Key Information About US History

Period of American history (roughly 1815-1825) marked by apparent national unity, but underlying tensions.

Loyalty or support to a particular region or section of the country, often to the detriment of national unity.

Post-War of 1812 plan to promote economic growth through internal improvements (roads, canals) and a national bank, along with protective tariffs.

Period (1790s-1850s) of significant change in the US economy; shift towards a national market, industrialization, and new technologies.

First major financial crisis in US history.

1820 agreement to temporarily resolve the slavery issue by admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state.

Increased manufacturing and production using machines rather than hand tools.

Growth of settlements and influence of the United States into western territories.

People who disagreed with Andrew Jackson's policies, particularly his use of executive power and vetoing the national bank.

Whigs generally supported a strong federal government to promote economic growth through tariffs and infrastructure projects.

Forced removal of Cherokee Native Americans from their ancestral lands to new Indian Territory.

Whig president; his brief tenure marked by unexpected succession by John Tyler.

The belief that the United States was destined to expand its territory across the entire North American continent.

Polk wanted to acquire Oregon, Texas, and California from Mexico to expand the territory of US.

Disputes over land boundaries, particularly the territory along the Rio Grande.

Internal divisions over slavery ultimately led to the decline and eventual fragmentation of the Whig Party.

A 1854 law that allowed new territories (Kansas and Nebraska) to decide on the issue of slavery by popular sovereignty, leading to increased conflict.

A new political party formed in the 1850s in opposition to the expansion of slavery.

Violence between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers in Kansas Territory due to the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

1857 Supreme Court ruling declaring African Americans were not citizens and Congress couldn't restrict slavery in the territories.

An 1859 attempt by abolitionist John Brown to start a slave rebellion by seizing a federal armory at Harper's Ferry.

The election where the Democrats split, leading to a Republican victory by Abraham Lincoln, a key event in the lead-up to the Civil War.

The principle that citizens of a territory should decide whether or not to permit slavery.

A person who advocated for the complete end of slavery.

Texas declared independence from Mexico in 1836 after the Texas Revolution, forming the Republic of Texas. However, Mexico did not recognize Texas as an independent nation.

The dispute between Mexico and the U.S. centered around the southern border of Texas. Mexico claimed the Nueces River as the border, while Texas and later the U.S. claimed the Rio Grande.

The U.S. annexed Texas in 1845, making it a U.S. state. Mexico viewed this as a hostile act, leading to increased tensions.

The area between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande was claimed by both Mexico and the U.S., causing tension.

In 1846, President James K. Polk sent U.S. troops into the disputed region near the Rio Grande. A skirmish broke out, giving Polk justification for a declaration of war.

The treaty ended the U.S.-Mexican War in 1848. Mexico ceded Texas, the disputed lands, and vast territories (California, Arizona, New Mexico, etc.) to the U.S. confirming the Rio Grande as Texas's southern border.

The war intensified tensions over slavery in the newly acquired territories, which contributed to the lead-up to the Civil War.

The Union aimed to cripple the Confederate economy by blocking their trade routes and preventing them from getting supplies. This was a key strategy for winning the war.

Enslaved people who escaped to Union lines or lived in border states were allowed to join the Union Army, fighting for their freedom and against slavery.

In August 1862, Lincoln declared the main goal of the Union was to preserve the nation and end slavery. This clarified the war's purpose.

Congress approved the 13th Amendment in January 1865, officially abolishing slavery in the United States.

Andrew Johnson, Lincoln's Vice President, was a Southern slaveholder who supported emancipation but opposed the Confederacy. He became President after Lincoln's assassination.

The period after the Civil War, from 1865 to 1867, where President Andrew Johnson oversaw the process of rebuilding the South and reintegrating Confederate states into the Union.

Established in 1865, the Freedmen's Bureau helped freed people with basic needs like housing, education, and legal assistance. It also tried to redistribute land, but this effort was unsuccessful.

A common labor system in the South after the Civil War where former slaves worked on land owned by others, paying a share of their crops as rent. This system often led to debt and continued economic dependence.

Many Americans, especially politicians like James K. Polk and settlers moving west. However, it was opposed by Native Americans, Mexicans, and some Americans who feared expansion would spread slavery.

It promoted beliefs in American superiority, offered economic opportunity, fulfilled territorial ambition, and addressed population growth in Eastern cities.

Through diplomacy, like the Oregon Treaty with Britain, and war, such as the Mexican-American War, which led to significant territorial gains for the US.

A war between the United States and Mexico caused by disputes over land boundaries, particularly the territory along the Rio Grande. The US won the war and gained significant territories, including Texas, California, and Arizona.

A treaty that officially ended the Mexican-American War. In it, Mexico ceded land in the Southwest to the United States, confirming Texas as part of the US and granting the US control over the Rio Grande border.

It resulted in massive U.S. expansion and territorial gains, led to the California Gold Rush, and created new opportunities for farmers who sought cheaper and more land.

The act of eleven Southern states withdrawing from the United States following the election of Abraham Lincoln, who was against the expansion of slavery. This led to the American Civil War.