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.