A Nation Divided 1845-1865

The 16th president of the U.S. from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. Abraham Lincoln. He led the country during the Civil War and abolished slavery.

A fugitive slave whose capture and transport back to Virginia generated public outrage. Anthony Burns. He was an escaped slave whose arrest in Boston highlighted the injustices of the Fugitive Slave Act and increased anti-slavery sentiment in the North.

A statesman and leader of the anti-slavery forces in Massachusetts. Charles Sumner was a U.S. Senator and key figure in the abolitionist movement before the Civil War.

A series of laws that defused a political confrontation between slave and free states. Compromise of 1850. It was a set of laws meant to ease tensions between Northern and Southern states over the issue of slavery.

An unrecognized republic in North America that existed from 1861 to 1865. Confederacy. The Confederacy was a group of Southern states that seceded from the United States, leading to the American Civil War.

A U.S. third party active during the 1860 elections, consisted of former Whigs. Constitutional Union Party. The Constitutional Union Party aimed to preserve the Union and avoid secession by focusing solely on upholding the Constitution and ignoring the slavery issue.

An enslaved African American who unsuccessfully sued for his freedom. Dred Scott was a man whose 1857 Supreme Court case decision denied citizenship and legal rights to African Americans, deepening national tensions over slavery.

The 14th president of the United States 1853 - 1857. Franklin Pierce. Franklin Pierce was a U.S. president known for his pro-Southern policies, which worsened tensions leading up to the Civil War.

A political party which was opposing the expansion of slavery to the west of the U.S. Free-Soil Party. The Free-Soil Party was a short-lived political group in the mid-1800s that sought to prevent the spread of slavery into newly acquired western territories.

A statement by Douglas that states have right to choose if slavery is permitted. Freeport Doctrine. The Freeport Doctrine was an idea by Stephen Douglas in 1858 suggesting that territories could effectively exclude slavery by refusing to adopt laws establishing or protecting it.

A law that provided for the return of slaves who escaped from one state into another. Fugitive Slave Law. This law required that escaped enslaved individuals be returned to their enslavers in the states they fled from.

An abolitionist and author best known for her novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin. Harriet Beecher Stowe. She was a writer who helped inspire the anti-slavery movement in the 19th century United States.

The 15th president of the United States 1857 - 1861, James Buchanan. He was the president before the Civil War and struggled to prevent it.

The only President of the Confederate States of America 1861 - 1865 was Jefferson Davis. He led the southern states that seceded from the United States during the Civil War.

The Constitutional Union Party's presidential candidate in the election of 1860, John Bell. John Bell was a politician who tried to keep the United States united by avoiding taking a strong position on slavery.

An effort by abolitionist John Brown to initiate a slave revolt in Southern states. John Brown's raid. John Brown's raid was an 1859 attempt to start an armed slave revolt by capturing the U.S. arsenal at Harpers Ferry.

A vice president of the U.S. until he joined the Confederate Army, John C. Breckinridge. He was a political leader who served as the 14th Vice President of the United States and later became a general in the Confederate Army during the Civil War.

An explorer of the Western US, a Senator from California, and an opponent of slavery. John C. Fremont was a 19th-century American figure known for his exploration of the West and his anti-slavery stance.

A statesman and founder of the Constitutional Union Party, John J. Crittenden. He was a key political figure in the 19th century, known for his efforts to prevent the Civil War through the Crittenden Compromise.

An act that made the territories of Kansas and Nebraska which could choose slavery status. Kansas-Nebraska Act. The Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed the territories to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery, leading to increased tensions between pro- and anti-slavery groups.

A debates between Lincoln and Douglas to win control of the Illinois General Assembly. Lincoln-Douglas debates. The Lincoln-Douglas debates were a series of seven debates in 1858 focusing on slavery and its expansion in the United States.

The authority of a government is created and sustained by its people through elected representatives. Popular sovereignty. Popular sovereignty is the idea that the power of a government comes from the consent of the people it governs.

An incident happened in Kansas where five pro-slavery settlers were killed Pottawatomie Massacre. The Pottawatomie Massacre was a violent attack led by abolitionist John Brown in 1856, during the Bleeding Kansas conflict, aiming to resist pro-slavery forces.

A politician who was a strong advocate of slavery and states' rights, Preston Brooks. In history, Preston Brooks is known for assaulting Senator Charles Sumner with a cane in 1856 over a slavery-related dispute.

An one of the two major political parties in the U.S. is the Republican Party. The Republican Party, founded in 1854, is a major political party in the United States that traditionally supports limited government and conservative policies.

The Chief Justice who ruled that African Americans could not be considered citizens. Roger B. Taney. He was the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court who delivered the Dred Scott decision in 1857, which denied citizenship to African Americans.

When part of one country breaks away or leaves that country to start a new country. Secede. In history, secede means that a region or state decides to leave its current country to form a new, independent nation.

A different lifestyles, customs, and the political values of the North and the South. Sectionalism. Sectionalism is the division and loyalty to a specific region's interests, often leading to conflict, as seen in pre-Civil War USA.

A nominee for president but was defeated by Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Douglas. Stephen Douglas was an influential American senator known for the Kansas-Nebraska Act and debates with Lincoln over slavery.

An anti-slavery novel by author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Uncle Tom's Cabin. This influential book highlighted the harsh realities of slavery and contributed to the growing anti-slavery movement in the 19th-century United States.

An unsuccessful proposal to ban slavery in territory acquired from Mexico. Wilmot Proviso. The Wilmot Proviso was an attempt to prohibit slavery in land gained from the Mexican-American War.