What territory wanted to join the Union in 1844 as a free state?
Oregon
Who broke relations with the US after Polk took office?
Mexico
What does "antebellum" mean?
before the war
What "secret" team offered thousands of runaway slaves the chance to get freedom in the North?
Underground Railroad
Even though most Northerners were against slavery, they were still pretty ____________.
racist
What president did Texas join the Union under?
Polk
What nickname did Zachary Taylor get during the Mexican War?
Old rough and ready
As the North wanted freedom from slavery, the South claimed to really want freedom from?
federal control
What was an abolitionist?
someone who wanted to ban slavery
Kansas-Nebraska Act
What was the 2000 mile route that appealed to fur traders and missionaries?
What hero of the Mexican War was elected president in 1848?
Zachary Taylor
Slaves were considered property and a good ____________ investment.
economic
What slave escaped and returned 29 times to ultimately free over 300 slaves?
Harriet Tubman
What slave tried, but failed to sue his former master's family for his freedom?
Dred Scott
Where did sawmill operator James Marshall find shiny metal in his pan?
California
What president pushed through the requirement for all federal officials to return runaway slaves?
Millard Fillmore
What type of slaves were generally treated better than field slaves?
house slaves
What former male slave escaped and became the leading abolitionist, speaking and writing?
Fredrick Douglas
What was the name of the new "nation" that formed after Lincoln's presidential victory?
Confederate States of America
What were the initial 80,000 men who participated in the gold rush called?
forty-niners
What are the 6 total states that the US was able to gain the territories for as a result of the Mexican War?
California, New Mexico, Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona
What location did slaves fear being sent the most?
Mississippi sugar plantations
What is the term for the songs that slaves would often write about how they felt about their condition?
spirituals
From what fort did the Confederate soldiers fire first to start the war?
Fort Sumter