Unit 5 Key Terms Flashcards
Whigs
Political party in the 19th century.
Opposed executive power and supported the supremacy of Congress.
William Henry Harrison
9th President of the United States.
Died shortly after inauguration, serving the shortest term in U.S. history.
John Tyler
Became President after Harrison’s death.
Faced opposition within his own party (Whigs).
Zachary Taylor
12th President of the U.S.
Known as a military hero of the Mexican-American War.
Millard Fillmore
13th President after Taylor’s death.
Signed the Compromise of 1850.
James K. Polk
11th President, expanded U.S. territory through annexation and war.
Mexican American War
Conflict over disputed Texas border.
Ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Ended the Mexican-American War in 1848.
U.S. gained California and much of the Southwest.
54’ 40 or Fight
Slogan expressing U.S. expansionist sentiment.
Referred to desired northern boundary with Canada.
Sojourner Truth
Abolitionist and women’s rights advocate.
Famous for her “Ain’t I a Woman” speech.
Ain’t I a Woman
Speech by Sojourner Truth.
Advocated for equal rights for women of color.
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Author of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”
Influential anti-slavery novel.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe.
Contributed to anti-slavery sentiments.
Harriet Tubman
Conductor of the Underground Railroad.
Helped slaves escape to freedom.
Underground Railroad
Network of secret routes for escaped slaves.
Aided by abolitionists to reach free states.
Frederick Douglass
Former slave turned prominent abolitionist.
Published “The North Star” newspaper.
William Lloyd Garrison
Abolitionist and newspaper editor.
Published “The Liberator.”
Compromise of 1850
Series of laws addressing slavery issues.
Included the Fugitive Slave Act.
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Allowed popular sovereignty on slavery in new territories.
Led to violent conflicts in Kansas.
Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)
Supreme Court case denying rights to enslaved individuals.
Intensified sectional tensions.
John Brown’s Raid
Abolitionist raid on Harpers Ferry.
Increased tensions before the Civil War.
Caning of Sumner
Attack on Senator Charles Sumner.
Symbolized growing hostility between North and South.
Seneca Falls Convention
First women’s rights convention.
Issued the Declaration of Sentiments.
Election of 1860 & 64
1860: Lincoln elected, leading to Southern secession.
1864: Lincoln reelected during the Civil War.
Abraham Lincoln
16th President.
Emancipation Proclamation, preserved the Union.
Stephen Douglas
Political rival of Lincoln.
Debated Lincoln on slavery issues.
George McClellan
Union General during the Civil War.
Ran against Lincoln in the 1864 election.
Andrew Johnson
Vice President who succeeded Lincoln.
Faced impeachment.
Emancipation Proclamation
Lincoln’s executive order freeing slaves in Confederate states.
Shifted the focus of the war to slavery.
Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address
Called for reconciliation after the Civil War.
“With malice toward none.”
Lincoln’s Assassination
Assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in 1865.
Led to Andrew Johnson’s presidency.
Fort Sumter
Site of the first shots of the Civil War.
Confederate victory.
Antietam
Bloodiest single-day battle of the Civil War.
Union victory.
Gettysburg
Turning point in the Civil War.
Union victory against Confederate invasion.
Vicksburg
Union victory, securing control of the Mississippi River.
Completed Union blockade.
Appomattox Courthouse
Site of Robert E. Lee’s surrender.
Ended the Civil War.
Ulysses S. Grant
Union General.
Accepting Lee’s surrender at Appomattox.
George Meade
Union General at the Battle of Gettysburg.
Defeated Confederate forces.
William Tecumseh Sherman
Union General known for “March to the Sea.”
Employed total war tactics.
Jefferson Davis
President of the Confederate States of America.
Led during the Civil War.
Robert E. Lee
Commander of the Confederate Army.
Surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse.
Stonewall Jackson
Confederate General.
Died in the Battle of Chancellorsville.
William Bedford Forrest
Confederate cavalry commander.
Later became a prominent figure in the Ku Klux Klan.
Ku Klux Klan
Secret society promoting white supremacy.
Opposed civil rights for African Americans.
Border States
Slave states that remained in the Union.
Key strategic importance during the Civil War.
Andersonville
Confederate prisoner-of-war camp.
Known for harsh conditions.
Clara Barton
Nurse and founder of the American Red Cross.
Provided aid during the Civil War.
Red Cross
Humanitarian organization providing aid in crises.
Founded by Clara Barton.
Matthew Brady
Renowned Civil War photographer.
Documented the war through photographs.
54th Massachusetts
African American regiment in the Union Army.
Known for bravery in battle.
NYC Draft Riots
Violent protests against conscription during the Civil War.
Targeted African Americans and wealthy.
Nativism
Opposition to immigrants, favoring native-born citizens.
Fueled anti-Catholic sentiments.
Black Codes
Laws restricting the rights of African Americans.
Implemented in the post-Civil War South.
Treaty of Fort Laramie
Agreement between the U.S. and Plains Indian tribes.
Intended to bring peace to the region.
Battle of the Little Bighorn
Native American victory against U.S. forces.
Led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse.
Sioux/Lakota
Native American tribes of the Great Plains.
Involved in conflicts with the U.S.
Reconstruction
Period after the Civil War, rebuilding the South.
Aimed to integrate freed slaves into society.
13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments
Constitutional amendments abolishing slavery, granting equal protection, and voting rights.
Civil Rights Act
Legislation granting citizenship and equal rights to freed slaves.
Freedman’s Bureau Act
Established to aid newly freed slaves in the South.
Provided education, food, and legal assistance.
Rutherford B. Hayes
19th President of the U.S.
Elected through the Compromise of 1877.
Compromise of 1877
Ended Reconstruction in the South.
Resulted in Hayes becoming president.
Radical and Liberal Republicans
Differing approaches to Reconstruction policies.
Radicals sought harsher measures against the South.
Seward’s Folly
Criticism of Secretary of State Seward’s purchase of Alaska.
Later proven to be strategically valuable.
Homestead Act
Encouraged westward expansion by granting land to settlers.
Helped establish family farms.
Morrill Land Grant Act
Provided federal land for agricultural colleges.
Expanded educational opportunities.
Pacific Railway Act
Facilitated the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad.
Connected the East and West coasts.
Promontory Point
Location where the First Transcontinental Railroad was completed.
Symbolized national unity.
Boss Tweed
Corrupt leader of Tammany Hall political machine.
Involved in widespread political corruption.
Tammany Hall
Democratic political machine in New York City.
Controlled city politics through patronage.
Political Machine
Organization that controls politics through patronage and favors.
Prominent in urban areas during the Gilded Age.
Thomas Nast
Political cartoonist.
Exposed corruption through illustrations.
James Garfield’s Assassination
20th President assassinated in 1881.
Sparked calls for civil service reform.
