Unit 5 Key Terms Flashcards
Elections of 1840 & 1844
- William H. Harrison beat Martin Van Buren in the 1840 election.
- One of two Whigs elected into office, dies 31 days into presidency.
- John Tyler (Whig/Democrat) moves into office in his place until the next electoral cycle.
- James K. Polk was elected in 1844 (Democrat), beating Henry Clay.
Manifest Destiny
- James K. Polk wanted the US territory to stretch from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean.
- Specifically wanted to grab the territories of Oregon and Texas.
- Coined Manifest Destiny by John O’Sullivan.
- People moving around from Mississippi to Oregon to acquire land.
- Debates arose about how the expansion of territory would affect the 36-30 Line.
The Oregon Trail
- US Gov sent land surveyors to Oregon and granted land to people who arrived, later charged people who arrived.
- Had lots of dangers, including Natives, Harsh Weather, Disease, and Starvation.
- People brought cumbersome wagons filled with tons of supplies to make it across Oregon, towed by Oxen.
- The trip was very deadly, 50K people made it to Oregon while thousands more died from the conditions.
Willamette Valley
1840s-1870s
* A river valley south of the Columbia River that was the main goal for people on the Oregon Trail
The Great Migration of 1843
- Several hundred Americans living in the midwest sold everything to move west, aiming for Oregon County.
- One of the largest land migrations in history.
California Gold Rush
1849
* Began after gold was found at Sutter’s Mill, resulting in a mass migration of Americans to California for the opportunity to find gold.
* Increased migration West when gold was found in many neighboring territories.
Americans move into Texas
- Americans had a lot of interest in taking the Texas territory from Mexico.
- Settlers wanted to move into Texas with their slaves and grow cotton, but Mexico had outlawed slavery decades ago.
- Mexico decided Americans moving to Texas had to become Catholic citizens and obey their laws, including no slavery
- People moved in quickly, didn’t follow laws, and still brought slaves
Texas Revolution
1835-1836
* Mexican general Santa Anna saw Texas was not looking good for Mexico
* The Alamo was an abandoned church/fortress with 200+ people taking refuge there
* 4000+ Mexican soldiers bombarded The Alamo and Sieged it
* American general Sam Houston battled in San Jacinto and won, becoming the Republic of Texas in 1836
* Still had a lot of territorial disputes between Texan and Mexican territory, leading to the Mexican-American war.
Empresanios
- Americans who were given land in Texas in return for citizenship.
Tejanos
- Spanish-speaking Mexicans born in Texas who owned land in Texas.
- Hated being ruled by General Santa Ana.
American Progress
1872
* John Gest created a very famous painting called American Progress.
* Shows America developing any land they obtained, Bison and Natives running away from them.
* Pictured angel named Columbia overseeing the US, District of Columbia named after her.
Mexican-American War
1846-1848
* Texas was its separate entity from 1836 to 1845, James K. Polk then asked Texas to become a state in 1845.
* Attempting to provoke Mexico into a war for territory by making Texas a state, led to the Mexican-American war.
* Officially ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe, total costs of around $15,000,000 (507,000,000 today).
Gadsen Purchase
1853
* The US wanted a little more territory after the Mexican-American war.
* Paid $10,000,000 (400,000,000 today) for a sliver of territory in Arizona and New Mexico.
* Got us all of the mainland territory we know today (except Arizona and Hawaii).
Land debates about slavery
- Texas became a slave state, causing an imbalance between slave & free states.
- Iowa became a free state in response to even out free and slave states.
- Lots of questions regarding how to deal with all the new territories, questions regarding extending the 36-30 line.
- Argument made to have new territories decided by “the people” who voted on whether territories should be slave or free.
- People from both sides began flocking to any new territory to attempt a majority.
the Wilmot Provisio
1846
* A proposal to make all new territory free territory, failed for obvious reasons
Slavery in the South
- Only 30% of families in the South owned slaves, and 3% were plantations (30+ slaves).
- Organized into gangs with different tasks, overseen by a white overseer and an elected slave as a driver
- Worked mainly in cotton fields, expected to pick a bale of cotton each day.
- Slaves sold at auctions and split up from families, a 16-year-old boy could sell for $40k (Almost a million dollars today).
Treatment of Slaves in the US
- Slaves were often beaten and whipped to inhumane lengths if they didn’t work well.
- Families were torn apart to break spirits, forcing them to only focus on working.
- Owners didn’t kill slaves, they were considered an investment.
Slave Culture in the US
- Slaves often incorporated music and traditional songs into their work to keep themselves moving and working to not get whipped
- Turned to religion and spirituality, specifically Christianity when nothing else worked, believed that god would provide spiritual equality in the afterlife.
- If slaves were found to be participating in religious acts at any time, they were often severely punished.
Escaping Slavery in the US
- A slave’s primary means of escape was along the underground railroad, leading along the Mississippi River to places where slavery was outlawed.
- Included free states, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean in some cases.
- People helped slaves escape and gave them hospitality, could receive punishments of fines and 1/2 a year in jail if found out.
- Harriet Tubman, known as the “Moses” of slavery, risked her life to save over 100 slaves.
- Believed god would help them escape slavery, compared to Jews escaping slavery.
Prosser’s Rebellion
1800
* Gabriel Prosser was a slave who wanted to rebel against people who owned slaves.
* Wanted to create an independent black state out of Virginia.
* Rebellion stopped by rainstorm barring the path to weapons, another slave snitched and Prosser was hanged.
German Coast Uprising
1811
* A group of slaves in New Orleans attempted to revolt against owners and escape slavery.
* A manhunt ensued, slaves were caught, hanged, and beheaded, heads left on stakes in the Mississippi River.
Denmark Vesey’s Conspiracy
1822
* Denmark Vesey was a slave trying to organize other slaves to rebel to coincide with Bastille Day.
* Over 1000 slaves were in on the rebellion, plans to liberate Charleston and escape to Haiti.
* Vesey was ratted out and hanged for conspiracy.
Nat Turner’s Revolt
1831
* Nat Turned was a well-educated and religious slave who acted as a preacher.
* Waited for a sign from god for the time to rebel, that day came after the sky turned green.
* Turner and other slaves grabbed weapons and massacred any white person in sight.
* Rebellion eventually squashed, Turner caught and executed publicly.
Zachary Taylor
- Won presidential election in 1848 (Whig) but died less than a year later
- Got replaced by Millard Filmore, both were pretty boring
The Free Soil Party
- A political party key in growing the anti-slavery movement advocating slavery can’t expand and is seen as unconstitutional
1850 Compromise
- California was insistent on staying whole and becoming a free state to balance Texas.
- Some senators were upset about this, leading to the 1850 compromise, which listed out 5 things:
1. California was a free state.
2. Texas will be made smaller in exchange for money.
3. New Mexico and Arizona are new states, voted on slavery status by “the people.”
4. The slave trade is illegal in DC.
5. Outlined the Fugitive Slave Act. - Temporarily settled down American politics
Fugitive Slave Act
1850
* Passed in the 1850 compromise, made it illegal for people to help slaves escape.
* Punishments included heavy fines and up to 1/2 a year in prison.
* People still helped slaves escape, but it marked the downfall of the Underground Railroad.
* Franklin Pierce heavily enforced the Fugitive Slave Act, law enforcement would hunt slaves
* People would kidnap free black men and sell them into slavery
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
1852
* Harriet Beecher Stowe from Vermont interviewed former slaves about their experiences
* Wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin about the horrors of slavery and the Christian spirit
* Northerners were shocked and slave owners denied the atrocities
* Arguably one of the biggest causes of the civil war, also brought out black stereotypes
1852 Election
- Franklin Pierce (Dem) beats Winfield Scott (Whig) for the presidential spot.
- Despite being from the North, he was a “Southern Democrat” and supported slavery
Jim Crow
- Black people, both free and slaves, received a lot of ridicule from white citizens.
- One particular act was by Tom Rice, who dressed in blackface and torn clothes, the origin of “Jim Crow.”
Kansas-Nebraska Act
1854
* Focused on the territories of Kansas and Nebraska over the 36-30 line
* Proposed “the people” voting for slavery/no slavery in the two territories
* Led to “Bleeding Kansas”
Whig Party Splits
- The Whig party Collapsed around 1854 after the Kansas-Nebraska Act into two sectors, Cotton Whigs (Pro-Slavery, became Dems) and Conscience Whigs (Anti-Slavery, became Reps)
Bleeding Kansas
1855-1858
* Miniature civil war in Nebraska over whether it should be a free or slave state
* People flocked to Kansas to vote in their side’s favor
* John Brown took his sons and killed any slave owners they could find
* Kansas & Nebraska ended up becoming free states
Constitutions to determine the fate of Kansas
Due to the events of Bleeding Kansas, congress had to step in and write a constitution on what Kansas would be, with four being written.
* Topeka, 1855: Slavery is illegal in Kansas, but so are any black people
* Lecompton, 1857: Slavery is legal in Kansas
* Leavenwork, 1858: No slavery, women and black people could vote, and women could hold property.
* Wyandotte, 1859: No slavery and limited rights to minorities
Caning in the Senate
1856
* Senator Brooks (SC) caned Senator Sumner (MA) because Sumner made it clear he wouldn’t entertain fools who supported slavery
* Seen as an atrocity in the senate, Sumner went partially blind and had to leave the senate temporarily