Chapter 15: A Divided Nation

Popular sovereignty: The idea that political authority belongs to the people

Sectionalism: A devotion to the interests of one geographic region over the country as a whole

Harriet Beecher Stowe: she was an abolitionist and author of the famous anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

Stephen Douglas: American politician and pro-slavery nominee for president , he debated Abraham Lincoln about slavery during the Illinois senatorial race.

Dred Scott: Enslaved African who filed suit for his freedom stating that his time living in a free state made him a free man; the Supreme Court ruling known as the Dred Scott decision upheld slavery and found Missouri Compromise unconstitutional.

Abraham Lincoln: Sixteenth president of the United States, he promoted equal rights for African-Americans in the Lincoln- Douglas debates. His election set in motion the Civil War and issued the Emancipation Proclamation. He was determined to preserve the Union.

John Brown’s raid An incident in which abolitionist John Brown and 21 other men captured a federal arsenal in Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, in hope of starting a slave revolt

Secession: The act of formally withdrawing from the Union.

Confederate States of America: The nation formed by the southern states when they seceded from the Union; also known as the Confederacy.

Jefferson Davis: First and only president of the Confederate States of America