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Slavery
Definition: Slavery
•
The practice of owning slaves.
•
A practice in which one human
being (white American) owns
another human being (African or
African-American).
•
Slaves were taken from Africa and
brought to America to work
against their will for white
plantation (southern-farm) owners.
Examples of slavery in a sentence:
•
During the American Civil War,
the Union (the North) fought to
end the practice of slavery.
•
African American slaves were
treated badly by their owners.
•
President Abraham Lincoln ended
slavery in America.
Free State
Definition:
 A state in which slavery
was not allowed.
Example of free state in a
sentence.
 Maine entered the Union
as a free state after
Congress agreed to the
Missouri Compromise.
Slave State
Definition:
 A state in which slavery
was allowed.
Example of slave state in a
sentence.
 The slave states were
afraid that Abraham
Lincoln would end
slavery when he was
elected President of the
United States in 1860.
Compromise
Definition:

When two sides agree to give
up some demands in order to
meet somewhere in the
middle on a problem.
Example of compromise in a
sentence.

Joe wanted to hang out with
his friends until midnight,
but his parents wanted him
home by 10 PM. Joe and his
parents agreed that he could
hang out with his friends
until 11 PM, they made a
compromise.
Missouri Compromise
Definition:
 An agreement made in 1820 between
Northern (pro-slavery) lawmakers and
Southern (anti-slavery) law-makers
concerning the extension of slavery in
the territories.
Example of Missouri Compromise in a
sentence.
 The Missouri Compromise allowed
Maine to enter the Union as a free
state, Missouri to enter the Union as a
slave state, and drew an imaginary line
across the territories. Territories above
the line could enter the Union as a free
state. Territories below the line could
enter the Union as a slave state.
The Union (pre-Civil War)
Definition:
 A term used to describe the
United States during the
nineteenth century. The
United States was a union
of states.
Example of the union in a
sentence.
 When a territory met the
requirements to become a
state, it joined the union.
Sectionalism
Definition:
 A loyalty to one region of
the country instead of the
entire country.
Example of sectionalism in
a sentence.
 One of the main causes of
the civil war was
sectionalism. People in
the North and South felt a
greater loyalty to their
region than to the United
States.
Region
Definition:
 A large space or area of
a country.
Example of region in a
sentence.
 If we live in New York,
we live in the northeast
region of the country.
Slave Trade
Definition:
 The buying or selling of
African or African
American slaves by white
Americans.
Example of slave trade in
a sentence.
 The Compromise of 1850
ended the slave trade in
the nation’s capitol
(Washington D.C.).
Fugitive Slave Law
Definition:
 Northerners were forced
to arrest runaway slaves,
and give them back to
southern slave owners.
Example of the fugitive
slave law in a sentence.
 Americans living in the
North did not like the
fugitive slave law, they
wanted slavery to end.
Popular Sovereignty
Definition:
 A system that allowed people
in a territory to make their
own decision about slavery.
(If they would become a free
state or slave state.)
Example of popular
sovereignty in a sentence.
 Popular sovereignty
allowed people living in the
Mexican territories to decide
if they wanted their territory
to become a free state or
slave state.
Abolitionist
Definition:
 A person who wanted to
end slavery in the United
States.
Example of abolitionist
in a sentence.
 Harriet Tubman and
Frederick Douglass were
two African Americans
who escaped slavery and
became abolitionists.
The Underground Railroad
Definition:
 A network of secret escape
routes enslaved African
Americans followed to
reach freedom in the
North.
Example of the
Underground Railroad
in a sentence.
 Harriet Tubman was a
“conductor” of the
Underground Railroad.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)
Definition:
 An act made by Congress that
allowed Americans to settle in
the territories of Kansas and
Nebraska. The act also stated
that popular sovereignty
would be used to determine if
Kansas and Nebraska would
become free states or slave
states.
Example of Kansas-Nebraska
Act in a sentence.
 The Kansas-Nebraska Act
is an example of popular
sovereignty.
Extremist
Definition:
 A person with a very strong
political view on a topic.
Extremists can sometimes
become violent and harm
those who do not support
their beliefs.
Example of extremist in a
sentence.
 Terrorists are examples of
extremists in the twentyfirst century.
“Bleeding Kansas”
Definition:
 The term used to describe
the violence caused by proslavery and anti-slavery
extremists after the vote
on slavery in the territory
of Kansas.
Example of “Bleeding
Kansas” in a sentence.
 More than 200 people were
killed in the violence
caused by pro-slavery and
anti-slavery extremists in
“Bleeding Kansas.”
Rebellion
Definition:
 When a person or group of
people start an uprising
(fight) against a
government.
Example of rebellion in a
sentence.
 John Brown raided a
United States Army
building to steal weapons.
He wanted to give these
weapons to slaves in the
South and start a slave
rebellion.
Treason
Definition:
 A crime against the
United States
government.
Example of treason in a
sentence.
 John Brown was charged
with treason for
attacking a United States
Army building at
Harper’s Ferry, Virginia.
Secede
Definition:
 To leave or break away
from the United States.
Example of secede in a
sentence.
 South Carolina seceded
from the United States
after Abraham Lincoln
was elected president.