finding gold?
He was excited, but knew he had to keep it quiet so bedlam would not break loose for gold.
What did the first gold finder do about his gold?
He took it to a buyer to figure out if it is real gold.
What was the problem with the gold man going to a buyer?
The buyer starts starts telling people about gold that the person found.
What was the problem with the buyer telling people there was gold the man found?
- people stalked the person for gold
- word spread across the country about gold in California
What happened after word got out about the California gold?
Everyone rushed to California to get rich quick to find gold.
What was the significance of the rush out west for gold?
People took the law in their own hands, as it is bedlam for gold.
Why was the gold rush so dangerous and the laws being so breakable?
California is not a state yet, no law in California.
What was some of the damage the gold rushers did to California’s land?
They essentially destroy the earth, don’t care about leaving things in good shape.
What were the gold rushers called?
49ers
What did the 49ers setup while rushing for gold?
Nomadic communities
Why did the gold rushers setup nomadic communities?
They know they won’t be there for long and move around in groups.
What was the name of when the 49ers did not follow any rules because California was not a state yet?
Vigilante Justice
How was vigilante justice part of the gold rush?
People did whatever it took to maintain their safety and stuff and created their personal self-protective laws.
What were some examples of vigilante justice in the gold rush?
There were public hangings and shootings.
What is today’s example of vigilante justice?
Stand Your Ground
By 1850, describe how slaves are feeling about plantation life.
Slaves are now more than ever before running away and becoming more spirited and adventurous and willing to get freedom.
What really was the Underground Railroad?
A daily means of passage for slaves to go from house to house and move during the next night. It was a trail through woods.
What was a major escape route for southern slaves to northern freedom?
Underground Railroad
How did slaves move along the underground railroad?
They only ran at night, slept in peoples’ homes during the days.
What precautions did slaves on the underground railroad need to take?
- they had to sleep on properties where searchers would not find you
- only move at night
What did slave supporters on the underground railroad do to help protect slaves from being caught?
People had secret house rooms to hide slaves.
Why did people have to hide slaves in their homes?
They were to be convicted if they were found with slaves in their house for stealing property.
What did the underground railroad try to do?
Get slaves to Canada
Why was the main mission of the railroad to get people to Canada?
They are truly free
Why was staying in the north too dangerous and Canada was a better freedom option for fugitive slaves?
There were massive rewards for returning slaves in the north, even though before 1850 you did not have to return them.
Did people know the underground railroad existed?
Yes
Did people find out where the underground railroad was located and whose houses were in it?
No
Who was the main leader of the Underground Railroad?
Harriet Tubman
What were the Underground Railroad leaders called?
conductors
What was Tubman known as with her nickname?
Moses of the South
How did Tubman help lead the Underground Railroad operation?
She led slaves to freedom, she goes down and back 50 times.
After word of the underground railroad broke out, what became of Harriet Tubman?
There were major rewards for her in thousands of dollars if someone returned her.
Why was there such a big reward for someone who found Harriet Tubman?
She was the one who kept peoples’ hopes up for getting freedom.
When did California apply for statehood?
1849
What kind of state did California want to be?
free
What goes on in government when California applies for statehood?
Major debating in Congress
Who is involved in the debating in Congress about California?
Webster, Calhoun, Clay
What was the problem with California wanting to be a free state?
The country was a balanced number of free and slave states (15-15), people did not want to disrupt the balance.
What group emerges when California wants to come in as a free state and debates emerge in Congress?
Fire Eaters
Who were the Fire Eaters?
Total secessionists who wanted out.
Who was the hero of the Fire Eaters?
Calhoun
What agreement is reached from the California debates with Clay, Calhoun, and Webster?
Compromise of 1850
Who created the Compromise of 1850?
Stephen Douglas and Henry Clay
How many parts are there to the Compromise of 1850?
4
What is the first point of the Compromise of 1850?
California comes in as a free state.
What is the second point of the Compromise of 1850?
Utah and Mexico, when they come in, will come in with popular sovereignty
What is significant of Utah getting popular sovereignty?
It is above the 36-30 line from the Missouri Compromise
Does the Utah-New Mexico popular sovereignty plan ever happen anyways?
No, they do not become states for a while.
What is the the 3rd part of the Compromise of 1850?
Slave auctions are now banned, as they were still happening in Washington and other places.
What is the fourth and final part of the Compromise of 1850?
Fugitive Slave Law
What did the Fugitive Slave Law mean?
It says that no matter where you are in the US, if you find a slave, you had to return them to slavery.
Who else debated leading up to the Compromise of 1850?
- William Seward
- President Taylor
- VP Millard Fillmore
Before 1850, what was the law state with fugitive slaves?
If slave catchers caught them, they would go back despite rewards for returning them, and never had to.
What did the Fugitive Slave Law do?
It mandated all runaways as they had to be turned in legally.
If a northerner suspected a runaway slave, what usually happened with the Fugitive Slave Law?
They turned them in, and held a hearing.
During fugitive slave hearings, what were disadvantages for slaves?
They had no lawyer, could not speak.
What were the circumstances for judges’ rulings in slave hearings?
Judges were paid per case they heard, $5 for saying if the person was not a slave, $10 for saying if the person should be sent back.
Between the slaves’ disadvantages and the judge’s incentives, did most slaves get freedom from a trial?
Almost never
How did northerners feel about the Fugitive Slave Law?
They hated it.
Why did northerners feel angry about the Fugitive Slave Law?
They were required by law to turn people in or they face a penalty themselves.
Who was in the 1852 Election?
Franklin Pierce and General Winfield Scott
What party is each 1852 election candidate?
Pierce (Democrat)
Scott (Whig)
Who won the 1852 election?
Pierce
How well did Pierce win in 1852?
Overwhelming majority for him
What is the significance of Pierce’s big win?
Scott was the last Whig to be in the general Presidential election.
What is the big issue debated in the 1852 campaign?
Slavery
What kind of Presidential power period are we in leading up to the Civil War?
Many one-term Presidents, more unstable than it used to be.
Why are we having a big run of one-term Presidents?
The issue of slavery is so contentious because country cannot agree on anything.
Who were the Champions of Expansionism?
White nationalists who wanted to see us expand borders, for the whole land in the whole continent
Where outside of current day borders did we look for land?
Central America
Why were we interested in expanding into Central America?
We wanted to dig a canal in Latin America.
Why did we want to build a canal in Latin America?
So we can get ships to go from ocean to ocean because of our 2 ocean Navy so it can go either direction.
What country did we first look at building a canal at?
Nicaragua
Why did we look at Nicaragua first, not Panama to build a canal?
Colombia and Spanish held Panama strongly, so we tried to work with them but felt to stay out of it.
Who else was interested in our canal aspirations?
Britain
Why did Britain support our canal system?
They could find more accessibility through the western world.
Where did we eventually build a canal? When did we do it?
In Panama many years after the Civil War.
What did Commodore Matthew Perry do?
He would sail the world seeking land opportunities.
Where did we hope to expand territory under Perry?
We looked at getting Cuba and other Caribbean Islands
Where else did Perry work and make inroads to? What else did he do there?
China, where he made good trading relations.
While Perry is negotiating in other places, what is going on in Europe?
The Era of Imperialism
What is happening during the Era of Imperialism?
European countries are becoming empires because they have colonized all around the world, mainly in Africa and Asia.
Were the US aggressive imperialists outside out continent?
No
Why was the US not aggressive during the imperialism age?
We were busy too with all our land on our own continent we have and could work with.
While we tried to get land in North America, what was the imperial world of Europe doing?
They sliced up Africa and China with their own colonies, all over the place.
What was the Gadsden Purchase?
A piece of land bought from Mexico, the southern part of Arizona and New Mexico.
Which did we spend more on: Gadsden Purchase or Louisiana Purchase?
Gadsden Purchase, even though it was much smaller.
Why did we want the Gadsden Purchase?
We wanted land that goes south of the Rocky Mountains in AZ and NM
Why did we want the land south of the Rockies in AZ and NM?
We were trying to build a cross country railroad to California, and to save money, we had to make the railroad around the mountains so it could go through.
Once we got the Gadsden Purchase, did the railroad get built?
Yes
When was the Kansas-Nebraska Act?
1854
Describe the situation in Kansas and Nebraska that prompted the act.
Both Kansas and Nebraska, borderline state wanted statehood and the senate was unbalanced because of California being free.
What does a state need to apply for statehood?
A state Constitution and a large enough population
Who suggested that Kansas and Nebraska should use popular sovereignty?
Stephen Douglas
Leading up to Kansas and Nebraska, what was going on in the social world?
Lots of propaganda at the time with Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Hinton Helper’s book.
What did Hinton Helper’s book consist of?
He used statistics to prove slavery is bad, predicted slavery is problem for the south, economic crisis.
How did Helper think slavery was an economic crisis for the South?
Because a new mills and new industry cannot support cotton growing machine, and had bad long term effects for cotton growth as technology would surpass slave work.
What was UTC about?
Slavery’s nastiness
How did the South view UTC?
Southerners hated the book because it had no agenda and she never witnessed slavery, she had no idea what she talked about.
When Kansas and Nebraska became states, how were they decided as slave or free?
They voted by using popular sovereignty.
What was the problem with voting in Kansas and Nebraska?
It was in a remote rural area and you you could not prove well that anyone lived anywhere.
What could people do in Nebraska and Kansas to count votes?
They people had to do was show up at the polls and just vote and did not really matter.
What kind of states did everyone assume Kansas and Nebraska would be?
Nebraska will be free, Kansas will have slaves.
Why was Nebraska assumed to vote free?
They were to the north and well above the Missouri line.
When it is assumed Nebraska would go free, how did the south feel?
They really wanted Kansas to have slaves.
What do southerners do when they want Kansas to get slaves, as Nebraska is free?
They send border roughens.
Where did many Kansas border roughens come from?
Missouri
How did the north respond to border roughens in Kansas?
They paid people to travel out west to have residence and vote in Kansas against slavery.
Did many border roughens live in Kansas?
No
This Kansas campaign when both sides are pushing hard to make Kansas on their respective sides, what was this campaign dubbed?
Bleeding Kansas
Why was it called Bleeding Kansas?
The violence and attacks in Kansas by each side to make them on their sides was so intense.
During Bleeding Kansas, where was John Brown’s lifestyle at?
He was a father of grown children at this time.
What was John Brown’s view on slavery?
Anti-slavery
What did John Brown do during Bleeding Kansas?
He took law into his hand with some friends and go out west, killing a family of slave owners.
Where did John Brown kill the western slave owners?
Pottawatomie Creek
Why did Brown and his friends feel to carry out the Pottawatomie Massacre?
They felt they were driven by God to end slavery.
What did the Pottaawatomie Massacre lead to?
A small fight in Kansas over if they should be free or slave, as this prompted the bleeding Kansas theme.
What punishment did Brown and his friends get for their massacre?
They were arrested with short jail time.
Were Brown and his friends ever penalized after their arrest?
No, they never paid a penalty after short jail time.
How did Kansas slave owners feel about Brown and his friends’ minimal punishment? Why?
They were angry that he got away with murder and nothing was done.
How did the Kansas popular sovereignty vote come out?
They went to be a slave state.
What document stated Kansas and Nebraska’s results?
Lecompton Constitution
What did the results of Kansas and Nebraska lead to?
- speculation how the vote came out
- more dissension in Congress
Who was Charles Sumner?
A Unionist who spoke against slavery in Kansas.
What mistake did Sumner make when he spoke against slavery in Kansas?
In his remarks, he insulted a man in Congress, who was the uncle of Preston Brooks, a Secessionist.
How did Preston Brooks himself feel about Sumner’s remarks?
He was angry at him for making the remarks.
What was Preston Brooks’ nickname after this altercation?
“The Cane”
What did Brooks do to respond to Sumner’s remarks?
He got his cane out and beats up Sumner.
What was the significance of the Sumner vs. Brooks conflict in Congress?
It was a major example that political debate is all about maintaining slavery vs. abolition, nothing else.
Who was in the 1856 Election?
James Buchanan and John C. Fremont
Where was Buchanan from?
PA
What political party was each 1856 candidate from?
Buchanan-Democrat
Fremont-Republican
What was significant about Fremont being in the general election?
He was the first Republican candidate in a general election.
What was the south’s take on the 1856 Election?
If they elected Fremont, the Republican, they would leave the country.
Who won 1856 Election?
Buchanan
Why was the south going to secede if Fremont won in 1856?
The Republican Party’s main platform was anti-slavery.
Why did Buchanan mainly win in 1856?
He was the compromised candidate and both parties agreed he was easygoing person who let people do their thing.
How did Buchanan do as President?
He was a very bad President, doing nothing to prevent secession in his final months.
Where was General Fremont from before politics?
He fought in the Mexican War
What was the main reason Fremont lost to Buchanan?
The name Republican next to his name and what the party stood for to southerners.
What state had a major Senate race in 1858?
Illinois
Who ran for Illinois Senate in 1858?
Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas
What is significant about Lincoln and Douglas running for Illinois Senate?
It was the first time they ran against each other.
Describe the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas campaign.
They had great debates and argue whether or not popular sovereignty can exist.
What were Lincoln’s and Douglas’ respective political parties?
Lincoln-Republican
Douglas-Democrat
Which Illinois candidate supported popular sovereignty?
Douglas
Which Illinois candidate was against popular sovereignty?
Lincoln
Why did Lincoln go against popular sovereignty?
Based on Dred Scott decision, it did not really matter, as everyone would still hold power at the top.
Who won the 1858 Illinois Senate race?
Douglas
Where does Lincoln go after he lost the Illinois Senate race?
He was still part of the House.
Where was Lincoln born?
Kentucky
Where did Lincoln live as an adult?
Springfield, IL
Describe Lincoln’s upbringing and how he became a successful adult.
He was poor on the Kentucky frontier, and had to self-educate himself into a successful man.
When was the Dred Scott Case?
1857
What was the significance of the Dred Scott ruling?
It was a minor opening shot of the civil war.
Who was Dred Scott?
A slave living in the south.
Who owned Dred Scott the slave?
A doctor
What eventually happened to the doctor who owned Dred Scott?
He died.
Why was Dred Scott’s case a minor shot to start the Civil War?
The ruling was despicable in many cases.
When the doctor died, who inherited Scott?
His wife
What did the doctor’s wife do after her husband died?
She moved with her side of her family.
Where did the doctor’s wife move to with her family?
Wisconsin, then Illinois
How did Illinois and Wisconsin citizens respond to seeing Scott?
Abolitionists in those states see Scott and are shocked he can be a slave there.
What do abolitionists in Illinois do to Scott?
They convince him to sue for his freedom.
Did Dred Scott file a lawsuit in Illinois?
Yes
Where did Scott first sue? Is his case approved or shot down?
He first sued in local and state courts in Illinois and it is turned down by the court.
After Illinois turned down Scott’s lawsuit, where did Scott go with the lawsuit?
Supreme Court
Who was Chief Justice of Supreme Court during the Scott Case?
Roger Taney
Who wrote the majority opinion in the Scott case?
Taney
What was the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dred Scott’s case?
Scott was a still a slave.
How many reasons were given for Scott’s ruling being a slave?
3
What was the first reason of the Dred Scott ruling?
He is a black person and cannot sue in federal court as he was not a citizen
What was the second reason of the Dred Scott ruling?
Slave were property, and if you are property, you can be taken wherever.
What was the reasoning behind the second point of the Dred Scott ruling?
So why she cannot take you from state to state, if you are still her property.
What was Scott compared to during the second reasoning in the Scott case?
Animals.
What essentially was the law that came out of the Scott ruling?
No matter what law your state had, slavery could exist anywhere, if your slave owner came with you to any state.
How did the North respond to the Dred Scott case?
They were angry
What did the Supreme Court essentially do and why was it significant?
Supreme Court essentially nullified abolition that those laws made no difference.
What Amendment was used to justify the Dred Scott decision?
That you cannot take property away from individuals and slaves were property.
What was significant about the Dred Scott decision?
It disavowed all laws against slavery in the north.
After Kansas, where did John Brown move his men to?
East in the Maryland area.
Describe Brown’s sons’ views on slavery.
Radically religious people who are anti-slavery, and believe they are doing God’s work.
What do Brown and his men decide to do when living in Maryland?
They will lead a raid against Harper’s Ferry
Where was Harper’s Ferry located?
Western Virginia, now West Virginia
What was Harper’s Ferry at the time?
A military depot
What was at the military depot of Harper’s Ferry?
There was an arsenal of weapons and gun powder.
What did Brown and his men do to the weapons at Harper’s Ferry?
He would raid there and steal ammo there.
Why did Brown want to steal ammo from Harper’s Ferry?
So they can disrupt anything shipped to the south via rail.
How did Brown and his men plan to disrupt things going south at Harper’s Ferry?
They would rob trains and blow up the rail.
What was the other motive for Brown at Harper’s Ferry?
It could also insight a slave rebellion.
How did Brown think Harper’s Ferry would insight a slave revolt?
He would raid Harper’s Ferry and get escaped slaves to help out in Virginia and Carolinas, and all slaves will revolt on one particular night as one.
What actually happened on the night Brown planned to have a big slave revolt with Harper’s Ferry?
Nobody got word to the slaves and no revolt happened.
When was the raid on Harper’s Ferry?
1859
After Brown’s hopes of a slave revolt are dashed, what happens to him?
He and his friends are arrested.
Why were Brown and his men arrested?
Buchanan sends one of his top generals, Robert E. Lee, to investigate Harper’s Ferry to see who raided the arsenal.
What was the punishment for Brown and his men?
They were in jail and eventually hung.
What was the legacy of John Brown?
There is debate of him today if he is a terrorist or martyr.
What was the legacy of the 1860 election?
The most contentious election in US history at that time.
Who were the Democrats running in 1860?
Stephen Douglas and John Breckinridge
Who won the Democratic nomination in 1860?
Douglas
Who were the Republicans running in 1860?
Abraham Lincoln and William Seward
Describe the 1860 Republican Primary.
Lincoln and Seward are close in primary and it takes till the 4th convention ballot when Lincoln wins nomination.
Who was a third party candidate in 1860? What party was he from?
John Bell, from the Constitutional Union Party
How would the south feel if Lincoln won?
They would secede.
What was significant about southern ballots in the 1860 election?
Lincoln was not on the ballot in many southern states.
Who won the 1860 Election?
Lincoln
When did Lincoln win the 1860 election?
November 1860
When was be Lincoln’s inauguration?
March 1861
How did the south feel about Lincoln being elected?
They felt they should secede since the Republican was elected.
Did Lincoln win the 1860 election by much?
No, he just slipped into office.
How did the South feel about the time between the election and inauguration of Lincoln?
They felt they had time to secede, as five months for the south plotting to secede was plenty to do it.
Who was President before Lincoln? What was his status after Lincoln won the election?
James Buchanan; he was a lame duck President in those 5 months before Lincoln came in.
What happens in the south between Lincoln’s election and inauguration?
10 southern states leave the Union.
How did Buchanan respond to 7 southern states leaving?
He just sat back and did not do anything about it.
What was Buchanan’s excuse for doing nothing during southern secession?
He said he felt the Constitution did not let him make a move to keep them in the Union.
What was the first state to secede?
South Carolin
What was the effect of SC leaving?
It gets the ball rolling where 6 other states leave as well before Lincoln’s inauguration.
What were some slave-owning, border states that did not secede?
Missouri, Kentucky, and Maryland.
After SC, what were the other states to leave in order?
- Mississippi
- Florida
- Alabama
- Georgia
- Louisiana
- Texas
What were the other southern states to leave after Lincoln took office in order?
- Virginia
- Arkansas
- Tennessee
- North Carolina
After the secession of these states, what is formed?
CSA
Did the Union recognize them as a separate country?
No
Who was the President of the CSA?
Jefferson Davis
Where was the first capital of the CSA?
Mississippi
Where was Jefferson Davis from?
Mississippi
Did Mississippi work as a capital?
No
Where was the capital eventually moved in the south?
Richmond, VA
When was the southern capital moved to Richmond?
When Virginia seceded.
Why did Richmond become the new southern capital?
The south felt it was a better center of government
What happened in Western Virginia?
Many residents did not wish to secede along with the rest of the state.
When many Western Virginia citizens did not want to secede, what happened?
The western part of Virginia was admitted into the Union as the state of West Virginia.
When did West Virginia become a state? Was it free or slave?
It was a free state and became a state in June 1961.
How many kids did Lincoln have?
3 sons, no daughters
What happened to Lincoln’s youngest son?
He died as a child
Who did Lincoln marry?
Mary Todd
What was ironic about Lincoln’s middle son?
He was present at his dad’s death, Garfield’s assassination, and McKinley’s assassination
What rights did Lincoln suspend early as President?
Habeas corpus and martial law
Where did Lincoln suspend habeas corpus and martial law?
Border states
Why did Lincoln suspend certain rights in border states?
Because of Maryland being on the border and the capital being right on the edge.
Did Virginia leave before or after Lincoln’s inauguration?
After
Who did Lincoln ask first to be the northern general?
Robert E. Lee
Where was Robert E. Lee from?
Arlington, VA
What was Lee’s response to Lincoln asking him to be general?
Lee writes back and says he cannot make a decision because he goes with Virginia, whichever side they fall on.
What happened to Lee when VA seceded?
He was part of the Confederacy and would be head general there.
What was the first Civil War battle?
Fort Sumter
When was Fort Sumter?
April 1861
In relation to Lincoln’s Presidency, when was Fort Sumter?
2 weeks after his inauguration
Where is Fort Sumter located?
In the Charleston harbor, on an island in the middle of the Harbor.
What was Fort Sumter?
A Union defense fort.
What is significant about Fort Sumter in Charleston?
It is a major defense gateway in and out of Charleston.
When the south started to secede, what was the problem in Fort Sumter?
The Union troops were running low on ammunition and food, wanted provisions to be sent in and south tried to stop them.
Why did the south try to stop all supplies coming to Fort Sumter?
It was Confederate territory, held by Union troops, and the south wanted to change that.
Which President started sending supplies to Fort Sumter? How were they transported?
Buchanan started by sending stuff down by railroads.
Does Lincoln keep up the flow of railroad transport for supplies going to Fort Sumter?
Yes
When Lincoln keeps sending supplies down, how does the South respond to the Union soldiers going down?
They will not let them get into the border.
When the Union soldiers cannot get into the south, what happens?
They get trapped and would open fire on the south.
When was firing opened on Fort Sumter?
April 12, 1861
Describe the firing at Fort Sumter.
Cannonades go crazy, go back and forth between mainland and island, first actual shots of civil war.
What was the result of Fort Sumter?
Fort Sumter surrenders to the South by being surrounded and the Union evacuated the fort.
What was the effect of Fort Sumter?
It would prompt four more years of fighting, in a bloody Civil War.
