Failed Compromises and Slavery Vocabulary

Chapter 10 pages 355-373:

Chapter 10 pages 355-373 Missouri Compromise- Compromise of 1850- Fugitive Slave Act- Nativism- Kansas-Nebraska Act- Popular sovereignty- Free Soilers- Bleeding Kansas- Bleeding Sumner- Dred Scott vs Sanford- Lincoln Douglas Debates- John Brown’s Raid- Election of 1860- Arsenal- Border States- Lower South- Secessionists- Confederate States of America- Fort Sumter- Upper South-

Missouri Compromise- :

Missouri Compromise- An agreement made in Congress in1820 proposed by Henry Clay that allowed the slave territory of Missouri to be added as a state in return for the free state of Maine to be added. The southern border of Missouri would also become the border of slave and free territories.

Compromise of 1850- :

Compromise of 1850- An agreement proposed by Henry Clay that attempted to resolve the issue of whether the land taken from Mexico would become slave or free. California would be added as a free state, the territories would determine for themselves and the fugitive slave law was added.

Fugitive Slave Act- :

Fugitive Slave Act- A law that stated that everyone in America was responsible for the return of escaped slaves.

Nativism- :

Nativism- A movement in the US to ensure that native born Americans received better treatment than immigrants.

Kansas-Nebraska Act- :

Kansas-Nebraska Act- A Congressional Act proposed by Illinois Senator Stephen Douglas that allowed the territories of Kansas and Nebraska the opportunity of popular sovereignty in regard to the slave issue thus reversing the statutes of the Missouri Compromise.

Popular sovereignty- :

Popular sovereignty- The ability for a state or territory to decide for themselves the issue of slavery or any other decision.

Free Soilers- :

Free Soilers- A political party founded in 1848 that specifically worked to end slavery in the new territories of the US.

Bleeding Kansas- :

Bleeding Kansas- A period of violence that broke out after the Kansas-Nebraska Act between pro-slave and anti-slave groups.

Bleeding Sumner- :

Bleeding Sumner- Violence in the US Capitol when South Carolina Congressman Preston Brooks savagely beat Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner with a cane after an anti-slavery speech Sumner gave. Supporters from the south sent Brooks new canes.

Dred Scott vs Sanford- :

Dred Scott vs Sanford- Supreme court decision that stated that slaves were not citizen but were in fact property and no state can deny a citizen the right of their property. Therefore the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional.

Lincoln Douglas Debates- :

Lincoln Douglas Debates- Debate between Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln during the 1858 Illinois Senate race in which Lincoln became a household name for his stance on slavery .

John Brown’s Raid- :

John Brown’s Raid- An attack on Harper’s Ferry Arsenal in which the radical abolitionists attempted a slave rebellion that ultimately failed.

Election of 1860- :

Election of 1860- The Presidential election in which Abraham Lincoln was elected despite not being on the ballot in the southern states which prompted the South to begin seceding from the Union.

Arsenal-:

Arsenal- A military barracks where weapons were stored.

Border States- :

Border States- The states including Maryland, Kentucky, Delaware, Missouri and West Virginia that had slavery but did not leave the Union.

Lower South- :

Lower South- The states including South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi that predominately relied on heavy amounts of slavery and cotton production as the main part of their economy.

Secessionists- :

Secessionists- People that chose to leave the United States government and start their own country.

Confederate States of America- :

Confederate States of America- The name given to the new country that the southern states of the United States joined.

Fort Sumter- :

Fort Sumter- A Union fort in Charleston, South Carolina’s harbor that was attacked by Confederate forces officially starting the Civil War.

Upper South-:

Upper South- The states including Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas that did not rely heavily on cotton production but left the Union when American forces were sent to invade South Carolina.