Test 3 study guide (Chap 15-21) on 28 November

Battle of San Jacinto

-Final battle of the Texas Revolution -Texans captured Santa Anna and forced him to sign a treaty giving Texas its independence -Led by General Samuel Houston

Aspects of the Walker Tariff

-Had strong support from low-tariff southerners -Followed by boom times and heavy imports -Resulted in loud complaints from the Clayites, especially in New England and the middle states -Reduced the average rates of the Tariff of 1842 from about 32% to 25%

Describe the psychological impact of slavery

-Separation from families and loved ones -Deprived of individual humanity and dignity -Put on display and inspected like an animal at auction -Lack of freedom and voice to speak up -Family identity lost -Harsh abuse endured every day

Polk's Goals as President

1. reduce the tariff 2. reestablish the independent treasury 3. Settle the Oregon Dispute 4. Acquire California

From 1840 until the outbreak of war, the exportation of cotton accounted for how much of of the value of all U.S. exports?

50%

What group was instrumental in saving Oregon for the United States?

Christian missionaries bent on saving the souls of the Indians. These men and women stimulated interest in a faraway domain that Americans had earlier assumed would not be settled for centuries

What was one argument against annexing Texas to the United States?

Conscience Whigs from the North opposed slavery on moral grounds. The group sought to prevent the annexation of Texas as a slave state, fearing that the new slave territory would serve only to nourish the power of Southern slaveholders

Who gave the Seventh of March speech?

Daniel Webster

What was the primary purpose of the Gadsden Purchase of 1854?

In 1853, minister to Mexico James Gadsden negotiated a treaty that ceded to the United States the Gadsden Purchase area for $10 million. The purchase would facilitate the construction of a southern, proslavery transcontinental railroad to California

Why were slaves denied an education?

Reading brought ideas that led to discontent and revolt. Many states passed laws that forbade instruction, and perhaps 9/10 of adult slaves at the beginning of the Civil War were illiterate.

Missouri Compromise (Compromise of 1820)

Temporary truce over slavery issue, 3 parts: Missouri added as a slave state, Maine added as a free state, above 36°30' line = free, below = slave

Who was William T. Johnson

a free black man in New Orleans who owned land and slaves and later became an abolitionist.

sectionalism

an exaggerated devotion to the interests of a region over those of a country as a whole.

Did southern aristocrats had a strong sense of duty to public service?

any southern aristocrats sought positions as lawmakers, while the well-educated elite in the North preferred private enterprise. As a result, southern aristocrats were able to secure concessions to their interests in government.

Gabriel's Slave Rebellion

Failed slave revolt--Gabriel Prosser, a slave preacher and blacksmith, organized a thousand slaves. for an attack on richmond, VA in 1800 but failed to seize a key road into Richmond and was undermined by informants. Planters heard, leading to Gabriel's death along with other rebels. Ironically the slaves who didn't participate were freed. Result: Raised fears of slave rebellions in Virginia

Why did the public like popular sovereignty?

It fit in with the democratic tradition of self-determination.

William Seward

Secretary of State who was responsible for purchasing Alaskan Territory from Russia. By purchasing Alaska, he expanded the territory of the country at a reasonable price.

Daniel Webster (1782-1852)

A great American orator. He gave several important speeches, first as a lawyer, then as a Congressman. He was a major advocate of the North in pre-Civil War Senate debates as a representative and senator from New Hampshire and then Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress. As a representative from New Hampshire, he led the New Federalists in opposition to the moving of the second national bank from Boston to Philadelphia. He served twice as secretary of state and negotiated the Webster-Ashburton Treaty in 1842 which resolved a border dispute with Canada. He was noted for his speaking ability and his commitment to preserving the union of states. He also switched from opposing to supporting tariffs because New England had built up its manufactures and tariffs would protect them from foreign competitors.

Battle of the Alamo

February 24- March 6, 1836 *During Texas's revolution against Mexico, Fort Alamo was attacked by the Mexican Army and 187 members of the Texas garrison were killed *Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, a Mexican military and political leader, was victorious *"Remember the Alamo" was the garrison's battle cry in its fight for independence

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

Proposed by Senator Douglas (Illinois) and advocated popular sovereignty in Kansas and Nebraska territories (vote by people of territory whether they would be slave or free state). Douglas wanted it to facilitate the building of the transcontinental railroad on a central route through Illinois, thus benefitting his state economically. K/N Act passed but backfired terribly as extremes of both sides of slavery debate flooded into Kansas. Votes on constitutions were plagued with fraud and "Bleeding Kansas" begins as violence erupts between pro/anti-slavery groups.

The Deep South "black belt" of slavery

South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

How did most Blacks gain their freedom?

Though estimates indicate that the South lost around 1,000 runaway slaves a year, more blacks probably gained their freedom by self-purchase or voluntary emancipation than escape.

What phrase was often included in slave marriage vows?

"until death or distance do you part."

Compromise of 1850

(1) California admitted as free state, (2) territorial status and popular sovereignty of Utah and New Mexico, (3) resolution of Texas-New Mexico boundaries, (4) federal assumption of Texas debt, (5) slave trade abolished in DC, and (6) new fugitive slave law; advocated by Henry Clay and Stephen A. Douglas

Which of the terms of the Compromise of 1850 were concessions to the North?

-California would be admitted as a free state -territory disputed by Texas and New Mexico would be surrendered to New Mexico -the domestic slave trade (but not slavery) would be abolished in the District of Columbia.

Santa Anna

-Mexican dictator/general who was in charge when war broke out between the Mexicans and Americans. -Tried to crush the Texas revolt -Lost battles to Winfield Scott and Zachary Taylor in the Mexican War

Frederick Douglass (1817-1895)

A self-educated slave who escaped in 1838, Douglass became the best-known abolitionist speaker. He edited an anti-slavery weekly, the North Star and lectured with William Lloyd Garrison until they parted company on issues of prejudice in the North and secession of the South.

Describe mountain whites of the southern Appalachians during the civil war

They had little in common with the whites of the flatlands. Primarily independent, small farmers, they hated both slavery and slaves themselves. When the Civil War came, they constituted a vitally important view of Unionism and ultimately played a significant role in crippling the Confederacy.

Which was a consequence of the Fugitive Slave Law?

rather than prevent abolitionists from helping runaway slaves, the law inspired more northerners to take a stand against slavery, and widened the gap between the North and the South.

Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott

revered by proslavery advocates who wanted to equate the southern slave society to the romance and gallantry of feudal England as it was described in Scott's novel.

What is the true motive for the agitation in the North against the spread of slavery into the new territories in the 1840s and 1850s?

It often grew out of race prejudice, not humanitarianism. Anti-black feeling was frequently stronger in the North because Blacks took jobs. Several northern states forbade their entrance, most denied them the right to vote, and some barred them from public schools.

Henry Clay

-Distinguished senator from Kentucky who ran for president five times until his death in 1852. -He was a strong supporter/creator of the American System, a war hawk for the War of 1812, -Speaker of the House of Representatives, and known as "The Great Compromiser." -Responsible for the Missouri compromise -Outlined the Compromise of 1850 with five main points. Died before it was passed however.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848)

-Ended the war in Mexico -Negotiated by State Department official Nicholas P. Trist, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo -The United States would assume the claims of its citizens against Mexico in the amount of $3,250,000. -Mexico gave up all claims to Texas north of the Rio Grande and ceded California, Utah, and New Mexico territories to the US for $15 M (but the land cession amounted to nearly half that nation's territory)

Hinton R. Helper's The Impending Crisis of the South

Published in 1857, it was an antislavery tract that argued that nonslaveholding whites actually suffered most in a slave economy. Helper's book was banned in the South and fed to the flames at book-burning parties. In the North, thousands of copies, many in condensed form, were distributed as campaign literature by the Republicans.

Stephen A. Douglas proposed that the question of slavery in the Kansas-Nebraska Territory be decided by what?

By popular sovereignty or democratic vote by the white male residents of each divided territory. His proposal flatly contradicted the Missouri Compromise which forbade slavery in the proposed Nebraska Territory north of the 36° 30' line.

General Zachary Taylor

Commander of the Army of Occupation on the Texas border. On President Polk's orders, he took the Army into the disputed territory between the Nueces and Rio Grnade Rivers and built a fort on the north bank of the Rio Grande River. When the Mexican Army tried to capture the fort, Taylor's forces engaged in is a series of engagements that led to the Mexican War. His victories in the war and defeat of Santa Ana made him a national hero.

Who were border ruffians?

Proslavery Missourians who rushed to Kansas after Congress passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act In 1855, when it came time to elect the first Kansas legislature. often they battled antislavery forces in the territory. The slavery supporters triumphed and set up their own puppet government at Shawnee Mission. Antislavery supporters established a regime of their own in Topeka. Kansas then had to choose between two governments, one based on fraud and another based on illegality.

The underground railroad

A virtual freedom train that consisted of an informal chain of "stations" (antislavery homes) through which runaway slaves were spirited by "conductors" (abolitionists) from the slave states to free-soil Canada.

Why did the Free Soil Party condemn the expansion of slavery?

It destroyed opportunities for white workers to rise from wage-earning dependence to independent ownership.

How did the Mexican-American War begin?

When General Zachary Taylor went as close as possible to the Mexican- American Border and General Santa Ana and his army fired on Taylor and the US army , which started the war

Whig Party (1833-1856)

Formed in opposition to the policies of Andrew Jackson and his Democratic Party. *Leaders:* Henry Clay, Daniel Webster *Major Ideas:* Supported the supremacy of Congress over the presidency and favored a program of modernization and economic protectionism.

American Colonization Society

Founded in 1817, the American Colonization Society established Liberia, a West African settlement intended as a haven for emancipated slaves. Over the next forty years, nearly fifteen thousand freed blacks were transported to the settlement.

Why did the Wilmot Proviso increase tensions between the North and the South?

In 1846, Representative David Wilmot of PA introduced an amendment that sought to prohibit slavery in territories acquired from Mexico. Though the Wilmot Proviso never became a law, it symbolized the burning issue of slavery and increased tensions between the North and the South.

Ostend Manifesto (1854)

In 1854, President Franklin Pierce's secretary of state instructed the American ministers of Spain, Britain, and France to secretly meet in Ostend, Belgium, and draw up a plan to acquire Cuba. Their top-secret dispatch, known as the "Ostend Manifesto," urged the administration to offer $120 million for Cuba or, that failing, to wrest Cuba from Spain militarily. Once leaked, it was quickly abandoned due to vehement opposition from the North.

Why did slaves not do a lot of dangerous work?

Plantation owners viewed slaves as investments (Slavery was worth $2 billion by 1860) and were a primary source of wealth in the deep south. They were cared for as assets and work like tunnel digging, mining, swamp draining, and roofing were typically done by immigrants.

Aroostook War

Series of clashes between American and Canadian lumberjacks in the disputed territory of northern Maine, resolved when a permanent boundary was agreed upon in 1842.

Why did the Whigs put John Tyler on the 1840 ticket as vice president?

Tyler's enemies claimed he was a Democrat in Whig clothing, but he simply belonged to the minority of Whigs who embraced a number of Jeffersonian states' righters. In fact, Tyler was put on the 1840 ticket as vice president to attract the vote of this fringe group, many of whom were influential southern gentry.

Mexico refuses to sell California

In 1845, President Polk sent an envoy to Mexico City to offer $30 million for California and New Mexico. After Mexico refused to sell this land, the United States waited for an excuse to seize it by force. The series of decisive victories in the resulting Mexican War demoralized Mexico. In the peace treaty, Mexico ceded half its territory to the United States.

Eli Whitney's cotton gin 1793

Made cotton manufacturing much easier by quickly removing seeds and sticks from raw cotton.

Commodore Matthew C. Perry

-In 1854, he persuaded the Japanese to sign the landmark Treaty of Kanagawa. -The treaty ended Japan's two-hundred-year period of economic isolation, established an American consulate in Japan, and secured American coaling rights in Japanese ports.

Amistad slave revolt (1839)

When a ship full of enslaved Africans who had seized the Spanish vessel Amistad that was transporting them and landed in Long Island, the United States had to decide how to process the Africans. John Quincy Adams successfully argued before the Supreme Court that these Africans should be freed, and after two years of imprisonment, they were sent to Sierra Leone in West Africa.

1848 presidential candidates

Whigs run : Zachary Taylor (slaveowner w no political experience) was a whig. He took no position on slavery in the election. Democrats run : Lewis Cass was a democrat and supported popular sovereignty (no position) Free Soil Party runs : Martin Van Buren who is opposed to the extension of slavery in the territories (Wilmot proviso position, and the only candidate to have a position on slavery) ZACHARY TAYLOR WINS THE ELECTION BC HE IS A WAR HERO

William Lloyd Garrison vs Frederick Douglas views on how to end slavery

William Lloyd Garrison, who often appeared to be more interested in his own righteousness than the substance of slavery itself, advocated northern secession and radical ideas. Frederick Douglass looked to politics to end the blight of slavery. He, along with other abolitionists, backed the antislavery Liberty party in 1840, the Free Soil party in 1848, and eventually the Republican party in the 1850s.

Walker publishes Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World 1829

a series of essays critiquing the powerful colonization movement and calling for the immediate abolition of slavery. In his Appeal, Walker offered a powerful vision that criticized the hypocrisy of Christianity, natural rights, and America's Founding creed.

What did the Manifest Destiny slogan "Fifty-four Forty or Fight" refer to?

In 1846, expansionists advocating the occupation of Oregon Territory that was held by Britain and the Untied States adopted the slogan "Fifty-four forty or Fight!" Though President Polk had pledged to seize all of Oregon, to 54°40', he settled on the forty-ninth parallel as a compromise with the British.

What was the most durable political offspring of the Kansas-Nebraska Act?

The emergence of the Republican Party sprang up almost instantly and united disgruntled Whigs, Democrats, Free-Soilers, Know-Nothings, and others who opposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Creole affair

an uprising by a group of slaves who were in the process of being transported in the ship, the Creole. They killed the captain, took control of the ship and sailed for the Bahamas, where they became free under the British. Incidents such as this contributed to the intensification of conflict in the United States and the UK

Stephan A. Douglas (the "Little Giant")

-Illinois senator (democrat) -introduced the Kansas-Nebraska Act, opposed Lecompton Constitution, believed popular sovereignty would allow slavery to die down on its own. -In north Douglas was a hero but in the south he was seen as a traitor. Douglas thought slavery wasn't immoral but it was a backward labor system, -lost in the Lincoln-Douglas debates, had a confident speaking style (and hastened the rise of Lincoln)

Describe the Battle of Buena Vista

-It resulted in Zachary Taylor becoming the "Hero of Buena Vista," -It helped secure Talor's presidency in the 1848 presidential election. -Five thousand Americans defeated twenty thousand Mexican troops led by Santa Anna -It was a key American victory against Mexico

New Fugitive Slave Law of 1850

-Part of 1850 Comp. -Northern states must help capture escaped slaves -sharp increase in abolitionist activity (Uncle Toms Cabin, Impending Crisis of the South) -shifted the discussion of slavery in the North to a moral discussion.

What was the most immediate result of James Polk's Successful Manifest Destiny campaign?

After Polk's victory, Democrats proclaimed that they had received a mandate from the voters to take Texas, and three days before leaving office President Tyler signed the joint resolution of annexation.

How was the British-American dispute over the border of Maine and Canada solved?

By a negotiated political compromise that gave each side some territory along the disputed border. As the Aroostook War escalated, London sent Lord Ashburton to DC to negotiate with Secretary of State Webster. -The Webster-Ashburton Treaty: Americans retain 7,000 square miles of 12,000 square miles. The British got less land but won the desired Halifax-Quebec route.

Describe the class differences in southern white society in the early 19th century?

Power was held by a small percent of wealthy planter aristocrats who claimed the lion's share of wealth. This domination of society by one group widened the gap between rich and poor and hampered public education.

What was the Walker Tariff of 1846?

President Polk's first goal in office was a lowered tariff. His Secretary of the Treasury, Robert J. Walker, pushed through Congress the Walker Tariff, which reduced the average rates of the Tariff of 1842 from about 32% to 25%. The bill proved to be an excellent revenue producer.

Shortly before the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in February 1848, "Conscience Whigs," who opposed the war and recently took control of the House, threatened to undermine the American effort by doing what?

They threatened to use their power to vote down supplies for armies in the field. If implemented, this vote may have changed the outcome of the war because General Scott may have been forced to retreat from Mexico City. But after over a month of congressional debate, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was ratified, and the war ended.

seventh of march speech

Webster's impassioned address urging the North to support the Compromise of 1850. Webster argued that topography and climate would keep slavery from becoming entrenched in Mexican Cession territory and urged Northerners to make all reasonable concessions to prevent disunion.

Aspects of the california gold rush

-It was prompted by the discovery of gold in Sutter's Mill. -It led to the statehood of California. -It prompted Californians to organize a government -It drew tens of thousands of miners to the Sierra Nevada foothills. -It left the free and slave states unbalanced

William Lloyd Garrison (1805-1879)

A militant abolitionist, he became editor of the Boston publication, The Liberator, in 1831 and founded the American Anti-Slavery Society. Under his leadership, The Liberator gained national fame and notoriety due to his quotable and inflammatory language, attacking everything from slaveholders to moderate abolitionists, and advocating northern secession.

What were some of the whigs problems with John Tyler?

After only four weeks in office, William Henry Harrison died of pneumonia. -He flatly vetoed a bill to approve a centralized bank. -Extremists condemned Tyler as "His Accidency" and "Executive Ass" -His entire cabinet except Secretary of State Webster resigned in a body.

As provided to Congress, what did the Lecompton Constitution provide for?

Although the majority of Kansans were free-soilers, the vote on the proposed constitution was arranged so that it was impossible to prohibit all black bondage and still obtain statehood. Though the constitution was initially ratified by proslavery forces, it was later voted down when Congress required that the entire constitution be put up for a vote.

Election of 1844

Candidates: Henry Clay (Whigs- in an upset over Van Buren) and James Polk (Democrat). Polk favored expansion, demanded that Texas and Oregon be added to the US and Clay had already spoken out against annexation. Polk won the election by the difference of one state (NY, because some of its votes went to the Liberty Party candidate, losing Clay the state)

Describe the North's economic stake in the South's cotton and slave economy?

Cotton crops were transported to England by way of northern shippers, who reaped large profits. Plantation owners relied on northern banks to secure loans to purchase land and slaves for cultivation. The economies of the North and South were tied together in the cotton industry, and thus a division of the Union loomed as a significant threat to progress and prosperity of the entire country.

The annexation of Texas was critical because it:

Determined the political and economic power of the South. it had inherited the beginnings of what would be a large headache as proslavery and antislavery forces began fighting over whether slavery would be allowed in the new territory. Politically, a great deal was at stake. If either faction gained the upper hand in Texas, it would have resounding political and economic implications in determining policy, representation, and a resolution to the issue of slavery.

President James K. Polk

He was the Democratic candidate in the election of 1844 and the 11th president of the United States. He was a Jacksonian, expansionist, Tennessee man. He was responsible for a successful war with Mexico by placing soldiers near the Rio Grande in territory that Mexico said was theirs. This resulted in annexing much of western lands like Texas and Mexican territory

The election of 1852 marked the effective end of which party?

The disorganized Whig Party, who lost the election to Democrat Franklin Pierce due to the party's hopeless split over their candidate, Winfield Scott. The Whigs' demise foretold the the rise of purely sectional political alignments.

U.S. Post Office orders abolition mail destroyed 1835

When the U.S. Post Office capitulated to southern protests and ordered the destruction of abolition material, it set a dangerous challenge to the First Amendment right of free speech. Federal postmasters who would not comply with this order would be arrested. This effort was in response to southern hysteria over slave rebellions that they saw as incited by abolition sentiment.

What were proslavery whites defenses for the benefits of the institution of slavery?

-Slavery was viewed as a POSITIVE GOOD -Slavery lifted Africans from the barbarism of the jungle and gave them Christian civilization -Master-slave relationships resembled a "family" -Slaves toiled under better working conditions than factory workers in the North. -They claimed slavery was supported by the Bible.

Aspects of slave family life in the black belt

-There was continuity of family identity across generations. -Most slaves were raised in stable two-parent households. -Slave marriage vows included clauses for forced separation. -Children were named after their grandparents. (the deep south allowed them to sustain a fairly stable family life in slavery because less slaves were sold off due to wealth)

Battle of Mexico City

-final battle of the Mexican War, defeated Santa Anna -Winfield Scott marched 300 miles from Vera Cruz to Mexico City in September 1847 -He waged a three-week siege where mexico surrendered

California Bear Flag Republic (1846)

Short-lived California republic, established by local American settlers who revolted against Mexico. 1,700 troops marched from kansas along the Santa Fe Trail but received word that the territory had already been secured. Once news of the war with Mexico reached the Republic, they abandoned the Republic in favor of joining the United States.

Why did the British government desire a political and military alliance with the independent Republic of Texas?

The alliance would check the southward expansion of America and prevent the United States from achieving political and economic dominance over nearby British possessions in Latin America.

Free Soil Party (1848)

This political party was dedicated to opposing slavery in newly acquired territories such as Oregon and ceded Mexican territory. Its candidate in the 1848 election was former President Martin Van Buren. - Most members eventually become Republicans. - Party's founding demonstrates growing strength of the movement to keep new territory free from slavery.

John C. Calhoun (1782-1850)

-Served in both the House of Representatives and the Senate for South Carolina before becoming secretary of war under President Monroe and then John Quincy Adams's vice president. -Under President Monroe, he authorized the use of federal troops against the Seminoles who were attacking settlers. -As JQA's vice president, he supported a new tariff bill to win presidential candidate Andrew Jackson additional support. -Jackson won the election, but the new tariffs bill passed and Calhoun had to explain why he had changed his opinion on tariffs. -He was an eloquent spokesman for increasing the authority of states -Avid slaveowner: leader of the Fugitive Slave Law (1830s-40s), which forced the cooperation of Northern states in returning escaped slaves to the south. -Argued on the floor of the senate that slavery was needed in the south. (society is supposed to have an upper ruling class that enjoys the profit of a working lower class.) -led opposition in South Carolina to the protective Tariff of 1828 and the 1832 nullification crisis -He supported a system of national improvements to support growth and increase commerce and communication, but by the late 1820s he switched his opinion to favor states' rights. -Introduced the bill for the second national bank to Congress -Opposed Polk

Republican Party pre civil war

-new party was determined to rally for the establishment of liberty and the overthrow of the Slave Power -It was a purely sectional party. -It sprang up spontaneously in the Midwest as a moral protest against the gains of slavery. -It quickly became the second major political party. -It included disgruntled Whigs, Democrats, Free-Soilers, Know-Nothings, and other foes of the Kansas-Nebraska Act.