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| Texas won independence in 1836, but was not admitted to the Union until 1845 due to the issue of adding a slave state |
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| the Whig Party candidate, Henry Clay opposed annexation of Texas; the Democrat, James Polk supported annexation and Americas' right to the Oregon territory and won a narrow victory |
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| U.S. annexation of Texas in 1845 led to Mexico breaking diplomatic relations with the U.S. President Polk claimed the Rio Grande as the southern boundary, while Mexico claimed the Nueces River. following a fight, Polk declared, "Mexico has shed blood on American Soil" Congress declares war on May 13, 1846. |
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| opponent of the Mexican War, wrote "Civil Disobedience" urging passive resistance to laws in response to government injustice--this essay influenced MLK's non-violent protest movement in 1950s-60s |
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| the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo |
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| Mexico lost one-third of its territory: New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, California, & parts of Wyoming & Colorado= 500,000 miles. the U.S. paid $15 million to Mexico |
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| Consequences of the Mexican War |
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1. the acquired territories transformed the U.S. into a Continental nation from the Atlantic to the Pacific (Manifest Destiny fullfilled)
2. the new territories ignited a bitter debate about the extension of slavery: New Englanders opposed adding slave states/ Southerners favored slavery
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| The Wilmot Proviso (1846) |
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| an attempt to bar slavery from territory acquired from Mexico. Anti-Slavery coalition formed the Free-Soil Party in support, arguing that white men should not have to compete with slave labor for work. Southerners saw it as the beginning of attack against slavery. passed the House of Reps. twice, but was defeated by the Senate, sparking sectional tensions that would lead to Civil War in 1861 |
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attempt by Senator Henry Clay to lower tensions over slavery. passed with the help of Stephen Douglas, it contained the following:
1. admitted California as a free state 2. abolished the slave trade in Washington D.C. 3. delayed a decision on whether Oregon & New Mexico territories would be free or slave states 4. enacted the controversial Fugitive Slave Act
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| the most controversial part of the Compromise of 1850 because it required Northern States to enforce slavery by capturing and returning runaway slaves to their masters and charge anyone who aided a slave. this act was defied openly by many people and intensified anti-slavery feelings among abolitionists. |
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| a dedicated abolitionist who wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin in 1852, which exposed the cruelty of slavery to the American public. this book intensified anti-slavery feelings in the North, but was resented in the South |
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| the idea of letting settlers of a territory have the sole right to decide whether or not slavery would be permitted within its borders. proposed by Stephen Douglas in the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 |
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| the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 |
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| a law that called for the settlers of the two territories to decide on the issue of slavery. the Act outraged Northerners who claimed it violated the Missouri Compromise of 1820 which banned slavery north of the 36*30' line. the anti-slavery movement led to the creation of the Republican Party, which replaced the Whig Party |
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| settlers rushed into Kansas and established two governments: one pro-slavery minority supported by Democrats, and an anti-slavery one representing the majority of the population supported by Republicans. armed groups from both sides led to violence that killed 56 people over a 4 year period prior to the Civil War |
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| John Brown & the Raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia |
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| a militant abolitionist who had fought & killed pro-slavery settlers during the Bleeding Kansas period. In 1859, he led a raid against the federal weapons depot in Virginia hoping to arm slaves and lead a revolt against slave-owners. he was captured and executed, but his actions inspired some in the anti-slavery movement |
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the Dred Scott case (1857)
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Dred Scott was a slave who had moved with his master to the free state of Illinois & territory of Wisconsin. he sued for his freedom, arguing that living in a free state made him a freeman. the Supreme Court, led by Roger Taney ruled slaves & free blacks were NOT citizens, but property with no rights under the Constitution. |
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| Consequences of John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry |
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1. the raid set off a wave of fear in the South, spreading rumors of slave insurrections
2. the panic shut down criticism of slavery in the South, with many linking John Brown to the "Black Republican" Party
3. despite its failure, John Brown was seen as a martyr for the anti-slavery cause
4. the raid intensified the sectional (north vs south) bitterness that led to disunion following the election of 1860
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| Consequences of the Dred Scott case |
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1. the decision repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820, ruliing that Congress could not limit the spread of slavery in the territories.
2. during the Lincoln-Douglas debates, Douglas lost support from Southerners by stating that territories could prevent slavery by not passing slave codes defining owner's rights (the Freeport Doctrine). Lincoln would win the 1860 election.
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Democrats were divided between northeners who supported Stephen Douglas and his promise of non-interference on the slavery issue & Southerners who supported pro-slavery John Breckinridge. Republicans chose Lincoln on a platform opposing the expansion of slavery into the western territories. Lincoln won all 18 Free-states, but lost all Southern states, reflecting the regional divisions in the country. |
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