Founding Documents
This document declared the American colonies' independence from Britain.
The Declaration of Independence
This branch makes the laws.
The Legislative Branch
President of the United States during the Civil War.
Abraham Lincoln
The belief that the U.S. was destined to expand across the continent.
Manifest Destiny
A person who advocated for the end of slavery.
An Abolitionist
The first constitution of the United States, later replaced by the current Constitution.
The Articles of Confederation
This branch enforces the laws.
The Executive Branch
The act that required citizens to return runaway slaves.
The Fugitive Slave Act
The purchase that doubled the size of the U.S. in 1803.
The Louisiana Purchase
The movement aimed at granting women the right to vote.
The Women's Suffrage Movement
The introduction to the Constitution that outlines its purpose.
The Preamble
This branch interprets the laws.
The Judicial Branch
The proclamation that declared all slaves in Confederate states free.
The Emancipation Proclamatio
The trail used by pioneers moving westward.
The Oregon Trail
The convention held in 1848 to discuss women's rights.
The Seneca Falls Convention
The first ten amendments to the Constitution are known as this.
The Bill of Rights
The system that ensures no one branch becomes too powerful.
Checks and Balances
The amendment that abolished slavery in the United States.
The 13th Amendment
The war fought between the U.S. and Mexico from 1846 to 1848.
The Mexican-American War
The leader known for his work in education reform.
Horace Mann
This amendment guarantees freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition.
The First Amendment
The division of power between national and state governments.
Federalism
The term for strong loyalty to one's own region or section of the country.
Sectionalism
The land acquired from Mexico after the war, including California and New Mexico.
The Mexican Cession
The document signed at the Seneca Falls Convention outlined women's grievances.
The Declaration of Sentiments