APUSH vocab 4

Adams, Abigail

Wife of John Adams; early advocate for women’s rights and education; famously urged her husband to “remember the ladies.”

Adams, John

2nd U.S. President; Federalist; defended British soldiers in the Boston Massacre; passed Alien and Sedition Acts; avoided war with France.

Alien and Sedition Acts

1798 laws passed by Federalists; restricted speech critical of the government and made it harder for immigrants to become citizens; opposed by Jeffersonians.

American Party (Know-Nothing Party)

Nativist political party of the 1850s; opposed immigration and Catholic influence.

Anti-Federalists

Opposed the Constitution’s ratification; favored stronger state governments and a Bill of Rights to protect individual liberties.

Bank of the United States

Proposed by Alexander Hamilton; established to stabilize the economy and manage government funds; opposed by Jeffersonians.

Barbary Pirates

North African pirates who attacked U.S. ships; Jefferson sent the navy to protect American trade in the Mediterranean.

Bill of Rights

First 10 amendments to the Constitution; guaranteed individual freedoms such as speech, religion, and due process.

Connecticut (Great) Compromise

Created a bicameral legislature—Senate (equal representation) and House (based on population); resolved dispute between large and small states.

Consent of the Governed

Idea that government derives its power from the consent of the people; core principle of democracy.

Constitutional Convention

1787 meeting in Philadelphia where delegates drafted the U.S. Constitution to replace the Articles of Confederation.

Cult of Domesticity

19th-century belief that women’s proper role was in the home, emphasizing piety, purity, and submissiveness.

Direct Democracy

System where citizens vote directly on laws rather than through representatives.

Electoral College

System established by the Constitution for electing the President and Vice President; balances power between states and people.

Embargo Act (1807)

Jefferson’s law prohibiting U.S. trade with foreign nations; intended to protect neutrality but hurt the American economy.

Factions

Political groups or parties that pursue their own interests; warned against by Washington in his Farewell Address.

The Federalist (Papers)

Essays by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay promoting ratification of the Constitution; explained federalism and separation of powers.

Federalists

Supported a strong central government and the Constitution; leaders included Hamilton and Adams.

French Revolution

Revolution in France (1789) that influenced American politics; divided Federalists (opposed) and Jeffersonians (supported).

Hartford Convention

1814 Federalist meeting opposing the War of 1812; perceived as unpatriotic and led to the party’s decline.

Hobbes, Thomas

English philosopher; believed humans are naturally selfish; advocated for strong government to maintain order.

“Imminent Dangers”

Phrase often used to justify government action or restrictions, especially in times of perceived threat (e.g., Alien & Sedition Acts).

Jay’s Treaty (1794)

Treaty with Britain resolving post-Revolution issues; Britain agreed to leave forts in U.S. territory; unpopular with Jeffersonians.

Judicial Review

Power of the Supreme Court to declare laws unconstitutional; established by Marbury v. Madison (1803).

Land Ordinance of 1785

Set up a system for surveying and selling western lands to raise revenue for the federal government.

Locke, John

Enlightenment thinker; argued for natural rights—life, liberty, and property; influenced the Declaration of Independence.

Macon’s Bill No. 2 (1810)

Reopened U.S. trade with all nations but would stop trade with one if the other violated U.S. neutrality.

Madison, James

“Father of the Constitution”; co-wrote The Federalist Papers; 4th U.S. President; led during the War of 1812.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Supreme Court case establishing judicial review; strengthened the judiciary’s power.

Marshall, John

Chief Justice (1801–1835); expanded power of the federal government and the Supreme Court.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Upheld constitutionality of the national bank; confirmed federal supremacy over state laws.

Monroe, James

5th U.S. President; issued Monroe Doctrine warning Europe not to colonize the Americas.

Montesquieu, Baron de

French Enlightenment thinker; advocated separation of powers in government.

Nativists

People who favored native-born Americans and opposed immigration, especially Catholics and Irish.

Neutrality Proclamation (1793)

Issued by Washington declaring the U.S. neutral in the war between France and Britain.

New Jersey Plan

Proposed equal representation for each state in Congress; favored small states.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Established process for creating new states in the Northwest Territory; banned slavery there.

Perry, Commodore Oliver

U.S. naval commander who won the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812.

Pinckney’s Treaty (1795)

Treaty with Spain granting U.S. navigation rights on the Mississippi River and access to New Orleans.

Representative Democracy

System where citizens elect officials to make laws on their behalf.

Republicanism

Political philosophy emphasizing civic virtue and government based on consent of the governed.

Regulators

Farmers in the Carolinas who protested corrupt colonial officials and lack of representation before the Revolution.

Republican Motherhood

Idea that women should educate their children to be virtuous citizens in the new republic.

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques

Enlightenment thinker; emphasized the social contract and popular sovereignty.

Second Continental Congress

Met in 1775; managed the Revolutionary War, adopted the Declaration of Independence, and established the Continental Army.

Separation of Powers

Division of government into legislative, executive, and judicial branches to prevent tyranny.

Shays’s Rebellion (1786–1787)

Armed uprising of farmers in Massachusetts protesting debts and taxes; exposed weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

Smith, Adam

Economist who wrote The Wealth of Nations; promoted capitalism and the idea of the “invisible hand.”

Social Contract

Theory that governments are formed by agreement among the people to protect natural rights.

Strict Constructionists

Believed in a narrow interpretation of the Constitution; favored limiting federal power.

Three-Fifths Compromise

Agreement that each enslaved person would count as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxation.

Tippecanoe (Battle of)

1811 battle in Indiana between U.S. forces and Native Americans led by Tecumseh; U.S. victory under William Henry Harrison.

Treaty of Ghent (1814)

Ended the War of 1812; restored prewar boundaries without addressing causes of the conflict.

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

Written by Jefferson and Madison; argued states could nullify unconstitutional federal laws.

Virginia Plan

Proposed representation based on population; favored large states.

Voltaire

French Enlightenment thinker; advocated freedom of speech, religion, and separation of church and state.

War of 1812

War between the U.S. and Britain over trade restrictions, impressment, and Native American resistance.

Whiskey Rebellion (1794)

Farmers in western Pennsylvania protested Hamilton’s whiskey tax; suppressed by Washington, proving federal authority.

XYZ Affair (1797)

French officials demanded bribes from U.S. diplomats; led to anti-French sentiment and the Quasi-War.