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AP US History Unit 5 Flashcards Flashcards

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5441804331Uncle Tom's CabinPowerful novel that make american aware of the harsh and inhumane conditions of slavery and put the country on the road to civil war. written by Harriet Beecher Stowe.0
5441804332Lecompton ConstituitionProposed Kansas constitution, whose ratification was unfairly rigged so as to guarantee slavery in the territory. Initially ratified by pro-slavery forces, it was later voted down when Congress required that the entire constitution be put up for vote.1
5441804333Bleeding KansasCivil war in Kansas over the issue of slavery in the territory, fought intermittently until 1861, when it merged with the wider national Civil War.2
5441804334Dred Scott v. StanfordSupreme Court decision that extended federal protection to slavery by ruling that Congress did not have the power to prohibit slavery in any territory. Also declared that slaves, as property, were not citizens of the United States (1857).3
5441804335Panic of 1857Economic panic that broke out due to California gold inflating the currency and over speculation in land and railroads. Added to tension in the antebellum years.4
5441804336Tariff of 1857Lowered duties on imports in response to a high Treasury surplus and pressure from Southern farmers.5
5441804337Lincoln-Douglas DebatesDuring the race to become Senator Lincoln asked to have multiple debates with Douglas. Certain topics of these debates were slavery, how to deal with slavery, and where slavery should be allowed. Although Lincoln lost the election to Douglas, he was known throughout the country because of the debates.6
5441804339Freeport DoctrineDeclared that since slavery could not exist without laws to protect it, territorial legislatures, not the Supreme Court, would have the final say on the slavery question. First argued by Stephen Douglas in 1858 in response to Abraham Lincoln's "Freeport Question."7
5441804340Harpers Ferry/John BrownFederal arsenal in Virginia seized by abolitionist John Brown in 1859. Though Brown was later captured and executed, his raid alarmed Southerners who believed that Northerners shared in Brown's extremism.8
5441804341Constitutional Union PartyFormer Whigs who joined the Know-Nothings, who opposed Lincoln and Douglas, started a new party and nominated John Bell who was opposed to the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Lecompton constitution.9
5441804342Confederate States of AmericaA republic formed in February of 1861 and composed of the eleven Southern states that seceded from the United States.10
5441804343Crittenden Amendments/John CrittendenThese amendements to the Constitution were designed to appease the south by prohibiting slavery north of 36, 30' but allowed protection south of this line. It also allowed future states to enter with or without slavery regardless of their position north or south.11
5441804344Henry Ward BeecherAmerican Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, and speaker, known for his support of the abolition of slavery, his emphasis on God's love, and his 1875 adultery trial.12
5441804345James Buchanan15th President of the United States, serving immediately prior to the American Civil War. He is the only president from Pennsylvania and the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor.13
5441804346Charles SumnerAmerican politician and senator from Massachusetts. An academic lawyer and a powerful orator, Sumner was the leader of the antislavery forces in Massachusetts and a leader of the Radical Republicans in the United States Senate during the American Civil War working to destroy the Confederacy, free all the slaves and keep on good terms with Europe.14
5441804347Roger B. TaneyFifth Chief Justice of the United States, holding that office from 1836 until his death in 1864. He was the eleventh United States Attorney General.15
5441804348Stephen A. DouglasAmerican politician from Illinois and the designer of the Kansas-Nebraska Act.16
5441804349Abraham Lincoln16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865.17
5441804350John C. BreckinridgeLawyer and politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. He represented the state in both houses of Congress and in 1857, became the 14th and youngest-ever Vice President of the United States.18
5441804351Fort SumterFederal fort in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina. The confederate attack on the fort marked the start of the Civil War.19
5441804352Border StatesStates bordering the North: Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky and Missouri. They were slave states, but did not secede.20
5441804353Trent AffairU.S. Navy stopped a British ship and seized two Confederate diplomats that were on board. British protest the impressment of Confederate officials from British ships and almost enter the war on the side of the South. Northern diplomats apologize profusely and free the Confederate officials in order to avert war with Britain. Demonstrates importance of Union diplomatic efforts in helping to win the war.21
5441804354Writ of Habeas CorpusA court order requiring jailers to explain to a judge why they are holding a prisoner in custody.22
5441804355Morill Tariff ActIncreased duties back up to 1846 levels to raise revenue for the Civil War.23
5441804356GreenbacksName for Union paper money not backed by gold or silver. Value would fluctuate depending on status of the war.24
5441804357National Banking SystemNetwork of member banks that could issue currency against purchased government bonds. Created during the Civil War to establish a stable national currency and stimulate the sale of war bonds25
5441804358Homestead ActIt gave 160 acres of public land to any settler who would farm the land for five years. The settler would only have to pay a registration fee of $25 (1862).26
5441804359Jefferson DavisUnited States soldier and statesman, and was the President of the Confederate States of America during the entire Civil War which was fought from 1861 to 1865.27
5441804361Clara BartonPioneer American teacher, patent clerk, nurse, and humanitarian. At a time when relatively few women worked outside the home, Barton built a career helping others.28
5441804362Sally TompkinsHumanitarian, nurse, and philanthropist. Many believe that she was also the only woman officially commissioned in the Confederate Army.29
5441804363Battle of Bull RunFirst major battle of the Civil War and a victory for the South, it dispelled Northern illusions of swift victory.30
5441804364Battle of AntietamLandmark battle in the Civil War that essentially ended in a draw but demonstrated the prowess of the Union army, forestalling foreign intervention and giving Lincoln the "victory" he needed to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.31
5441804365Emancipation ProclamationAn order issued by President Abraham Lincoln freeing the slaves in areas rebelling against the Union, a place in which he had no right to free slaves. Took effect January 1, 1863.32
5441804366Battle of GettysburgCivil War battle in Pennsylvania that ended in Union victory, spelling doom for the Confederacy, which never again managed to invade the North. Site of General George Pickett's daring but dooming charge on the Northern lines.33
5441804367Gettysburg AddressSpeech given by Abraham Lincoln which captured the spirit of liberty and morality ideally held by citizens of a democracy. That ideal was threatened by the Civil War.34
5441804368Sherman's MarchIn September 1864, General William Sherman's army captured Atlanta and began marching toward Savannah on the Georgia coast. His march to the sea was designed to defeat the enemy's forces, destroy its economic resources, and break its will to resist.35
5441804369Appomattox CourthousSite where Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant in April 1865 after almost a year of brutal fighting throughout Virginia in the "WiIderness Campaign."36
5441804371"Stonewall" JacksonConfederate general during the American Civil War, and one of the best-known Confederate commanders after General Robert E. Lee.37
5441804372George McClellanMajor general during the American Civil War and the Democratic presidential nominee in 1864, who later served as Governor of New Jersey.38
5441804373Robert E. LeeAmerican career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War.39
5441804374Joseph HookerCareer United States Army officer, achieving the rank of major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.40
5441804375Ulysses S. Grant18th president of the United States following his success as military commander in the American Civil War.41
5441804376William Tecumseh ShermanAmerican soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War, for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched earth" policies that he implemented in conducting total war against the Confederate States.42
5441804377John Wilkes BoothFamous American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865.43
5441804378Freedmen's BureauAgency set up to aid former slaves in adjusting themselves to freedom. It furnished food and clothing to needy blacks and helped them get jobs.44
5441804379"10 Percent" Reconstruction PlanIntroduced by President Lincoln, it proposed that a state be readmitted to the Union once 10 percent of its voters had pledged loyalty to the United States and promised to honor emancipation.45
5441804380Wade-Davis BillProposed far more demanding and stringent terms for reconstruction. Required 50% of the voters of a state to take the loyalty oath and permitted only non-confederates to vote for a new state constitution. Lincoln refused to sign the bill, pocket vetoing it after Congress adjourned.46
5441804381Black CodesLaws passed throughout the South to restrict the rights of emancipated blacks, particularly with respect to negotiating labor contracts. Increased Northerners' criticisms of President Andrew Johnson's lenient Reconstruction policies.47
5441804382Civil Rights BillA bill passed by Congress in March 1866 as a measure against the Black Codes to reinforce black rights to citizenship. It was vetoed by Johnson and was later passed as the 14th Amendment.48
544180438314th AmendmentConstitutional amendment that extended civil rights to freedmen and prohibited states from taking away such rights without due process.49
5441804384Reconstruction ActLaw created by Radical Republicans that was originally vetoed by Johnson but overridden by Congress. Established harsher requirements for Confederate states. Divided Southern states into military districts. Required states to vote to ratify 14th Amendment.50
544180438515th AmendmentProhibited states from denying citizens the franchise on account of race. It disappointing feminists who wanted the Amendment to include guarantees for women's suffrage.51
5441804386ScalawagsA derogatory term for Southerners who were working with the North to buy up land from desperate Southerners.52
5441804387CarpetbaggersA term that refers to Northerners who had took their worldly goods to the South in hopes to gain power and wealth came at the end of the war.53
5441804388Ku Klux KlanAn organization of white supremacists that used lynchings, beatings, and threats to control the black population in the United States. Expressed beliefs in respect for the American woman and things purely American. Strongest periods were after the Civil War, a resurfacing in 1915 continuing through the 1920s, and another upsurge in the 1990s.54
5441804389Force ActsActs passed to promote African American voting and mainly aimed at limiting the activities of the Ku Klux Klan. Through the acts, actions committed with the intent to influence voters, prevent them from voting, or conspiring to deprive them of civil rights, including life, were made federal offenses. Thus the federal government had the power to prosecute the offenses, including calling federal juries to hear the cases.55
5441804390Tenure of Office ActEnacted by radical Congress, it forbade the president from removing civil officers without consent of the Senate. It was meant to prevent Johnson from removing radicals from office. Johnson broke this law when he fired a radical Republican from his cabinet, and he was impeached for this "crime".56
5441804391Seward's FollySecretary of State William Seward's negotiation of the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867 for about $7 million, about 2 cents per acre. At the time everyone thought this was a mistake to buy Alaska the "ice box" but it turned out to be the biggest bargain since the Louisiana purchase. They later realized Alaska was really useful for resources like fish, furs, and lumber.57
5441804392Andrew Johnson17th President of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. Johnson became president as Abraham Lincoln's vice president at the time of Lincoln's assassination.58
5441804393Thaddeus StevensMember of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania and one of the leaders of the Radical Republican faction of the Republican Party during the 1860s.59
5441804394William SewardAmerican politician from the state of New York. He served as the 12th Governor of New York, United States Senator and the United States Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson.60
5441812552Dark Horse CandidateAn unexpected nominee that was not prominently featured in the past; for example, James K. Polk in 184461
5441813244Election of 1844James K Polk defeated Henry Clay in a campaign that featured Manifest Destiny as it's primary theme62
5441814151"Fifty-Four Forty or Fight"Slogan given to the battle with England over the border in Oregon Territory63
5441814682Manifest DestinyThe belief that the US had a divine mission to expand and spread the ideals of freedom& democracy64
5441815353"Lone Star Republic"Nickname of the Republic of Texas after it won its independence from Mexico; Ruled by Sam Houston65
5441815736Mexican CessionAcquired from Mexico at the end of the Mexican-American war in the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo; the US paid 15,000,000 for territory& over $3,000,000 for debts owed to American citizens, land include call the Utah territory and new Mexico territory66
5441816112Gadsden PurchaseLand acquired from Mexico for $10,000,000; the land was needed for the construction of a southern transcontinental railroad67
5441816793Mexican-American WarConflict associated with manifest destiny and caused by the American desire for warm water ports, annexation of Texas, and acquisition of territory in the Southwest68
5441817440Free Soil PartyPolitical party formed in 1848 to prevent the expansion of slavery into new territory acquired during the Mexican-American War69
5441818012Treaty of Guadalupe-HidalgoTreaty that formally ended the Mexican-American War; US paid $15,000,000 to Mexico for the Mexican Cession; set the Rio Grande river as be the border70
5441818565Wilmot ProvisoProposal that in all land acquired during Mexican American war slavery be abolished; never passed71
5441819490James K PolkEleventh President of the United States (1845-1849); Dark horse Democractic Candidate in 1844 running on Manifest Destiny promises; fulfilled promises and refused to run for second term72
5441819893Zachary TaylorTwelfth President of United States (1849-1850); nicknamed "Old Rough & Ready" and "Hero of Buena Vista" for his role in the Mexican American war; 2nd Whig President and the 2nd to die in office; succeeded by Millard Fillmore73
5441820433Stephen F AustinFather of Texas and led American families to settle in Texas74
5441820911Sam HoustonPresident of the Republic of Texas when it existed as an independent nation ( Lonestar republic)75
5441821410John C. Fremont"The Pathfinder," he led families into California before the the Mexican-American War; first Republican candidate for President in 185676
5441821831Winfield Scott"Old Fuss and feathers" gained fame from the Mexican-American War; Whig party candidate in 185277

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