APUSH Period 5: 1865-1877

Significance: The establishment of the U.S. as a global destination contributed to the lasting culture of the U.S. as a melting pot for people all over the world. This cultural blending has also created conflict throughout U.S. history, as different peoples may not always fully understand other cultures and differences can sometimes prove divisive.

Definition: Unexplored territories, economic opportunities, and increased regional political competition facilitated the diffusion of people across the continent, made possible by new technological advancements and government incentives. Significance: With the utilization of new technologies such as expanding railroads, steamships, and canals, people were able to navigate more freely and efficiently across the continent. Expansion also played a role in the events leading up to the Civil War as people disagreed over how territories should be decided slave or free. Like in the case of Bleeding Kansas, people on opposite sides of the slavery argument flocked to Kansas to lobby for their sides.

Definition: Following the California Gold Rush of 1849 and the cultivation of the fur industry and other opportunities arising in the west, people began to move that way, shifting the center of U.S. population. People like Joseph Smith and the Mormons went west to establish a religious community, while others were motivated by things like Lincoln's Homestead Act which aimed to provide settlers with free land. Significance: Westward migration helped establish a western identity that still persists today. The Gold Rush in California played a role in the establishment of the Gold Standard as the standard for U.S. currency and Joseph Smith's Mormon settlement in Utah still has the largest concentration of Mormons in the country. The westward spread of people also facilitated economic expansion and the development of long-distance communication an transportation methods.

Definition: Popular 19th century belief that the U.S. was destined to control land from the Atlantic to the Pacific and that it was God's wish for it to be so. Significance: The U.S. embarked on a quest to gather all the territory it could through annexations, the Mexican-American War, and conflicts with Native Americans over land and resources. Once the Pacific Ocean was reached, it enabled easier trade with Asia and entrepreneurial opportunities for people like Levi Strauss who invented jeans to fulfill a new need from gold miners in California.

Definition: The U.S. annexation of Texas led to a bitter dispute with Mexico over where the border was between Mexico and Texas. After failed attempts at peace, the Mexican-American War broke out resulting in the Mexican Cession: a large acquisition of territory for the U.S. Significance: The Mexican-American War resulted in the Mexican Cession, where Mexico turned California and New Mexico over to the U.S. which contributed to the U.S.'s expanding territorial acquisition and the belief in Manifest Destiny.

Definition: The American Civil War was fought between the north and south primarily over the issue of slavery. Slavery was an integral part of the south's economy while many northerners opposed it on a moral level. Significance: The Civil War divided the country virtually in half culturally and has proven divisive even today between some still loyal to the Confederacy and the majority of the nation. It was also a very important occurrence in American history because it resulted in the abolition of slavery, which was probably the most significant development.

Definition: The expansion of technology and industry made it possible for the U.S. to adopt a more global economy by trading with Asia. The increased interaction with different cultures globalized and diversified the American culture, as seen in the Chinese immigrants who came to California for economic opportunities like gold mining and building railroads. Significance: As Chinese workers came to the United States, many native-born Americans resented Chinese competition for jobs. This resulted in the Chines Exclusion Acts of 1882 which prohibited further Chinese immigration and imposed taxes on foreigners. It also resulted in the beginning globalization of the American economy and contributed to the melting pot culture that persists today. (source: AMSCO)

Definition: International migrants came to the U.S. often seeking political refuge, economic opportunity or escape from religious persecution. During this time period, the majority still came from Western Europe, but some came from places like China, often seeking work in the expanding West. Significance: The large amount of people immigrating to the United States from Europe resulted in ethnic neighborhoods where people could be around people of their own native cultures while adjusting to life in the U.S. Some immigrants, particularly Irish Catholics, were not well received by people already living in the United States and were often refused work because of their heritage.

Definition: Up until this point in history, most European immigrants had been Protestants, often fleeing religious oppression. When Catholics began immigrating as well, many people saw them as inferior and worked to isolate them and prohibit any cultural or political influence. The goal of the Nativist Movement was to keep the American culture \"untainted.\" The political party that arose out of the Nativist Movement was the Know-Nothing Party. Significance: The Know-Nothing Party was based on opposition to foreigners, and helped weaken the Whigs, who eventually dissipated at the rise of the Republicans.The Know-Nothing Party did not last long in the political scene as the emphasis shifted from nativist sentiments to overwhelming sectional tensions between the North and South. (source: Wikipedia)

Definition: Cultural Conflict with Native Americans and Mexicans often centered around land and resource disputes as the U.S. worked to snatch up as much land and economically viable resources that it could. These conflicts could not always be resolved through negotiations, and thus they often led to warfare between parties. Significance: The competition with and gradual suppression of Native Americans and their cultures led to their being herded onto reservations and subjected to the Dawes Acts, to try to force them to integrate into American society. Their resources like buffalo used to survive and trade were largely depleted as American trappers went out seeking hides without concern for the Natives or the safe management of the buffalo population.

Definition: Because of the South's dependence on a large, cheap labor pool to maintain the Southern economy, they wished to keep the practice of slavery, while those in the North, whose economy was mostly industrial and dependent on cheap immigrant labor, didn't directly benefit from it and were then able to voice their moral concerns over any economically motivated justification for slavery. Significance: The sectional views regarding slavery and the drawing of the Missouri Compromise line in 1820 essentially drew the line for the sides to the Civil War. The North and South were so vastly different economically, socially, and culturally, that it became impossible to manage a unified nation.

Definition: The free-soil movement was made up of Northerners who may not have opposed slavery in the south, but worked to prohibit it from spreading West. They sought to keep the west \"whites only\" territory to avoid competition with slaves or freedmen for labor. Significance: The free-soil movement brought to attention the growing importance of the issue of slavery and its expansion into new territories. Southern whites saw free-soilers as infringing on their right to own property and do with it what they wished. Many proposed that the Missouri Compromise line be extended across the continent to prevent further dispute, but abolitionists became more vocal about their opposition and would play a role in the Civil War (source: AMSCO)

Definition: Abolitionists were people who were morally opposed to slavery and wished to see it abolished across the country. These efforts were fueled by activists like Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin, a novel highlighting the horrors of slavery which contributed to the abolitionist cause. Significance: Along with being a primary cause of the Civil War, abolitionist movements gave Lincoln a new audience while trying to gain support from the Union. Before the Emancipation Proclamation, the war was about keeping the South from seceding, but was eventually turned to focus on the issue of slavery as Lincoln found the base of support he needed from abolitionists. (source: AMSCO)

Definition: Supporters of slavery often used arguments citing racial inferiority of blacks when compared to whites with ideas like scientific racism, their dependency on slavery for the southern economy, and the argument that slavery was sanctioned by the Bible. Significance: Defenders of slavery made up the base of the Confederacy's support during the Civil War and largely evolved into those who most fervently opposed black integration into society. (source: AMSCO)

Definition: In the election of 1860, Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, was elected president of the Union. The south was largely against almost all of Lincoln's proposed policies, and the election led directly to the succession of the South and the start of the Civil War. Significance: Abraham Lincoln's presidential victory over Stephen Douglas was the last straw for the agitated southern population. They felt neglected by the federal government, and Lincoln's heavy Republican stance supporting abolition, industry, and support of Northern interest, left no option for them but to secede and create an independent government responsive to the regional needs of the South. (source: AMSCO)

Definition: After the Mexican-American War, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo granted the United States ownership of a large portion of what is now the American southwest, including California and New Mexico. Significance: The Mexican Cession brought controversy over slavery as seen in efforts like the Wilmot Proviso, which advocated for the prohibition of slavery in any new acquired territories. Many see the Mexican-American War and the Mexican Cession as the beginning of sectional tensions that eventually led to the Civil War. (source: AMSCO)

Definition: Dred Scott sued for his freedom, Supreme Court said he was property, not a citizen, and Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional. Significance: The Dred Scott decision made by the Supreme Court basically answered the question that slavery was indeed open to all western territories and was seen by many Northern Republicans as a conspiracy carried out by the Democratic government, and hurt the support of the Democratic party. (source: AMSCO)

Definition: The Second Party System is used to describe the period where the two main parties were the Democrats and the Whigs. The issue of slavery deeply divided the Democrats and disbanded the Whigs, giving rise to the Republicans, the Know-Nothings, although the Know-Nothings would quickly die out. Significance: The changing times of the Civil War Era called for parties with relevant focuses in the eyes of the people, which tended to be position on the issue of slavery. The new issues of import to voters resulted in a new Democratic party and the birth of the Republican party, which would take opposite positions on the legitimacy of slavery. (source: AMSCO)

Definition: Executive order put in place by Lincoln to free all slaves in the south in 1863, while allowing the north to keep slaves to maintain support for the Union. Significance: The Emancipation Proclamation was a calculated move made by Lincoln to further weaken the South's economy by freeing their labor force. In order to maintain border states' (who still relied on slavery) support for the Union, Lincoln allowed them to keep their slaves for the time being. It also brought new troops to the Union side as blacks now had a stake in the war and allowed them to push further south. (source: AMSCO)

Definition: Speech given by Lincoln to rally people around the Union cause after the retreat of the Confederacy at the battle of Gettysburg. Turning point in the war, CSA would not get support from Europe. Significance: The Gettysburg Address solidified the turning point in the war for the Union after the Battle of Gettysburg. It boosted morale and a sense of purpose in soldiers. The Confederacy needed the victory to win over European support for their cause, but the loss proved decisive as the Confederate Army would never go on the offensive again, and steadily began to lose momentum until the conclusion of the war in Appomattox, VA.

Definition: The Key to the Union victory in the Civil War rests greatly on their adopted strategy, technology, and manpower. The southern economy was dependent on foreign trade for cotton markets, so to cut off their economy, the Union blockaded their ports, and took control of the Mississippi River, effectively choking out the South in what was called the Anaconda Plan. The internal and industrial nature of the northern economy also helped the Union because they could continue production while depriving the South of manufactured goods, and they were able to raise a much larger army than the Confederacy to ensure defeat. Significance: The central organization of the Union as well as an established government and effective strategy rendered the Confederacy much weaker in comparison. Not only did the Confederacy have an incipient government, but a large part of their platform was the importance of states' rights, which hindered the South's ability to work as a cohesive unit in achieving their goals. (source: AMSCO)

Definition: After the end of the Civil War, the federal government set out to rebuild the south by establishing the states' loyalty and installing Unionist governments until state governments could be reestablished. These efforts were met with significant resistance from groups who opposed rights for blacks like the KKK, who worked to keep blacks oppressed even under Reconstruction conditions. Significance: Reconstruction efforts in the South were essentially the federal government trying to implement northern policy in the South, which didn't necessarily work because the regions were still astronomically different in almost every aspect of society. Many Reconstructionists did not anticipate the resistance they met from southern groups and helped the effort of reintegration into the Union but was not immediately as effective as some may have hoped.

Definition: 13th - outlawed slavery; 14th - granted citizenship to blacks; 15th - granted all men the right to vote. Significance: The Civil Rights Amendments, which theoretically established blacks as equal members of society as whites. Although this ideal was not immediately realized, and is still debated today among the national culture, these Constitutional Amendments started the young nation on the right path toward equality.

Definition: Effort by many women to secure equal rights (such as voting) as men after blacks secured rights. Significance: After the passing of the 14th and 15th amendments, which were designed to grant black men the same rights as white men, which prompted women to advocate for their own rights among men. The Civil Rights amendments inspired other suppressed groups to speak out for their own causes.

Definition: Typical economic endeavor for newly freed slaves. They lacked the money to be financially independent, so they would work for a farmer who gave them a piece of land in exchange for a large percentage of any profit made, thus keeping blacks dependent and maintaining a labor force. Significance: The result of the Civil War was devastating to the Southern economy which was dependent on slave labor. As the slaves were freed, many of them had no place new to go and if they did, no money to get there. The result was sharecropping, which was essentially \"slavery by another name\" and did little to advance blacks in post-war reconstruction society. (source: AMSCO)

Definition: After Reconstruction, racial tension was still very strong, segregation was proposed and maintained by the Supreme Court until the 20th century, keeping races \"separate but equal.\" Significance: Segregation defined American cultural lines and largely shaped race relations into the present-day. The idea was to prevent any cultural conflict between blacks and whites, and was put into practice by having separate public spaces for blacks and whites, including bathrooms, schools, doctor's offices, theaters, and taverns. Segregation dominated the social makeup of the U.S. until the 1960s and its effects can still be seen today.