The Union Expanded And Challenged Flashcards
Mexican American War
Fought over possession of TX which was claimed by both MX and the US
The settlement ending this war have the US the northern part of the TX territory and land in NM and CA
Manifest Destiny
Concept that became popularized in the 1840s stating that its was a God-given mission if the US to expand westward
Influenced by John O’Sullivan
Compromise of 1850
Temporarily ending tensions between the North and the South
Allowed CA to enter the Union as a free state (gave the free states the majority) but also strengthened the fugitive law
Led by Stephen A. Douglas
Fugitive Slave Act
Part of the Compromise of 1850
Legislation that set up special commissions in northern states to determine if accused runaway slaves were actually that.
Commissioners were given more money if the accused was found to be a runaway than if he was not.
Many northern legislatures attempted to outwit this law
Inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin
KS-NB Act (1854)
Compromise that allowed settlers in KS and NB to vote to decide if they would enter the Union as free states or slave states.
Much of the violence and confusion took place in KS as various types of “settlers” moved into this territory in the months before the vote in an attempt to influence it
Sponsored by Stephen A. Douglas
Led to the creation of the Republican Party
Dred Scott case
Background: Scott was a slave who claimed he was free because his master took him to a free state
Decision: free state did NOT make him a free man
Critical Supreme Court ruling that stated the shaver were property and not people
As a result they could not seek a ruling from any court
It also stated that Congress had no legal right to ban slavery in any territory
Increased tension between North and South because more northerners believed that biased slave holders were controlling the govt
Oregon trail
Brought setters to OR beginning in the 1830s
Many settled in the Willamette Valley
Missionaries wanted to “tame” Indians
Motivated by mild climate and fur trade
Oregon Treaty
Response to America cry “Fifty-four Forty or Fight”: demand to take all of the OR territory from Britain
Gave the US most of OR
expansion of OR (and Spanish CA) were key issues of the election of 1844 (JK Polk)
Davey Crockett and Jim Bowie
Led Texan rebellions in fight for freedom from MX
> MX had tightened its grip on Texas as settlers failed to meet their obligations to become Mexican citizens, become catholic, and encourage emigration
-were horribly defeated at the Alamo
General Sam Houston
Leader of the American aiding army to support texas in its fight for independence from MX
Became president of the Lone Star Republic
The annexation of TX
- Favored by Andrew Jackson but he feared the issue would hurt his successor, Martin Van Buren’s chances in the next election
- opposed by Whigs because of fear of war with MX
- opposed by abolitionists who knew TX would enter the Union as a slave state
- van Buren never did anything with the issue and Texas had to turn to European allies
- van Buren lost his second term to WH Harrison (Whig) who died after one month in office and was succeeded by Tyler, a democrat-turned Whig who favored Texas’ annexation as a slave state
Election of 1844
Democrat: James K Polk- winner
-The dark horse candidate in the election of 1844
-Influenced by the south (ex. Walker tariff that aided southern agriculture and hurt northern industries)
Liberty party: J. Birney
- intro slavery into politics
- abolitionist
MVP ISSUE: manifest destiny
- expansionary vision = Polk’s victory
- Polk immediately entered Texas into the Union
Mexican-American War
Provoked by Polk
- wanted to continue manifest destiny
- US claimed that the Rio Grande was he border between TX and MX but MX drew the line at the Nueces River
- sent troops to the Rio Grande (led by Gen. Zachary Taylor) when MX refused to sell TX and CA to American diplomat John Slidell
- congress easily agreed to go to war
- sent navy to CA to “protect” Americans there
Whigs and abolitionists feared it would spread slavery and MX’s instability to the US
3 MVP American leaders in the MX-US War
- John C. Fremont: controlled infantry in CA and eventually took CA from MX declaring it the Bear Flag Republic
- Zachary Taylor: successful in beating Mexico but Mexico still refused to surrender
- Winfield Scott: invaded MX at Veracruz and claimed Mexico City
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Ended the MX-US War
Many thought it was too generous: gave MX $15mil for TX (North of Rio Grande), NM, & CA (the same territory the US offered to buy)
Increased the US by 1/3
Increased the controversy of slavery
Wilmont Proviso
David Wilmont’s amendment to the method of funding the MX-US War
* Made slavery ILLEGAL in newly acquired territory
Passed the House of Representatives 4x but was rejected by the senate
Opposed by JC Calhoun
Led to the MO Compromise
Free Soil Party
Nominated van Buren in the election of ‘48
Made up of the Liberty Party and some Whigs
Franklin Pierce
Democrat dark horse
Won the presidential election of 1852 against the Free Soilers and the Whigs
Pro expansion
- got Matthew Perry to est. diplomatic and trade relations with Japan
- Gadsden purchase
Gadsden purchase
Negotiation with Mexico that gave the US an additional southern route for trade (land for the transcontinental railroad)
Issues with Cuba
Pierce wanted to buy Cuba from Spain
When his offers were not accepted many southerners wanted to take it by force which infuriated northerner who didn’t want another slave state in the Union
The Know Nothing Party
Resulted from a decline in the Whig party
Developed in response to increased Irish and German immigration
Nativist
Anti catholic
The second most popular party during the Pierce administration
Revealed the weakness of the two party system during this period
Republican Party
Est. in response to the KS-NB Act
Exclusively northern
Dedicated to abolition
Quickly became more important than the Know Nothing’s
The MO Compromise
Allowed slavery south of the 36’ 30 line
Written by Henry Clay
In response to the Wilmont Proviso
before the Compromise of 1850
Lecompton Constitution
Proposal to be voted on the made slavery in KS legal
Caused increased emigration by both Free Soilers and pro slavery settlers
John Brown
- Abolitionist
- Contributed to Bleeding KS by killing (mutilating by hacking to pieces) 5 pro slavery settlers
- Seized Harpers Ferry in VA hoping to start slave rebellion but he was captured and hung for treason
- was considered the bravest man in the nation by Thoreau and outraged Southerners
James Buchanan
Won the presidential election of 1856
Democrat
Beat JC Fremont (Republican) and Mill. Fill. (Ex president running as Know Nothing candidate)
Antagonized northerners by suggesting that KS should enter as a slave state (but it was still admitted as a free state)
* failed to preserve the Union during southern secession
Freeport Doctrine
- Response by Stephen Douglas (Whig turned republican because of slavering issue) during the Lincoln-Douglas Debates
- Lincoln asked him how states could exclude slavery (after Dred Scott decision)
- he said a state could exclude slavery if the states laws made it impossible
- Douglas won the debate but Lincoln gained more popularity
Election of 1860
- Lincoln (Republican) campaigned to contain slavery (NOT ABOLISH IT) . His victory outraged southerners because there were more free states than slave states so he easily won the electoral college, not the popular vote
- Democratic Party split: Stephen Douglas was supported by the north and John Breckinridge was supported by the south
- John Bell ran in the Constitutional Union party
Confederate States of America
Secession by southern states (7) outraged by the election of 1860
Began with South Carolina
President: Jefferson Davis
More northern states (VA and KY) were reluctant to join because they had fewer slaves
No shots fired so no war yet
