Unit 5 Flashcards
(74 cards)
Gadsden Purchase
Purchasing southern area (southern Arizona and southern New Mexico) from Mexico.
The Gadsden Purchase was the 1853 treaty in which the United States bought from Mexico parts of what is now southern Arizona and southern New Mexico. Southerners wanted this land in order to build southern transcontinental railroad, it also showed the American belief in Manifest Destiny. The heated debate over this issue in the Senate demonstrates the prevalence of sectional disagreement.
James K. Polk
-“Manifest Destiny”
- led the country into the Mexican-American War, significantly expanding American territory by acquiring California and large portions of the present-day Southwest through the
- Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo;
dark horse candidate = unexpected lesser known.
John Tyler
as president: agree to bills abolishing Van Buren’s independent treasury system and raising tariff rates, but he refused to support Clay’s attempt to recharter a Bank of the United States,
he vetoed several internal improvement bills that Clay and other congressional Whigs sponsored.
Manifest destiny
This expression was popular in the 1840s. Many people believed that the U.S. was destined to secure territory from “sea to sea,” from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. This rationale drove the acquisition of territory.
Mexican Cession
Lands sold by Mexico to the US following the Mexican War
Mexican-American war
he Mexican-American War was fought by the United States and Mexico from 1846 and 1848, primarily over the Annexation of Texas and disputes over boundaries. It stemmed from the annexation of the Republic of Texas by the U.S. in 1845 and from a dispute over whether Texas ended at the Nueces River (the Mexican claim) or the Rio Grande (the U.S. claim). Causes: annexation of Texas, diplomatic ineptness of U.S./Mexican relations in the 1840’s and particularly the provocation of U.S. troops on the Rio Grande. The first half of the war was fought in northern Mexico near the Texas border, with the U.S. Army led by Zachary Taylor. The second half of the war was fought in central Mexico after U.S. troops seized the port of Veracruz, with the Army being led by Winfield Scott. Results: U.S. captured Mexico City, Zachary Taylor was elected president, Santa Ana abdicated, and Mexico ceded large parts of the West, including New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and California, to the U.S.
Oregon Territory
The territory comprised what are now the states of Oregon and Washington, and portions of what became British Columbia, Canada. This land was claimed by both the U.S. and Britain and was held jointly under the Convention of 1818. Oregon Territory- Oregon stretched from the north tip of California to the 54 40 line. England and the U.S. claimed it. England had good reasons for its claims north of the Columbia River. Americans also had good reasoning because they populated it much more
a document written by American diplomats in 1854 that advocated for the United States to acquire Cuba from Spain by force if necessary, essentially pushing the idea of Manifest Destiny into the Caribbean and further fueling tensions over slavery expansion.
Ostend Manifesto
Samuel Morse
most recognized as the inventor of the electromagnetic telegraph and the Morse code, which significantly revolutionized communication in the 19th century, allowing for rapid long-distance message transmission; notably, he was initially a prominent artist before transitioning to invention, showcasing his diverse interests and contributions to American innovation.
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
February 2 1848. The agreement between President Polk and the new Mexican government for Mexico to cede California and New Mexico to the US and acknowledge the Rio Grand as the boundary of Texas. In return, the US promised to assume any financial claims its new citizens had against Mexico and to pay the Mexicans $15 million.
The treaty established the present boundary between Maine and New Brunswick, granted the U.S. navigation rights on the St. John River, provided for extradition in enumerated nonpolitical criminal cases, and established a joint naval system for suppressing the slave trade off the African coast. signed August 9, 1842, was a treaty resolving several border issues between the United States and the British North American colonies, particularly a dispute over the location of the Maine-New Brunswick border. Also banned the slave trade (on the ocean) Hudson’s bay company
Webster-Ashburton Treaty
Wilmot Proviso
a proposal by Congressman David Wilmot in 1846 that aimed to ban slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico following the Mexican-American War, essentially prohibiting the expansion of slavery into newly gained land; it significantly heightened sectional tensions between the North and South over the issue of slavery, contributing to the growing divide that eventually led to the Civil War.
12th President of the United States, a military hero from the Mexican-American War, who is most notably known for his stance against the expansion of slavery into new territories, despite being a slave owner himself, and for his short presidency which ended due to his sudden death in office in 1850.
Zachary Taylor
a period of violent conflict between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces in the Kansas Territory following the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854, where the concept of popular sovereignty allowed the territory to decide on the legality of slavery, leading to widespread guerrilla warfare and bloodshed, considered a significant precursor to the Civil War; the term “bleeding” alludes to the violence that occurred during this time
Bleeding Kansas
Compromise of 1850
Popular soverugnty on kansas a set of five laws passed in 1850 that aimed to resolve tensions between free and slave states regarding the expansion of slavery into newly acquired territories from the Mexican-American War
Crittenden Compromise
o a failed proposal introduced by Senator John J. Crittenden in 1860, aiming to resolve the growing sectional crisis by guaranteeing the permanent existence of slavery in slave states through constitutional amendments, essentially attempting to appease the South and prevent secession on the eve of the Civil War;
(LAST EFFORTS)
Dred Scott v. Sandford
a landmark Supreme Court case in 1857 where an enslaved man, Dred Scott, attempted to sue for his freedom after being taken to a free territory, but the court ruled that enslaved people were not considered citizens and therefore could not sue, effectively upholding slavery and further escalating tensions leading up to the Civil War; this decision is widely considered one of the worst in American legal history
Election of 1860
The election of 1860 was one of the most pivotal presidential elections in American history. It pitted Republican nominee Abraham Lincoln against Democratic Party nominee Senator Stephen Douglas, Southern Democratic Party nominee John Breckinridge and Constitutional Union Party nominee John Bell. The main issue of the election was slavery and states’ rights. Lincoln emerged victorious and became the 16th President of the United States during a national crisis that would tear states and families apart and test Lincoln’s leadership and resolve: The Civil War.
Free Soil Party
a political party active in the pre-Civil War era that primarily focused on opposing the expansion of slavery into newly acquired western territories, advocating for “free soil” meaning no slavery in these new lands; they believed in “free labor” and often attracted northern farmers and laborers who feared competition from slave labor.
Freeport Doctrine
a political position stated by Senator Stephen A. Douglas during the Lincoln-Douglas debates, arguing that even though the Dred Scott decision declared slavery legal in all territories, residents of a territory could effectively exclude slavery by refusing to pass laws protecting slave owners’ rights, essentially allowing local populations to decide on slavery through popular sovereignty, despite the Supreme Court ruling; this was articulated in Freeport, Illinois, during the second debate, hence the name “Freeport Doctrine.”.
fugitive slave law
a federal law, most notably the one passed in 1850 as part of the Compromise of 1850, which required states to cooperate in capturing and returning runaway slaves to their owners, even if they were in a free state, causing significant controversy and tension between the North and South leading up to the Civil War
Harpers Ferry
the site of a pivotal event in the lead-up to the Civil War, where radical abolitionist John Brown led a raid on a federal armory in October 1859, attempting to incite a slave uprising. which ultimately heightened tensions between the North and South and is considered a significant catalyst towards the war
Henry Clay
Distinguished senator from Kentucky, who ran for president five times until his death in 1852. often referred to as the “Great Compromiser” or “Great Pacificator” due to his key role in resolving sectional conflicts like the Missouri Compromise, and for proposing the American System, an economic plan that advocated for tariffs, infrastructure development, and a national bank to foster economic growth across the nation; he ran for president multiple times but never won
The 15th President of the United States (1857-1861). He tried to maintain a balance between proslavery and antislavery factions, but his moderate views angered radicals in both North and South, and he was unable to forestall the secession of South Carolina on December 20, 1860.
James Buchanan
