Key Terms

antebellum: a term meaning “before the war” and used to describe the decades before the American Civil War began in 1861
cash crop: a crop grown to be sold for profit instead of consumption by the farmer’s family
concurrent majority: a majority of a separate region (that would otherwise be in the minority of the nation) with the power to veto or disallow legislation put forward by a hostile majority
cotton boom: the upswing in American cotton production during the nineteenth century
cotton gin: a device, patented by Eli Whitney in 1794, that separated the seeds from raw cotton quickly and easily
domestic slave trade: the trading of slaves within the borders of the United States
Ostend Manifesto: the secret diplomatic memo stating that if Spain refused to sell Cuba to the United States, the United States was justified in taking the island as a national security measure
paternalism: the premise that southern white slaveholders acted in the best interests of their slaves
polygenism: the idea that blacks and whites come from different origins
second middle passage: the internal forced migration of slaves to the South and West in the United States