Unit 6 terms Flashcards
Compromise of 1850
A series of laws passes to address the issue of slavery and its expansion into new territories.
Fugitive slave act
required that escaped slaves return to their owners. even if they were in a free state. abolitionist opposed this idea & it intensified tensions between the north and south.
free soil party
this party opposed the idea of expanding slavery into new territories & advocated for the rights of land not open to slavery
Kansas- Nebraska act and popular sovereignty
A law passes that allowed territories of Kansa and Nebraska to decide whether or not to allow slavery
the republican party
the republican party attracted northern Whigs, democrats who didn’t like the Kansas Nebraska ac, members of the free-soil party, & assorted abolitionist.
Bleeding Kansas
pro slavery & anti-slavery settlers clashed over the Kansas Nebraska act and debated over whether Kansas would enter the union as a free or slave state.
Dred scott v. Sanford
A supreme court case that ruled enslaved people were not us citizens, so they didn’t have the right to sue the federal government.
Lincoln- Douglas debates
7 debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, over the issue of slavery and its expansion into the new territories. Lincoln lost.
“A house divided….”- Lincoln
A house divided against itself cannot stand” this referred to the growing divide over the issue of slavery.
John Brown and Harpers ferry
John brown, and abolitionist, used violence to end slavery and wanted to start a slave rebellion. He was unsuccessful and executed.
Election of 1860
A 4-way race between Lincoln, Douglas, John c Breckenridge, and john bell. Lincoln won representing the republican party becoming the 16th president.
Fire earters
A group of extremist proslavery politicians that advocated for the expansion and preservation of slavery. using ‘fiery rhetoric’ to defend their opinions.
origins of the civil war
traced back to factors such as disagreements over slavery, economics differences and political tensions. these issues led to secession and formation of the confederate states.
Confederate states of America
a self-declared nation that succeeds from the us attempt to preserve slavery. The CSA had its own government, constitution, and army, but they were defeated by union forces.
The CSA surrenders
The surrender because of exhaustion of resource, the loss of important battles, and realization their cause was no longer viable.
king cotton
major crash crop in the south that led to the rise of a large plantations. King cotton symbolized the economic and political influence of the cotton industry.
yeomen farmers
independent small scale farmers who owned and worked their own land.
chattel slavery
system where enslaved people were treated as property, bought and sold as commodities
Harriet Tubman
An abolitionist who escaped slavery and helped others find freedom through the underground railroads; she was also considered the ‘ conductor’ of the railroads.
Nat turners rebellion
also known as the Southampton insurrection. was a rebellion led by Nat turner an enslaved African American who led the violent uprising against slavery.
David Walker
an influential African American abolitionist who wrote a powerful pamphlet called walkers appeal which called for the immediate end of slavery and urged enslaved people to fight for their freedom.
Copperheads
a fraction of democrats in the northern US. They opposed the war and advocated for a negotiated peace with the confederacy.
sumner-brooks affair
senator Charles Sumner delivered a speech criticizing slavery and its supporter. In response Preston Brooks of SC physically attacked Sumner with a cane in the senate chamber.
Secession convention
Gatherings held by southern states to decide whether or not to secede from the US. They led to the formation of the confederate states of America.
