APUSH Chapter 20 Pageant
Alabama
a vessel that escaped in 1862 to the Portuguese Azores, and there took weapons and a crew and weapons from two British ships that followed it. It flew the Confederate flag but was manned by Britons. Destroyed by a Union cruiser of the coast of France in 1864.
Morrill Tariff Act
act passed by Congress in 1861 that outdated the low tariff of 1857, increasing it by 5 to 10 percent. However, these rates soon sharply increased due to war.
National Banking Act
in 1863, Congress authorized this as a stimulant to the sale of government bonds and to establish a standard bank-note currency. Banks that joined this system could buy government bonds and issue valid paper currency. First step towards a unified banking network since 1836.
Maximilian
made the emperor of Mexico by Napoleon III after he sent a French army to occupy Mexico City in 1863. However, Napoleon's plans failed and the emperor was soon killed.
Jefferson Davis
president of the Confederate States of America who overwhelmed himself with the details of civil government and military operations.
William H. Seward
secretary of state who in 1865 prepared to march south to Mexico to wipe out France, and in result Napoleon took "French leave" in 1867.
Edwin M. Stanton
the Secretary of War under the Lincoln Administration during most of the Civil War. His effective management helped organize the military resources of the North and guide the Union to victory
Trent affair
the first major crisis with Britain during the war; took place in 1861 when a Union ship traveling north of Cuba stopped a British steamer, called the Trent, and forcibly removed two Confederate diplomats bound for Europe. The Britons were outraged by this and were on the brink of declaring war, but Lincoln reluctantly released the prisoners.
Laird rams
two dangerous Confederate warships being constructed in the shipyard of John Laird and Sons in Great Britain. Minister Adams warned if these ships were released and sent to the South, immediate war would ensue. So instead the ships were bought for the British Royal Navy
Draft Riots
violent reactions to a federal conscription law that drafted men into the Union armies. One took place in 1863 in New York City, where Irish Americans formed a mob that burned and pillaged the city, and many died. Other minor riots took place in the North as well.
King Cotton
when textile mills were without materials to make textiles, "he" should've caused London to speak up about the war but it didn't. "He" failed because he had been so heavily productive in the prewar years 1857-60. British warehouses had piled up surpluses and did not even need more until a year and a half later. Called a "famine" because it put people out of jobs and left many hungry.
Charles Francis Adams
American minister to the British who helped them realize that allowing ships like the Alabama to be built was dangerous and it could later be used against them. Key agent in keeping Britain neutral
Napoleon III
Emperor of France who took advantage of America's preoccupation with its internal problems and sent a French army to occupy Mexico City in 1863. Installed archduke Maximilian as emperor of Mexico. This was all against the Monroe doctrine, so he hoped that the Union would collapse and would be too weak to enforce its policy.
Clara Barton
woman who was a superintendent of nurses for the Union army, and helped turn nursing from a lowly service into a respected profession and in result opened up a major area of employment to women in the postwar era.
