Marbury VS. Madison
1803 Supreme court case that established the principle of judicial review.
Judicial Review
Power of federal courts to review state laws and state court decisions to determine if they are constitutional.
Manifest Destiny
Argument that it was the undeniable fate of the United States to expand across North America.
Spoils System
System or practice of giving appointed offices as rewards from the successful party in an election; Name for the patronage system under president nations.
States' Rights
The powers that the constitution neither gives to the federal government nor denies to the states.
Secede
To withdraw formally form a membership in a group or organization.
Trail of Tears
The forced movement of Cherokees in 1838 to land west of the Mississippi River
Emancipation
Freeing of enslaved people.
Suffrage
The right to vote.
Willmot Proviso
Amendment to an 1846 bill stating that slavery would not be permitted in any of the territory acquired from Mexico; Though it never became law, Northerners continued to attach it to bills related to new territories.
Abolitionist Movement
Movement to end slavery
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Journey by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark through the Louisiana Territory from 1804-1806.
Gettysburg Address
A famous speech by president Lincoln on the meaning of the civil war, given in November 1863 at the dedication of a national cemetery on the site of the Battle of Gettysburg.
Battle of New Orleans
Battle in 1815 between American and British troops for control of New Orleans, ending in an American victory.
California Gold Rush
Mass migration to California following the discovery of gold in 1848.
Indian Removal Act
1830 law calling for the president to give Native Americans land in parts of the Louisiana purchase in exchange for land taken from them in the East.
Oregon Trail
Trial from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon, used by many pioneers during the 1840's
Reconstruction
Program implemented by the federal government between 1865 and 1877 to repair the damage of the south caused by the civil war and restore the southern states to the union.
Bureaucracy
Departments that makes up a large organization, such as government.
Seneca Falls Convention
The first woman's rights convention in United States history, held in 1848
Louisiana Purchase
Purchase by the United states of the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803.
Treaty of Ghent
Agreement signed in 1814, that ended the war of 1812.
Ghost Town
Town that has been abandoned due to lack of economic activity
Underground Railroad
A network of escape routes that provided protection and transportation for slaves fleeing north of freedom.
Missouri Compromise
1820 agreement calling for the admission of Missouri as a slave in future states to be created north of 356 30 N latitude.
War of 1812
War between the United States and Great Britain.
14th Amendment
Constitutional amendment, ratified in 1868, to guarantee citizens equal protection under the law.
15th Amendments
Constitutional amendment, ratified in 1870, that guaranteed voting rights to all citizens.