APUSH Unit 5 (1844-1877)

• What belief drove Americans to move west during the first half of the 19th century?

  Manifest Destiny
• What was the widely held belief regarding America's expansion from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean?


  It was believed that America was destined to conquer all land from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.
• How did Americans justify their expansion under Manifest Destiny?


  They believed it was divinely ordained and thus inevitable and justified.
• What concept was Manifest Destiny rooted in?


  American Exceptionalism and Anglo-Saxon racial and cultural superiority.
• What sectional tensions arose as America expanded westward?


  The Northern and Southern states developed into increasingly different regions.
• How did the North and South differ during this period?

  The North was increasingly urbanized and industrialized, while the South remained predominantly rural and agrarian.
• What movement began to challenge the institution of slavery in the South?


  An increasingly vocal abolitionist movement.
• How did Southerners defend slavery?


  They defended it as a natural institution beneficial to both master and slave, known as southern paternalism.
• What was the impact of westward expansion on the issue of slavery?


  It repeatedly brought the issue of slavery to the forefront of American society and politics, fracturing the Union.
• What was the Texas Revolution?


  It was the conflict in which American settlers in Texas declared independence from Mexico.
• Who led the Texas rebels to victory in 1836?


  Sam Houston
• Why did Texas remain an independent republic from 1836 to 1845?


  Antislavery advocates in the U.S. government opposed its admission, fearing it would upset the balance between free and slave states.
• What was James K. Polk's campaign slogan in the 1844 election?


  “54-40 or Fight!”
• What territories did Polk seek to secure during his presidency?


  The Oregon Territory, Texas, and the southwest from Mexico.
• What was the outcome of the Oregon Treaty under Polk's administration?


  The U.S. split the Oregon Territory with Britain.
• What did Polk offer to buy from Mexico in 1845?


  California for $25 million
• What event instigated the Mexican-American War?


  Polk ordered General Zachary Taylor and American troops to the disputed border area between Mexico and Texas.
• What was the slogan used by Polk regarding the war with Mexico?


  “American blood has been spilled on American soil!”
• What was the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo?


  It was the agreement in which Mexico handed over the northern third of its territory to the U.S. after the war.
• What was the significance of the land acquired from the Mexican-American War?


  It reignited the debate over the expansion of slavery in the western territories.
• What political party was created in response to the expansion of slavery into western territories?

  The Free-Soil Party
• What was the Wilmot Proviso?


  A bill proposed to prohibit the expansion of slavery into the territory acquired in the Mexican-American War.
• Why did the Wilmot Proviso never pass?


  It was blocked by the southern-dominated Senate.
• What was the Compromise of 1850?


  A package of 5 bills seeking to appease both free and slave states regarding the status of territories acquired from Mexico.
• What was one of the key provisions of the Compromise of 1850 regarding California?


  California would enter the Union as a free state.
• What did the new Fugitive Slave Law mandate?


  All citizens assist in the capture and return of runaway slaves and denied enslaved people a jury trial.
• What did the Compromise of 1850 outlaw in Washington D.C.?


  It outlawed the slave trade, but not slavery.
• How did the Compromise of 1850 address the New Mexico and Utah Territories?


  They would be open to slavery via popular sovereignty.
• What was the impact of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin?


  It portrayed the horrors of slavery and increased support for the abolition movement in the North.
• What was the Kansas-Nebraska Act?


  It allowed the citizens of Kansas and Nebraska to vote on whether or not to allow slavery in their territories.
• Why was the Kansas-Nebraska Act significant?


  It repealed the Missouri Compromise and opened states north of the line to slavery via popular sovereignty.
• What was the result of the Kansas-Nebraska Act on political parties?


  It led to the collapse of the Whig Party and the formation of the Republican Party.
• What was Bleeding Kansas?


  It was the violence that broke out between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in Kansas.
• Who were the Border Ruffians?


  Pro-slavery settlers from Missouri who flooded into Kansas.
• What was the Dred Scott Decision?


  It ruled that slaves and free African-Americans are not citizens and have no right to sue in court.
• What did the Dred Scott decision say about slavery in territories?


  It stated that the federal government doesn’t have the power to ban slavery in a territory or state.
• How was the Dred Scott decision received in the North and South?


  It was praised in the South and denounced in the North.
• Who participated in the Lincoln-Douglas Debates?


  Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas
• What was the main focus of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates?


  The fate of slavery in America.
• What was Lincoln's position during the debates?


  He supported “free-soil” policies.