ID Terms

Front

Frederick Douglass (1845)

Back

Frederick Douglass was an escaped enslaved person and abolitionist who published his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, in 1845. His writing exposed the brutality of slavery and demonstrated how literacy empowered him to seek freedom. Douglass became a leading voice for abolition and equal rights, influencing the fight for justice in the 19th century.

Front

Sherman’s March (1864)

Back

Sherman’s March was a military campaign during the Civil War led by Union General William Tecumseh Sherman in 1864. His troops marched from Atlanta to Savannah, destroying infrastructure and resources in a “scorched earth” strategy. This campaign weakened the Confederacy’s ability to fight and demoralized the Southern population, hastening the end of the war.

Front

Martha Ballard (1785)

Back

Martha Ballard was a midwife in New England who kept detailed diary entries starting in 1785. Her records provide a rare glimpse into the daily lives of women, medical practices, and community dynamics in the late 18th century. Her diary highlights the essential but often overlooked role of women in pre-industrial American society.

Front

Lowell System (1823)

Back

The Lowell System, introduced in 1823 in Lowell, Massachusetts, was a labor system that employed young women in textile mills under strict supervision. It marked the shift to industrialization and the use of the division of labor in the U.S. While it provided job opportunities, it also exposed workers to harsh conditions and long hours.

Front

Slave Power Conspiracy (1856)

Back

The Slave Power Conspiracy was the Northern belief in the 1850s that Southern slaveholders controlled the federal government to expand slavery. Events like the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) and the Dred Scott Decision (1857) fueled these fears. This belief increased tensions between the North and South, contributing to the outbreak of the Civil War.

Front

Black Codes (1865)

Back

Black Codes were laws enacted in Southern states in 1865 after the Civil War to restrict the freedoms of newly emancipated Black Americans. These laws limited rights such as voting, property ownership, and employment. The Black Codes led to the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment (1868) to protect the civil rights of African Americans.