U.S. History Semester Two Review

1. U.S. History Semester Two Review Mr. Webster’s Class

2. Presidents • George Washington – 1st Pres. / Father of our Country / hero of American Revolution • John Adams – XYZ Affair, Alien and Sedition Acts • Thomas Jefferson – author of Declaration of Independence / Louisiana Purchase • James Madison – Father of the Constitution / Pres. during War of 1812 • James Monroe – Era of Good Feelings / Monroe Doctrine • John Quincy Adams – author of Monroe Doctrine / son of John Adams • Andrew Jackson – common man, hero at the Battle of New Orleans / Indian Removal Act • Martin van Buren – Panic of 1837 • William Henry Harrison – hero at Tippecanoe / died after only a month in office

3. Presidents Continued • John Tyler – “Tippecanoe and Tyler too” / served in Confederate Congress • James K. Polk – President during Mexican-American War • Zachary Taylor – “Old Rough and Ready” / died in office • Millard Fillmore – Fugitive Slave Act • Franklin Pierce – Kansas-Nebraska Act • James Buchanan – lifelong bachelor • Abraham Lincoln – Emancipation Proclamation / Gettysburg Address • Andrew Johnson – first president to be impeached • Ulysses S. Grant – Union general

4. The Louisiana Purchase / Lewis and Clark • In 1803, the United States purchased Louisiana from France for $15 million. • The purchase of the Louisiana Territory doubled the size of the United States. • Jefferson chose Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to head the expedition of the newly acquired Louisiana Territory.

5. The Burr-Hamilton Duel • The Burr-Hamilton Duel arose from a long-standing animosity between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. • The Burr-Hamilton Duel took place in Weehawken, NJ, and it resulted in the death of Alexander Hamilton. • Burr was charged with murder, but was never tried. The charges were eventually dropped.

6. The War of 1812 • In the early 1800s, Britain and France were once again at war and the British began stopping American ships and forcing American sailors to join the Royal Navy. • This led to the War of 1812. • The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and Great Britain, and technically neither side won.

7. War of 1812 Events • During the War of 1812, the British burned Washington D.C. • While the presidential mansion was being evacuated, First Lady Dolley Madison was credited with saving various artifacts of national importance. • The following month, Francis Scott Key wrote the “Star Spangled Banner” after being inspired by the defense of Ft. McHenry in Baltimore.

8. Industrial Revolution • The Industrial Revolution refers to the period in which machines began performing the tasks that had typically been performed by humans. • In 1793, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin. • The cotton gin brought about a huge increase in cotton production, which in turn led to an increased demand for slaves. • Cotton quickly became the South’s staple crop. • In 1825, the Erie Canal opened and successfully connected New York City with the Great Lakes, greatly expanding trade in the region.

9. Railroads and the Telegraph • The 1st steam-powered locomotive in the United States was the Tom Thumb, built in 1830. • Railroads transformed travel and trade throughout the United States. • The telegraph was a device that used electric signals to send messages. • Samuel Morse developed a system for sending coded messages instantly along electrical wires. It eventually became known as Morse code.

10. The Missouri Compromise & Monroe Doctrine • The Missouri Compromise allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state, as long as Maine was admitted as a free state. • The compromise also prohibited slavery north of 36˚30’ north (MO Compromise Line). • In 1823, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams wrote the Monroe Doctrine, which warned European powers to stay out of American affairs.

11. Indian Removal Act / Trail of Tears • In 1830, President Jackson pushed the Indian Removal Act through Congress, which forced Native Americans to relocate to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma). • When the Cherokee refused to relocate, the federal government sent troops to enforce the relocation. • This forced journey is known as the Trail of Tears.

12. The Seminoles • The Seminole nation emerged from various Native American tribes, primarily the Creek, who lived in Georgia and Alabama. • Throughout the 1800s, the Seminoles and United States fought each other in a series of conflicts now known as the Seminole Wars. • The wars took place in Florida. • After the war, the Seminoles were forced to move to Indian Territory.

13. Oregon Country • Fur traders and mountain men were the first Americans to take up the challenge of living in the Oregon Country. • Beginning in the 1830s, fur traders and mountain men carved out several routes that played a vital role in western settlement. • The most popular route was the Oregon Trail.

14. Manifest Destiny • By the 1840s, many Americans believed it was the nation’s “Manifest Destiny” to extend its boundaries to the Pacific Ocean. • In 1846, this was partly achieved when the United States and Great Britain agreed to split the Oregon Country at 49˚N latitude.

15. The Texas Revolution • The Texas Revolution was fought between Texas and Mexico over the issue of Texan independence. • The most famous battle of the Texas Revolution took place at a small mission called the Alamo. • Although the Texans were defeated at the Alamo, they went on to win the war.

16. The Mexican-American War (1846-1848) • In 1845, the United States annexed Texas. Shortly after, the U.S. and Mexico began to dispute the location of the Texas-Mexico border. • Tensions eventually led to war. • The U.S. won the Mexican-American War, and as a result, acquired a great deal of land.

17. California Gold Rush /Mormons in Utah • In 1848, gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill. People from all over the world traveled to California in search of riches. • Those who arrived in 1849 were called forty-niners. • The area now known as Utah was settled by Mormons seeking religious freedom.

18. Underground Railroad • Many slaves resisted authority by running away from their owners. • Runaways were sometimes aided by the Underground Railroad, which was a network of “safe houses” owned by people opposed to slavery. • Harriet Tubman was the most famous conductor of the Underground Railroad.

19. The Abolition Movement • Abolitionists were people who opposed slavery, and wanted to put an end to it. • The American Colonization was an abolitionist society who sent freed African Americans to Africa where they founded the nation of Liberia. • In 1854, the Republican Party was founded by antislavery activists. • Many abolitionists were outraged over the outcome of Dredd Scott v. Sandford, which ruled that slaves were not citizens of the United States.

20. The Confederate States of America • Following the election of Lincoln as president, South Carolina voted to secede from the Union. • Ten other Southern states followed. Together, they formed the Confederate States of America. • Jefferson Davis was chosen as president of the CSA. • Southerners used states’ rights to justify secession.

21. The Civil War Begins • The Civil War began in 1861 when Confederate forces attacked the Union force at Fort Sumter, SC. • At the beginning of the war, President Lincoln’s original aim was not to end slavery, but to restore the Union. • On January 1, 1863, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves living in rebel territory.

22. North vs. South • Union soldiers were often called Yankees. They wore blue. • Confederate soldiers were often called Rebels. They wore gray. • Ulysses S. Grant is the best known Union general. • Robert E. Lee is the best known Confederate general.

23. Strengths and Weaknesses • When the war began, each side had advantages and disadvantages. • The North had a larger population and more resources than the South. • The South had excellent military leaders, a strong fighting spirit, and the “home court” advantage.

24. African American Soldiers • At first, the Union refused to let free African Americans enlist, but later theychanged this policy. • The Confederacy refused to consider having African Americans fight until the war’s final days. • The best-known African American regiment was the 54th Massachusetts.

25. Battles • The between the Monitor and Merrimack wasthe first battle to ever take place between ironclad warships. • The Battle of Gettysburg is often described as the turning point of the war. • The Battle of Olustee was fought in Florida, and it ended in a Confederate victory. • Sherman’s March to the Sea occurred when Sherman’s troops burned cities and crops across the state of Georgia. • Lee formally surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House, VA.

26. The Assassination of Lincoln • On April 14, 1865, actor John Wilkes Booth shot President Lincoln at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C. • The assassination was part of a larger conspiracy to kill other key government leaders.

27. Civil War Amendments • The Thirteenth Amendment outlawed slavery. • The Fourteenth Amendment defined U.S. citizenship as anyone “born or naturalized in the United States.” • The Fifteenth Amendment stated that no state could deny a person the right to vote because of race.

28. Reconstruction & President Johnson • The task of rebuilding the former Confederate states and readmitting them to the Union was called Reconstruction. • In 1868, President Andrew Johnson became the first president to be impeached, or formally charged with misconduct.

29. Ku Klux Klan & Jim Crow Laws • During Reconstruction, groups such as the Ku Klux Klan used fear and violence to deny rights to freed men and women. • By the late 1800s, many Southern states had passed so-called Jim Crow laws that forced racial segregation in almost all public places.