vital vocabulary
13th amendment
abolishment of slavery
anaconda plan
The Anaconda Plan, proposed by Union General-in-Chief Winfield Scott, aimed to suppress the Confederacy by blocking Southern ports and advancing down the Mississippi River.
battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg was a three-day battle in the American Civil War fought between Union and Confederate forces between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Monroe doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine, a US foreign policy stance, opposes European colonialism in the Western Hemisphere, deeming foreign intervention in American political affairs potentially hostile.
freedmans bureau
The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, usually referred to as simply the Freedmen's Bureau, was a U.S. government agency of early post American Civil War Reconstruction, assisting freedmen in the South.
American system (1815)
The American System, a 19th-century economic plan based on Alexander Hamilton's "American School" ideas, was promoted by the Whig Party, Henry Clay, and John Quincy Adams, aiming to strengthen and unify the nation.
"old" immigrants
Old immigrants, mostly Africans, arrived in the early 1800s from European countries, mostly from English territories, and remained in the U.S. until the mid-1800s.
Indian removal act
The Indian Removal Act of 1830, signed by President Andrew Jackson, aimed to exchange lands with Indians in states or territories and remove them west of the Mississippi River.
fugitive slave law (1850)
The fugitive slave laws, passed by Congress between 1793 and 1850, sought to reintegrate escaped slaves into their new states, based on the Fugitive Slave Clause in the US Constitution.
Louisiana purchase
The Louisiana Purchase, a 1803 treaty between the United States and the French First Republic, granted the US 828,000 sq mi of land in Middle America for fifteen million dollars.
Lowell mills
Lowell Mills, 19th-century mills in Lowell, Massachusetts, were named after Francis Cabot Lowell, who introduced the "Lowell System" or "Waltham-Lowell System".
compromise of 1877
The Compromise of 1877, also known as the Wormley Agreement, was an unwritten political deal in the US to resolve the 1876 presidential election dispute.
kansas Nebraska act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, drafted by Senator Stephen A. Douglas, established the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, aiming to facilitate the construction of a transcontinental railroad.
14th amendment
granting citizenship to formally enslaved people
black codes
The Black Codes, sometimes called the Black Laws, were laws which governed the conduct of African Americans.
KKK act
The Enforcement Act of 1871, also known as the Civil Rights Act of 1871, was a U.S. Congress act that allowed President Ulysses S. Grant to suspend habeas corpus to combat white supremacy organizations.
trail of tears
The Trail of Tears involved the forced displacement of 60,000 people from the "Five Civilized Tribes" between 1830 and 1850, along with thousands of Native Americans.
cotton gin
A cotton gin, or "cotton engine," is a machine that efficiently separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enhancing productivity over manual methods.
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was a secret network in the US used by enslaved African Americans to escape into free states and Canada, aided by abolitionists and sympathetic figures.
emancipation proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Lincoln in 1863, transformed the legal status of over 3.5 million enslaved African Americans in Confederate states from enslaved to free.
15th amendment
the Constitution of the United States that guaranteed that the right to vote could not be denied based on “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
free soilers
The Free Soil Party, a short-lived coalition political party in the US, opposed slavery expansion in western territories from 1848 to 1854, merging into the Republican Party.
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter, a sea fort near Charleston, South Carolina, was built to defend against naval invasions after British forces captured Washington during the War of 1812. It was severely damaged during the Battle of Fort Sumter.
Seneca Falls convention
The Seneca Falls Convention, held in Seneca Falls, New York, was the first women's rights convention, focusing on social, civil, and religious rights of women.
election of 1860
The 1860 US Presidential Election, held on November 6, saw Abraham Lincoln win the election, leading to the American Civil War, and was a pivotal election for the Republican Party.