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American History Test

Terms in this set (106)

Era of Good Feelings, 1815-24
Period of strong nationalism, economic growth, territorial expansion under the presidency of James Monroe. They believed they beat the British
Clay's "American System"
National bank, tariffs, infrastructure
Tallmadge Resolution
prohibiting no new slaves into Missouri and providing freedom at age 25 to those slaves born after the territory's admission as a state.
Missouri Compromise of 1820
Allowed Missouri to enter the union as a slave state, Maine to enter the union as a free state, prohibited slavery north of latitude 36˚ 30' within the Louisiana Territory (1820)
Depression of 1819
economic crisis that occurred after the Era of Good Feelings; occurred due to the end of the Napoleonic Wars;
Monroe Doctrine
1823 - Declared that Europe should not interfere in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere and that any attempt at interference by a European power would be seen as a threat to the U.S. It also declared that a New World colony which has gained independence may not be recolonized by Europe. (It was written at a time when many South American nations were gaining independence). Only England, in particular George Canning, supported the Monroe Doctrine. Mostly just a show of nationalism, the doctrine had no major impact until later in the 1800s.
John Q. Adams
The sixth president of the United States, who was not well-liked by citizens and accused of making a corrupt bargain to win the election. He mainly focused on the economy during his presidency.
Corrupt Bargain of 1824
In the election of 1824, none of the candidates were able to secure a majority of the electoral vote, thereby putting the outcome in the hands of the House of Representatives, which elected John Quincy Adams over rival Andrew Jackson.
Tariff of Abominations
1828 - Also called Tariff of 1828, it raised the tariff on imported manufactured goods. The tariff protected the North but harmed the South;
South Carolina Exposition and Protest
S. Carolina to protest the the "Tariff of Abominations", which seemed to favor Northern industry; introduced the concept of state interposition & became the basis for S. Carolina's Nullification Doctrine of 1833.
Doctrine of Nullification
, it said that states could nullify federal laws.
Webster-Hayne Debate
Hayne first responded to Daniel Webster's argument of states' rights versus national power, with the idea of nullification. Webster then spent 2 full afternoons delivering his response which he concluded by saying that "Liberty and Union, now and for ever, one and inseparable"
Jacksonian Democracy
A policy of spreading more political power to more people. It was a "Common Man" theme.
Kitchen Cabinet
A small group of Jackson's friends and advisors who were especially influential in the first years of his presidency. Jackson conferred with them instead of his regular cabinet. Many people didn't like Jackson ignoring official procedures, and called it the "Kitchen Cabinet" or "Lower Cabinet".
Spoils System
A system of public employment based on rewarding party loyalists and friends.
Nat Turner's Rebellion
Rebellion in which Nat Turner led a group of slaves through virginia in an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow and kill planter families
Amistad Rebellion
Successful slave revolt on a small boat. The Africans wound up in court
Indian Removal Act
law passed in 1830 that forced many Native American nations to move west of the Mississippi River some slaves signed treaty's and other fought
Black Hawk War (1832)
Series of clashes in Illinois and Wisconsin between American forces and Indian chief Black Hawk of the Sauk and Fox tribes, who unsuccessfully tried to reclaim territory lost under the 1830 Indian Removal Act.
Seminole War
conflict that began in florida in 1817 between the seminole indians and the us army when the seminoles resisted removal
Cherokee Nation v. Georgia
(1831) The Cherokees argued that they were a seperate nation and therefore not under Georgia's jurisdiction. Marshall said they were not, but rather had "special status"
Worcester v. Georgia
Supreme Court Decision - Cherokee Indians were entitled to federal protection from the actions of state governments which would infringe on the tribe's sovereignty - Jackson ignored it
Cherokee Trail of Tears
In 1838, the U.S. Army forced 15,000 Cherokees to leave Georgia and march to Oklahoma. 4,000 Cherokees died on the trip. (p. 196)
Bank of the US
The central bank of the nation designed to facilitate the issuance of a stable national currency and to provide a convenient means of exchange for the people. The bank was responsible for providing the nation economic stability.
Pet Banks
A term used by Jackson's opponents to describe the state banks that the federal government used for new revenue deposits in an attempt to destroy the Second Bank of the United States; the practice continued after the charter for the Second Bank expired in 1836.
Second Party System: Democrats and Whigs
Whigs (opposed Jackson= Webster, Calhoun, Clay) - fed. gov. aid economic development (American System), cautious of territorial expansion; Democrats (Jackson, Van Buren) - limit fed. gov. power and protect states rights, suspicious of gov. attempts to stimulate commercial/industrial growth, support territorial expansion
Tariff of 1832
A tariff imposed by Jackson which was unpopular in the South; South Carolina nullified it, but Jackson pushed through the Force Act, which enabled him to make South Carolina comply through force; Henry Clay reworked the tariff so that South Carolina would accept it, but after accepting it, South Carolina also nullified the Force Act
State Interposition
Extremists argued that the states should have the right to "interpose" their own interpretation of the Constitution against federal decisions, based on the theory that the Constitution was a compact between the sovereign states. This position was countered by the fact that it would be mass chaos and there would be no uniformity if each state interpreted it differently which would undermine the purpose of the Constitution in the first place.
Force Bill (1833)
Jackson's response to S. Carolina's ordinance of nullification that declared the tariffs of 1828 & 2832 null and void, & S. Carolina would not collect duties on them; authorized President Jackson to use military force to collect duties on the Tariffs of 1828 and 1832; never invoked b/c it was passed by Congress the same day as the Compromise Tariff of 1833, so it became unnecessary; nullified by S. Carolina
Compromise Tariff of 1833
A new tariff proposed by Henry Clay & John Calhoun that gradually lowered the tariff to the level of the tariff of 1816; avoided civil war & prolonged the union for another 30 years.
Specie Circular (1836)
The Specie Circular, issued by President Jackson July 11, 1836, was meant to stop land speculation caused by States printing paper money without proper specie (gold or silver) backing it. The Circular required that the purchase of public lands be paid for in specie. It stopped the land speculation and the sale of public lands went down sharply. The panic of 1837 followed.
Depression of 1837-1843
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Martin Van Ruin
Van Buren took office right when Panic of 1837 hit, it was blamed on him which helped Whigs in 1840 election
Independent Treasury System
The act removed the federal government from involvement with the nation's banking system by establishing federal depositories for public funds instead of keeping the money in national, state, or private banks This was the system the government adopted until the federal reserve act of 1910.
Aroostock War (1842)
an undeclared nonviolent confrontation between the United States and Britain over the international boundary between Canada and Maine.
Freemasons
fraternity of the Enlightenment who believed in tolerance and universal brotherhood
Anti-Masonic Party
First founded in New York, it gained considerable influence in New England and the mid-Atlantic during the 1832 election, campaigning against the politically influential Masonic order, a secret society. Anti-Masons opposed Andrew Jackson, a Mason, and drew much of their support from evangelical Protestants.
Market Revolution
economic changes where people buy and sell goods rather than make them themselves
Workingman's Party of California
worked to stop Chinese immigration
Samuel Slater
He was a British mechanic that moved to America and in 1791 invented the first American machine for spinning cotton. He is known as "the Father of the Factory System" and he started the idea of child labor in America's factories.
Factory System
A method of production that brought many workers and machines together into one building
Lowell Mills
textile mill located in a factory town in Massachusetts that employed farm girls who lived in company-owned boardinghouses
Mill Girls
Women who worked at textile mills who were thus given new freedoms and independence not seen before.
"Free Labor" movement
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Tippecanoe and Tyler too
this was Tyler's slogan during his election, using his vicotry during the Battle of Tippecanoe as a "pro" for voting for him
Adams-Onis Treaty
an 1819 agreement in which Spain gave over control of the territory of Florida to the United States
Treaty of 1818 (with Great Britain)
A negotiated treaty between the Monroe administration and England. This treaty came after the War of 1812 to settle disputes between Britain and U.S. It permitted Americans to share Newfoundland fisheries w/ the Canadians, and fixed the vague northern limits of Louisiana from the Lake of the Woods to the Rocky Mountains. It also provided for a 10-year joint occupation of untamed Oregon country
Manifest Destiny
A notion held by a nineteenth-century Americans that the United States was destined to rule the continent, from the Atlantic the Pacific.
Sam Houston
Commander of the Texas army at the battle of San Jacinto; later elected president of the Republic of Texas
Alamo
A Spanish mission converted into a fort, it was besieged by Mexican troops in 1836. The Texas garrison held out for thirteen days, but in the final battle, all of the Texans were killed by the larger Mexican force.
Texas Independence
American slave owners revolted against the Mexican government when they banned slavery. This created disputes over the land's ownership.
"Fifty-Four Forty or Fight"
Political slogan of the Democrats in the election of 1844, which claimed fifty-four degrees, forty minutes as the boundary of the Oregon territory claimed by the United States
President James K. Polk
Believed in Manifest Destiny for the US. Believed that there were many riches in California. Placed soldiers near the Rio Grande in territory that Mexico said was theirs.
Mexican War (1846-1848)
Conflict between the US and Mexico that after the US annexation of Texas, which Mexico still considered its own; US troops fought primarily on foreign soil; covered by mass-circulation newspapers; Whigs opposed
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848)
agreement that ended the Mexican War; under its terms Mexico gave up all claims to Texas north of the Rio Grande and ceded California and the Utah and New Mexico territories to the United States. The United States paid Mexico fifteen million dollars for the land, but the land cession amounted to nearly half that nation's territory.
Wilmot Proviso (1846)
The Wilmot Proviso was a rider to a bill proposed by Pennsylvania Congressman David Wilmot in 1846 that sought to ban slavery in any territories or new states acquired from Mexico. Essentially the argument was over whether there would be slavery in Texas, New Mexico, California, and other new western states. The debate is considered a crucial part of the lead-up to the Civil War.
forty-niners
People who went to California looking for Gold (They left in 1849)
Compromise of 1850
(1) California admitted as free state, (2) territorial status and popular sovereignty of Utah and New Mexico, (3) resolution of Texas-New Mexico boundaries, (4) federal assumption of Texas debt, (5) slave trade abolished in DC, and (6) new fugitive slave law; advocated by Henry Clay and Stephen A. Douglas
Fugitive Slave Act
(1850) a law that made it a crime to help runaway slaves; allowed for the arrest of escaped slaves in areas where slavery was illegal and required their return to slaveholders
Bear Flag Revolt
A revolt of American settlers in California against Mexican rule. It ignited the Mexican War and ultimately made California a state.
Popular Sovereignty
A belief that ultimate power resides in the people.
Stephen Douglas
A moderate, who introduced the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854 and popularized the idea of popular sovereignty.
Second Great Awakening
A series of religious revivals starting in 1801, based on Methodism and Baptism. Stressed a religious philosophy of salvation through good deeds and tolerance for all Protestant sects. The revivals attracted women, Blacks, and Native Americans.
Unitarianism
Christian doctrine that stresses individual freedom of belief and rejects the Trinity
Baptist and Methodist Churches
Two largest religious denominations in Georgia; spread throughout the state after American Revolution; traveling ministers preached throughout countryside
Mormons
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Joseph Smith and Brigham Young
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Era of Reform
1820s-1840s
American Temperance Movement
The first national temperance organization, it was created by evangelical Protestants. Created in 1826, they followed Lyman Beecher in demanding total abstinence from alcohol. They denounced the evil of drinking and promoted the expulsion of drinkers from church
Horace Mann
Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education; "Father of the public school system"; a prominent proponent of public school reform, & set the standard for public schools throughout the nation; lengthened academic year; pro training & higher salaries to teachers
Dorothea Dix (1802-1887)
Pioneer crusader for elevation of standards of care for the mentally ill. Superintendent of Female Nurses of the Union Army.
American Colonization Society
A Society that thought slavery was bad. They would buy land in Africa and get free blacks to move there. One of these such colonies was made into what now is Liberia. Most sponsors just wanted to get blacks out of their country.
Abolitionist
A person who wanted to end slavery
Harriet Tubman
United States abolitionist born a slave on a plantation in Maryland and became a famous conductor on the Underground Railroad leading other slaves to freedom in the North (1820-1913)
William Lloyd Garrison
1805-1879. Prominent American abolitionist, journalist and social reformer. Editor of radical abolitionist newspaper "The Liberator", and one of the founders of the American Anti-Slavery Society.
Harriet Beecher Stowe
(1811-1896) American author and daughter of Lyman Beecher, she was an abolitionist and author of the famous antislavery novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Underground Railroad
a system of secret routes used by escaping slaves to reach freedom in the North or in Canada
Frederick Douglass (1817-1895)
A self-educated slave who escaped in 1838, Douglass became the best-known abolitionist speaker. He edited an anti-slavery weekly, the North Star and lectured with William Lloyd Garrison until they parted company on issues of prejudice in the North and secession of the South.
Utopian Movement
movement during the late 1700s and into the mid-1899s whose members worked to establish a perfect society through utopian communities
Oneida Community
A group of socio-religious perfectionists who lived in New York. Practiced polygamy, communal property, and communal raising of children.
Transcendentalism
A philosophy pioneered by Ralph Waldo Emerson in the 1830's and 1840's, in which each person has direct communication with God and Nature, and there is no need for organized churches. It incorporated the ideas that mind goes beyond matter, intuition is valuable, that each soul is part of the Great Spirit, and each person is part of a reality where only the invisible is truly real. Promoted individualism, self-reliance, and freedom from social constraints, and emphasized emotions.
Cult of Domesticity
idealized view of women & home; women, self-less caregiver for children, refuge for husbands
Emma Willard
Early supporter of women's education, in 1818. She published Plan for Improving Education, which became the basis for public education of women in New York. 1821, she opened her own girls' school, the Troy Female Seminary, designed to prepare women for college.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
(1815-1902) A suffragette who, with Lucretia Mott, organized the first convention on women's rights, held in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848. Issued the Declaration of Sentiments which declared men and women to be equal and demanded the right to vote for women. Co-founded the National Women's Suffrage Association with Susan B. Anthony in 1869.
Susan B. Anthony
social reformer who campaigned for womens rights, the temperance, and was an abolitionist, helped form the National Woman Suffrage Assosiation
Seneca Falls Convention
(1848) the first national women's rights convention at which the Declaration of Sentiments was written
Irish Patato Famine
was a period of mass starvation, disease and emigration between 1845 and 1852.
Know-Nothing Party
Political party of the 1850s that was anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant
Nativism
A policy of favoring native-born individuals over foreign-born ones
Free Soil Party
A political party dedicated to stopping the expansion of slavery
Origins of the Republican Party
Northern states : main opposition to Democrats, won elections from 1860-1880. Conservatives wanted to restore Missouri Compromise, some wanted abolition, others were free-soilers. Had to build organizations on state level. Needed people to be more concerned about slavery than temperance or Catholicism.
Perry Mission
Japan opened up to western ways
Ostend Manifesto (1854)
a statement by American envoys abroad to pressure Spain into selling Cuba to the United States; the declaration suggested that if Spain would not sell Cuba, the United States would be justified in seizing it. It was quickly repudiated by the U.S. government but it added to the belief that a "slave power" existed and was active in Washington.
Kansas-Nebraska Act
1854 - Created Nebraska and Kansas as states and gave the people in those territories the right to chose to be a free or slave state through popular sovereignty.
Bleeding Kansas
A sequence of violent events involving abolitionists and pro-Slavery elements that took place in Kansas-Nebraska Territory. The dispute further strained the relations of the North and South, making civil war imminent.
Canning of Charles Sumner
Charles Sumner beat by a cane over a speech about antislavery; beat by Preston Brooks
Dred Scott Decision
A Missouri slave sued for his freedom, claiming that his four year stay in the northern portion of the Louisiana Territory made free land by the Missouri Compromise had made him a free man. The U.S, Supreme Court decided he couldn't sue in federal court because he was property, not a citizen.
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
1858 Senate Debate, Lincoln forced Douglas to debate issue of slavery, Douglas supported pop-sovereignty, Lincoln asserted that slavery should not spread to territories, Lincoln emerged as strong Republican candidate
Freeport Declaration
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depression of 1857
During Buchanan's presidency, strengthened the Republican party.
John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry
John Brown's failed scheme to invade the South w/ armed slaves, backed by sponsoring, N. abolitionists; seized the fed. arsenal; Brown & remnants were caught by Robert E. Lee and the US Marines; Brown was hanged; South feared danger if it stayed in Union
Election of 1860
Lincoln, the Republican candidate, won because the Democratic party was split over slavery. As a result, the South no longer felt like it has a voice in politics and a number of states seceded from the Union.
Mason-Dixon Line
Originally drawn by surveyors to resolve the boundaries between Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Virginia in the 1760s, it came to symbolize the North-South divide over slavery.
Creation of the Confederacy
The leaders of Southern states met in Montgomery, Alabama and declared themselves an independent nation. They drafted a constitution based on the United States Constitution but protected slavery and the spread of slavery to their territories. They also decided that each state would be its own nation and that they would work in a confederacy: a loose organization of states. It banned protective tariffs and the international importation of slaves. It limited the presidency to a single six-year term. Jefferson Davis was elected president.
Crittenden Plan
1860 compromise proposal on the slavery issue designed to defuse tension between North and South; would have allowed slavery to continue in the South and would have denied Congress the power to regulate interstate slave trade; Republicans in Congress voted against it.
Attack on Fort Sumter
Beginning of Civil War; Confederate attack on a Union military base
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