American History: Key Events Overview

Missouri Compromise

• Compromise of 1820 to regulate the extension of slavery into new territories.
• Admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state.
• Established a line, 36°30', dividing future states into slave and free territories.

Causes of the Texas Revolution

• Disagreements over the authority of the Mexican government.
• Land grants to settlers.
• Cultural differences between Anglo-American settlers and the Mexican government.
• Attempts by Mexico at enforcing laws and taxes on settlers.
• Desire for independence and self-governance among settlers.

Battle of Fort Sumter

• First battle of the American Civil War.
• Confederate forces attacked Union forces at Fort Sumter, South Carolina in 1861.
• The attack marked the beginning of the war.

Oregon Territory

• Dispute over control of the Oregon territory between the U.S. and Great Britain.
• The U.S. eventually claimed the territory.
• The boundary was fixed by treaty in 1846.

Manifest Destiny-Definition; Causes

• Belief that the expansion of the U.S. across North America was divinely ordained.
• Desire for land, resources, and national prestige fueled expansion.
• Economic opportunity drew many settlers.
• Belief that the American way of life was superior.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

• Treaty ending the Mexican-American War of 1848.
• Mexico ceded territory to the U.S., including California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and parts of Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming.
• The U.S. paid Mexico $15 million.

Gadsden Purchase

• 1853 purchase of land from Mexico.
• Sought to acquire land for a transcontinental railroad route.
• The U.S. paid $10 million.

Compromise of 1850

• Series of laws to settle the issue of slavery in newly acquired territories.
• California admitted as a free state.
• Fugitive Slave Act strengthened.

Brooks-Sumner Affair

• Political violence between Senator Charles Sumner and Representative Preston Brooks.
• Sparked by strong debates on slavery.
• Marked escalating tensions over slavery.

Wilmot Proviso

• Proposed amendment to the 1846 appropriations bill.
• Prohibited slavery in any new territory acquired from Mexico.
• Failed to pass Congress, but highlighted the growing sectional divide.

Popular Sovereignty

• The principle that the people of a territory or state should decide the issue of slavery for themselves.
• Part of the Compromise of 1850 & the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

• 1854 legislation.
• Allowed popular sovereignty in Kansas and Nebraska.
• Repealed the Missouri Compromise.

Bleeding Kansas

• Period of violence in Kansas Territory.
• Result of conflicts over the issue of slavery as part of the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Republican Party

• Political party formed in opposition to the expansion of slavery.

Lincoln/Douglas Debates

• Series of debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas.
• Focus on the issue of slavery.
• Highlighted the differences between their positions on popular sovereignty and slavery's morality.

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

• Anti-slavery novel.
• Exposé of the cruelty of slavery.
• Increased public support for abolition.

Dred Scott Decision

• Landmark Supreme Court decision in 1857.
• Ruled that enslaved people were not citizens and could not sue in court.
• Declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional.

John Brown

• Abolitionist who advocated for violent action against slavery.

Election of 1860

• Abraham Lincoln's election as president.
• Triggered the secession of Southern states.

Confederate Economy

• Relied heavily on agriculture, particularly cotton production.
• Limited industrial development.

Battle of Antietam

• Crucial battle in the Civil War.
• Union victory.

Emancipation Proclamation

• Executive order issued by President Lincoln.
• Declared slaves in Confederate territory to be free.

Battle of Gettysburg

• Major turning point in the Civil War.
• Union victory.

Gettysburg Address

• Speech by President Lincoln.
• Honored fallen soldiers and reaffirmed the principles of the nation.

Ulysses S Grant

• Union General.
• Achieved decisive victories and led the Union army to victory.

George McClellan

• Union General.
• Known for his careful planning, but sometimes criticized for slowness and indecisiveness.

Reconstruction

• Period after the Civil War.
• Process of rebuilding the South and integrating formerly enslaved African Americans into society.

Lincoln's 10% Plan

• Presidential Reconstruction plan.
• States could rejoin the Union once 10% of their voters pledged loyalty and support for the Constitution.

Andrew Johnson

• President after Abraham Lincoln's assassination.
• Implemented a lenient Reconstruction plan.

Wade Davis Bill

• Radical Republican plan for Reconstruction.
• Required majority of a state's voters to pledge allegiance to the Union.

Military Reconstruction

• Period of Reconstruction when the federal government used military force to enforce Reconstruction policies in the South.

13th Amendment

• Abolished slavery.

14th Amendment Citizenship

• Defined citizenship and granted equal protection under the law.

15th Amendment

• Granted African American men the right to vote.

Black Codes

• Southern laws that restricted the freedom and rights of African Americans.

Dive into pivotal moments in American history such as the Missouri Compromise, the Texas Revolution, and the Battle of Fort Sumter. This quiz covers essential events, their causes, and implications on U.S. territory and government. Test your knowledge on how these events shaped the nation.