Question 1

Manifest Destiny

Accepted Answer

Belief that the United States was obligated by God to spread its “empire of liberty” across North America and was used as a justification for mid-nineteenth century expansionism.

Question 2

Texas

Accepted Answer

Territory that revolted against the Mexican government and was originally denied statehood in 1837, but was eventually annexed under President Polk, which helped spark the Mexican-American War.

Question 3

Oregon Territory

Accepted Answer

Territory of the northern Pacific Coast that was jointly occupied by the British and the United States for twenty years and almost led to war, but was eventually split along the 49th parallel.

Question 4

Stephen Austin

Accepted Answer

Led one of the first settlements of Americans in Texas and eventually became the commander of the settlers’ army against Mexico in the Texas Revolution.

Question 5

Antonio López de Santa Anna

Accepted Answer

Military and political leader of Mexico who successfully attacked the Alamo, but was defeated by Sam Houston at San Jacinto and forced to sign a treaty granting Texas independence.

Question 6

Sam Houston

Accepted Answer

Military leader of the Texas independence movement who defeated Santa Anna at San Jacinto and forced him to sign a treaty granting Texas independence.

Question 7

Alamo

Accepted Answer

Former Spanish mission converted into a fort that was besieged by Mexican troops in 1836 for thirteen days, but the final battle killed all of the Texan defenders by the significantly larger Mexican force.

Question 8

John Tyler

Accepted Answer

First vice president elevated to president due to the death of his predecessor, he drifted from Whig ideas and replaced his cabinet with Democrats, but did not change much from previous policies.

Question 9

Webster-Ashburton Treaty

Accepted Answer

Treaty between the United States and Britain that settled border disputes with Canada, resolved the Caroline steamship issue and called for a final end to the transatlantic slave trade.

Question 10

Jame K. Polk

Accepted Answer

Expansionist president who led the United States during the Mexican-American War, oversaw the acquisition of Texas and the Mexican Cession and encouraged the expansion of slavery.

Question 11

Fifty-Four Forty or Fight!

Accepted Answer

Democratic campaign slogan used by James K. Polk that called for the United States to take all of the disputed Oregon Territory, but once in office he split the territory with Britain.

Question 12

Great American Desert

Accepted Answer

Term applied to the land west of the Missouri River and east of the Rocky Mountains because the landscape had almost no trees, little rainfall and tough prairie sod.

Question 13

Far West

Accepted Answer

Term applied to the land west of the Missouri River to the Pacific Coast that offered new opportunities such as mining and farming, but included hardships such as dangerous weather.

Question 14

Overland Trails

Accepted Answer

Long and dangerous routes through the Great American Desert and Rocky Mountains that American settlers used to reach California and the Oregon Territory.

Question 15

Mining Frontier

Accepted Answer

Discovery of gold in California in 1848 caused the first flood of newcomers to the West and was followed by more mineral strikes that kept a steady flow of young prospectors pushing into the West.

Question 16

Gold Rush

Accepted Answer

Discovery of sources of a precious metal encouraged people to flock to the Far West in hopes of striking it rich, the most famous example occurring in California in 1848.

Question 17

Silver Rush

Accepted Answer

Discovery of sources of a precious metal encouraged people to flock to the Far West in hopes of striking it rich, the most famous example occurring in Nevada.

Question 18

Farming Frontier

Accepted Answer

Western land was settled and developed by pioneers who were willing to face the hardships of the West in order to gain land, grow crops or raise cattle and create a living for themselves.

Question 19

Urban Frontier

Accepted Answer

Cities started to develop and grow in the Far West in places such as San Francisco and Denver as more settlers moved westward in search of opportunity.

Question 20

Foreign Commerce

Accepted Answer

Trade between the United States and foreign countries that includes exports and imports.

Question 21

Exports

Accepted Answer

Goods made in the United States and traded to foreign countries.

Question 22

Imports

Accepted Answer

Goods made in foreign countries and traded into the United States.

Question 23

Matthew C. Perry

Accepted Answer

American naval officer who led a military expedition to Japan and used American naval power to convince the Japanese to open up to trade with the United States under the Kanagawa Treaty.

Question 24

Kanagawa Treaty

Accepted Answer

International agreement between the United States and Japan that opened up Japan to trade with the United States.

Question 25

Mexican-American War

Accepted Answer

Conflict over land between the United States and Mexico that was encouraged by President Polk and ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo and the Mexican Cession.

Question 26

California

Accepted Answer

Part of Mexican territory that President Polk wanted for the United States and failed to purchase, which helped lead to the Mexican-American War and became part of the Mexican Cession.

Question 27

Nueces River

Accepted Answer

Body of water Mexico insisted made the southern border of Texas while the Americans argued the border was farther south along the Rio Grande, which helped lead to the Mexican-American War.

Question 28

Rio Grande

Accepted Answer

Body of water the Americans insisted made the southern border of Texas while Mexico argued the border was farther north along the Nueces River, which helped lead to the Mexican-American War.

Question 29

Zachary Taylor

Accepted Answer

Famous general of the Mexican-American War and the 12th president of the United States (Whig) who opposed the spread of slavery, but died suddenly in office.

Question 30

Stephen Kearney

Accepted Answer

American general who succeeded in conquering the New Mexico territory and southern California in the Mexican-American War.

Question 31

John C. Frémont

Accepted Answer

Leader of a small American force who overthrew Mexican rule in California during the Mexican-American War and declared California to be an independent republic called the Bear Flag Republic.

Question 32

Bear Flag Republic

Accepted Answer

Name given to California after John C. Frémont overthrew Mexican rule during the Mexican-American War and declared California to be an independent republic.

Question 33

Winfield Scott

Accepted Answer

American general who led the main invasion of Mexico during the Mexican-American War and conquered Vera Cruz and the capital of Mexico City.

Question 34

Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo (1848)

Accepted Answer

Agreement between the United States and Mexico that ended the Mexican-American War and included the Mexican Cession.

Question 35

Mexican Cession

Accepted Answer

Land annexed by the United States from Mexico according to the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, which included the future states of California, Arizona and New Mexico.

Question 36

Wilmot Proviso

Accepted Answer

Proposal to prohibit slavery in the territory gained from the Mexican-American War that passed the House of Representatives, but failed in the Senate

Question 37

Mountain Men

Accepted Answer

American adventurers and fur trappers who spent most of their time in the Rocky Mountains.

Question 38

Ostend Manifesto

Accepted Answer

Leaked secret proposal by diplomats under orders from President Franklin Pierce to try and buy Cuba from Spain, which angered antislavery members of Congress and ultimately failed.

Question 39

Walker Expedition

Accepted Answer

Failed private attempt to build a proslavery Central American Empire, which included trying to take the Baja Peninsula from Mexico and Nicaragua.

Question 40

Clayton-Bulwer Treaty (1850)

Accepted Answer

Agreement between the United States and the British that neither nation would attempt to take exclusive control of any future canal route in Central America (revised in 1901).

Question 41

Gadsden Purchase

Accepted Answer

Purchase of southern sections of present-day New Mexico and Arizona from Mexico organized by President Franklin Pierce in order to build a railroad through the region.

Question 42

Free-Soil Movement

Accepted Answer

Ideology of many Northern Democrats and Whigs about stopping the spread of slavery to new parts of the country, but leaving slavery intact where it already existed.

Question 43

Free-Soil Party

Accepted Answer

Political organization founded on the ideology of stopping the spread of slavery to new parts of the country, but leaving slavery intact where it already existed.

Question 44

Lewis Cass

Accepted Answer

Democratic senator from Michigan who proposed a Congressional compromise of allowing new states to vote on whether or not to allow slavery in a process called popular sovereignty.

Question 45

Popular Sovereignty

Accepted Answer

Congressional compromise idea of allowing new states to vote on whether or not to allow slavery in a process called popular sovereignty.

Question 46

Zachary Taylor

Accepted Answer

Famous general of the Mexican-American War and the 12th President of the United States (Whig) who opposed the spread of slavery, but died suddenly in office.

Question 47

Barnburners

Accepted Answer

Antislavery Democrats whose defection to the Free-Soil Party threatened to severely weaken or destroy the Democratic Party.

Question 48

Henry Clay

Accepted Answer

Representative from Kentucky that promoted the idea of the American System and was also known as the Great Compromiser due to his efforts to try and keep the country from falling to sectionalism.

Question 49

Compromise of 1850

Accepted Answer

Law proposed by Henry Clay that hoped to resolve sectional tension over expanding slavery into new territory from the Mexican Cession,  but the compromise proved unsuccessful.

Question 50

Irish

Accepted Answer

Group of immigrants who came to the United States in order to flee a devastating famine at home and sought opportunity in American cities, but often faced discrimination because of their Roman Catholic religion.

Question 51

Roman Catholic

Accepted Answer

Religion practiced by many Irish immigrants that was used as a justification by Nativists for discriminating against the Irish.

Question 52

Tammany Hall

Accepted Answer

Political machine of the Democratic Party in New York City that appealed to immigrants in order to secure votes and was well known for corruption and graft.

Question 53

Germans

Accepted Answer

Group of immigrants who came to the United States in order to flee economic hardships and failed democratic revolutions at home and sought opportunity in the American Midwest.

Question 54

Nativism

Accepted Answer

Anti-immigrant ideology that grew popular during the 1840s against Catholic immigrants such as the Irish and Germans and led to the creation of the Know-Nothing Party.

Question 55

Industrial Technology

Accepted Answer

Advancements in manufacturing that allowed for the rise of factories mostly in the states of the American Northeast, but also allowed for improved transportation and agriculture.

Question 56

Railroads

Accepted Answer

Transportation advancement that greatly increased the efficiency of transporting goods and people across land, opened up the West to more settlers and led to large and wealthy corporations.

Question 57

Elias Howe

Accepted Answer

Inventor of the sewing machine (perfected by Isaac Singer), which led to the rise of clothing production occurring in factories rather than in the home.

Question 58

Samuel Morse

Accepted Answer

Inventor of the telegraph and Morse Code, which greatly increased the efficiency of communication across the country.

Question 59

Panic of 1857

Accepted Answer

Financial downturn that greatly hurt the industrial East and the agricultural West, but did little damage to the South, reinforcing the South’s view that their economic system was superior.

Question 60

Fugitive Slave Law

Accepted Answer

Part of the Compromise of 1850 that allowed Southerners to send slave hunters into Northern soil to retrieve runaway slaves, but many Northerners resented the law and actively resisted it.

Question 61

Underground Railroad

Accepted Answer

Loose network of activists who aided enslaved people escape to freedom in the North or Canada in direct defiance of the Fugitive Slave Act.

Question 62

Harriet Tubman

Accepted Answer

One of the most famous and successful conductors of the Underground Railroad who was a former slave and helped at least 300 people escape slavery.

Question 63

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Accepted Answer

Influential book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, who inspired many Northerns to actively be opposed to slavery and increased sectional tension over slavery.

Question 64

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Accepted Answer

Author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, who inspired many Northerns to actively be opposed to slavery and increased sectional tension over slavery.

Term	Definition
Manifest Destiny	Belief that the United States was obligated by God to spread its “empire of liberty” across North America and was used as a justification for mid-nineteenth century expansionism.
Texas	Territory that revolted against the Mexican government and was originally denied statehood in 1837, but was eventually annexed under President Polk, which helped spark the Mexican-American War.
Oregon Territory	Territory of the northern Pacific Coast that was jointly occupied by the British and the United States for twenty years and almost led to war, but was eventually split along the 49th parallel.
Stephen Austin	Led one of the first settlements of Americans in Texas and eventually became the commander of the settlers’ army against Mexico in the Texas Revolution.
Antonio López de Santa Anna	Military and political leader of Mexico who successfully attacked the Alamo, but was defeated by Sam Houston at San Jacinto and forced to sign a treaty granting Texas independence.
Sam Houston	Military leader of the Texas independence movement who defeated Santa Anna at San Jacinto and forced him to sign a treaty granting Texas independence.
Alamo	Former Spanish mission converted into a fort that was besieged by Mexican troops in 1836 for thirteen days, but the final battle killed all of the Texan defenders by the significantly larger Mexican force.
John Tyler	First vice president elevated to president due to the death of his predecessor, he drifted from Whig ideas and replaced his cabinet with Democrats, but did not change much from previous policies.
Webster-Ashburton Treaty	Treaty between the United States and Britain that settled border disputes with Canada, resolved the Caroline steamship issue and called for a final end to the transatlantic slave trade.
Jame K. Polk	Expansionist president who led the United States during the Mexican-American War, oversaw the acquisition of Texas and the Mexican Cession and encouraged the expansion of slavery.
Fifty-Four Forty or Fight!	Democratic campaign slogan used by James K. Polk that called for the United States to take all of the disputed Oregon Territory, but once in office he split the territory with Britain.
Great American Desert	Term applied to the land west of the Missouri River and east of the Rocky Mountains because the landscape had almost no trees, little rainfall and tough prairie sod.
Far West	Term applied to the land west of the Missouri River to the Pacific Coast that offered new opportunities such as mining and farming, but included hardships such as dangerous weather.
Overland Trails	Long and dangerous routes through the Great American Desert and Rocky Mountains that American settlers used to reach California and the Oregon Territory.
Mining Frontier	Discovery of gold in California in 1848 caused the first flood of newcomers to the West and was followed by more mineral strikes that kept a steady flow of young prospectors pushing into the West.
Gold Rush	Discovery of sources of a precious metal encouraged people to flock to the Far West in hopes of striking it rich, the most famous example occurring in California in 1848.
Silver Rush	Discovery of sources of a precious metal encouraged people to flock to the Far West in hopes of striking it rich, the most famous example occurring in Nevada.
Farming Frontier	Western land was settled and developed by pioneers who were willing to face the hardships of the West in order to gain land, grow crops or raise cattle and create a living for themselves.
Urban Frontier	Cities started to develop and grow in the Far West in places such as San Francisco and Denver as more settlers moved westward in search of opportunity.
Foreign Commerce	Trade between the United States and foreign countries that includes exports and imports.
Exports	Goods made in the United States and traded to foreign countries.
Imports	Goods made in foreign countries and traded into the United States.
Matthew C. Perry	American naval officer who led a military expedition to Japan and used American naval power to convince the Japanese to open up to trade with the United States under the Kanagawa Treaty.
Kanagawa Treaty	International agreement between the United States and Japan that opened up Japan to trade with the United States.
Mexican-American War	Conflict over land between the United States and Mexico that was encouraged by President Polk and ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo and the Mexican Cession.
California	Part of Mexican territory that President Polk wanted for the United States and failed to purchase, which helped lead to the Mexican-American War and became part of the Mexican Cession.
Nueces River	Body of water Mexico insisted made the southern border of Texas while the Americans argued the border was farther south along the Rio Grande, which helped lead to the Mexican-American War.
Rio Grande	Body of water the Americans insisted made the southern border of Texas while Mexico argued the border was farther north along the Nueces River, which helped lead to the Mexican-American War.
Zachary Taylor	Famous general of the Mexican-American War and the 12th president of the United States (Whig) who opposed the spread of slavery, but died suddenly in office.
Stephen Kearney	American general who succeeded in conquering the New Mexico territory and southern California in the Mexican-American War.
John C. Frémont	Leader of a small American force who overthrew Mexican rule in California during the Mexican-American War and declared California to be an independent republic called the Bear Flag Republic.
Bear Flag Republic	Name given to California after John C. Frémont overthrew Mexican rule during the Mexican-American War and declared California to be an independent republic.
Winfield Scott	American general who led the main invasion of Mexico during the Mexican-American War and conquered Vera Cruz and the capital of Mexico City.
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo (1848)	Agreement between the United States and Mexico that ended the Mexican-American War and included the Mexican Cession.
Mexican Cession	Land annexed by the United States from Mexico according to the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, which included the future states of California, Arizona and New Mexico.
Wilmot Proviso	Proposal to prohibit slavery in the territory gained from the Mexican-American War that passed the House of Representatives, but failed in the Senate
Mountain Men	American adventurers and fur trappers who spent most of their time in the Rocky Mountains.
Ostend Manifesto	Leaked secret proposal by diplomats under orders from President Franklin Pierce to try and buy Cuba from Spain, which angered antislavery members of Congress and ultimately failed.
Walker Expedition	Failed private attempt to build a proslavery Central American Empire, which included trying to take the Baja Peninsula from Mexico and Nicaragua.
Clayton-Bulwer Treaty (1850)	Agreement between the United States and the British that neither nation would attempt to take exclusive control of any future canal route in Central America (revised in 1901).
Gadsden Purchase	Purchase of southern sections of present-day New Mexico and Arizona from Mexico organized by President Franklin Pierce in order to build a railroad through the region.
Free-Soil Movement	Ideology of many Northern Democrats and Whigs about stopping the spread of slavery to new parts of the country, but leaving slavery intact where it already existed.
Free-Soil Party	Political organization founded on the ideology of stopping the spread of slavery to new parts of the country, but leaving slavery intact where it already existed.
Lewis Cass	Democratic senator from Michigan who proposed a Congressional compromise of allowing new states to vote on whether or not to allow slavery in a process called popular sovereignty.
Popular Sovereignty	Congressional compromise idea of allowing new states to vote on whether or not to allow slavery in a process called popular sovereignty.
Zachary Taylor	Famous general of the Mexican-American War and the 12th President of the United States (Whig) who opposed the spread of slavery, but died suddenly in office.
Barnburners	Antislavery Democrats whose defection to the Free-Soil Party threatened to severely weaken or destroy the Democratic Party.
Henry Clay	Representative from Kentucky that promoted the idea of the American System and was also known as the Great Compromiser due to his efforts to try and keep the country from falling to sectionalism.
Compromise of 1850	Law proposed by Henry Clay that hoped to resolve sectional tension over expanding slavery into new territory from the Mexican Cession, but the compromise proved unsuccessful.
Irish	Group of immigrants who came to the United States in order to flee a devastating famine at home and sought opportunity in American cities, but often faced discrimination because of their Roman Catholic religion.
Roman Catholic	Religion practiced by many Irish immigrants that was used as a justification by Nativists for discriminating against the Irish.
Tammany Hall	Political machine of the Democratic Party in New York City that appealed to immigrants in order to secure votes and was well known for corruption and graft.
Germans	Group of immigrants who came to the United States in order to flee economic hardships and failed democratic revolutions at home and sought opportunity in the American Midwest.
Nativism	Anti-immigrant ideology that grew popular during the 1840s against Catholic immigrants such as the Irish and Germans and led to the creation of the Know-Nothing Party.
Industrial Technology	Advancements in manufacturing that allowed for the rise of factories mostly in the states of the American Northeast, but also allowed for improved transportation and agriculture.
Railroads	Transportation advancement that greatly increased the efficiency of transporting goods and people across land, opened up the West to more settlers and led to large and wealthy corporations.
Elias Howe	Inventor of the sewing machine (perfected by Isaac Singer), which led to the rise of clothing production occurring in factories rather than in the home.
Samuel Morse	Inventor of the telegraph and Morse Code, which greatly increased the efficiency of communication across the country.
Panic of 1857	Financial downturn that greatly hurt the industrial East and the agricultural West, but did little damage to the South, reinforcing the South’s view that their economic system was superior.
Fugitive Slave Law	Part of the Compromise of 1850 that allowed Southerners to send slave hunters into Northern soil to retrieve runaway slaves, but many Northerners resented the law and actively resisted it.
Underground Railroad	Loose network of activists who aided enslaved people escape to freedom in the North or Canada in direct defiance of the Fugitive Slave Act.
Harriet Tubman	One of the most famous and successful conductors of the Underground Railroad who was a former slave and helped at least 300 people escape slavery.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin	Influential book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, who inspired many Northerns to actively be opposed to slavery and increased sectional tension over slavery.
Harriet Beecher Stowe	Author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, who inspired many Northerns to actively be opposed to slavery and increased sectional tension over slavery.
Impending Crisis of the South	Book written by Hinton Helper, who used data and statistics to try and prove that slavery was actually hindering the South’s economy.
Hinton Helper	Author of Impending Crisis of the South, who used data and statistics to try and prove that slavery was actually hindering the South’s economy.
Sociology for the South	Book written by proslavery author George Fitzhugh, who questioned the principle of equal rights for “unequal men” and attacked the industrial wage system as worse than slavery.
George Fitzhugh	Proslavery author of Sociology for the South, who questioned the principle of equal rights for “unequal men” and attacked the industrial wage system as worse than slavery.
Franklin Pierce	14th president of the United States who was nominated by the Democrats as a compromise candidate because he was a Northerner who supported the Fugitive Slave Law.
Stephen A. Douglas	Democratic senator from Illinois who proposed using the idea of popular sovereignty in the Kansas-Nebraska Act in order to gain Southern support for a central transcontinental railroad.
Kansas-Nebraska Act	Law proposed by Senator Stephen A. Douglas that would allow for popular sovereignty in the Kansas and Nebraska territories, which ultimately led to violence over the issue of slavery.
New England Emigrant Aid Company	Organization founded by Northern abolitionists and Free-Soilers in order to pay for the transportation of antislavery settlers to Kansas.
Bleeding Kansas	Breakout of violence between proslavery and antislavery groups in the Kansas territory over whether to allow slavery in the territory.
Pottawatomie Creek	Proslavery farm settlement in Kansas that was attacked by radical abolitionist John Brown and his supporters in retaliation for proslavery forces attacking the free-soil town of Lawrence.
Sumner-Brooks Incident	Beating of a Northern senator who gave an antislavery speech by a Southern representative in the Senate chamber, which outraged the North, but many Southerners applauded the deed.
Know-Nothing Party	Political organization that formed over nativist fears against Catholic immigrants, but fell into decline as slavery became the dominant political issue in the country.
Republican Party	New political organization that was strictly a Northern, or sectional, party and formed as an alliance of Free-Soilers and antislavery Whigs and Democrats in order to stop the spread of slavery.
John C. Frémont	1st Republican nominee in a presidential campaign, he ran on a platform of stopping the spread of slavery, free homesteads and supporting a probusiness protective tariff.
Millard Fillmore	Former president who ran in the presidential election of 1856 as a candidate for the nativist Know-Nothing Party.
James Buchanan	15th president of the United States who was nominated by the Democrats and proved extremely ineffective at holding the country together in the face of increasing sectional tensions.
Lecompton Constitution	Proslavery state constitution written by Missourians who crossed the border into Kansas and was supported by President Buchanan, but was rejected by Congress and Kansas settlers.
Dred Scott v. Sandford	Landmark SCOTUS case, which ruled African Americans were not citizens, Congress could not exclude slavery from a territory and the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional.
Roger Taney	Chief Justice of SCOTUS during Dred Scott v. Sandford and strong supporter of the South and slavery.
Lincoln-Douglas Debates	Illinois senatorial candidate debates in 1858 between a free-soil Republican and a Democrat in favor of popular sovereignty that propelled Lincoln into the national arena.
Abraham Lincoln	Republican free-soil candidate from Illinois for Senate in 1858 who eventually became the Republican nominee for the presidency in 1860 and became the 16th president of the United States.
House-Divided Speech	Famous address given by Lincoln as part of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates in which Lincoln made it clear he believed the country could not survive as half slave and half free.
Freeport Doctrine	Douglas’s attempt to reconcile his belief in popular sovereignty with the Dred Scott decision, he argued that territories could effectively forbid slavery by failing to enact slave codes.
Secession	Idea that states could leave the Union to form their own country, which was started by South Carolina leaving the United States after the election of Lincoln in 1860.
John Brown	Radical abolitionist who led an attack on the proslavery settlement of Pottawatomie Creek in Kansas and attempted to start an uprising of enslaved people in Virginia by attacking Harper’s Ferry.
Harpers Ferry	Federal arsenal in Virginia that was attacked by radical abolitionist John Brown in a failed attempt to start a slave uprising, which resulted in Brown’s conviction and execution on charges of treason.
John C. Breckinridge	Southern Democrat nominee for the presidency in 1860 after the Democratic Party split, whose platform included the unrestricted expansion of slavery and annexation of Cuba.
Constitutional Union Party	Political group formed in fear of a Republican victory in the presidential election of 1860 that advocated for enforcement of all laws under the Constitution and preservation of the Union.
John Bell	Presidential nominee by the Constitutional Union Party in the election of 1860 who campaigned on the enforcement of all laws under the Constitution and preservation of the Union.
Border States	States between the North and South that did not fully identify with either region, with some eventually choosing to stay with the Union and some choosing to secede into the Confederacy.
Crittenden Compromise	Last ditch Congressional effort to appease the South by proposing a constitutional amendment to protect slavery south of the old Missouri Compromise line, but it ultimately failed.
Fort Sumter	American military institution in South Carolina that was surrounded by Confederate forces and forced to surrender, ultimately starting the Civil War.
Second American Revolution	Alternative name some historians use for the Civil War because of the fundamental and profound changes that occurred in freedom, industrialization and modernization.
Confederate States of America	Country formed by the seceded Southern states in 1861 with a constitution modeled after the U.S. Constitution, but included protections of slavery and banned protective tariffs.
Jefferson Davis	President of the Confederate States of America who struggled to garner adequate public support and faced great difficulties in uniting the Confederate states under one central authority.
Alexander H. Stephens	Vice president of the Confederate States of America who eventually urged for the secession of Georgia from the Confederacy in response to attempts by Davis to expand central authority.
Winfield Scott	General-in-Chief of the Union army at the beginning of the Civil War who created and advocated for the Anaconda Plan in order to win the war.
Anaconda Plan	Successful Union military plan during the Civil War developed by Winfield Scott that involved taking the Mississippi River and forming a Southern blockade with the U.S. Navy to cut off supplies.
Bull Run	First major battle of the Civil War, which ended in a Confederate victory near Washington D.C. and forced the Union to realize the war would be harsh and brutal to win.
Thomas (Stonewall) Jackson	Successful Southern general who won many early battles for the Confederacy, but was killed at the Battle of Chancellorsville, which dealt a serious blow to Southern morale.
George B. McClellan	Commander of Union forces in the East who was known as an excellent trainer of soldiers, but was hesitant to commit them into battle and eventually was replaced by General John Pope.
Robert E. Lee	Brilliant commanding general of the Confederate Army who won many battles in the first half of the Civil War, but was eventually defeated and forced to surrender by General Ulysses S. Grant.
Antietam	Major battle of the Civil War that included the deadliest single day of combat and was a Union victory, however, McClellan was removed from command after failing to pursue Lee’s retreating army.
Fredericksburg	Major battle of the Civil War which resulted in massive Union casualties because of General Ambrose Burnside’s strategy of reckless attacks, which did not account for improvements in weaponry.
Monitor vs. Merrimac	Important naval battle during the Civil War that ended in a draw, but marked a turning point in naval warfare as ironclad ships replaced traditional wooden ships.
Ulysses S. Grant	Successful Union general in the West, who eventually became the commander for all Union forces, but was known for utilizing a war of attrition style of fighting, which resulted in many casualties.
Shiloh	Major battle of the Civil War that started as a surprise attack by Confederate forces under General Albert Johnson, but ended in a Union victory after heavy casualties were sustained by both sides.
David Farragut	Union admiral who successfully captured the major Confederate port of New Orleans, which helped advance the Anaconda Plan.
Trent Affair	Diplomatic crisis between the Union and the British over Union forces removing Confederate diplomats from a British steamer, which almost resulted in the British joining the Confederacy in the war.
Alabama	Confederate warship purchased from the British that captured more than 60 U.S. merchant vessels before being sunk by Union forces and increased tension between the Union and the British.
Cotton Diplomacy	Hope by the Confederates to secure European allies through their reliance on Southern cotton, however, Europeans found alternative sources of cotton in Egypt and India.
Vicksburg	Major battle of the Civil War in the West, which ended in a Union victory and allowed the Union to take control of the Mississippi River and split the Confederacy in half.
Gettysburg	Deadliest battle of the Civil War, which ended in a major Union victory and forced Lee to abandon hopes of capturing a Northern city and retreat with his remaining troops back into the South.
Sherman’s March	Military campaign led by General William Tecumseh Sherman, who utilized total war tactics to break the will of the South by sweeping a swath of destruction through Georgia.
William Tecumseh Sherman	Union general who utilized total war tactics to break the will of the South by sweeping a swath of destruction through Georgia.
Appomattox Court House	Final surrender of Confederate forces under General Lee to Union General Grant on April 9, 1865 and end of official hostilities between the Union and the Confederacy.
Habeas Corpus	Right to be informed of the specific charges against you before being held in prison, which was controversially suspended by President Lincoln during the Civil War.
Confiscation Acts	Laws passed by Congress during the Civil War that allowed the Union military to seize enemy property and free any people enslaved by individuals currently rebelling.
Emancipation Proclamation	President Lincoln’s Executive Order issued after the Union victory at Antietam that decreed all slaves in currently rebelling states were now free and made the war about ending slavery.
Massachusetts 54th Regiment	All black military unit of the Union army made up of free African Americans and former slaves who served valiantly in the face of racism and discrimination.
Copperheads	Northern Democrats who opposed the Civil War and wanted a negotiated peace.
Ex parte Milligan	Landmark SCOTUS case after the Civil War, which ruled the application of military tribunals to citizens when civilian courts are still operating is unconstitutional.
Gettysburg Address	Famous speech given by President Lincoln to honor Union soldiers and help keep the North committed to winning the Civil War and securing the ideals of freedom and democratic government.
Greenbacks	Paper currency issued by the U.S. Treasury to help pay for the war effort, however, they were not backed by gold and contributed to massive inflation during the Civil War.
Morrill Tariff Act (1861)	Raised tariff rates to increase revenue and protect American manufacturers during the Civil War.
Homestead Act (1862)	Law that promoted settlement of the Great Plains by offering parcels of 160 acres of public land for free to any person who moved onto the land and farmed it for at least five years.
Morrill Land Grant Act (1862)	Encouraged states to use the sale of federal land grants to found and maintain agricultural and technical colleges, which became centers of research and innovation.
Federal Land Grants	Large parcels of land gifted by the national government to states or businesses either as payment or in order to promote certain activities such as funding higher education.
Pacific Railway Act (1862)	Authorized the building of a transcontinental railroad over a northern route in order to link the western and eastern states and economies together.
Andrew Johnson	President after Lincoln’s assassination, he favored leniency for the South, which led to conflict with Radical Republicans and Congress and culminated in impeachment proceedings in 1868.
Reconstruction	Plan for rebuilding and readmitting the Southern states into the Union after the Civil War, which caused a great divide between President Johnson and Radical Republicans in Congress.
Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction (1863)	President Lincoln’s lenient plan for Reconstruction that required oaths of allegiance to the Constitution and supporting the emancipation of slaves.
Wade-Davis Bill (1864)	More restrictive Reconstruction plan passed by Congress, which was pocket-vetoed by President Lincoln.
Freedmen's Bureau	National government agency that was meant to assist former slaves with housing, food and education, however, the agency’s funding was ended in 1870.
Congressional Reconstruction	Second round of Reconstruction dominated by Radical Republicans in Congress, who took steps to protect African Americans and prevent former Confederates from gaining power.
Radical Republicans	Members of the Republican Party who demanded a harsh Reconstruction policy in order to punish the Southern states for seceding and protect the rights of African Americans.
Charles Sumner	Leader of the Radical Republicans in the Senate along with Thaddeus Stevens, who led the Radical Republicans in the House of Representatives.
13th Amendment	Amendment passed during Reconstruction that banned slavery.
Civil Rights Act of 1866	Law passed by Republicans that pronounced all African Americans were citizens, however, Republicans feared the law was not strong enough and pushed for a constitutional amendment.
14th Amendment	Guarantees the rights of citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the United States and requires that the laws must provide equal protection and due process to all people.
Equal Protection of the Laws	Clause of the 14th Amendment that requires all laws be applied equally to all citizens.
Due Process of Law	Clause of the 14th amendment that requires all citizens be treated fairly according to established rules and principles under the law.
Reconstruction Acts	Passed by Congress over President Johnson's vetoes, these laws placed the South under military occupation and increased the requirements for getting readmitted to the Union.
Tenure of Office Act (1867)	Law that prohibited the president from removing a federal official without Senate approval that was passed by Congress over President Johnson’s veto.
Edwin Stanton	Secretary of War that was dismissed by President Johnson in defiance of the Tenure of Office Act, which led to Johnson’s impeachment, but he avoided removal by one vote in the Senate.
Impeachment	House of Representatives votes to officially accuse a federal official of misconduct, which if passed results in a trial in the Senate and potential removal from office.
15th Amendment	Amendment passed during Reconstruction which prohibits the denial of voting rights to any citizen based on “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
Civil Rights Act of 1875	Reconstruction law that guaranteed equal accommodations in public places and prohibited courts from excluding African Americans from juries, but was poorly enforced.
Scalawags	Derisive term Southern Democrats used for Southerners who were sympathetic to Republican policies, ideas and programs.
Carpetbaggers	Derisive term Southern Democrats used for Northern newcomers after the Civil War who came to the South for political and economic opportunities.
Blanche K. Bruce	One of two African Americans elected in the South to the Senate during the Reconstruction Era, which caused bitter resentment among ex-Confederates.
Hiram Revels	One of two African Americans elected in the South to the Senate during the Reconstruction Era and became famous for taking the Mississippi Senate seat once held by Jefferson Davis.
Spoilsmen	Name for Republican leaders who started to take charge in the early 1870s and were master political manipulators through patronage.
Thaddeus Stevens	Radical Republican leader and reformer in the House of Representatives who supported a harsh Reconstruction policy and protecting the rights of African Americans.
Benjamin Wade	Radical Republican leader and reformer in the Senate who supported a harsh Reconstruction policy and protecting the rights of African Americans.
Patronage	Politicians giving jobs and government favors (spoils) to people who supported them and helped them get elected.
Jay Gould	Wall Street financier who along with Jay Gould obtained the help of President Grant’s brother-in-law in a scheme to corner the gold market, which was broken up eventually by the Treasury.
Crédit Mobilier	Congressional controversy that involved a railroad company giving stocks to influential members of Congress to avoid investigation into illegal profits from government subsidies.
William Tweed	Boss of the local Democratic Party and associated political machine Tammany Hall in New York City who masterminded dozens of schemes for stealing taxpayer money.
Thomas Nast	Political cartoonist who exposed the corruption of Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall in New York, which resulted in Tweed’s arrest and imprisonment.
Horace Greeley	Editor of the New York Tribune and presidential candidate for reform-minded liberal Republicans in the election of 1872.
Liberal Republicans	Reform-minded Republicans who split from the corruption infested Grant administration and advocated for civil-service reform and withdrawing of troops from the South.
Panic of 1873	Economic disaster during President Grant’s second term caused by overspeculation in industry and railroads that rendered thousands of Northern laborers both jobless and homeless
Women’s Suffrage	Right to vote for women, which started in the western territories with Wyoming in 1869, but would not be passed nationally until the 19th Amendment in 1920.
Redeemers	Southern conservatives who retook control of state governments in the South from Republicans near the end of Reconstruction and imposed programs focused on states’ rights and White supremacy.
Ku Klux Klan	White supremacy group founded in the South during Reconstruction who used extreme tactics and violence to intimidate African Americans and White reformers
Force Acts	Laws passed by Congress to give the federal government the authority needed to stop the violence of the Ku Klux Klan and protect the civil rights of African Americans.
Black Codes	Laws passed by Southern legislatures under President Johnson’s Reconstruction plan that restricted the rights and movements of African Americans.
Sharecropping	New labor system in Southern agriculture that replaced slavery and allowed people to farm for themselves, but forced many former slaves to continue to depend on their landowners for survival.
Amnesty Act of 1872	Removed the last restrictions on ex-Confederates, except for the top leaders, which allowed Southern conservatives to regain control of state governments in the South.
Rutherford B. Hayes	Nineteenth president of the United States and former Governor of Ohio, his ascent to the presidency was marred in controversy over the Compromise of 1877, which ended Reconstruction.
Samuel J. Tilden	Democratic nominee for the presidency in the election of 1876 who won the popular vote, but lost the presidency as a result of the controversial Compromise of 1877.
Election of 1876	Controversial and contested election between Democrat Samuel J. Tilden and Republican Rutherford B. Hayes that was awarded to Hayes after the Compromise of 1877.
Compromise of 1877	Agreement between Republicans and Democrats to allow Rutherford B. Hayes to become president in the contested election of 1876 in exchange for ending Reconstruction.

Unit 5

All Vocabulary

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