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Missouri Compromise
A series of agreements passed by Congress in 1820-1821 to maintain the balance of power between slave states and free states. The president during this time was James Monroe. -
San Felipe de Austin
Founded in 1821 by Stephen F. Austin, San Felipe de Austin served as the capital for the colony Austin established in Mexican-owned Texas. Stephen obtained permission, first from Spain and then from Mexico after it had won its independence. -
Santa Fe Trail
A route from Independence, Missouri, to Santa Fe, New Mexico, used by traders in the early and mid-1800s. -
Mexico abolishes slavery
The Guerrero decree (president Vicente Guerrero) conditionally abolished slavery throughout Mexican territories, but within months he exempted Texas from that order. It was a decision that increased tensions with slaveholders among the Anglo-Americans. -
The Liberator
Written by William Lloyd Garrison, he established his own paper to deliver an uncompromising demand: immediate emancipation. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
Some slaves rebelled against their condition of bondage. Virginia slave Nat Turner and more than 50 followers attacked four plantations and killed about 60 whites -
Stephen F. Austin goes to jail
Believing that he was pushing for Texas independence and suspect that he was trying to incite insurrection, Stephen was arrested by the Mexican government. -
Oregon Trail
A route from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon City, Oregon, used by pioneers traveling to the Oregon Territory. It was blazed by two Methodist missionaries named Marcus and Narcissa Whitman. By driving their wagon as far as Fort Boise, they proved that wagons could travel on the Oregon Trail. -
Texas Revolution
Rebellion in which Texas gained its independence from Mexico. -
Manifest Destiny
Expressed the belief that the United States was ordained to expand to the Pacific Ocean and into Mexican and Native American territory. Many Americans also believed that this destiny was manifest, or obvious and inevitable. -
Texas enters the United States
In March 1845, angered by U.S.-Texas negotiation on annexation, the Mexican government recalled its ambassador from Washington. On December 29, 1845, Texas entered the Union. -
Mexican-American War
The primary causes of the Mexican-American War were manifest destiny, westward expansion, economics, and slavery. This conflict went on from 1846 to 1848. -
The North Star
An anti-slavery newspaper published by abolitionist Frederick Douglass. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The treaty ended the U.S. war with Mexico, in which Mexico ceded California and New Mexico to the United States. -
Harriet Tubman
An American abolitionist, humanitarian. and an armed scout and spy for the U.S. Army during the Civil War. -
Compromise of 1850
Henry Clay's compromise contained provisions to appease Northerners as well as Southerners. It was a package of 5 separate bills passed by the U.S. Congress, which defused a four-year political confrontation between slave and free states on the status of territories acquired during the Mexican-American War. -
Fugitive Slave Act
Alleged fugitive slaves were not entitled to a trial by jury. In addition, anyone convicted of helping a fugitive was liable for a fine of $1,000 and imprisonment for up to 6 months. -
Underground Railroad
A system of routes along which runaway slaves were helped to escape to Canada or to safe areas in the free states. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe published her novel which stressed that slavery was not just a political contest, but also a great moral struggle. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Senator Stephen Douglas introduced a bill that divided the land west of Missouri into two territories, Kansas and Nebraska. He argued for popular sovereignty, which would allow the settlers of the new territories to decide if slavery would be legal there. -
Dred Scott v. Sandford
The Supreme Court ruled against Dred Scott. According to the ruling, Scott lacked any legal standing to sue in a federal court because he was not, and never could be, a citizen. The Court ruled that being in free territory did not make a slave free. -
Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas Debates
Lincoln challenged Douglas to a series of debates on the issue of slavery in the territories. Neither wanted slavery in the territories, but they disagreed on how to keep it out. Douglas believed deeply in popular sovereignty. Lincoln believed that slavery was immoral. Douglas won the Senate seat. -
John Brown's raid / Harpers Ferry
John Brown obtained financial backing from several prominent Northern abolitionists. On the night of October 16, 1859, he led a band of 21 men, black and white, into Harpers Ferry, Virginia. His aim was to seize the federal arsenal there and start a general slave uprising. -
Abraham Lincoln becomes president
As the 1860 presidential campaign approached, the Republicans nominated Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln appeared to be moderate in his views. Although he pledged to halt the further spread of slavery, he also tried to reassure Southerners that a Republican administration would not "interfere with their slaves, or with them, about their slaves." -
Formation of the Confederacy
Delegates from the secessionist states met in Montgomery, Alabama, where they formed the Confederate States of America, or Confederacy.
Confederacy: formed by the Southern states after their secession from the Union -
Attack on Fort Sumter
Bombardment of Fort Sumer near Charleston, South Carolina by the Confederate States Army. -
Battle of Bull Run
First major battle of the Civil War and resulted in a Confederate victory. -
Income Tax
A tax on earnings -
Battle at Antietam
Decisive engagement in the American Civil War that halted the Confederate advance on Maryland for the purpose of gaining military supplies. -
Conscription
The drafting of citizens for military service. -
Emancipation Proclamation
An executive order issued by Abraham Lincoln, freeing the slaves in all regions behind Confederate lines. -
Battle at Gettysburg
Union victory that stopped Confederate General Robert E. Lee's second invasion of the North; considered the most important engagement of the American Civil War. -
Gettysburg address
A famous speech delivered by Abraham Lincoln at the dedication of a national cemetery on the site of the Battle of Gettysburg. -
Battle at Vicksburg
Union general Ulysses S. Grant fought to take Vicksburg, one of the two remaining Confederate strongholds on the Mississippi River. On July 4, Vicksburg surrendered after prolonged siege operations. -
Sherman's March
William Tecumseh Sherman began his march southeast through Georgia to the sea, creating a wide path of destruction. By mid-November he had burned most of Atlanta. -
Abolition
The movement to abolish slavery became the most important of a series of reform movements in America. -
Surrender at Appomattox Court House
Lee and Grant met at a private home to arrange a Confederate surrender. Grant paroled Lee's soldiers and sent them home with their possessions and three days' worth of rations. Within a month all remaining Confederate resistance collapsed. After 4 long years, the Civil War was over. -
Thirteenth Amendment
An amendment to the U.S. Constitution that has abolished slavery and involuntary servitude. -
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln and his wife went to Ford's Theatre in Washington to see a British comedy. During its third act, a man crept up behind Lincoln and shot the president in the back of his head. Lincoln died on April 15, it was the first time a president of the United States had been assassinated.