the union in peril Flashcards
what are the Antebellum differences between the North and South?
North: Industry, railroads, telegraph wires, canals, industrial workforce/free labor, immigration (many immigrants against slavery), education, abolitionists, many religious leaders were against slavery
South: Rural, plantations, “King Cotton” slavery, “cavalier” society, many religious leaders endorsed slavery
what made up Southern culture?
Genteel: Having an aristocratic quality- stylish, polite, debonair, respectable- relating to the gentry or upper class
Cavalier: Displaying chivalry, gallantry, and heroism
Southern Belle, Southern Gentlemen, Southern Hospitality
what is the Wilmot Proviso?
PA Democrat David Wilmot’s amendment to an appropriations bill that proposed the banning of slavery in any territory taken from Mexico
Supported by Northerners, opposed by Southerners
Proviso passed in the House rejected in the Senate
what is the Compromise of 1850?
California would be admitted as a free state
New Mexico and Utah would be given popular sovereignty, meaning residents would decide whether they wanted to be slave or free
New, stricter fugitive slave laws would be enacted
Slave trade banned in D.C.
who is Millard Fillmore?
Taylor died while in office in 1850, and his VP Fillmore succeeded him
Fillmore supported the Compromise of 1850
He was against slavery but believed it should not be a government decision to end it
what is the Fugitive Slave Act?
Per the compromise of 1850, more stringent fugitive slave laws were enacted
Escaped slaves were denied trial by jury and could not testify
People were incentivized with cash to return slaves
If caught helping/harboring a fugitive slave, the punishment was a large fine, prison, or both
Nine states in the North passed Personal Liberty Laws forbidding the imprisonment of runaway slaves while also guaranteeing them trials. This enraged Southerners
who is Anthony Burns?
In 1854 an escaped slave by the name of Anthony Burns was forced back into slavery
He was sent from Boston back to Virginia
Northerners were furious and abolitionist sentiment increased drastically
what is 12 Years a Slave?
1853 memoir detailing Northup’s kidnapping and captivity
what is the Underground Railroad?
Network of people who aided and transported escaped slaves in their pursuit of freedom
An escaped slave herself, Harriet Tubman became one of the most notable “conductors” of the Underground Railroad, aiding 300 slaves
Nicknamed “Moses”
what is Uncle Tom’s Cabin?
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s 1852 novel that depicted the horrors of slavery
Had an immense impact on swaying public opinion toward abolitionism
who are the Know-Nothings?
A secret organization called the Order of the Star-Spangled Banner was the basis for the American Party, a group of nativist anti-immigrants
Nativism is the favoring of Native-born Americans over immigrants
They began being called the “Know-Nothing” Party because when asked of their secret meetings, handshakes and more, they said they “knew nothing”
Know-Nothings were especially anti-Irish and anti-Catholic and feared the Papacy
what is Irish Immigration?
A massive wave of Irish immigrants came to the U.S. during the Irish Potato Famine (1845-49)
They were poor and Catholic
People blamed them for crime, disease, prostitution, and alcohol abuse
what is the Dred Scott Case?
Scott was a slave from Missouri whose master took him above the 36,30 line in the year 1834
He lived in Illinois and Wisconsin (free territory)
Scott returned to MO and his owner died, whereupon he sued for his freedom
Case made it to the SCOTUS
what is the Lincoln/Douglas Debates?
In the 1858 Illinois State Senate race Lincoln challenged Douglas to a series of 7 debates
Democratic Incumbent Stephen Douglas
vs.
Republican Abraham Lincoln
what is Harper’s Ferry?
John Brown led a raid on a federal arsenal in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
With 18 men, Brown aimed to seize weapons and arm slaves to start an insurrection
The prominent members of society were held hostage, and in the end, Brown was captured by forces led by Robert E. Lee
what is The Confederacy?
The Confederate States of America was formed with Jefferson Davis as president and Alexander Stephens as vice-president
who is Henry Clay?
byname The Great Pacificator or The Great Compromiser, (born April 12, 1777, Hanover County, Virginia, U.S.—died June 29, 1852, Washington, D.C.), American statesman, U.S. congressman , and U.S. senator, who was noted for his American System
who is Daniel Webster?
an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, and Millard Fillmore.
who is John C. Calhoun?
American political leader who was a congressman, the secretary of war, the seventh vice president (1825–32), a senator, and the secretary of state of the United States
who is Stephen Douglas?
American politician, leader of the Democratic Party, and orator who espoused the cause of popular sovereignty in relation to the issue of slavery in the territories before the American Civil War
who is Harriet Tubman?
Known as the “Moses of her people,” Harriet Tubman was enslaved, escaped, and helped others gain their freedom as a “conductor” of the Underground Railroad. Tubman also served as a scout, spy, guerrilla soldier, and nurse for the Union Army during the Civil War. … She took his name and dubbed herself Harriet.
who is Franklin Pierce?
was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. … Pierce was born in New Hampshire. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate until his resignation in 1842.
who is John Brown?
militant American abolitionist whose raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now in West Virginia), in 1859 made him a martyr to the antislavery cause
who is Abe Lincoln?
On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected as the 16th President of the United States
who is Jefferson Davis?
president of the Confederate States of America throughout its existence during the American Civil War (1861–65).
what is the Kansas Nebraska Act?
The area would be divided into two separate territories, Kansas and Nebraska, and the slavery issue would be decided by popular sovereignty
The act repealed the Missouri Compromise upon its passage in 1854
what are Border Ruffians?
Immediately, both pro and anti-slavery advocates poured into Kansas, each competing to establish Kansas as either slave or free
Thousands of “border ruffians” from Missouri crossed into Kansas and voted in a fraudulent election that set up a pro-slavery government in Lecompton, KS
what is Bleeding Kansas?
Kansas became such a violent battlefield between opposing sides, people began to call it “Bleeding Kansas”
what is the Sumner-Brooks Affair?
Intense political debates and rivalries led to Congressman Preston Brooks of SC attacking MA Senator Charles Sumner
Sumner gave an anti-slavery speech and also verbally attacked Brooks’ uncle
Brooks proceeded to brutally beat Sumner in the head with a cane
