Unit 5 Vocab Flashcards
Manifest Destiny
widely held belief that settlers were destined to expand across North America
Samuel Morse
contributed to the invention of the telegraph; co-developer of Morse code
Wilmot Proviso
proposed to ban slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico in the Mexican War; did not pass through Congress
Bear Flag Republic
short-lived breakaway state that briefly controlled the area north of the San Francisco Bay in 1846
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
peace treaty signed on February 2, 1848 ending the Mexican War and ceding land to the Unites States
Mexican Cession
historical name for the region of the American Southwest that was ceded by Mexico after the Mexican War
Zachary Taylor
12th president of the US; war hero from the Mexican-American War nominated by the Whigs
Free-Soilers
single-issue party of Whigs and antislavery Democrats dedicated to preventing the spread of slavery
Bleeding Kansas
a series of violent political confrontations between the antislavery “Free-Staters” and the proslavery “Border Ruffians” between 1854 and 1861
Popular sovereignty
residents of a territory can decide whether or not slavery is allowed in that territory
Compromise of 1850
passed through Congress in 5 separate bills; admitted California as a free state, established popular sovereignty in Utah and New Mexico, and enacted a stronger fugitive slave law
Stephen Douglas
Democrat politician from Illinois who designed the Kansas-Nebraska Act; lost to Lincoln in the 1860 presidential race
Kansas-Nebraska Act
created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and established popular sovereignty, drawing in both pro and antislavery groups & resulting in Bleeding Kansas
Secession
withdrawal of a group from a larger entity; usually a political entity like a country
Fugitive Slave Law
passed by Congress as a part of the Compromise of 1850; required that all escaped slaves be returned to their owners and required citizens to hunt them down, even in free states