Download - Key People and Events
-
JustinKersey3rdHourAPUSH
Unit6KeyPeopleandEvents
1) LincolnsHouseDividedSpeecha) OnJune16,1858AbrahamLincolngavehisfamousspeechinSpringfield,
Illinoisinfrontof1,000delegates.ItwasheretheydecidedtoelectAbrahamLincolnastheircandidatetorunforsenateagainstStephenA.Douglas.
b) Theimportanceofthisspeechisnotnecessarilytoldbutratheractedout.Actedoutintheformofawarwhichwasoverthefightforslavery.Whathisspeechreallydidwasactivatemorefeelingsforhowtheunioncouldonlybeoneway,withorwithoutslavery.
2) LincolnDouglasDebatesa) TheLincolnDouglasDebateswereaseriesofsevendebatesthroughoutthe
stateofIllinois.TheyweredebatesbetweentheRepublicancandidateAbrahamLincolnandDemocratStephenA.Douglas.ThesedebatesweretodeterminewhowonthestateofIllinoisintheirquestforthesenateseat.
b) TheimportanceofthesedebatesisthatitnotonlyraisedAbrahamLincolnspopularityandnotabilitybutalsobroughtabouttherealityofwhatthenationwillface.ElectingStephenDouglasonlydelayedtheinevitable,andLincolnknewit.
3. JamesK.Polka. JamesK.PolkwasthelastsuccessfulpresidentoftheUnitedStatesbeforethe
startofthecivilwar.Hewasmostnotedforhissuccessintheforeignaffairsportion.HesuccessfullynegotiatedthedisputewiththeOregonterritoryandlatercompletedtheannexationofTexas.
b. Hewasimportanttoourhistoryasheisanimportantreasonwhywewereabletograbasmuchlandaswedid.SuccessfullynegotiatingwithBritainandlaterbeatingMexicooutforlandwasamajorpartintheexpansionoftheU.S.
4. TreatyofGuadalupeHidalgoa. TheTreatyofGuadalupeHidalgowasapeacetreatybetweentheUnited
StatesandMexico.ItwasnamedtheTreatyofGuadalupeHidalgobecauseitwassignedintheVilladeGuadalupeHidalgo.ItwassignedonFebruary2,1848andofficiallyendedtheMexicanAmericanWar.
b. TheimportancebehindtheTreatyofGuadalupeHidalgoisthatitsettledtheproblemswithMexicoandtheU.S.alongwithitgavetheU.S.moreland.Inretrospect,theUnitedStatesgainedmorelandthanmoneytheypaidtoMexicoforthewar.
5. TheWilmotProvisoa. TheWilmotProvisowasaProvisointroducedbyDavidWilmotin1846that
statedthatallterritoriesandstatesgainedbytheMexicanAmericanWarweretobebannedofslavery.AtfirstitmadeitthroughtheHouseof
-
RepresentativesbutfailedintheSenatesincetherewasamuchmorepowerfulpresenceofthesouth.
b. Animportantfeatureoftheprovisowasthatitbroughtabouttheissueofthedivisionofslaveryandwhichstatesitwasallowedtobebroughtinto.Theprovisowasneverpassedbutdidmakecompromisesmuchmoredifficultsinceneithersidewantedtogivetheterritoriesup.
6. PopularSovereigntya. PopularSovereigntyinthe1850swasthebeliefthatthestateshadtheirown
choiceastowhethertheywantedtobeaslavestateorafreestate.Itwasthebeliefthatifthestatewantedtobeaslavestatetheyhadtodonothingandiftheywantedtobefreetheyjusthadtoenactlawsagainstit.
b. PopularSovereigntywasimportanttothehistoryoftheUnitedStatesbecauseitbeganthewholeideaofborderruffians.Whereslaveholderswouldcrossbordersandvoteforthestatetobecomeaslavestate.
7. FreeSoilPartya. TheFreeSoilPartywasasmalltimepoliticalpartyaroundforonlytwo
elections.ItwasmadeupofantislaverymemberswhomostcommonlycamefromtheWhigpartyandtheDemocratic.ItwascentralizedmostlyinNewYorkduringthemid1800s.
b. TheFreeSoilPartywasanimportantgrouptothehistoryoftheUnitedStatesbecauseitwasamajoractorintheabolitionofslavery.Theyplayedamajorroleintheabolitioningofslaveryaswelltheuproarleadingtothecivilwar.
8. TheCompromiseof1850a. TheCompromiseof1850wasaseriesofbillsthatsettledthedisputebetween
thenorthandthesouthaboutwhattodowiththelandthatwasobtainedfromthemexicanamericanwar.ThecompromiseonlybecamepossibleafterthedeathofpresidentZacharyTaylor.
b. Theimportancetohistoryisthefactthatitsettledthedisputebetweenthenorthandsouth.Notapermanentsolution,butitwasenoughtoofferpeacebetweenthestatesforthetimebeing.
9. FugitiveSlaveActa. TheFugitiveSlaveActwasapartoftheCompromiseof1850.Itstatedthatany
blackpersonwhowasorisaslaveandlivinginthefreenorthcanbecapturedandreturnedtotheirmaster.Itwasawidelydisputedandcontroversialpartsofthecompromise.
b. ItisimportanttothehistoryoftheU.S.becauseitwasamajorfactortothestartoftheCivilWar.Itmadethenorthrealizehowseveretheissueofslaverywasandmadepeoplewanttodoasmuchastheypossiblycouldtostopitbeforeitspreadoutwest.
10. UncleTomsCabina. UncleTomsCabinwasanantislaverynovelwrittenbyHarrietBeecherStowe
in1852.Itwasthesecondbestsellingnovelofitstime,followingonlytheBible.InAmericaover300,000copiesweresoldandinBritain1,000,000.
-
b. ThenovelwasoneofthemoreimportantfactorstotheCivilWar.Itshowedtherealityofaslaveseverydaylifeandhighlightedhowdreadfulandawfultheirlivesreallywere.InthewordsofWillKaufmanthenovel,helpedlaythegroundworkfortheCivilWar.
11. FranklinPiercea. FranklinPiercewasthe14thpresidentoftheUnitedStatesandwas,sotosay,
afailure.Hewasunabletokeeppeacebetweenthenorthandsouthandduetothisinability,keptthecountryonthepathtothecivilwar.Eventhoughhewasanortherndemocrat,hesawtheabolitionofslaveryasathreattotheunionoftheU.S.
b. Mr.FranklinPiercewasanimportantmaninthehistoryoftheUnitedStatesduetothefactthathewasamainreasonoftheCivilWar.Hewasalmostthecauseofitbytryingtokeepbothsideshappy,whichneverworked.Duetohisinabilitytokeepthepeace,italmostspeduptheprocessoftheCivilWar.
12. StephenA.Douglasa. StephenDouglaswasapoliticianfromIllinois.HewasamemberoftheHouse
ofRepresentativesandtheSenateandnominatedforpresidentintheelectionof1860.HedefeatedAbrahamLincolninthe1860electionandwasnicknamedLittleGiantforbeingshortinappearancebutpowerfulinthewayhecarriedhimself.
b. HewasimportanttothehistoryofthiscountrybecausehedevelopedtheKansasNebraskaActandbelievedharshlyinpopularsovereignty.BystealingthesenateseatfromAbrahamLincolninthe1850s,hewasabletodelaythesecedingofthesouthforabitlongeraswellastheCivilWar.
13. TheKansasNebraskaBilla. TheKansasNebraskaBillcreatedthenewterritoriesofNebraskaandKansas.
ThebillalsohadtheeffectofarepealontheMissouriCompromise,meaningthatthebillallowedpeople,specificallywhitemales,tocrossthebordersandvoteinthepopularsovereigntyonwhetherornotthestatewouldbeintroducedasaslaveornonslavestate.
b. TheKansasNebraskaBillwasimportanttohistorybecausewhenitcausedtheupsetinslavestatestofreestates,theNorthbecameangeredandwantedtodosomethingaboutit,helpingleadthewaytotheCivilWar.
14. TheRepublicanPartya. TheRepublicanPartywasformedin1854intheNorthernstatesandwas
namedsoafterThomasJeffersonspreviousparty.Itwascomposedmostlyofexwhigsandantislaveryactivists.ThemainreasonbehindtheirfoundingwasbecauseoftheKansasNebraskaBill.
b. TheRepublicanPartywasimportanttohistorybecauseitestablishedasortofoppositiontoslaveownersthathadneverbeentherebefore.ThepartywasseenastheopponenttotheDemocraticpartywhichinvolvedtheslaveholdersandslaveactivistsbuttheRepublicanPartyhaddonesomethingnoonehaddonebefore,voicetheiropinionandtakeactiononit.
-
15. TheAmerican(KnowNothing)Partya. TheAmericanParty,orKnowNothingParty,wasapartyformedwith
antiimmigrantandanticatholicismsentiments.Theywereworriedaboutthesuddenriseinimmigrantsandthefeartheyweregoingtotakeallthejobsinthemarket.Whenaskedabouttheirparty,theyweretorespondwith,Iknownothing.
b. TheKnowNothingswereanimportantfactorintheNorth.TheypreventedmoreimmigrantsfrommovinginandpreventedevenmorecatholicsfromcomingtotheUnitedStates.Asfarastheirgoalswent,theyweresuccessful.
16. BleedingKansasa. BleedingKansaswasaseriesofpoliticaleventsthattookplaceinKansas
between1854and1861thatwerecenteredaroundtheissueoftheborderruffiansandthefactofwhetherornotKansaswastobeaslavestateorafreestate.
b. TheimportanceoftheseconflictswasthattheytriedtosettletheconflictsthatweretakingplaceintheKansasNebraskaterritorybutreallyonlycausedmoreproblemsthansolutionsthroughtheirstirringupofpoliticalissues.
17. JohnBrowna. JohnBrownwasawhiteamericanabolitionistwhobelievedthattheonlyway
slaverywastobeforgottenwaswithanarmed,violentaction.Hecommittedcrimesliketreasonforrobbinganarmorywithothermentotryandstealgunsandstiruparevolution.
b. JohnBrownhadsuchanimpactonourhistorythathehimselfmayaswellhavebeentheonetodeclarethestartofthewar.HisinvasionofthearmorywasenoughtostirupthemindsoftheNorthernersandmakethemwanttotakeaction.
18. TheDredScottCasea. DredScottwasaslavefromthestateofMissouri.Hesuedhisownerforhis
freedomsincehebelieveditwashis.Whilehewasundertheownershipofhismaster,theylivedinafreestateforfouryears,whichScottlaterclaimedmadehimafreeman.
b. ThecaseandtherulingoftheDredScottcasewasoftheutmostimportance.ItprettymuchdeclaredwhethertheNorthandSouthwouldhavetofightatallornot.Duetotherulingofthecasethenorthbecametoofrustratedtojustletithappenagain.
19. JohnBrownsRaidonHarpersFerrya. JohnBrownledpeopleintoHarpersFerry,Virginiawheretherewasanarmory
located.Heinvadeditwiththeintenttodistributealltheweaponswithintoslavesinhopesofenforcingaslaverevolt.Hewaseventuallystoppedandkilled.
b. Theimportanceoftheraidonthearmorywasthatthisshowedandworriedthesouththatevenwhiteswoulddoanythingtoabolishslavery.Itshowedthat
-
eventhoughthethoughtsofwhitesbeingsuperiorwasabout,peoplewoulddoanythingtoputittorest.
20. TheCrittendenCompromise
a. TheCrittendenCompromisewasjustthe3630Compromiseredone.Itstatedthatallstateswouldobeythe3630lineforslaveryreasons.Hepassedthisactsolelytokeepthesouthfromsecedingfromtherestoftheunion,butultimatelyfailed.
b. Theimportanceofthisisthatitshowedhowdesperatethecountrywastotryandsticktogether.Itwasntevena100yearsoldandhereitis,havingacivilwarandfightingwithitselfoversomethingasstupidandsimpleasslavery.
21. TheConfederateStatesofAmericaa. TheConfederateStatesofAmericawerethesecededsouthernstatesofthe
unionthatleftduetotheissueofslavery.TheyincludedthestatesofSouthCarolina,Texas,Mississippi,Florida,Alabama,Georgia,andLouisiana.
b. TheimportanceoftheConfederateStatesisthattheynotonlywerethesouthernstatesoftheUnitedStatesbutthefacttheyactuallyseceded.Theylefttheunionandnowposedathreattotheunion.
22. TheAttackonFortSumtera. TheattackonFortSumterwasanattackonthefortbyconfederatetroops.
TheyattackedthefortonApril12,1961andindoingsocausedmorestatestosecedeandbecomeapartoftheConfederateStatesofAmerica.Virginiaactuallyendedupsplittingupintotwodifferentstatesastheycouldnotdecidewhichsidetojoin.
b. Theimportanceoftheattackisthatthisiswhatliterallystartedthewar.Manythingshelpedleaduptothispointbuttheattackwastheonetruethingthatstartedthewar.