Events
What was the Underground Railroad?
A network of abolitionists who helped free, escape, and harbor enslaved people in the south up to the free north and Canada.
What happened in the election fo 1860?
Abraham Lincoln was elected without receiving any southern votes. This led to the Confederacy's secession from the Union.
Why was Uncle Tom's Cabin such an influential text to the abolitionist movement?
It exposed the horrors of slavery and how enslaved people were treated by their enslavers. Was sold around the nation and convinced many white Americans to support abolition.
What was Frederick Douglass's role in the lead up to the Civil War?
He was an important abolitionist who gave speeches, wrote essays, and advocated for both women's rights and abolition. He wrote A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, recounting his experiences as a formerly enslaved person.
What was Abraham Lincoln's significance to the Civil War?
He was elected president in 1860 and advocated for uniting the Union. He was a Republican against slavery who eventually led the effort to emancipate all enslaved people from the Confederacy.
What was the Kansas-Nebraska Act? Why was it significant?
It said each new state could decide whether to allow slavery or not, effectively repealing the Missouri Compromise. Northerners saw it as a way to allow slavery to spread.
What did the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 say and why was it significant?
It required all northerners to report formerly escaped enslaved people to authorities for them to be returned to the south. It enraged northerns who didn't want to participate in slavery, even free Black Americans could be sold to slavery if 1 white American reported them.
How did Sojourner Truth's speech "Ain't I a Woman" help spread abolition around the country?
It appealed to the Women's Rights Movement, connecting to ideas of women's liberation, demonstrating how the two movements were similar.
What was Andrew Jackson's significance to U.S History?
As president, he was the first to be elected from outside the "elite" class. He didn't like strong federal power (a democrat) and advocated for states rights. He disbanded the National Bank. When it came to federal power, he expanded the power of the president.
The president who oversaw the Indian Removal Act and Trail of Tears, pushing Natives away from their homeland and westward where many died on the journey and had to start life in a new place.
Who was Harriet Tubman and why was she significant to the history of the U.S?
What was the Seneca Falls Convention and why was it significant?
It was an organized meeting of Woman's rights advocates who sought to extend all the rights of citizenship to women. It also made several connections between the movement for women's rights and for abolition.
What was the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and why was it significant?
It said that Missouri would be annexed as a slave state, however any new territory north of it would be free. It also admitted Maine as a free state, showing how the government was set on maintaining the balance between free and slave states
What was the main idea of the Declaration of Sentiments? What was it based off of?
It said that all women should be considered citizens and be afforded all the privileges that men were given. It was modeled off the Declaration of Independence.
Stephen Douglas was an Illinois senator who wanted a transcontinental railroad to go through Chicago. He came up with the idea of popular sovereignty, where new states would hold elections to decide whether or not to allow slavery, instead of the federal government dictating what they can do.
Who was Elizabeth Cady Stanton and what was her significance to American history?
She was a leading advocate for Women's rights, specifically wanting them to achieve full citizenship rights as men, including the right to vote. Was a major organizer of the Seneca Falls Convention and wrote the Declaration of Sentiments, arguing for her rights.
What was the Indian Removal Act?
It forced Native American tribes to move westward toward the middle of the country. Many of these new treaties were unfair and the U.S government broke them when they wanted to.
The building of the Erie Canal greatly expanded the ability for Americans to spread westward by allowing for more efficient trade across the nation.
What was the main idea of Frederick Douglass's "What to a Slave is the Fourth of July"?
It stated that, because of the nation's institution and dependence on slavery, the birth of the United States on July 4 was not a holiday celebrated by enslaved people. To them, it was a reminder of the inhumanity the nation was built upon.
Who were Tecumseh and Little Turtle, and what were their roles in U.S History?
They were Native American leaders who fought against American forces trying to push them off their land. When fighting against a larger army failed, they led efforts to broker treaties that would preserve Native American interests, although the U.S government would consistently break these treaties whenever they wanted.
Who was John Brown and what was his significance to U.S. History?
John Brown was an abolitionist who began to believe that violence was the best method for fighting for abolition. He led several violent raids in Kansas as the state was deciding whether to be free or have slaves. He also led a violent slave uprising in Harper's Ferry, VA
What was the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and why was it significant?
It was between the United States and Mexico, where the United States gained the New Mexican territory and California as a result of them winning the Mexican-American War.
What did the Dred Scott decision say and why was it significant?
It stated that Black people could not be Americans because whites were the superior race. It declared that Dred Scott would remain enslaved, even though he was in a free state. This enraged northerners, who saw this as the government and Supreme Court declaring that states could not fully abolish slavery in their jurisdictions.
Based on the sources from Jefferson and others, what was the debate around the Louisiana Purchase, and whether it was constitutional or not?
Jefferson was unsure whether his buying of the Louisiana Territory was constitutional or not. He was a strict interpreter of the Constitution, and since the document didn't say that the executive branch could buy new territory by itself, he questioned his decision.
Who was Gabriel (from Gabriel's Rebellion) and what was his significance to U.S History?
Gabriel was an enslaved person in Virginia who organized a violent uprising against his enslaver. While the plot was uncovered and ultimately never happened, it was important in making plantation owners in the south fear for their ability to keep their enslaved people, so they harshened many restrictions and slave codes.
Who was Stephen Austin and what is his significance to American history?
He led the effort to make Texas independent from Mexico, fighting in the Texas Revolution and eventually forming the Republic of Texas. After its independence, he was a heavy advocate of joining the United States as a slave state.