Unit 5 Flashcards
What event in 1848 drastically changed San Francisco?
The discovery of gold near the Sierra Nevada Mountains sparked rapid population growth, transforming San Francisco into a bustling city.
How did California’s population change from 1848 to 1860?
California’s population surged from 15,000 in 1848 to more than 350,000 by 1860.
What was “Manifest Destiny”?
Manifest Destiny was the belief that Americans were destined by God to expand across North America, from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
How did economic opportunities influence westward migration?
Settlers were initially drawn by fertile lands, and after the discovery of gold, many moved to California and Montana for mining or supporting industries.
What role did the railroad play in westward expansion?
The railroad facilitated rapid movement and transportation, with the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 helping create the transcontinental railroad, completed in 1869.
What was the Homestead Act of 1862?
It granted 160 acres of land for free to anyone over 21 who had never taken up arms against the U.S. government, provided they improved the land within five years.
What was depicted in the 1872 painting “American Progress” by John Gast?
It depicted an allegorical figure of America leading the way in westward expansion, bringing civilization, symbolized by railroads and schools, while pushing away Native Americans and wildlife.
How did westward expansion contribute to sectional conflict?
The balance of free and slave states became a central issue as new western territories entered the Union, contributing to tensions that led to the Civil War.
What racial violence occurred in the West during expansion?
There was violence between white settlers, Native Americans, and immigrant groups, such as the expulsion of Native Americans in California and attacks on Chinese communities in San Francisco.
What was the impact of Manifest Destiny on Native Americans?
Native Americans were forcibly removed from their lands, confined to reservations, and in some cases exterminated, such as during the violent campaigns against them in California.
How did the Homestead Act influence westward expansion?
It helped populate the West with small farmers, including women, immigrants, and African Americans, and was part of the Free Soil Movement.
What were some consequences of Manifest Destiny?
It led to territorial expansion, the displacement of Native Americans, the spread of slavery into new territories, and the escalation of sectional tensions that contributed to the Civil War.
Who was James K. Polk and what role did he play in Manifest Destiny?
James K. Polk was the U.S. President (1845-1849) who strongly supported territorial expansion, overseeing the annexation of Texas and the Mexican-American War, which resulted in significant land acquisitions.
What was the Wilmot Proviso?
It was a proposal to ban slavery in territories acquired from Mexico during the Mexican-American War, highlighting the growing sectional tensions over slavery.
What was the Indian Removal policy?
It was the policy of forcibly relocating Native American tribes to reservations, often leading to violent conflicts and the displacement of indigenous peoples, like the Trail of Tears.
What was the significance of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo (1848)?
It ended the Mexican-American War and resulted in the U.S. acquiring large territories, including California, Arizona, and New Mexico.
How did westward expansion contribute to the Civil War?
Expansion exacerbated debates over the spread of slavery into new territories, with tensions between the North and South over whether new states should permit slavery.
How was Manifest Destiny portrayed in art?
Paintings like “American Progress” symbolized the belief in the civilizing mission of American settlers, often depicting the displacement of Native Americans.
What was the impact of the Homestead Act on Native Americans?
The Homestead Act contributed to the displacement of Native American populations as settlers moved west, often encroaching on their lands.
What delayed Texas’s annexation?
The slavery debate caused political division in the U.S.
What caused the mexican american war?
Disputes over Texas’s annexation and its southern border (Rio Grande vs. Nueces River).
What did Polk do to provoke Mexico?
Sent General Zachary Taylor into disputed territory, leading to a Mexican attack.
What ended the war mexican amercian war?
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848.
What territories did the U.S. gain from the treaty of Guadalupe hidalgo?
Texas, California, and much of the Southwest, including Arizona, Nevada, and Utah.
How much did the U.S. pay Mexico?
$15 million.
What were the effects on Mexican residents in the new territory?
Mexican laws were replaced by U.S. laws permitting slavery and limiting rights for non-whites.
What was the Wilmot Proviso?
A proposal to ban slavery in new territories gained from the war, which passed the House but failed in the Senate.
How did the war heighten sectional tensions?
It exacerbated the North-South divide over slavery and governance of new territories.
What political changes followed the war?
The collapse of the Second Party System and the rise of sectional parties like the Republican Party.
What vision did the war fulfill?
Manifest Destiny, the belief in U.S. expansion across North America.
How did the war set the stage for the Civil War?
By intensifying debates over slavery and territorial expansion.
What impact did territorial expansion have on the slavery debate?
Territorial expansion (like the Louisiana Purchase) led to new states that had to decide whether to allow slavery, threatening the balance of power between free and slave states.
How did Northern perspectives on slavery differ?
Abolitionists believed slavery was morally wrong and sought to end it entirely, while anti-slavery advocates were more focused on preventing its expansion into new territories for economic reasons.
Why were Southerners determined to preserve slavery?
Southern elites, who were economically dependent on slavery, sought to protect it in order to maintain their wealth and social order.
What was Abraham Lincoln’s connection to the issue of slavery?
Lincoln, coming from a poor farming background, experienced the economic challenges of competing with slaveholders and became an anti-slavery advocate focused on preventing slavery’s expansion.
What was the key difference between abolitionists and anti-slavery advocates?
Abolitionists sought to eliminate slavery entirely, while anti-slavery advocates focused on preventing the spread of slavery into new territories.
What was the Missouri Compromise?
The Missouri Compromise (1820) admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, drawing a line at 36°30’ latitude to divide future free and slave territories.
What were the main causes of the Mexican-American War?
The war led to territorial gains in the Southwest, which reignited debates over whether these areas would permit slavery.
What did the Compromise of 1850 aim to resolve?
The Compromise of 1850 sought to settle disputes over slavery in new territories after the Mexican-American War, though it failed to resolve the deeper issues of slavery’s expansion.
What did the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 require?
The Fugitive Slave Act required all citizens, even in free states, to assist in returning escaped slaves, sparking outrage in the North and strengthening the abolitionist movement.
How did Uncle Tom’s Cabin impact public opinion?
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin depicted the brutal realities of slavery and helped galvanize anti-slavery sentiment in the North.
What were the provisions of the Compromise of 1850?
The provisions included: stricter Fugitive Slave Laws, California admitted as a free state, popular sovereignty in New Mexico and Utah, and the abolition of the slave trade in Washington, D.C.
Who was Frederick Douglass, and what was his role in abolitionism?
Frederick Douglass was a former enslaved African American who became a prominent abolitionist. His memoir Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass helped rally support for emancipation.
How did women contribute to the abolitionist movement?
Women like the Grimké sisters and Lydia Maria Child were pivotal in both the abolitionist and early women’s rights movements, advocating for emancipation and gender equality.
What role did William Lloyd Garrison play in the abolitionist movement?
William Lloyd Garrison founded the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator in 1831 and called for the immediate emancipation of all enslaved people. He was a key figure in the American Anti-Slavery Society.
How did the abolitionist movement begin?
The abolitionist movement originated in religious and moral beliefs, emphasizing equality for all people in the eyes of God. It was influenced by the Second Great Awakening.
How did enslaved people resist slavery?
Enslaved people resisted slavery through small acts of defiance, like stealing food, feigning illness, and attempting to escape. Some engaged in larger revolts, like Nat Turner’s Rebellion.
What were the roles of enslaved people on Southern plantations?
Enslaved people on plantations worked in fields as laborers or served as house servants performing tasks like cooking and cleaning. They faced brutal conditions and had little control over their lives.
What was the “slavocracy” in the antebellum South?
The “slavocracy” was the wealthy elite of plantation owners who controlled the South’s economy and the labor of enslaved people.
How was wealth distributed in the South by 1860, particularly regarding slavery?
Wealth was concentrated in the hands of a few plantation owners, with only 3% of Southern whites owning over 50 slaves, while two-thirds of white families did not own slaves at all.
By 1860, how much cotton did the U.S. produce, and how did it impact the global economy?
The U.S. produced over 2 billion pounds of cotton per year by 1860, with the South supplying two-thirds of the world’s cotton. Cotton became the key agricultural export, fueling the global textile industry.
What was the primary purpose of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854?
The Kansas-Nebraska Act aimed to organize the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, facilitate a transcontinental railroad, and introduce popular sovereignty to determine the legality of slavery in these territories.
What concept did the Kansas-Nebraska Act introduce to resolve slavery issues?
The Act introduced popular sovereignty, allowing settlers in Kansas and Nebraska to decide if slavery would be allowed when applying for statehood.
How did the Kansas-Nebraska Act affect the Missouri Compromise?
The Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise, which had previously banned slavery north of the 36°30’ parallel, opening these territories to the potential expansion of slavery.
What violent event was triggered by the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and what was its significance?
“Bleeding Kansas” occurred, a series of violent conflicts between proslavery and antislavery settlers, symbolizing the failure of popular sovereignty to peacefully resolve the slavery issue.
How did Northern and Southern pressures differ regarding the Kansas-Nebraska
Northerners feared slavery’s expansion into new territories, while Southerners felt the Missouri Compromise’s restrictions on slavery infringed upon their rights, pushing for popular sovereignty instead.
What political party was formed in response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and why?
The Republican Party was formed by anti-slavery Whigs, Free Soilers, and Democrats, united against the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the expansion of slavery into western territories.
What was the result of John Brown’s 1859 raid at Harper’s Ferry?
John Brown’s raid on the federal armory failed, and he was captured, tried for treason, and executed, becoming a martyr for the abolitionist cause in the North.
How did the Dred Scott decision impact the slavery debate in the U.S.?
The Supreme Court ruled that African Americans couldn’t sue for their freedom and declared that Congress had no authority to prohibit slavery in the territories, deepening sectional tensions.
What was the immediate consequence of Abraham Lincoln’s election in 1860?
Seven Southern states seceded from the Union, forming the Confederate States of America (CSA) in response to Lincoln’s anti-slavery platform.
What event triggered the start of the Civil War in 1861?
The attack on Fort Sumter by Confederate forces on April 12, 1861, after President Lincoln attempted to resupply the fort, marked the beginning of the Civil War.
How did the North respond to the attack on Fort Sumter?
The North, galvanized by the attack, responded by calling for 75,000 troops to suppress the rebellion, which led to the secession of four more Southern states.
What was the Anaconda Plan?
The Union’s strategy to suffocate the Confederacy by blockading its ports, gaining control of the Mississippi River, and isolating it geographically.
What was the significance of the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1863)?
It was a major Union victory that forced Robert E. Lee’s Confederate army to retreat, marking a turning point in the war.
What did the Siege of Vicksburg achieve for the Union?
The Union, led by Ulysses S. Grant, captured Vicksburg, giving them control of the Mississippi River and splitting the Confederacy.
What was General William Tecumseh Sherman’s role in 1864?
Sherman led the “total war” campaign, capturing Atlanta and marching to the sea, destroying Southern resources and morale.
How did the 1864 Election affect the Civil War?
Lincoln’s victory ensured the Union would continue fighting until the Confederacy’s unconditional surrender and the abolition of slavery.
What was the outcome of Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House?
General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant in April 1865, symbolizing the end of the Civil War and major Confederate resistance.
