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Exam: Key Terms

Terms in this set (134)

Electoral College

a body of electors who represent the people's vote in choosing the president.

Martha Washington

George Washington's wife and the First Lady, entertained guests and attended social events with her husband

the total amount of money owed by the federal government

Certificates of debt that carry a promise to buy back the bonds at a higher price

Loose construction

means that the federal government can take reasonable actions that the Constitution does not specifically forbid.

strict construction

People who favor strict construction think that the federal government should do only what the Constitution specifically says it can do.

Bank of the United States

the country's first national bank

French Rebellion

a rebellion of French people against their king in 1789, creating a Republican government,

Neutrality Proclamation

stated that the United States would not take sides with any European countries that were at war

private ships hired by a country to attack its enemies

1794- British and The U.S. agreed- British trade w/ Americans and pay off debt while the British leaves northwest territory

Pinckney's Treaty

settled the border and trade disputes with Spain

Battle of Fallen Timbers

The U.S. Army defeated the Native Americans under Shawnee Chief Blue Jacket and ended Native American hopes of keeping their land that lay north of the Ohio River

Treaty of Greenville

Gave the United States claim to most Indian lands in the Northwest Territory.

Whiskey Rebellion

In 1794, farmers in Pennsylvania rebelled against Hamilton's excise tax on whiskey, and several federal officers were killed in the riots caused by their attempts to serve arrest warrants on the offenders. In October, 1794, the army, led by Washington, put down the rebellion. The incident showed that the new government under the Constitution could react swiftly and effectively to such a problem, in contrast to the inability of the government under the Articles of Confederation to deal with Shay's Rebellion.

Chief of the Miami who led a Native American alliance that raided U.S. settlements in the Northwest Territory. He was defeated and forced to sign the Treaty of Greenville. Later, he became an advocate for peace

Political Parties

groups that help elect people and shape policies

Federalist Party

wanted a strong federal government and supported industry and trade

Democratic-Republican Party

Led by Thomas Jefferson, his people wanted to limit the power of the federal government.

A 1797 incident in which French officials demanded a bribe from U.S. diplomats

Alien and Sedition Acts

In 1798, The Federalist controlled Congress passed 4 laws. These laws were said to protect the United States, but the Federalists intended them to crush opposition in war.

Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions

Written anonymously by Jefferson and Madison in response to the Alien and Sedition Acts, considered it unconstitutional.

Alexander Hamilton

1789-1795; First Secretary of the Treasury. He advocated creation of a national bank, assumption of state debts by the federal government, and a tariff system to pay off the national debt.

Thomas Jefferson

Author of the Declaration of Independence

is an action or decision that serves as an example.

Judiciary Act of 1789

created three levels of federal courts and defined their powers and relationship to the state courts.

Marbury v. Madison

This case establishes the Supreme Court's power of Judicial Review, The single most important decision is American constitutional Law. Ruled in favor of Madison.

Judicial Review

The power to declare an act of Congress unconstitutional

Federalist, who wanted a strong federal government, and emphasis on manufacturing, and his view was rule by wealthy class and wanted an alliance with Great Britain.

Thomas Jefferson

Democratic-Republican
1801-1809, wanted a strong state government, the view was based on rule by the people and an alliance with France, emphasizing agriculture. Goal; to reduce the size of the federal government.

Federalist, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court appointed by John Adams

Louisiana Purchase

1803 purchase of the Louisiana territory from France. Made by Jefferson, this doubled the size of the US.

Lewis and Clark Expedition

1804-1806 - Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were commissioned by Jefferson to map and explore the Louisiana Purchase region. Beginning at St. Louis, Missouri, the expedition travelled up the Missouri River to the Great Divide, and then down the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean. Aided by Sacagewa

A Shoshone woman whose language skills and knowledge of geography helped Lewis and Clark

Leader of a southern expedition in the Louisiana Territory

USS Constitution

large warship which defeated the British Warship Guerriere in 1812 -- called "Old Ironsides"

forcing people into service, army or navy

banned trade with foreign countries

Non-Intercourse Act

banned trade only with Britain, France, and their colonies

A Shawnee chief who tried to unite Native American tribes

Battle of Tippecanoe

Battle between Americans and Native Americans. Tecumseh and the Prophet attempted to oppress white settlement in the West, but defeated by William Henry Harrison. Led to talk of Canadian invasion and served as a cause to the War of 1812.

young members of Congress who took the lead in calling for war against Britain

President during the War of 1812, elected president in 1808

Oliver Hazard Perry

Naval officer who led the US victory over the British on Lake Erie in 1813

Battle of Lake Erie

Battle where a Naval force led by Oliver Hazard Perry defeated the British and secured Lake Erie

The seventh President of the United States (1829-1837), who as a general in the War of 1812 defeated the British at New Orleans (1815). As president he opposed the Bank of America, objected to the right of individual states to nullify disagreeable federal laws, and increased the presidential powers.

Treaty of Fort Jackson

the treaty that forced the Creek nation to give up millions of acres of their land

Battle of New Orleans

Jackson led a battle that occurred when British troops attacked U.S. soldiers in New Orleans on January 8, 1815; the War of 1812 had officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent in December, 1814, but word had not yet reached the U.S.

Hartford Convention

Federalists agreed to oppose the war and send delegates to meet with Congress

Treaty of Ghent

Ended the War of 1812

nominating convention

where party members choose the party's candidates

Jacksonian Democracy

period of expanding democracy in the 1820s and 1830s

Democratic Party

A political party formed by supporters of Andrew Jackson after the presidential election of 1824.

John C. Calhoun

Vice President under Andrew Jackson; leading Southern politician

practice of rewarding supporters with government jobs

Martin Van Buren

one of Jackson's strongest allies in his official cabinet

Kitchen Cabinet

an informal group of advisers to whom the president turns for counsel and guidance met in the White House kitchen.

Tarrif of Abominations

Before Andrew Jackson took office, Congress placed a high tariff on imports, causing southerners to be angry

states' rights doctrine

which said that since the states had formed the national government, state power should be greater than federal power

Nullication Crisis

conflict between the supporters and the opponents of nullification deepened.

Massachusetts Congressman and Senator who spoke for the North and the preservation of the Union.

McCulloch v. Maryland

The court ruled that the national bank was constitutional

formed the idea of a weak president and a strong Congress

a severe economic depression

Indian Removal Act

law passed in 1830 that forced many Native American nations to move west of the Mississippi River

Indian Territory

An area to which Native Americans were moved covering what is now Oklahoma and parts of Kansas and Nebraska

Bureau of Indian Affairs

To manage Indian Removal to western lands, Congress approved the creation of a new government agency.

created a written alphabet for the Cherokees

Worcester v. Georgia

The court ruled that the Cherokee nation was a distinct community in which the laws of Georgia had no force

The Cherokee's 800-mile forced march

Chief Black Hawk

This leader of the Fox and Sauk fought against the U.S. when asked to leave Illinois.

John Jacob Astor

Created one of the largest fur businesses, the American Fur Company.

2000 mile long path along which thousands of Americans journeyed to the Willamette Valley in the 1840's.

an important trade route going between Independence, Missouri and Santa fe, New mexico used from about 1821 to 1880

The members of Joseph Smith's church

Successor to the Mormons after the death of Joseph Smith; responsible for the survival of the sect and its establishment in Salt Lake City, Utah

Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla

priest who led the first major Mexican revolt against Spanish rule in 1810

an agent who makes all arrangements to bring settlers to a colony

Stephen F. Austin (significance)

started a Texas colony on the lower Colorado river.

Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna

Mexican general who tried to crush the Texas revolt and who lost battles to Winfield Scott and Zachary Taylor in the Mexican War (1795-1876)

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.

Battle of San Jacinto

the Texans captured Santa Anna and forced him to sign a treaty giving Texas its independence

Manifest Destiny

or obvious fate, to settle land all the way to the Pacific Ocean in order to spread democracy.

president in March 1845. wanted to settle oregon boundary dispute with britain. wanted to aquire California. wanted to incorperate Texas into union.

a Spanish term for cowboy

Bear Flag Revolt

Americans declared California an independent nation

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Treaty that ended the Mexican War, granting the U.S. control of Texas, New Mexico, and California in exchange for $15 million

Gadsden Purchase

Agreement w/ Mexico that gave the US parts of present-day New Mexico & Arizona in exchange for $10 million; all but completed the continental expansion envisioned by those who believed in Manifest Destiny.

A machine for cleaning the seeds from cotton fibers, invented by Eli Whitney in 1793

Large-scale farmers who held more than 20 slaves

area of high cotton production

Tredagar Iron Works

a large factory in Richmond, VA- one of the most productive iron works in the nation.

Owners of small farms

stories with a moral

Religious folk songs that blended biblical themes with the realities of slavery

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

Leader of a slave rebellion in 1831 in Virginia. Revolt led to the deaths of 20 whites and 40 blacks and led to the "gag rule' outlawing any discussion of slavery in the House of Representatives

Movement to end slavery

William Lloyd Garrison

United States abolitionist who published an anti-slavery journal (1805-1879)

American Anti-Slavery Society

Founded in 1833 by William Lloyd Garrison and other abolitionists. Garrison burned the Constitution as a proslavery document. Argued for "no Union with slaveholders" until they repented for their sins by freeing their slaves.

Angelina and Sarah Grimke

southern sisters who spoke in favor of abolition

Frederick Douglass

(1817-1895) American abolitionist and writer, he escaped slavery and became a leading African American spokesman and writer. He published his biography, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and founded the abolitionist newspaper, the North Star.

Sojourner Truth

also contributed to the abolitionist cause.

Underground Railroad

a system of secret routes used by escaping slaves to reach freedom in the North or in Canada

Former slave who helped slaves escape on the Underground Railroad

Popular Sovereignty

Rule by the people

1846 proposal that outlawed slavery in any territory gained from the War with Mexico

Favoring the interests of one section or region over the interests of the entire country

Free Soil Party

antislavery northerners formed a new party which supported the Wilmot Proviso

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

American enslaved African, he ran away and was arrested in Boston. His arrest became the center of violent protests by northern opponents of the Fugitive Slave Act

Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852)

written by harriet beecher stowe that highly influenced england's view on the American Deep South and slavery. a novel promoting abolition. intensified sectional conflict.

Franklin Pierce

a little-known politician from New Hampshire

Stephen Douglas

had supported the idea of building a railroad to the Pacific Ocean

Kansas-Nebraska Act

a plan that would divide the remainder of the Louisiana Purchase into two territories-Kansas and Nebraska-and allow the people in each territory to decide on the question of slavery

Pottawatomie Massacre

Brown and his men killed five pro-slavery men in Kansas

senator from Massachusetts who was attacked on the floor of the Senate (1856) for antislavery speech; he required three years to recover but returned to the Senate to lead the Radical Republicans and to fight for racial equality. Sumner authored Civil Rights Act of 1875.

Responsible for beating radical republican Charles Sumner with his cane

Republican Party

a political party united against the spread of slavery in the West

The 15th President of the United States (1857-1861). He tried to maintain a balance between proslavery and antislavery factions, but his moderate views angered radicals in both North and South, and he was unable to forestall the secession of South Carolina on December 20, 1860.

John C. Fremont

Republican presidential candidate in 1856

American slave who sued his master for keeping him enslaved in a territory where slavery was banned under the missouri Compromise

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court when Dred Scott decision was made

Abraham Lincoln

Illinois Republican who ran against Stephen A. Douglas in 1858

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

John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry

Began when he and his men took over the arsenal in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in hopes of starting a slave rebellion.

John C. Breckinridge

The South's pro-slavery Democratic candidate in the election of 1860. Completed the split of the Democratic Party by being nominated.

Constitutional Union Party

recognized "no political principles other than the Constitution of the country, the Union of the states, and the enforcement of the laws."

A wealthy slaveowner from Tennessee who served in both the House and the Senate, he ran for U.S. President against Lincoln, Breckinridge, and Douglas in 1860 with the Constitutional Union Party on a moderate pro-slavery platform.

Jefferson Davis

President of the Confederate States of America

John C. Crittenden

Senator of Kentucky who proposed a series of constitutional amendments that he believed would satisfy the South by protecting slavery

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