Vocabulary/Main Ideas Flashcards
Democrats
Couldn’t agree on one presidential candidate for the election of 1860, so they split into northern and southern democrats
Uncle toms cabin
A novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It was about Uncle Tom and his cruel master Simon legree, it showed the true cruelty of slavery and inspired people to abolish it. Left both south and north unhappy
Republicans
A new party that was formed before the election of 1860
Bleeding Kansas
proslavery settlers and so called “Border Ruffians” from Missouri invaded Lawrence, Kansas. And more free soilers, as antislavery settlers were called, prepared to move to Kansas. Meanwhile, a fiery abolitionist named John Brown plotted his revenge. Two days after the Lawrence raid, brown and seven followers, including four of Brown’s sons and his son-in-law, invaded the pro-slavery town of Pottawatomie, Kansas.
Fugitive slave law
The Fugitive Slave Act stated that if runaway slaves were caught, they had no rights at all. Many slaves ran to other places while some stayed in the North. It also stated that if a person helped a slave or if the Southerners didn’t want a slave catcher to catch their escaped slaves, that person would be sent to jail. Northerners disliked this law and Southerners did not think that it helped get their escaped property back. Solves problem for no one!
Ostend Manifesto
Franklin Pierce, the president of the time, wanted to buy Cuba from Spain. Spain refused the offer. The Ostend Manifesto was a document sent by three diplomats that said we should take Cuba by force. Northerners were angry because they thought that the president’s administration only wanted Cuba to add another slave state.
Secede/Secession
- Secede: withdraw from the union
- After election of 1860, South Carolina thought that Lincoln would abolish slavery and chose to secede
Border ruffians
Pro-slavery settlers
They were called this because they moved to other states to rig slave/free votes
36 30 line
If the state was north of this line, it was free
If the state was south of this line, it was slave
“Gag” rule
Congress got many antislavery petitions, but had no power to meddle with slavery in states, and decided to ignore the petitions. Abolitionists called it the gag rule because it gagged or silenced the debate on slavery.
Lincoln Douglas Debates
Lincoln became a national figure during the Lincoln Douglas debates during race for senator. They were mostly about slavery.
Dred Scott vs. Sanford
Supreme Court ruled that Americans of African descent, whether free or slave, were not American citizens and could not sue in federal court. The Court also ruled that Congress lacked power to ban slavery in the U.S. territories.
Election of 1860
- Candidates: Stephen Douglas (northern democrats), John Breckinridge (southern democrats), Abraham Lincoln (Republican Party), and John Bell (constitutional Union party)
- Lincoln won with 180 electoral votes, but 40% of popular votes
- South Carolina feared that Lincoln would abolish slavery and chose to secede
Fort Sumter
The confederates opened fire on Fort Sumter, a federal fort in Charleston Harbor. After 33 hours of heavy shelling, the defenders of the fort hauled down the Stars and Stripes and replaced it with the white flag of surrender.
Popular Sovereignty
States were allowed to vote on wether to be slave or free. Some problems about this are: people would move to rig the vote and unbalance of slave/free states in congress
