MANIFEST DESTINY
What was the "Manifest Destiny" idea? (1840s) - (What was it driven by?)
a belief that it was America's fate to expand westward to the Pacific Ocean
→ driven by nationalism, population increase, economic development, and technological advances
What was John Brown's Raid (1859)?
event where John Brown leads a raid against the federal arsenal with his sons in the hopes of inspiring a slave rebellion (The raid fails, and instead deeply divides the country)
What were the Lincoln Douglas Debates (1858)?
debates for the Illinois Senate Seat (weakened Douglas in the South while making Lincoln a nationally known figure)
What was the Panic of 1853?
an economic boom which ended with a financial panic (recession)
→ FED SOUTHER BELIEF THAT THEIR ECONOMY WAS BETTER, CLOSER TO CIVIL WAR
What was Lincoln's 10% plan?
this plan gave pardons to southerners who swore oaths of loyalty to the Union and accepted the emancipation of slaves
→ NOTE: recognition of new southern state governments required 10% of southerners to take loyalty oath
What was the Gadsden Purchase (1853)?
Mexico agreeing to sell thousands of acres of what would become southern Arizona and NM for $10 million
(Mexico needed the money to put down rebellions
What was the final tipping point leading up to the Civil War? (The event to break the south, leading to their secession)
ELECTION OF 1860 → the election of Lincoln, as well as the already added pressure from the formation of the Republican party, is what serves as a direct cause to the secession of the South from the North (FROM THE UNION)
Who were the "free soilers"?
Who were the "fire eaters"?
→ individuals who believed that all African-Americans should be excluded from the Mexican Cession as they would damage opportunities for whites
→ southerners who viewed attempts to restrict slavery as unacceptable (also southern radicals who discussed secession)
What was the "Caning of Senator Charles Sumner" ? (1856)
→ in his "Crimes against Kansas" speech, Sumner identified 2 democratic Senators as culprits in his case...
Preston Brooks - a relative of one of the accused senators - assaults Sumner with a cane
→ SOUTH: views the man as a hero, a hailed person for noble deeds
→ NORTH: viewed Brooks as a childish villain, an instigator
What was the Compromise of 1877?
agreement from President Hayes to remove all federal troops from the south (in order to satisfy the south)
→ ends Reconstruction, as southern whites regain political power
What was the Wilmot Proviso (1846)?
(defeated in Senate) proposal forbidding the founding slavery in any new territories acquired from Mexico
→ point of contention for southerners, PRELUDE TO THE CIVIL WAR
What was the First Battle of Bull Run (1861)? Why is this battle significant?
OR
Why was the Battle of Gettysburg considered a turning point in the Civil War?
→ first full-scale battle of the Civil War (sent Union army panicking and retreating)
Signified to the Union (more specifically, Lincoln) that the war would not be short; long and arduous process to preserve the Union
-------------------
→ southern losses weakened the Confederacy (ended southern hopes of an alliance with Britain or France)
→ last battle fought on northern soil, signifying the end of the war
What was the Fugitive Slave Law (1850)?
this law made it easier to recover runaway slaves (passed with the Compromise of 1850)
Negatives? - made it easier for free blacks to be brought back to south, mistreatment of African Americans increases and tensions between North and South rise
Issue: Dred Scott was brought by his master to a free state and then returned to Missouri, a slave state
Abolitionists had Dred Scott sue for his freedom (belief that since he crossed over, he was a free man)
→ Supreme court rules against Scott, stating that a slave is not a citizen and therefore cannot sue in the federal court
What was the Panic of 1873?
over speculation of financers and overbuilding by industry and railroads led to widespread business failure (first major "Depression" experienced by the people of the United States)
What was the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo (1848)?
ended the Mexican-American War (by its terms, Mexico ceded 55% of its territory)
→ U.S. takes possession of CA and NM
→ U.S. is paid $15 million by Mexico
What was the Battle of Antietam? Why is this battle significant, and what were the political effects?
one of the more deadlier battles during the Civil War, it showed that the Union could stand against the Confederate army
NOTE: also gave Lincoln the confidence to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation at a moment of strength (greater possibility for change)
What was the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)?
this act divided land of Louisiana Purchase into Kansas and Nebraska, where the people would then use popular sovereignty to determine the status of slavery
To what extent did Radical Reconstruction differ from the President's plan?
Radical reconstruction was much more restrictive of former Confederates and more protective of newly gained rights for African Americans
NOTE: because of the circumstances, the "Spoils System" rose during this time, as leadership in Republican party passed from reformers to political manipulators (RISE OF CORRUPTION AND BUSINESS IN GOVERNMENT, tainted Grant Administration)
What was the Mexican-American War (1846-1848)?
war fought between the U.S. and Mexico because of disagreements with the Mexican-American border, as well as argument over annexation of Texas (led to diplomatic struggles)
→ U.S. troops led by Z. Taylor and confronted by Mexican troops (DIRECT CAUSE)
What was the Emancipation Proclamation (1863)?
→ stated/declared that all slaves in areas under Confederate control were free (purpose was to weaken the southern war effort by encouraging blacks to flee or take up arms against the South)
NOTE: STEP TOWARDS 13TH AMENDMENT - ABOLISHED SLAVERY
What was the Compromise of 1850?
advocated for by Henry Clay, a plan that would allow Utah and New Mexico's slave conditions to be decided by popular sovereignty
→ popular sovereignty - stated people in those territories could vote amongst themselves the status of slavery
What was the event known as "Bleeding Kansas"?
an event where pro-slavery people called "border ruffians" and radical abolitionists (led by John Brown) came to control the Kansas territory
Effects? → violence erupted quickly, and tensions between the North and the South increased/were heightened even further (Prelude to the Civil War)
What factors enabled Southern Whites to regain control over State governments? (Name at least 2)
Klu Klux Klan (KKK) → secret society formed consisting of southern whites who operated to drive out "carpetbaggers" (northerners who moved south), frighten scalawags (white southerners who supported Reconstruction), and intimidate blacks
Increased Number of White Voters in South → each year new white voters came of voting age (160,000 former Confederates gain their voting rights due to Amnesty Act)
Presidential election of 1876 → Tilden (Democratic President) is elected