AP Notes, Outlines, Study Guides, Vocabulary, Practice Exams and more!

Period 5 (1844-1877) AP US History Flashcards

Terms : Hide Images
9792278883California Gold Rush(1849) Gold discovered in California attracted a rush of people all over the country and world to San Francisco; arrival of the Chinese; increased pressure on federal government to establish a stable government0
9792278884MormonsChurch of Latter-Day Saints; Founded by Joseph Smith in 1830; Sought religious refuge in the West -- Salt Lake City, Utah.1
9792278885Kansas Nebraska Act(1854) Created Nebraska and Kansas as states and gave the people in those territories the right to chose to be a free or slave state through popular sovereignty.2
9792278886Republican Party(Formed 1854) Anti-slavery Whigs and Democrats, Free "Soilers" and reformers from the Northwest met and formed party in order to keep slavery out of the territories3
9792278887Abraham Lincoln16th President of the United States; Saved the Union during and emancipated the slaves; assassinated by Booth4
9792278888Henry David ThoreauNew England transcendentalist; Author of "Walden" and "Civil Disobedience".5
9792278889Homestead ActsSeveral federal laws that gave an applicant ownership of land at no cost; an expression of the "Free Soil" policy of Northerners who wanted individual farmers to own and operate their own farms, as opposed to Southern slave-owners who wanted to buy up large tracts of land and use slave labor, thereby shutting out free white men.6
9792278890nativismA policy of favoring native-born individuals over foreign-born ones.7
9792278891Know Nothing movementAKA American Party; Anti-Catholic movements responded to influx of Irish immigration in the 1840s and 1850s that were aimed at limiting the new immigrants' political power and cultural influence.8
9792278892Free-soil partyFormed in 1847 - 1848; People who wanted individual farmers to own and operate their own farms, as opposed to Southern slave-owners who wanted to buy up large tracts of land and use slave labor, thereby shutting out free white men.9
9792278893abolitionisma movement to end slavery10
9792278894William Lloyd GarrisonProminent abolitionist who published the anti-slavery journal The Liberator (1805-1879)11
9792278895American Antislavery SocietyFormed 1833; Northern abolitionist group that sought immediate abolition of slavery with no compensation to slave owners; Garrison was founder and Frederick Douglass was a key leader.12
9792278896Uncle Tom's CabinWritten by Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1853; A novel promoting abolition.13
9792278897sectionalismStrong identification with a particular region; Extends to culture, politics, and economics.14
9792278898gag ruleformal resolutions passed by the House of Representatives in 1836 to prevent the legislature from discussing abolitionism; Opposed by John Quincy Adams and repealed in 1844.15
9792278899Mexican cession1848 Lands sold to the US following war; Later became the states of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado.16
9792278900The Compromise of 1850Drafted by Clay and Douglas; Slavery outlawed in Washington D.C.; California is admitted as a free state; Utah and New Mexico will determine whether slavery is allowed through popular sovereignty; the Fugitive Slave Law is passed.17
9792278901Lecompton ConstitutionThe second constitution drafted for Kansas Territory, written by proslavery supporters.18
9792278902Election of 1860Abraham Lincoln's victory on the Republicans' free-soil platform was accomplished without any Southern electoral votes; After a series of contested debates about secession, most slave states voted to secede from the Union, precipitating the Civil War.19
9792278903secessionFormal withdrawal of states or regions from a nation20
9792278904Radical RepublicansExtreme faction that opposed to slavery during the war, and after the war supported equal rights for freedmen; E.g. John C. Frémont, Charles Sumner, Thaddeus Stevens, Ulysses S. Grant21
9792278905Robert E. LeeDistinguished soldier (Mexican War); Commander of the Confederate States Army.22
9792278906Fort SumterFederal fort in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina; the Confederate attack on the fort marked the start of the Civil War23
9792278907VicksburgGrant besieged the city from May 18 to July 4, 1863, until it surrendered, yielding command of the Mississippi River to the Union.24
9792278908Appomattox CourthouseThe Virginia town where Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant in 1865, ending the Civil War25
9792278909Ulysses S GrantCommanding General of the Union Army; 18th President of the United States (1869-1877).26
9792278910William Tecumseh ShermanUnion General who destroyed South during "march to the sea" from Atlanta to Savannah, example of total war27
9792278911habeas corpusConstitutional protection against unlawful imprisonment28
9792278912Presidential ReconstructionPresident's idea of reconstruction : all states had to end slavery, states had to declare that their secession was illegal, and men had to pledge their loyalty to the U.S.29
9792278913Radical ReconstructionCongressional Republican plan to rebuild the South after the Civil War.30
9792278914Black CodesLaws denying civil rights to newly freed slaves; Passed by southern states following the Civil War31
9792278915Military Reconstruction Act1867; divided the South into five districts and placed them under military rule; required Southern States to ratify the 14th amendment; guaranteed freedmen the right to vote in convention to write new state constitutions32
9792278916Reconstruction Amendments13th: abolished and continues to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude, 14th: secured the rights of former slaves after reconstruction, 15th: prohibits each government in the United States to prevent a citizen from voting based on their race33
9792278917Compromise of 1877Commonly cited as an end to reconstruction; Republicans promise 1) Remove military from South, 2) Appoint Democrat to cabinet (David Key postmaster general), 3) Federal money for railroad construction and levees on Mississippi river34
9792278918Ku Klux KlanOne of the "redeemers" groups that was formed after the Civil War. They masked themselves and burned black churches, schools, and terrorized black people.35
9792278919carpetbaggerA northerner who went to the South immediately after the Civil War; especially one who tried to gain political advantage or other advantages from the disorganized situation in southern states36
9792278920scalawagA derogatory term for Southern whites who supported Republican policy through reconstruction37
9792278921sharecropperA person who works fields rented from a landowner and pays the rent and repays loans by turning over to the landowner a share of the crops.38
9792278922"peculiar institution"southern euphemism for slavery39
9792278923John C. CalhounSouth Carolina Senator; advocate for state's rights, limited government, and nullification40
9792278924Harriet TubmanUnited States abolitionist born a slave on a plantation in Maryland and became a famous conductor on the Underground Railroad leading other slaves to freedom in the North (1820-1913)41
9792278925Fredrick DouglasFormer slave, abolitionist, and social reformer; Fought for freedom and civil rights for blacks and women42
9792278926Nat Turner's Rebellion1831 slaves in Virginia; Unsuccessful attempt to overthrow and kill planter families43
9792278927Underground Railroadabolitionists secret aid to escaping slaves44
9792278928James K. Polk11th president (1845-1849) Advocate of territorial expansion.45
9792278929Wilmot ProvisoBill that would ban slavery in the territories acquired after the War with Mexico46
9792278930Harriet Beecher Stowe(1811-1896) Abolitionist and author of Uncle Tom's Cabin47
9792278931John Brownabolitionist who was hanged after leading an unsuccessful raid at Harper's Ferry, Virginia (1800-1858)48
9792278932apologistsChristian thinkers who defended slavery and explained its "positive good" through Christian beliefs49
9792278933Confederate States of Americaa republic formed in February of 1861 and composed of the eleven Southern states that seceded from the United States50
9792278934Gadsden Purchasepurchase of land from mexico in 1853 that established the present U.S.-mexico boundary51
9792278935Fugitive Slave LawEnacted by Congress in 1793 and 1850, these laws provided for the return of escaped slaves to their owners. The North was lax about enforcing the 1793 law, with irritated the South no end. The 1850 law was tougher and was aimed at eliminating the underground railroad.52
9792278936The Kansas-Nebraska Act1854; sponsored by Senator Stephen Douglas; repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820, and allowed for popular sovereignty in new territories.53
9792278937Dred Scott v. Sanford1857 Supreme Court case that decided US Congress did not have the power to prohibit slavery in federal territories and slaves, as private property, could not be taken away without due process.54
9792278938"Bleeding Kansas"A sequence of violent events involving abolitionists and pro-Slavery elements that took place in Kansas-Nebraska Territory. The dispute further strained the relations of the North and South, making civil war imminent.55
9792278939Harper's FerrySetting of John Brown's failed 1859 revolt intended to invade the South with armed slaves.56
9792278940popular sovereigntyThe doctrine advocated by Stephen Douglas that stated that the people of a territory had the right to decide their own laws by voting. In the Kansas-Nebraska Act, this would decide whether a territory allowed slavery.57
9792278941John Wilkes BoothAmerican stage actor who, as part of a conspiracy plot, assassinated Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1865.58
9792278942Copperheadsnorthern democrat who during the Civil War advocated making peace with the Confederacy59
9792278943New York Draft RiotsJuly 1863; Irish working-class men and women violently resist Federal army draft60
9792278944Antietamthe first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with almost 23,000 casualties. After this "win" for the North, Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation61
9792278945Gettysburga small town in southern Pennsylvania, The most violent battle of the American Civil War and is frequently cited as the war's turning point, fought from July 1 - July 3, 1863.62
9792278946Emancipation ProclamationExecutive order issued by Abraham Lincoln on September 22, 1862; Reframed the purpose of the war and helped prevent the Confederacy from gaining full diplomatic support from European powers; Many African Americans fled southern plantations and enlisted in the Union Army, helping to undermine the Confederacy.63
9792278947Massachusetts 54th RegimentAn all black regiment in Civil War; Authorized by the Emancipation Proclamation.64
9792278948Thirteenth AmendmentThe constitutional amendment ratified after the Civil War that forbade slavery and involuntary servitude.65
9792278949Freedmen's Bureau1865 - Agency set up to aid former slaves in adjusting themselves to freedom. It furnished food and clothing to needy blacks and helped them get jobs66
9792278950Redeemer GovernmentsLargely former slave owners who were the bitterest opponents of the Republican program in the South. Staged a major counterrevolution to "redeem" the south by taking back southern state governments.67
9792278951Reconstructionthe period after the Civil War in the United States when the southern states were rebuilt, reorganized, and reintegrated into the Union; Opened up political opportunities and other leadership roles to former slaves, but it ultimately failed, due both to determined Southern resistance and the North's waning resolve.68
9792278952Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction(Dec. 1863) issued by Lincoln: offered full pardon to Southerners who would take oath of allegiance to the Union and acknowledge emancipation69
9792278953Civil Rights Bill of 1866first congressional attempt to guarantee black rights in the south, passed over johnson's veto70
9792278954Fourteenth Amendmentmade "all persons born or naturalized in the United States" citizens of the country71
9792278955Fifteenth AmendmentThe right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.72
9792278956impeachment of President Johnson1868 attempt by the House to remove Johnson from office73
9792278957Enforcement Acts1870 and 1871 laws that made it a federal offense to interfere with a citizen's right to vote74
9792278958black codesSouthern laws designed to restrict the rights of the newly freed black slaves75
9792278959sharecroppersPeople who rent a plot of land from another person, and farm it in exchange for a share of the crop76
9792278960Battle of the Little BighornAKA Custer's Last Stand; 1876 battle in which Sioux and Cheyenne killed an entire force of U.S. troops77
9792278961National Woman Suffrage Association(F. 1869) Organization formed by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and others to promote the vote for women; Founded after being emboldened by the Reconstruction Amendments.78
9792278962"Lost Cause"A movement that describes the Confederate cause as a heroic one against great or impossible odds; The belief that the war was fought over states' rights and not slavery, slavery was a benevolent institution that offered Christianity to African "savages", and the war was a just cause in the eyes of God.79

Need Help?

We hope your visit has been a productive one. If you're having any problems, or would like to give some feedback, we'd love to hear from you.

For general help, questions, and suggestions, try our dedicated support forums.

If you need to contact the Course-Notes.Org web experience team, please use our contact form.

Need Notes?

While we strive to provide the most comprehensive notes for as many high school textbooks as possible, there are certainly going to be some that we miss. Drop us a note and let us know which textbooks you need. Be sure to include which edition of the textbook you are using! If we see enough demand, we'll do whatever we can to get those notes up on the site for you!