APUSH Ch. 9 Vocab: PART 1

Franchise

the right to vote. Between 1820 and 1860, most states revised their constitution to extend the vote to all the white males. Black adult men gained the right to vote with the passage of the 14th Amendment. The 19th Amendment granted adult women the right to vote.

Notables

northern landlords, slave-owning planters, and seaport merchants who dominated the political system of the early 19th century

Political machine

a highly organized group of insiders that directs a political party. As the power of notables waned in the 1820s, disciplined political parties usually run by professional politicians appeared in a number of states.

Caucus

a meeting held by a political party to choose candidates, make policies, and enforce party discipline

Demographic transition

the sharp decline in birth rate in the US beginning in the 1790s that was caused by changes in cultural behavior, including the use of birth control. The migration of thousands of young men to the west to the trans-Appalachian west was also a factor in this decline.

Republican motherhood

the idea that the primary political role of American woman was to instill a sense of patriotic duty and republican virtue in their sons and husbands and mold them into exemplary citizens

American Colonization Society

founded by Henry Clay and other prominent citizens in 1817, the society argued that slaves had to be freed and then resettled, in Africa or elsewhere

Missouri Compromise

a series of agreements devised by Speaker of the House Henry Clay. Maine entered the Union as a free state while Missouri followed as a slave state, preserving a balance in the Senate between North and South. Farther west, it set the northern boundary of slavery at the southern boundary of Missouri.

American System

the mercantilist system of national economic development advocated by Henry Clay and adopted by John Quincy Adams, with a national bank to manage the nation's financial system; protective tariffs to provide revenue and encourage industry; and a nationally funded network of roads, canals, and railroads.

Internal improvements

government-funded public works such as roads and canals

Corrupt bargain

when Speaker of the House Henry Clay used his influence to select John Quincy Adams as president in 1824, and then Adams appointed Clay secretary of state, Andrew Jackson’s supporters called it a corrupt bargain

Tariff of Abominations

a tariff enacted in 1828 that raised duties significantly on raw materials, textiles, and iron goods. It enraged the South which had no industries that needed protection and resented the higher cost of imported goods.

Spoils system

the widespread award of public jobs to political supporters after an electoral victory. In 1829, Andrew Jackson instituted the system on the national level, arguing that the rotation of officeholders was preferable to a permanent group of bureaucrats.

Nullification

the constitutional argument advanced by John C. Calhoun that a state legislature or convention could void a law passed by Congress

Second Bank of the United States

national bank with multiple branches chartered in 1816 for 20 years. Intended to help regulate the economy, the bank became a major issue in Andrew Jackson’s reelection campaign in 1832.