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Missouri Compromise
- an effort by Congress to solve the political rivalries from the request of Missouri as a slave state in 1819
- important because it held the union together for more than thirty years until it was later deemed unconstitutional
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Monroe Doctrine
-a policy issued by James Monroe warning European powers that they should expect a strong resistance from America should they interfere with any affairs
-important because it became a cornerstone of American foreign policy -
Battle of the Alamo
-was when a Mexican force began a siege of the Alamo- a mission. The Mexican invaders won. -important because it was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution and the cruelty of Santa Anna inspired many Texans -
Panic of 1837
-a financial crisis that started a recession where wages went down and unemployment went up
-important because it led to an increase in prices of land, cotton, and slaves -
Trail of Tears
-when the government forced Native Americans off their homeland by walking them thousands of miles in terrible conditions
-important because it was a dark time in America's history and it impacted the lives of many Native Americans -
Sutter's Fort
- an agricultural and trade colony which was the first non-Indigenous community in the California Central Valley -important because gold was discovered there and the mill was overrun with gold seekers
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Pre-Emption Act
-in response to the request of Western states that "squatters" be allowed to purchase land for a low price
-important because it helped to establish the doctrine of Manifest Destiny in America -
Bear Flag Revolt
-when a small group of Californian settlers rebelled against the Mexican government therefore proclaiming California independent.
-important because the bear flag became the official state flag in 1911 -
Beginning of U.S. - Mexican War
-militarily unprepared Mexico fighting against the United States which started on the Rio Grande
-important because Mexico lost nearly 1/3 of its territory including present-day California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico -
End of the U.S. - Mexican War
-militarily unprepared Mexico fighting against the United States which started on the Rio Grande
-important because Mexico lost nearly 1/3 of its territory including present-day California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico -
Fugitive Slave Law
-part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern states and Northern states, allowed for the capture and return of escaped slaves
-important because these acts were among the most controversial laws of that time -
Compromise of 1850
- five separate bills which eased a political confrontation between slave and free states over territory gained in the Mexican- American War. -important because it admitted California as a free state, and created new territories, and ended the slave trade
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Gadsden Purchase
-land that the U.S. purchased from Mexico from a treaty
-important because it determined the main boundaries of the United States -
Bleeding Kansas
-a period of violence during the settling of Kansas territory between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers
-important because Kansas suffered the highest rate of casualties in the civil war mainly because of this time period and the great divisions between pro-slavery and anti-slavery people -
Dred Scott Decision
-the supreme court ruled that Scott, a slave, was not free based on his residence even though his owner had spent time in free state during his residence
-important because it contradicted the doctrine of popular sovereignty that was created as a part of the Compromise of 1850 -
Harper's Ferry
-an effort by an abolitionist to start an armed slave revolt by taking over an arsenal at Harper's Ferry, Virginia
-important because it inflamed white Southern fears of slave revolts and greatly increased tension between Northern and Southern states -
South Carolina secedes
-stated Lincoln had exceeded his constitutional powers by not waiting for Congress to approve a war with the South
-important because it was the first state to ever secede from the union -
Mississippi secedes
- seceded because they felt the U.S. was on a path to abolishing slavery which they strongly disagreed with -important because it shows how incredibly different the priorities of the South were to the Northern states
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Florida secedes
- third state to secede, seceded because of the different views on slavery, and the economy -important because every state that continued to secede contributed to the tension between the Union and the later created Confederacy
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Alabama secedes
- Alabama states in their Ordinance of Secession that they feel the election of Abraham Lincoln was a hostile act aimed at the Southern states -important because Alabama's Ordinance was seemingly a lot more aggressive than some of the other states that seceded
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Georgia secedes
-stated that their main cause for dissolving the Union was slavery
-important because Georgia was a crucial state to the success of the secessionist movement due to its location -
Louisiana secedes
-seceded due to the results of the 1860 elections and the failed abolitionist raid on Harper's Ferry which heightened sensitivity toward the threats to slavery
-important because before the war Louisiana repeatedly rejected Southern radicals who proposed secession but after the election in 1860 they were pushed towards secession -
Texas secedes
- was swayed to secede by the raid on the federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry and the rising Republican party -important because their governor, Sam Houston, was strongly against seceding and did not take an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy
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Beginning of Civil War
- a war between pro-slavery Southern states and anti-slavery states Southern states which essentially determined the future of this country -important because the Northern victory preserved the U.S. as one nation and ended slavery, which had divided the country from the beginning.
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Virginia secedes
-seceded because they refused to take up arms or rebel against their other Southern states
-important because they feared that the Northern states would fail to return fugitive slaves and violate their obligations under the fourth article of the Constitution -
Arkansas secedes
-seceded because they refused to take up arms or rebel against their other Southern states
-important because they feared that the Republican Party was planning a war against slavery -
Tennessee secedes
- stated that it is the right of a free and independent people to reform or abolish their form of government -important because Tennessee was the last state to secede
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North Carolina secedes
- seceded because of factors like social structure, and industrial organization, as well as slavery and states' rights. -important because they were the last state to join the Confederacy and ended up having one of the largest amounts of casualties
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Emancipation Proclamation
- a preliminary statement declaring that as of 1863, all slaves would forever be free -important because it transformed the fight to keep the nation united into a fight for human rights
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Gettysburg
-when the Confederates clashed with the Union's Army in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
-important because it is considered the most important engagement of the civil war due to the large amount of casualties and outcome -
Gettysburg Address
-a speech given by Lincoln at the Soldier's National Cemetery reminding the listeners of their want for equality, freedom, and national unity.
-important because it is considered one of Lincoln's greatest speeches and one of the most famous in U.S. history. -
13th Amendment
-abolished slavery and involuntary servitude except as punishment for a crime
-important because this was the first step in a long journey to abolishing inequality -
End of Civil War
- a war between pro-slavery Southern states and anti-slavery states Southern states which essentially determined the future of this country -important because the Northern victory preserved the U.S. as one nation and ended slavery, which had divided the country from the beginning.
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14th Amendment
-talks about citizenship rights and equal protection of the laws
-important because this was created in response to issues faced by former slaves, this was also contested by many states of the defeated Confederacy -
15th Amendment
-prevents the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on race
-important because the intent of this amendment finally came to have an effect when the Voting Rights of 1965 was passed; before many Southern states used various things to deny African Americans the right to vote