US History: Manifest Destiny and Conflict

Manifest Destiny

• Belief that the US had a God-given right to expand westward.
• Driven by nationalism, economic opportunity, and racial/cultural superiority.
• Led to increased sectional tensions over slavery in new territories.

54-40 or Fight!

• Slogan related to the Oregon boundary dispute with Britain.
• Expansionists wanted the US to claim the entire Oregon Territory (54°40′).
• Compromise: US and Britain agreed on the 49th parallel in 1846.

Bleeding Kansas

• Violence between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers in Kansas after the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
• Demonstrated the sectional conflict caused by "popular sovereignty".
• Highlighted the deepening division between the North and South.

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

• Proposed by Stephen Douglas to allow popular sovereignty in Kansas and Nebraska territories.
• Repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820.
• Increased tensions and contributed to the creation of the Republican Party.

Compromise of 1850

• Attempted to reduce tensions over slavery after the Mexican-American War.
• Key elements: California admitted as a free state, stricter Fugitive Slave Law, and abolished the slave trade in Washington D.C.
• Popular sovereignty applied to Utah and New Mexico.

Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852)

• Written by Harriet Beecher Stowe.
• Depicted the harsh reality of slavery, influencing abolitionist sentiment in the North.

Know-Nothing Party

• Anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic political party.
• Emerged in reaction to increased Irish and German immigration.

Homestead Act (1862)

• Offered 160 acres of free land to settlers who agreed to farm and improve the land for five years.
• Encouraged westward migration.

Harpers Ferry Raid (1859)

• Led by John Brown in Virginia.
• Aim was to incite a slave rebellion.
• Brown was captured and executed, becoming a martyr to the abolitionist movement.

Dred Scott Decision (1857)

• Supreme Court ruling by Chief Justice Taney.
• Declared enslaved people were not citizens and that Congress couldn't ban slavery in territories.
• Invalidated the Missouri Compromise.

Election of 1860

• Abraham Lincoln (Republican) was elected without Southern electoral votes.
• Triggered Southern secession, leading to the Civil War.

Republican Party's Platform on Slavery

• Opposed the expansion of slavery into new territories.
• Supported the free soil ideology.

Lincoln's Goal at the Start of the Civil War

• Primary goal was to preserve the Union, not initially focused on ending slavery.
• Later, emancipation became a significant objective.

Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

• Issued after the Union victory at Antietam.
• Freed enslaved people in rebelling Confederate states.

Suspension of Habeas Corpus

• Lincoln suspended the right of habeas corpus during the Civil War to maintain order and loyalty.
• Highly controversial due to limiting civil liberties.

Civil War: North's Advantages

• Larger population, industrial base, and transportation networks.
• Strong central government and navy.

Conscription (Draft)

• First draft implemented in the South (1862), then in the North (1863).
• Led to backlash and violence, including the New York City Draft Riots.

Sherman's March to the Sea (1864)

• General William T. Sherman's military campaign through Georgia.
• Example of total war, aimed at destroying Southern resources and morale.

10% Plan (Reconstruction Plan)

• Lincoln's lenient Reconstruction approach.
• Southern states could rejoin the Union if 10% of their voters pledged loyalty and accepted emancipation.

Radical Republicans

• Favored strict Reconstruction policies.
• Sought to protect freedmen's rights and punish the South.

14th Amendment

• Granted citizenship to all persons born in the US, including formerly enslaved people.
• Provided equal protection under the law.

15th Amendment

• Guaranteed voting rights regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
• Did not initially address gender.

Freedmen's Bureau

• Established to assist formerly enslaved people in adjusting to freedom.
• Provided education, healthcare, and employment assistance.