Civil War Key Events & Figures

Study Notes

Civil War Key Events & Figures

Missouri Compromise (1820): An agreement devised by Henry Clay to address the expanding slavery issue.
Daniel Webster: A prominent Unionist statesman known for powerful speeches.
Manifest Destiny: The belief that America was destined to expand westward.
Stephen Austin: Prominent figure in the Texas colonization efforts from Spain.
Texas Revolution (1835-1836): Texans fought for independence from Mexico, ultimately achieving it with the Battle of San Jacinto.
Santa Anna: Mexican general who played a key role in the Texas Revolution.
Battle of the Alamo (1836): A crucial battle in the Texas Revolution, resulting in Texan victory.
Texas Independence (1836): Texas won its independence from Mexico.
Mexican-American War (1846-1848): A war between the US and Mexico, resulting in territorial gains for the US.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848): Ended the Mexican-American War, giving the US significant territory; California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada.
Wilmot Proviso (proposal): An attempt to prohibit slavery in territories acquired from Mexico, leading to sectional conflicts.
49ers: Gold seekers who rushed to California during the Gold Rush.
Slavery: A major driving force behind sectionalism and conflict leading to the Civil War.
Compromise of 1850: A series of measures intended to resolve the slavery issue.
Fugitive Slave Act (1850): Part of the Compromise of 1850, it significantly increased tensions between the North and the South.
Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854): Stephen Douglas's law that overturned the Missouri Compromise and established popular sovereignty on the issue of slavery, which led to violence in Kansas. Provoked the formation of the Republican Party.
Dred Scott Decision (1857): The Supreme Court ruled that enslaved people were not citizens and could not sue. It declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional.
Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858): A series of debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas over the issue of slavery.
John Brown's Raid (1859): An anti-slavery raid led by John Brown on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, which further inflamed tensions.
Ostend Manifesto (1854): A proposal to purchase Cuba from Spain.
Secession (1860-1861): Southern states began seceding from the Union following Lincoln's election. South Carolina seceded first in December 1860.
Fort Sumter: A fort in Charleston Harbor; the firing on Fort Sumter in April 1861 marked the beginning of the Civil War.
Abraham Lincoln: Republican president elected in 1860; his presidency was linked to the Civil War
Jefferson Davis: President of the Confederate States of America.
Johnny Reb, Billy Yank: Nicknames for Confederate and Union soldiers, respectively.
Popular sovereignty: The idea that the people residing in a territory should decide whether to permit slavery.
Free Soil Party: A political party that opposed the expansion of slavery into new territories.
Abolitionists: Advocates for the complete abolition of slavery, figures like William Lloyd Garrison, Harriet Tubman, and Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Key Dates

1820: Missouri Compromise
1836: Texas Independence, Battle of the Alamo
1846-1848: Mexican-American War
1848: Gold Rush in California
1850: Fugitive Slave Act, Compromise of 1850
1854: Kansas Nebraska Act, Ostend Manifesto
1857: Dred Scott Decision
1858: Lincoln-Douglas Debates
1859: John Brown's Raid
1861: Start of the Civil War

Key Figures

Henry Clay: Author of the Missouri Compromise
Daniel Webster: Unionist statesman
Stephen Austin: Texas colonization
Santa Anna: Mexican general
Stephen Douglas: Illinois senator linked with the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and Lincoln-Douglas debates
William Lloyd Garrison: Key abolitionist
Harriet Tubman: Assisted in the Underground Railroad
Harriet Beecher Stowe: Author of Uncle Tom's Cabin
Roger Taney: Chief Justice in the Dred Scott decision
John Brown: Abolitionist who led a raid at Harper's Ferry
Abraham Lincoln: 16th president elected in 1860, played a major role in the start of the Civil War
James Buchanan: President from 1857 to 1861

Description

Test your knowledge on significant events and figures leading up to the Civil War. Explore important agreements, battles, and key individuals who shaped this crucial period in American history. From the Missouri Compromise to the Texas Revolution, discover how these elements influenced the nation's trajectory.