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Manifest Destiny
This was the idea that the early American citizens were God's chosen people. They believed that they were superior to other races and as a result, it was a major driving force behind Western expansion because they felt that all the land that they were able to obtain was rightfully theirs. It was justification for them conquering all kinds of people in their acquisition of territories such as previous Tribal reservations, Texas from Mexico & Oregon territory. It starts with the LA purchase. -
Gold Rush
In the year 1848, James W. Marshall found gold in Coloma, CA at Sutton's Mill. After his discovery, some 300,000 Americans uprooted and moved out West towards California in the desperate aims of becoming rich and discovering more gold. -
Free-Soil Movement
A short lived political party that eventually became integrated with the Republican party and they were fighting against slavery and wanted to prevent it from expanding westward. -
Fugitive Slave Law
After succeeding many states into the Union's side, the South became angry. As a way of compromise, the Fugitive Slave Law was passed which basically required any fugitive slave that was residing in the North to be returned to their previous owners. Since it was part of the law, even though the Union was fighting for freedom for all, they had to obey this act and seize any slaves. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
A book written by Abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe who was a white American fighting for equality between races. In the book Stowe appealed to mothers and Christian Americans saying slavery was an act against ethics and morality. It quickly became a best seller and convinced many to join the Abolitionist cause. She herself had lost her son and she wrote about how children were taken away from their mothers and overall used a pathos appeal to wake America up to the evils of slavery. -
Bleeding Kansas
A series of violent battles and protests between the pro-Slavery South and the Abolitionist North, which contributed into the progressing of the Civil War. These fights took place in the territory of Kansas-Nebraska. -
Dred Scott v Sanford
Dred Scott was a slave who managed to escape into free territory. When it was found out that he was a runaway, they tried to forcefully return him to his owner, he sued against him saying that since he was in free land he should be free, but the court ruled against him and actually said that African Americans aren't United States and don't have the authority to sue. This made them feel less than human and was a negative step towards slavery. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
This was a series of pre Presidential debates between Lincoln who represented the Republican party and Douglas in the Democratic party. Most of these arguments were centered around the issue of slavery and its expansion. -
Raid on Harper's Ferry
At Harper's Ferry where a lot of a weapons being made an Abolitionist named John Brown led a raid in an attempts to stop slavery from progressing but resulted in a U.S. victory against the abolitionists and was similar to what went down in the Civil War. -
SC Secession
South Carolina decided to succeed from the Union and after it did several other states followed suit. It resembled the chaos that the Union was in because it couldn't control the states and S.C. was extremely upset because of the slavery issues, they felt entitled to own slaves especially because most of their profit came from crops that were managed by slaves, which is why they left. -
Fort Sumter
This military base was one of two forts in the South that was under the control of the Union in 1861. The Confederate army tried to force the Union to surrender but they refused, and as a result the Confederates began bombing the fort and eventually they gave in on April 14th. It was the next day when Congress declared war on the Confederacy. This battle helped signify the beginning of the Civil War in America. -
Anaconda Plan
A plan devised by Union General Winfield Scott to cut off the South's supplies and essentially starve them out of all necessary supplies. This helped the Union win the war. Scott also called for the capture of several Southern territories, such as Richmond and Mississippi to take his army deep into the South. -
Monitor v Merrimack
As a result of the blockade put on to restrict resources given to the Confederate army, the Confederate army tried to launch a naval attack. It was an extremely important battle and the first naval battles in the Civil War and was fought with iron clad warships. Both sides claimed that they won the battle. -
Gettysburg Address
An address given by President Lincoln which basically signified the birth of a new country, because while he directly referenced the Declaration of Independence he created the equality between all people and citizens of the United States, it also addressed all who died for freedom and gave everyone the motivation to keep fighting and renewed their purpose. -
Black Codes
After the Civil War, when African Americans were granted their citizenship people were still upset and the Black Codes/laws were a way for people to still exercise their control over African Americans, it still restricted their rights and basically made them work for lower wages than white citizens. -
Reconstruction Acts
After the Civil War, the South which was previously doing well was now in total ruins. They needed to reconstruct not only property but their ways of life now that slavery was officially outlawed. They needed to pass these acts in order to be readmitted to the Union and become once more a unified country. -
Johnson’s Impeachment
President Johnson in 1868 was charged with eleven high crimes and misdemeanors and as a result was impeached. -
14th Amendment
This Amendment helped create equality in the United States which was very much needed after the aftermath of the Civil War. This Amendment stated that "All persons born or naturalized in the US are citizens of the US and of the state where they reside." and basically condones slavery because now all persons were legally citizens of the US and now had to be treated with equal rights. -
15th Amendment
This Amendment helped African Americans by giving them one of the ultimate freedoms; the right to vote. It stated that no one should be denied because of race or ethnicity as long as they are a naturalized citizen of the U.S.. Unfortunately as a result, many attempts were made to discourage them from exercising this right such as the KKK. -
Compromise of 1877
This compromise removed all troops from the South and officially ended the Reconstruction Era. The South was able to get money for a railroad and Hayes was appointed as a cabinet member in government.
