Period 4 Review 1800-1848

Louisiana Purchase 1803

A $15 million land deal where the U.S. bought 828,000 square miles west of the Mississippi River from France, doubling the nation's size. It spanned from the Mississippi to the Rockies, creating all or parts of 15 states, securing New Orleans, and fueling westward expansion.

Marbury v. Madison 1803

(1803) is a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that established the principle of judicial review, affirming the Court's power to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional. Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that while William Marbury was entitled to his judicial commission, the Court lacked authority to force its delivery because the Judiciary Act of 1789 violated Article III of the Constitution.

War of 1812

(1812–1815) was a conflict between the U.S. and Great Britain caused by trade restrictions, the impressment of American sailors, and British support for Native American resistance. Often called America’s "second war of independence," it ended in a draw, with the Treaty of Ghent restoring pre-war borders. The U.S. gained respect, national pride, and solidified its independence. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Monroe Doctrine 1823

a US policy stating that European powers should no longer colonize or interfere with independent nations in the Americas. President James Monroe warned that any further intervention in the Western Hemisphere would be viewed as a hostile act against the US, effectively declaring the Americas off-limits.

Andrew Jackson

the seventh U.S. president (1829–1837), a military hero, and founder of the modern Democratic Party. Known as "Old Hickory" for his toughness, he popularized American politics, championed the "common man," and significantly expanded presidential power, while his legacy is heavily criticized for Indian removal policies.

Indian Removal Act 1830

Signed into law by President Andrew Jackson in 1830 authorized the U.S. government to force Native American tribes living in the Southeast to exchange their ancestral lands for new territory west of the Mississippi River. It resulted in the violent, forced relocation known as the Trail of Tears.

Trail of Tears

the forced removal of over 60,000 Native Americans from their southeastern U.S. homes to designated "Indian Territory" (now Oklahoma) by the U.S. government in the 1830s. Thousands died from cold, starvation, and disease during the brutal, 1,000-mile march, notably the Cherokee, who lost an estimated 4,000 people.

Jacksonian democracy 1829–1837

political movement that championed greater rights and power for the "common man"—specifically white working-class men—over the political elite. Led by President Andrew Jackson, it expanded voting rights, reduced government regulation, and promoted populist policies while strengthening the presidency.

Market Revolution 1800-1860

a massive economic shift where Americans stopped producing mostly for themselves (subsistence) and began producing goods to sell to distant markets. Powered by innovations like the steamboat, railroads, and factories, this era connected the nation, created wage labor, and fueled industrial growth.

Lowell System

a 19th-century New England labor-production model that centralized all textile manufacturing steps under one roof and employed young, unmarried women ("mill girls") who lived in company-run boardinghouses. Pioneered by Francis Cabot Lowell for the Boston Manufacturing Company, it aimed for high-efficiency production while maintaining strict moral standards

2nd Great Awakening

Seneca Falls (1848)

the first organized women's rights convention in the United States, held in New York. Organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, it launched the women’s suffrage movement by demanding social, civil, and legal equality for women, famously including the right to vote.

North

Industry, Urban, free labor, pro-tariff

South

Cotton, planter, enslaved labor, anti-tariff

West

Expansion, land, mixed, frontier, internal imprv

Missouri Compromise 1820

A US law that kept a balance of power between slave and free states. It admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, while banning slavery in new western territories north of the 36°30′ line of latitude.

Spoils System

a political practice where the winner of an election gives government jobs, contracts, and favors to their supporters, friends, and campaign workers as a reward, rather than hiring based on skill or experience.

Federalist Party

The Federalist Party was the first American political party, active from 1792 to 1816, that championed a strong central government, a national bank, and a modern economy based on manufacturing and commerce. Founded by Alexander Hamilton, they favored a loose interpretation of the Constitution, pro-British foreign policy, and stability over "excessive" democracy.

Era of Good Feelings 1815–1825

a period of American history marked by national unity, optimism, and one-party rule under the Democratic-Republicans following the War of 1812. With the Federalist Party gone, politics had less conflict, high nationalism surged, and the economy expanded, although tensions over slavery and the economy later grew.