UNIT 4 - VOCAB

Thomas Jefferson

• Definition: The third president of the United States and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence.

• Historical Significance: Oversaw the Louisiana Purchase and championed ideas of limited government, which shaped the nation’s early policies.

Louisiana Purchase

• Definition: The 1803 acquisition of French territory west of the Mississippi River.

• Historical Significance: This doubled the size of the United States, promoting westward expansion and bolstering the country's resources.

Judiciary Act

• Definition: A series of laws (notably in 1789 and 1801) that established the federal judiciary.

• Historical Significance: The Judiciary Act of 1789 laid the foundation for the U.S. court system, while the Judiciary Act of 1801 expanded federal courts, contributing to conflicts over judicial power.

John Marshall

• Definition: The Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1801 to 1835.

• Historical Significance: His decisions strengthened the federal government, particularly through judicial review in Marbury v. Madison.

Lewis and Clark Expedition

• Definition: An expedition commissioned by Jefferson to explore the newly acquired western territories.

• Historical Significance: This journey provided valuable information about the geography, flora, and indigenous tribes of the western United States.

Sacajawea

• Definition: A Shoshone woman who accompanied Lewis and Clark as an interpreter and guide.

• Historical Significance: Her knowledge and skills were invaluable to the success of the expedition and symbolized cooperation with Native Americans.

Embargo Act of 1807

• Definition: A law prohibiting American ships from trading with foreign nations.

• Historical Significance: Intended to protect U.S. interests during conflicts with Britain and France, it instead harmed the U.S. economy and was widely opposed.

Non-Intercourse Act

• Definition: A law that replaced the Embargo Act, banning trade only with Britain and France.

• Historical Significance: While it eased some economic strain, it failed to resolve tensions leading to the War of 1812.

Tecumseh

• Definition: A Shawnee chief who sought to unite Native American tribes against U.S. expansion.

• Historical Significance: His alliance with the British in the War of 1812 underscored Native resistance to American expansion.

The Prophet

• Definition: Tecumseh’s brother, also known as Tenskwatawa, a religious leader.

• Historical Significance: He inspired Native Americans to resist U.S. encroachment by rejecting European-American influences and promoting unity.

Battle of Tippecanoe

• Definition: An 1811 battle between U.S. forces and Tecumseh’s confederation.

• Historical Significance: The American victory weakened Native resistance and bolstered U.S. morale, contributing to calls for war with Britain.

War Hawks

• Definition: Congressional leaders, primarily from the South and West, who advocated for war with Britain.

• Historical Significance: Their influence led to the War of 1812, pushing the U.S. toward a more aggressive stance in foreign policy.

Treaty of Ghent

• Definition: The treaty that ended the War of 1812.

• Historical Significance: The treaty restored pre-war borders without addressing many of the issues that caused the war, but it fostered a sense of American nationalism.

The American System

• Definition: An economic plan championed by Henry Clay, advocating for a national bank, tariffs, and internal improvements.

• Historical Significance: The system aimed to promote American industry and economic self-sufficiency.

Henry Clay

• Definition: A U.S. statesman and advocate for the American System.

• Historical Significance: Known as the "Great Compromiser," his policies influenced early American economic development and legislative compromises on slavery.

Stephen Decatur

• Definition: A U.S. naval officer known for his heroism in the Barbary Wars and War of 1812.

• Historical Significance: His daring actions helped secure U.S. interests abroad and bolstered American pride.

James Monroe

• Definition: The fifth president of the United States.

• Historical Significance: Their presidency is marked by the “Era of Good Feelings” and the Monroe Doctrine, asserting U.S. opposition to European interference in the Americas.

Era of Good Feelings

• Definition: A period of national unity following the War of 1812.

• Historical Significance: Marked by political harmony and a sense of national purpose, it ended with growing sectional tensions.

Panic of 1819

• Definition: The first major financial crisis in the United States.

• Historical Significance: This crisis exposed weaknesses in the economy and led to widespread hardship, especially in the western states.

Wild Cat Banks

• Definition: Unregulated banks that issued currency without sufficient reserves.

• Historical Significance: These banks contributed to economic instability, particularly in the western U.S., and the Panic of 1819.

Land Act of 1820

• Definition: A law that reduced the price of federal land and the minimum purchase size.

• Historical Significance: It made land more affordable for settlers, promoting western expansion.

Cumberland Road

• Definition: The first major federal highway in the United States, connecting the East Coast with the western frontier.

• Historical Significance: This road supported westward expansion and facilitated commerce.

Erie Canal

• Definition: A canal connecting the Hudson River to Lake Erie.

• Historical Significance: Completed in 1825, it revolutionized transportation, reduced shipping costs, and spurred economic growth in the region.

Missouri Compromise

• Definition: An 1820 agreement admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state.

• Historical Significance: It maintained a balance of power between slave and free states but foreshadowed future sectional conflicts over slavery.

Protectionist Tariffs

• Definition: Taxes on imported goods designed to protect domestic industries.

• Historical Significance: These tariffs were central to the American System but caused tension between the North and South over their economic impacts.

Judicial Nationalism

• Definition: A trend in the early 19th century, led by the Marshall Court, to expand federal authority through judicial decisions.

• Historical Significance: It reinforced federal supremacy and contributed to a stronger national government.

Monroe Doctrine

• Definition: A U.S. foreign policy statement in 1823 declaring opposition to European interference in the Americas.

• Historical Significance: It asserted the United States' role in the Western Hemisphere and became a cornerstone of American foreign policy.

Corrupt Bargain

• Definition: The alleged deal between John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay during the 1824 presidential election, where Clay purportedly helped Adams win in exchange for a position as Secretary of State.

• Historical Significance: This event fueled Andrew Jackson’s campaign in 1828 and led to public distrust in the electoral process.

Democrat Party

• Definition: A major American political party founded in the early 19th century, primarily by supporters of Andrew Jackson.

• Historical Significance: This Party supported populist policies and states’ rights and played a major role in shaping 19th-century American politics.

Rachel Jackson

• Definition: The wife of Andrew Jackson.

• Historical Significance: She was the subject of a scandal regarding her previous marriage, which political opponents used against Jackson, affecting his personal and political life.

John C. Calhoun

• Definition: A prominent American statesman and vice president under John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson.

• Historical Significance: He was a strong advocate for states' rights and nullification, which heightened sectional tensions leading to the Civil War.

Spoils System

• Definition: The practice of giving government jobs to political supporters.

• Historical Significance: Initiated under Andrew Jackson, it transformed American politics by institutionalizing patronage.

Tariff of Abominations

• Definition: The 1828 tariff that imposed high duties on imports, benefiting Northern industries but harming the Southern economy.

• Historical Significance: It led to the Nullification Crisis, as South Carolina and other Southern states objected to the federal tariff.

Nullification

• Definition: The idea that states could nullify federal laws they deemed unconstitutional.

• Historical Significance: This theory, championed by John C. Calhoun, fueled tensions between the federal government and states, eventually leading to the Civil War.

Trail of Tears

• Definition: The forced relocation of Native American tribes from the Southeast to west of the Mississippi, under the Indian Removal Act of 1830.

• Historical Significance: Thousands of Native Americans died on this journey, symbolizing the harsh policies of Indian removal.

Sam Houston

• Definition: A leader of the Texas Revolution and the first president of the Republic of Texas.

• Historical Significance: He played a crucial role in Texas' independence from Mexico and its eventual annexation by the United States.

Texas Revolution

• Definition: The 1835-1836 rebellion by Texas settlers against Mexican rule.

• Historical Significance: It resulted in the creation of the independent Republic of Texas, which later joined the United States, intensifying the debate over slavery.

Santa Anna

• Definition: A Mexican general and president who fought against the Texas Revolution.

• Historical Significance: His defeat at the Battle of San Jacinto led to Texas' independence from Mexico.

John Tyler

• Definition: The 10th president of the United States, who took office after the death of President William Henry Harrison.

• Historical Significance: He supported the annexation of Texas, which became a factor in the sectional conflict over slavery.

James Fenimore Cooper

• Definition: An early American novelist, best known for his “Leatherstocking Tales.”

• Historical Significance: His works popularized the American frontier as a literary theme and established him as one of America’s first great authors.

Washington Irving

• Definition: An American author best known for works such as “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle.”

• Historical Significance: He helped establish a distinctive American literary tradition in the early 19th century.

Henry David Thoreau

• Definition: An American transcendentalist writer and philosopher, author of Walden and “Civil Disobedience.”

• Historical Significance: His work influenced environmentalism and social justice, promoting self-reliance and civil resistance.

Walt Whitman

• Definition: An American poet known for his work Leaves of Grass.

• Historical Significance: He is celebrated as a pioneering voice in American poetry, embracing themes of democracy and individuality.

William Lloyd Garrison

• Definition: An abolitionist and the editor of The Liberator, an anti-slavery newspaper.

• Historical Significance: His writings and activism galvanized the abolitionist movement and intensified the nation’s divisions over slavery.

Fedrick Douglass

• Definition: An escaped slave, abolitionist, writer, and speaker.

• Historical Significance: His powerful oratory and writings, such as Narrative of the Life of _______ ________, helped rally support for the abolitionist movement and increased awareness of the realities of slavery.

Harriet Beecher Stowe

• Definition: An abolitionist and author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

• Historical Significance: Her novel exposed the horrors of slavery to a wide audience, fueling anti-slavery sentiment in the North and increasing tensions leading up to the Civil War.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

• Definition: A prominent women’s rights activist and leader in the women’s suffrage movement.

• Historical Significance: She organized the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 and co-authored the “Declaration of Sentiments,” advocating for women’s rights and laying the groundwork for the suffrage movement.

John Deere

• Definition: An inventor and blacksmith who developed the steel plow.

• Historical Significance: His plow made it easier to cultivate tough prairie soils, promoting agricultural expansion into the Midwest and supporting the growth of American farming.

Eli Whitney

• Definition: An inventor best known for the cotton gin and the concept of interchangeable parts.

• Historical Significance: The cotton gin greatly increased cotton production in the South, intensifying the reliance on slavery, while interchangeable parts transformed manufacturing and led to the Industrial Revolution in the U.S.

Robert Fulton

• Definition: An engineer and inventor who developed the first commercially successful steamboat, the Clermont.

• Historical Significance: His steamboat revolutionized river transportation, facilitating faster movement of goods and people, which supported economic growth and westward expansion.

Second Great Awakening

• Definition: A religious revival movement in the early 19th century.

• Historical Significance: It emphasized individual salvation and spurred social reform movements, including abolition, temperance, and women’s rights, transforming American religious and cultural life.

Joseph Smith, Mormons

• Definition: He was the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons).

• Historical Significance: His religious teachings attracted a significant following, leading to the establishment of the Mormon faith. The movement faced persecution and eventually migrated westward, settling in Utah.

Horace Mann

• Definition: An education reformer known as the “Father of the Common School Movement.”

• Historical Significance: He advocated for publicly funded and accessible education, believing it was essential for a strong democracy, and his efforts laid the foundation for the modern public school system.

American Temperance Society

• Definition: An organization founded in 1826 to combat alcohol abuse.

• Historical Significance: The society led a widespread temperance movement, promoting abstinence from alcohol and laying the groundwork for Prohibition.

Hudson River School

• Definition: A group of American landscape painters in the mid-19th century.

• Historical Significance: Known for their depictions of the American wilderness, their artists celebrated the natural beauty of the United States, helping to shape an early sense of American identity and pride.

Stephen C. Foster

• Definition: An American songwriter known as the “Father of American Music.”

• Historical Significance: His compositions, such as “Oh! Susanna” and “Camptown Races,” became part of American folk culture, reflecting and influencing popular music in the 19th century.

Second Bank of the United States

• Definition: A national bank chartered in 1816 to stabilize the economy.

• Historical Significance: Its role in regulating the economy was contentious, leading to debates on federal versus state power, culminating in its eventual dismantling.