Tariff of 1828/Tariff of Abominations
High tariff imposed by Congress which benefited the Industrial North but raised the cost of goods for those in the South
Nullification
The doctrine that a state can declare null and void a federal law that, in the state's opinion, violates the Constitution.
Nat Turner's Rebellion
Unsuccessful slave rebellion in Virginia; planned to overthrow and kill planter families
Abolition Movement
The movement to end slavery.
Gag Rule
A law which prohibited debate and discussion in Congress regarding slavery (1836-1844)
Wilmont Proviso
Bill that would ban slavery in the territories acquired after the war with Mexico
Popular Sovereignty
Notion that the people of a territory should determine if they want to be a slave state or a free state.
Secede
To formally withdraw from the union
Compromise of 1850
California admitted as a free state, the Fugitive Slave Act, Made popular sovereignty in most other states from Mexican- American War
Fugitive Slave Act
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
Underground Railroad
A system of secret routes used by escaping slaves to reach freedom in the North
Kansas-Nebraska Act
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
Republican Party
Created in 1854 the predominant cause of this party was the elimination of slavery
Scott vs. Sanford
Supreme Court ruled that slaves were property and was not protected by the Constitution and the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional
Border State
States that allowed slavery but did not secede from the Union (Missouri, Kentucky, Delaware, and Maryland)
Emancipation Proclamation
Declared that all slaves in the Confederate states would be free (ended up freeing no slaves as the South did not recognize Lincoln's authority)
Conscription
A military draft
Habeas Corpus
Constitutional protection against unlawful imprisonment; was temporarily suspended by Abraham Lincoln
Copperhead
A group of northern Democrats who opposed abolition and sympathized with the South during the Civil War
Vicksburg
Battle in which the Union gained control of the Mississippi River
Gettysburg
Turning point of the war for the Union Army; bloodiest battle of the Civil War (over 50,000 casualties including around 8,000 deaths)
Gettysburg Address
Speech given by Lincoln, in which he praised the bravery of Union soldiers and renewed his commitment to winning the Civil War; supported the ideals of self-government and human rights
Reconstruction
the period after the Civil War in the United States when the southern states were reorganized and reintegrated into the Union
Black Codes
Laws denying most legal rights to newly freed slaves; passed by southern states following the Civil War
Thirteenth Amendment
1865 - Freed all slaves, abolished slavery.
Fourteenth Amendment
Made "all persons born or naturalized in the United States" citizens of the country
Fifteenth Amendment
Amendment that guaranteed voting rights regardless of race or previous condition of servitude
Freedman's Bureau
Agency established by Congress to aid former slaves through education, healthcare, and employment, it became a key agency during Reconstruction, assisting freedmen in the South.
Scalawag
Southerners who were working with the North to buy up land from desperate Southerners
Carpetbagger
A northerner who went to the South immediately after the Civil War; especially one who tried to gain political advantage or other advantages from the disorganized situation in southern states
Ku Klux Klan
A secret society created by white southerners in 1866 that used terror and violence to keep African Americans from obtaining their civil rights.
Compromise of 1877
Ended Reconstruction. Republicans promise 1) Remove military from South, 2) Appoint Democrat to cabinet, 3) Federal money for railroad construction and levees on Mississippi River; as long as Hayes became the President
Erie Canal
Canal which ran from Lake Erie to the Hudson River; cut shipping costs significantly; helped make New York City the nation's greatest commercial center
Industrial Revolution
A series of improvements in industrial technology that transformed the process of manufacturing goods.
Interchangeable Parts
identical components that can be used in place of one another in manufacturing
Cotton Gin
A machine for cleaning the seeds from cotton fibers, invented by Eli Whitney in 1793; increased the demand for slaves
Steamboat
A boat that moves by the power of a steam engine, made it easier and quicker to travel goods
Labor Union
An organization of workers that tries to improve working conditions, wages, and benefits for its members
Nativist
A person who favors those born in his country and is opposed to immigrants
Nationalism
A strong feeling of pride in and devotion to one's country
American System
Economic program advanced by Henry Clay that included support for a national bank, high tariffs, and internal improvements; emphasized strong role for federal government in the economy.
Election of 1860
Lincoln elected; immediate cause of Civil War
Missouri Compromise or Compromise of 1820
An agreement proposed by Henry Clay that allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state and Maine to enter as a free state and outlawed slavery in any territories or states north of 36�30� latitude
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.
Jacksonian Democracy
A policy of spreading more political power to more people. It was a "Common Man" theme
Spoils System
A system of public employment based on rewarding party loyalists and friends.
Indian Removal Act
Signed by President Andrew Jackson, the law permitted the negotiation of treaties to obtain the Indians' lands in exchange for their relocation to what would become Oklahoma.
Horace Mann
The Father of Public Education"; he was a prominent proponent of public school reform, and set the standard for public schools throughout the nation.
Dorothea Dix
Responsible for improving conditions in jails, poorhouses and insane asylums throughout the U.S.
Penitentiary Movement
Prisons should not be a place to punish criminals but a place for criminals to feel sorrow for their crime
Temperance Movement
An organized campaign to eliminate alcohol consumption.
Seneca Falls Convention
Women of all ages and even some men went to discuss the rights and conditions of women. There, they wrote the Declaration of Sentiments, which among other things, tried to get women the right to vote.
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.
Election of 1824
Corrupt Bargain" gave the presidency to John Quincy Adams instead of Andrew Jackson (who had more electoral and popular votes)
Election of 1828
Andrew Jackson defeated John Quincy Adams due to expanded suffrage (removal of property restrictions)
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Treaty signed by the U.S. and Mexico that officially ended the Mexican-American War; Mexico had to give up the northern third of its territory to the U.S in exchange for $15 million
Gadsden Purchase
Purchase of land from Mexico that included the southern parts of present-day Arizona and New Mexico; set the current borders of the contiguous United States
California Gold Rush
1848 gold was discovered by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill, in California. News of the discovery soon spread, resulting in some 300,000 men, women, and children coming to California from the rest of the United States and abroad.
Forty-Niners
People who went to California looking for Gold (They left in 1849)
Era of Good Feelings
Period of strong nationalism, economic growth, and territorial expansion; there was only one political party and no partisan conflicts.
Articles of Confederation
First federal constitution of the USA (1781); weak central government could not regulate interstate commerce, tax, and was rigid
Shays' Rebellion
Rebellion of armed farmers during an economic depression to shut down the courts blocking foreclosures from failing to pay state taxes or bank loans
Constitution
Governing document of our country that outlines the framework of our government and the rights of the citizens
New Jersey Plan
Also known as the Small States' Plan; all states would have equal representation in the national unicameral legislature; US would stay a loose confederation instead of a strongly unified country.
Virginia Plan
Plan proposed by James Madison; also known as the Large States' Plan; representation in both houses of the legislature would be based on state size
Great Compromise
Plan proposed by Robert Sherman that created a bicameral legislature with the Senate (equal representation) and a House of Representatives (representation based on population)
Strict Construction
Way of interpreting the Constitution that allows the federal government to take only those actions the Constitution specifically says it can take
Loose Construction
Belief that the government can do anything the constitution does not prohibit
Three-Fifths Compromise
Compromise which would count each enslaved person as 3/5s of a person (increased the amount of representation for Southern states in the national legislature); did not provide any rights to slaves
Federalists Papers
Essays and letters explaining why various contributors believed the Constitution was vital for the survival of our new nation
Anti-Federalists
Opponents of the new Constitution; feared it would give the national government too much power (Patrick Henry and Samuel Adams)
Separation of Powers
Idea of splitting government into multiple branches (legislative, executive, and judicial) to divide the power amongst a larger group of people
Checks and Balances
A power that one branch of the government holds over the others.
Popular Sovereignty
The government receives its power from the people and can only govern with their consent
Limited Government
The government only has as much authority as the people give it
Judicial Review
Federal courts have the power to review and to cancel acts/laws that are unconstitutional
Ratify
Officially approve
Amendment
A change to the Constitution
Bill of Rights
A list of freedoms guaranteed by the government. In the US Constitution, this is the first ten amendments.
Electoral College
A body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president
Precedent
An example that may serve as a basis for imitation or later action
Farewell Address
Speech by Washington urging US to maintain neutrality and avoid political parties (1796)
Whiskey Rebellion
A protest caused by tax on liquor; it tested the will of the government; Washington's quick response showed the government's strength and mercy (led an army to put down the rebellion)
Cabinet
A group of presidential advisers not mentioned in the Constitution, although every president has had one.
Neutrality
Policy of supporting neither side in a war
Political Parties
Organized groups that attempt to influence the government by electing their members to important government offices
Election of 1796
First contested election; Adams defeats Jefferson; President and Vice-President from different parties
Election of 1800
Peaceful transfer of power" from Adams to Jefferson; Disputed election (Jefferson and Burr had the same number of votes -> election went to the House)
Louisiana Purchase
Land purchased from France in 1803; doubled the size of the US
Impressment
British practice of taking American sailors and forcing them into military service
War of 1812
A war between the United States and England which was trying to interfere with American trade with France.
Warhawks
Young Republicans elected to Congress in 1810 who wanted to declare war against Britain
Marshall Court
Supreme Court under John Marshall; set precedents for legal policies; strengthened judiciary and the federal government
Treaty of Ghent
Treaty that ended the War of 1812 and maintained prewar conditions
Alien and Sedition Acts
A series of laws that sought to restrict the activities of people who opposed Federalist policies (1798)
Embargo
an official ban on trade or other commercial activity with a particular country.
Federalists
Group of people who supported the ratification of the Constitution
Declaration of Independence
Document written by Thomas Jefferson; declared independence from Great Britain and cited John Locke's idea of natural rights
Boston Massacre
In 1770, British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonists who were taunting them. Five colonists were killed
Common Sense
A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that claimed the colonies had a right to be an independent nation
Valley Forge
Continental Army's Winter Encampment (1777-1778); high casualty rate due to extreme conditions and disease; soldiers went from a "rag-tag militia" to an organized military under the direction of Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben
Saratoga
Turning point in the war; convinced the French to join our cause and fight the British
Yorktown
Final major conflict in the Revolution when Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington
Treaty of Paris
Treaty which ended the American Revolution and recognized the United States as a free and independent country
French and Indian War
(1754-1763) War fought in the colonies between the English and the French for possession of the Ohio Valley area. The English won.
Proclamation of 1763
Forbade British colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains, and which required any settlers already living west of the mountains to move back east.
Stamp Act
An act passed by the British parliament in 1756 that raised revenue from the American colonies by a duty in the form of a stamp required on all newspapers and legal or commercial documents
Quartering Act
1765 - Required the colonials to provide food, lodging, and supplies for the British troops in the colonies.
Intolerable/Coercive Act
in response to Boston Tea Party, 4 acts passed in 1774, Port of Boston closed, reduced power of assemblies in colonies, permitted royal officers to be tried elsewhere, provided for quartering of troop's in barns and empty houses
Sons of Liberty
A radical political organization for colonial independence which formed in 1765 after the passage of the Stamp Act.
Olive Branch Petition
Colonies' final offer of peace to Britain, agreeing to be loyal to the British government if it addressed their grievances (repealed the Coercive Acts, ended the taxation without representation policies). It was rejected by Parliament.
Loyalist
American colonists who remained loyal to Britain and opposed the war for independence.
Patriots
American colonists who were determined to fight the British until American independence was won
Minutemen
Citizen soldiers who could be ready to fight at a minute's notice
Bacon's Rebellion
Colonial rebellion against the governor of Virginia
Regulators
These were vigilante groups active in the 1760s and 1770s in the western parts of North and South Carolina. They violently protested high taxes and insufficient representation in the colonial legislature.
Reformation
Movement in response to the corrupt practices of the Catholic Church in the early 1500s; led to the birth of Protestantism and ultimately pilgrims seeking religious freedom
Conquistador
Spanish invaders/explorers who conquered parts of the New World. Examples are Hernando Cortes who conquered the Aztecs and Pizarro who conquered the Incas.
Middle Passage
Part of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade; path between Africa and North America; passage in which many slaves died due to brutal conditions
Columbian Exchange
Exchange of goods and ideas from the Old World to the New World
Magna Carta
Document signed by King John in 1215; limited the power of the Monarchy and protected the right of people to own private property and have a trial by jury
Enlightenment
Historical period with an emphasis on reason
Key Figures: Montesquieu and John Locke
Key Ideas: Separation of Power and Natural Rights
House of Burgesses
A legislature created by Virginia planters; governed the colony in partnership with the royal governor
Mayflower Compact
Document which provided a framework for government for the colony at Plymouth
Great Awakening
Revival in the 1740s which led to the birth of many new churches and would eventually be a contributing factor leading to the American Revolution
Jamestown
England's first enduring settlement in the New World; located in Virginia
Colonization
The establishment of distant settlements controlled by the parent country
Joint-Stock Companies
System used by England to fund and maintain colonies; allowed several investors to pool wealth in support of a colony that would, hopefully, yield a profit.
Headright System
Anyone who paid for their own or another's passage to Virginia received 50 acres of land
Indentured Servants
Servants who worked for an agreed upon time (usually four to seven years) in exchange for passage to the New World
Royal Colony
Colony under direct control of a king
Puritans
Church members who wanted to "purify" or reform the Church of England; founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Separatists/Pilgrims
Fled England to escape religious persecution; founded the Plymouth Colony (second permanent English colony in North America)
Mercantilism
A country's ultimate goal was self-sufficiency; all countries are in competition to acquire limited resources
Salutary Neglect
An English policy of not strictly enforcing laws in its colonies