APUSH Unit 5
Republican Party
Definition: Also known as the GOP, for "Grand Old Party," it emerged from the renewed sectional tension of the 1850s. The GOP was founded in 1854 by antislavery Whigs, Democrats, Free-Soilers, and Know-Nothings from the North and West. Although the GOP lost the 1856 presidential election, the popular John C. Fremont garnered many votes and won 11 of the 16 free states in the Electoral College. Significance: Began in the 1850s, dedicated to keeping slavery out of the territories, but they championed a wider range of issues, including the further development of national roads, more liberal land distribution in the West, and increased protective tariffs. Comprised of Whigs, Northern Democrats, and Free-Soilers, in defiance to the Slave Powers
Gadsden Purchase
Definition: An 1853 treaty between the U.S. and Mexico. It was ratified in 1854. The treaty resolved a border issue lingering from the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. In exchange for $10 million, the U.S. purchased a chunk of modern-day Arizona and a small portion of southwest New Mexico. This was the last notable expansion of the continental U.S. Significance: Americans negotiated the Gadsden Purchase (aka the Gadsden Treaty) with Mexico. In the treaty, Americans agreed to pay $10 million for about 29,670 square miles of land south of the Gila River. Thus, this land became the southern parts of Arizona and New Mexico. Even though Americans needed the land to complete the Transcontinental Railroad. Also, they hoped that the treaty would improve relations with Mexico. Unfortunately, the treaty caused major disagreements. However, the disagreement wasn't between America and Mexico; it was between sectional rivalries in the U.S. Some believed that this was a stepping stone to taking over all of Mexico. Others worried that adding these states to the Union would increase the number of slave (or free) states in the country.
Tenure of Office Act
Definition: An 1867 law. It disallowed the president (Johnson) from discharging a federal appointee without the Senate's consent. With the act, Republicans in Congress attempted to protect their positions from Johnson. The president chose to ignore the act and fired Republican Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. The House promptly submitted articles of impeachment to the floor by charging Johnson with 11 counts of "high crimes and misdemeanors." Significance: Denied the President of the United States the power to remove anyone who had been appointed by a past President without the advice and consent of the United States Senate, unless the Senate approved the removal during the next full session of Congress.
Confederate States of America
Definition: An illegal, unrecognized state that existed from 1861 to 1865. It attempted to secede from the United States in order to preserve the institution of slavery, as explicitly stated in the secession declarations of several states. It was led by by Jefferson Davis and its capital was in Richmond, Virginia. Its members included: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. It attempted to lay claim to territory in the American Southwest, as well as to Kentucky and Missouri. Union loyalists in Virginia counter-seceded from the CSA to form West Virginia. Significance: In February, 1861, delegates from the states that had seceded (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas) met and formed the Confederate States of America, or CSA. State sovereignty and independence were stressed. Slavery was legalized and the government was forbidden to pass protective tariffs. Jefferson Davis was named the President of the CSA.
Pacific Railway Act
Definition: This 1862 act approved building a transcontinental railroad that would transform the west by linking the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific. An example of infrastructure spending, it had been held up for several years by arguments over whether the route should be from the South or the North, given the economic opportunity such a rail line would provide. Significance: 1862 legislation to encourage the construction of a transcontinental railroad, connecting the West to industries in the Northeast (Union Pacific and Central Pacific RR)
Oregon Trail
Definition: Throughout the 1840s, a flood of settlers began traversing the dangerous Oregon Trail. Families traveled up to six months in caravans, covering only about 15 miles per day with good weather. While living on the trail, some women began to run prayer meetings and schools to maintain some vestiges of home. Women also began to take on new roles outside of homemaking and childcare, such as repairing wagon wheels and tending to livestock. Significance: Pioneer trail that began in Missouri and crossed the Great Plains into the Oregon Territory; main route across the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains; after the coming of the railroad, the trail fell into disuse and was finally abandoned in the 1870s
Anaconda Plan
Definition: Winfield Scott's four phase plan to defeat the Confederacy. Phase 1 had the U.S. Navy blockaded all Southern ports. Phase 2 had the Navy split the Confederacy in half by taking control of the Mississippi River. Phase 3 had the Union Army cut through Georgia, and then travel up the coast to the Carolinas. Phase 4 saw the Union capture the Confederate capitol at Richmond. Significance: Plan for civil war proposed by general-in-chief Winfield Scott, which emphasized the blockade of Southernp ports and called for an advance down the Mississippi River the cut the South in two, the plan would suffocate the South.
Gettysburg Address
Definition: A brief, poignant address by Abraham Lincoln commemorating the Battle of Gettysburg. It was delivered on November 19, 1863. Harkening back to the Declaration of Independence 87 years prior, Lincoln proposed the idea of equality—"all men are created equal"—as the core spirit of the Declaration and the Constitution. He goes on to reframe the context of the Civil War as a trial to see if equality can endure rather than being solely an issue of preserving the Constitution's political framework ("the Union"). Significance: Delivered November 1863 at the dedication of a national cemetery at the Gettysburg battle field. This speech referenced Declaration of Independence, and delivered Lincoln's message that the best way to honor the dead is to keep fighting and win this war to reunite the union continue the work they gave their lives for.
Mexican-American War
Definition: A conflict between the United States and Mexico. It took place from April 1846 to February 1848. Following the 1845 American annexation of Texas, which Mexico considered a wayward province whose independence was a legal fiction created under duress, war broke out between the two nations. The war was deeply controversial in its time, illustrating the deepening divide between free and slave states. Many political and military leaders of the Civil War fought in this war. It also led to a major U.S. territorial expansion. Significance: The Mexican-American War occurred from 1846 to 1848. It ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This determined American territory, especially in Texas. Because of this war, the Mexican treasury was depleted, making the $10 million for this land irresistible.
Compromise of 1877
Definition: A deal that resolved the hung election of 1876. It provided that Rutherford B. Hayes would become president only if he agreed to remove the last remaining federal troops stationed in South Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana. The end of martial law in the South signaled the end of Reconstruction in the United States. Significance: It withdrew federal soldiers from their remaining position in the South, enacted federal legislation that would spur industrialization in the South, appointed Democrats to patronage positions in the south, and appointed a Democrat to the president's cabinet.
Harper's Ferry
Definition: A federal arsenal in Virginia. John Brown planned to use it to arm slaves on surrounding plantations with the hope of generating a slave rebellion. Ultimately, he aimed to overthrow the institution of slavery. In October 1859, Brown led a march to Harper's Ferry and seized the arsenal. However, Brown and his followers were captured by the Virginia militia, tried for treason, and hanged. Robert E. Lee was in command of opposition forces. Significance: John Brown's scheme to invade the South with armed slaves, backed by sponsoring, northern abolitionists; seized the federal arsenal; Brown and remnants were caught by Robert E. Lee and the US Marines; Brown was hanged
Panic of 1837
Definition: A financial crisis that last from 1837 until the mid 1840s. Caused, in part, by Andrew Jackson killing the Bank of the United States and issuing the Specie Circular, the latter of which caused the value of paper money to plummet. Significance: When Jackson was president, many state banks received government money that had been withdrawn from the Bank of the U.S. These banks issued paper money and financed wild speculation, especially in federal lands. Jackson issued the Specie Circular to force the payment for federal lands with gold or silver. Many state banks collapsed as a result. A panic ensued (1837). Bank of the U.S. failed, cotton prices fell, businesses went bankrupt, and there was widespread unemployment and distress. It was short-lived and reduced the pressure on the economy
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Definition: A landmark 1857 Supreme Court case that was a major contributing factor to the outbreak of the Civil War. Dred Scott, a slave in Missouri, spent years in Wisconsin and Illinois with his master. After his master's death, Dred Scott sued for freedom. The Court ruled that all African Americans (free or slave) were not citizens. Taney also ruled that Congress had no right to deny citizens of their individual property, and therefore the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional for stripping slave owners of their rightful property once they moved north. Significance: A slave who sued the U.S. for his freedom after living in free territories. Supreme Court case which ruled that slaves are not citizens but are property, affirmed that property cannot be interfered with by Congress, slaves do not become free if they travel to free territories or states, fueled abolitionist movement, hailed as victory for the south
Homestead Act of 1862
Definition: A law that provided a settler with 160 acres of land if he promised to live on it and work it for at least five years. About 500,000 families took advantage of this Homestead Act, while many more bought land from private purveyors. Unfortunately, the parcels of land on the Great Plains were difficult to farm, owing to lack of rain and hard-packed soil. Many homesteaders left the land behind and returned home. Significance: The Homestead Act was passed in 1862. According to the act, settlers moving into the western territories could claim 160 acres of public land in exchange for a small filing fee. The settler also had to commit to living on the land for five continuous years. After this period of residency ended, the homesteader could claim private ownership of the land.
Compromise of 1850
Definition: A package of several bills that alleviated some of the tension between the North and South, delaying the Civil War for another decade. Orchestrated by Henry Clay. Its key points were: California was admitted as a free state; it created the New Mexico and Utah Territories, and popular sovereignty would determine slavery's status in them; it banned the slave trade in Washington, D.C.; it enacted a stricter Fugitive Slave Act; it give Texas monetary compensation to drop its claims to part of New Mexico's territory. Significance: The Compromise of 1850 is a group of five laws passed in September of 1850. These laws made concessions to both free and slave states in an attempt to placate both sides of the slavery debate and preserve the union.
Civil War
Definition: Also known as the American Civil War, it was fought from 1861 to 1865. Several states seceded to form the Confederate States of America, an illegal act. The Confederacy sought to protect the institution of slavery from perceived interference by Lincoln, who had won the 1860 election without his name even being on the ballot in many Southern states, thus showcasing the relative declining power of the South over U.S. domestic policy. The war cemented the supremacy of the federal government over the states. The death toll is estimated to be over 620,000. Significance: In the beginning, the issue of slavery divided the country. After Abraham Lincoln was elected as President of the United States, the Southern states worried that he would end slavery. Therefore, they decided that they had the right to secede and start their own country.The Northern states focused on reuniting the country. However, slavery became the moral reason to win the war for the North.
Manifest Destiny
Definition: Coined by journalist John O'Sullivan in 1845 to describe the belief that it was God's will for the United States to expand westward to the Pacific Ocean. It also describes a more general expansionism, such as the dispute over the Oregon Territory that Polk campaign on and the U.S. expansion into the Southwest following the Mexican-American War. Significance: Manifest Destiny was the philosophical justification for westward expansion. Americans believed they had a God-given right to move into the western lands of the continent. Some even said that westward expansion was a duty, as white settlers were thought to have the ability to civilize native peoples by teaching them Christianity, spreading democracy, and bringing modern infrastructure, such as telegraph wires and railroads.
Free Soil Party
Definition: Inspired by the Wilmot Proviso, antislavery advocates from various political parties founded the Free Soil Party to oppose the expansion of slavery into the new Western territories. Martin Van Buren ran for president as a Free Soil candidate in 1848. The Free Soil Party's membership was later absorbed into the new Republican Party. Significance: The Free-Soil Party was organized by anti-slavery men in the north, democrats who were resentful at Polk's actions, and some conscience Whigs. The Free-Soil Party was against slavery in the new territories. They also advocated federal aid for internal improvements and urged free government homesteads for settlers. This Free-Soil Party foreshadowed the emergence of the Republican party.
Emancipation Proclamation
Definition: Issued on January 1, 1863, it was an executive order that freed any slave in areas in open rebellion against the United States government. Slavery in the border states was still legal. Despite its limitations, the proclamation did much to bolster the morale of Union troops and supporters at home. However, some Unionists felt betrayed, believing they had been duped into fighting a war for emancipation instead of merely for the Union's preservation. The Proclamation also served to dissuade Britain and France from recognizing the Confederacy, as it reframed the moral context for the war as opposition to slavery. Abolitionism was popular with the voters in Britain and France. Significance: The Emancipation Proclamation was issued by Lincoln to free all of the slaves in the Confederate states. The slaves in border states loyal to the Union, however, remained enslaved. The Proclamation only applied to Confederate states in rebellion.
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Definition: Proposed by Senator Stephen A. Douglas in 1854, it functionally repealed the Missouri Compromise. The act proposed the Nebraska Territory be divided into two regions, Nebraska and Kansas, and each would vote by popular sovereignty on the issue of slavery. It was presumed that Nebraska would become a free state, while Kansas would become a slave state. Douglas was able to push his bill through Congress, and President Pierce signed it into law in 1854. It helped spur the formation of the Republican Party. Significance: Law that allowed for popular sovereignty (people living in an area could decide if slavery would be allowed or not. Devised by Stephen Douglas) in the Kansas and Nebraska territories. Kansas would be slave and Nebraska would be free. Overturned the Missouri Compromise.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Definition: Signed in February 1848, it ended the Mexican-American War. The treaty granted California and most of the Southwest (including current-day New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada) to the United States. The U.S. government agreed to pay war reparations in the sum of $15 million to the Mexican government. Despite continued bitter debate over the expansion of slavery, the treaty was ratified. See: Gadsden Purchase. Significance: Ended Mexican-American War; Mexico gave up all claims to land from Texas to California for $15 million
Whig Party
Definition: The Whig Party was born out of opposition to Jacksonian Democrats. The Whigs favored economic nationalism, a strong central government, and rechartering the national bank. They believed in protectionist measures such as tariffs to support American industrialization. They also promoted Clay's American System as a way to improve the roads, canals, and infrastructure of the country. The party collapsed over the question of slavery's expansion into newly acquired territories. Significance: Political party that had no stand on slavery, was elected because people did not want to rock the boat and have war, An American political party formed in the 1830s to oppose President Andrew Jackson and the Democrats, stood for protective tariffs, national banking, and federal aid for internal improvements
Great Triumvirate
Definition: The collective label for Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, and Daniel Webster Webster. These three statesmen dominated U.S. politics in the nineteenth century prior to the outbreak of the Civil War. They would play roles in everything from the Nullification Crisis to the Compromise of 1850. As was often the case with early American politics, the name was a reference to Ancient Roman history, specifically the First and Second Triumvirates. Significance: The Great Triumvirate is a term that refers to the three statesmen who dominated the United States Senate in the 1830s and '40s: Henry Clay of Kentucky, Daniel Webster of Massachusetts, and John C. Calhoun of South Carolina. All three were extremely active in politics, had been appointed United States Secretary of State, and had served in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.Each was a distinguished orator and debater.
Civil Rights Act of 1875
Definition: The last of the Reconstruction-era civil rights reform made it a crime for any person to be denied full and equal use of public places, such as hotels, rail cars, restaurants, and theaters. Unfortunately, this act lacked any wording to enforce it, and it was therefore ignored by most states, both Northern and Southern. Significance: The Civil Rights Act of 1875 (18 Stat. 335-337), sometimes called Enforcement Act or Force Act, was a United States federal law enacted during the Reconstruction Era that guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public transportation, and prohibited exclusion from jury service.
Bleeding Kansas
Definition: The nickname for a period of bloody conflict in what became Kansas. Lasted 1855-1859. Proslavery and antislavery forces engaged in a number of battles, massacres, and raids in order to determine whether Kansas would be a free or slave state. Due to decrying slavery in Kansas, Senator Charles Sumner was nearly beaten to death on the Senate floor by Preston Brooks. Due to the objections of Southern states, Kansas would not be admitted to the United States until the start of the Civil War. Significance: Nickname given to the Kansas territory because of the bloody violence there between those who wished it to enter the Union as a free state and those who fought for slavery in the territory ("border ruffians"