You wait, I'm going to be President Someday
self educated lawyer and politician, broke with the Whig party after the Kansas Nebraska Act and became a Republican
Abraham Lincoln
nation proclaimed by American settlers in California when they declared their independence from Mexico in 1846
Republic of California
the Confederate States of America, a confederation formed in 1861 by the Southern states after their succession from the Union
Confederacy
enslaved African American man along with his wife, who unsuccessfully sued for the freedom of themselves and their two daughters
Dred Scott
town near Appomattox, Virginia, where Lee surrendered to Grant on April 9, 1865, thus ending the Civil War
Appomattox Court House
commanding general who led the Union Army to victory in the American Civil War
Ulysses S Grant
people who migrated to California in search of riches after gold was discovered there in 1848
(Forty – Niners)
commanding general of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War
Robert E Lee
US senator who supported territorial expansion and desired a transcontinental railroad, a free land/homestead policy, and the formal organization of US territories, sponsors the Kansas-Nebraska Act, loses to Lincoln in the Election of 1860
Stephen A Douglas
three part strategy by which the Union proposed to defeat the Confederacy in the Civil War
Anaconda Plan
US President and firm believer in Manifest Destiny, provokes war with Mexico by annexing Texas (which Mexico still considered its own) and sending troops under General Zachary Taylor into the disputed territory
James K Polk
the modern political party that was formed in 1854 by opponents of slavery in the territories
Republican Party
first and only President of the Confederate States of America; he led the secessionist Southern states during the Civil War (1861-1865) against the Union after serving the US as a Senator and Secretary of War. He is remembered for his staunch defense of slavery and states' rights
Jefferson Davis
radical abolitionist John Brown led a raid on the federal armory to start a slave rebellion, seizing weapons and taking hostages, but the plan failed when local militia and US Marines surrounded and captured him and his followers; he had a trial and was executed for treason
Harpers Ferry
July 1-3, 1863) was a pivotal three-day battle in Pennsylvania where the Union Army of the Potomac, led by Maj. Gen. George Meade, defeated Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, ending Lee's second invasion of the North and inflicting devastating casualties
Gettysburg
won crucial early battles in 1846 driving Mexicans out of Texas despite being outnumbered by Santa Anna's army including a major victory at Buena Vista in February 1847, victories earned him the nickname "Old Rough and Ready" and widespread adoration, military fame led to his election as President in 1848
Zachary Taylor
name given to the American Party that was formed in the 1850s to curtail the political influence of immigrants
Know Nothing Party
an executive order issued by Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, freeing the slaves in all regions behind Confederate lines
Emancipation Proclamation
amendment to an 1846 military appropriations bill, proposing that none of the territory acquired in the war with Mexico would be open to slavery
Wilmot Proviso
the drafting of citizens for military service
Conscription
US President from 1850-1853, signed the Compromise of 1850 that supported the Fugitive Slave Act to ease northern and southern tensions over slavery
Millard Fillmore
political party formed in 1848 to oppose the extension of slavery into US territories
Free Soil Party
famous for his ruthless "March to the Sea" during the American Civil War, employing "total war" tactics to destroy Confederate resources and break Southern morale, most notably capturing Atlanta and presenting Savannah to President Lincoln as a Christmas gift
William Tecumseh Sherman
asserted that US territories could exclude slavery despite the Dred Scott supreme court decision by refusing to pass local legislation protecting it (Slavery cannot exist a day or an hour anywhere, unless it is supported by local police regulations)
Freeport Doctrine
brilliant organizer and trainer of the Union Army of the Potomac during the Civil War, known for his chronic caution, inflated estimates of enemy strength, and clashes with President Lincoln, which led to his removal as general-in-chief despite creating a formidable fighting force
George McClellan