KEY TERMS Key Terms and People to Know for the Regents Exam
Popular Sovereignty
Popular sovereignty gave settlers the right to vote on whether slavery would be legal in their territory. The principle of popular sovereignty was an important part of the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
Kansas-Nebraska Act / Bleeding Kansas
Popular sovereignty was proposed as a way to allow settlers in Kansas/Nebraska to vote on the issue of slavery. In 1854, the phrase "Bleeding Kansas" was used to describe clashes between pro-slavery and anti-slavery groups.
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Scott had been taken to a free state, so when his master died, Scott sued for his freedom. The Supreme Court ruled that slaves are property, not citizens, and because property is protected by the Constitution, there is no such thing as a free state.
A Divided Nation
Bleeding Kansas, John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry, and the Dred Scott decision all displayed that the nation had grown increasingly divided over slavery. Sectional conflict (between the North and South) increased as the US neared the Civil War.
Slavery and States’ Rights
At the time of the Civil War, two major issues dividing the North and South were states’ rights and the status of slavery in the West. Before the Civil War, many Southern political leaders supported states’ rights (like the “right” to use slave labor).