Key Figures and Events in Early American History

Gabriel

Enslaved blacksmith who led a planned slave rebellion in Richmond, VA (1800). Though it failed, it heightened Southern fears of slave uprisings.

James Monroe

5th U.S. President; known for the Monroe Doctrine (1823) and the Era of Good Feelings during his administration.

Lewis, Clark, Sac

Explorers of the American West; Lewis & Clark (with Sacagawea's help) charted the Louisiana Territory. Pike explored the Southwest.

John Marshall

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who strengthened federal power and judicial review (Marbury v. Madison).

Samuel Slater

British mechanic who brought textile mill technology to America, initiating the factory system and the Industrial Revolution.

Eli Whitney

Inventor of the cotton gin and interchangeable parts, which transformed agriculture and manufacturing.

Tecumseh

Shawnee leader who sought to unite Native tribes against U.S. expansion; killed at the Battle of the Thames (1813).

John Calhoun

Southern politician and advocate of states' rights, nullification, and slavery; vice president under Jackson.

Andrew Jackson

7th U.S. President; symbol of the "common man," expanded executive power, and enforced Indian Removal.

Henry Clay

Congressman known as the "Great Compromiser"; promoted the American System and negotiated key compromises.

William Henry Harrison

Military hero at Tippecanoe; 9th president who died shortly after taking office in 1841.

John Tyler

10th President after Harrison's death; clashed with Whigs, annexed Texas.

Tenskwatawa (aka The Prophet)

Shawnee brothers who led a spiritual and military resistance against U.S. expansion in the early 1800s.

Washington Irving

Author of early American fiction such as 'Rip Van Winkle' and 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.'

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Leader of Transcendentalism; emphasized self-reliance and nature in his essays and lectures.

Alexis de Tocqueville

French political thinker who wrote 'Democracy in America,' analyzing American society and democracy.

Nat Turner

Leader of a violent slave rebellion in Virginia (1831) that heightened tensions over slavery.

Louisiana Purchase

Land deal between U.S. and France that doubled U.S. territory; explored by Lewis and Clark.

Corps of Discovery

Expedition led by Lewis and Clark to explore the Louisiana Purchase and find a route to the Pacific.

National Road

First major federally funded highway, symbolizing national infrastructure improvements.

War of 1812

Conflict between the U.S. and Britain over maritime rights and frontier conflicts; boosted American nationalism.

Hartford Convention

Federalist meeting to protest War of 1812; viewed as unpatriotic, contributing to the party's decline.

Treaty of Ghent

Ended War of 1812; restored pre-war boundaries without addressing maritime issues.

Battle of New Orleans

Major U.S. victory in War of 1812 led by Andrew Jackson; occurred after the treaty was signed.

Panic of 1819

First major U.S. economic crisis caused by over-speculation and tight credit; led to distrust of banks.

Market Revolution

Economic transformation involving new transportation, mechanization, and commercialization.

Battle of Tippecanoe

1811 battle where William Henry Harrison defeated Native forces led by Tecumseh's followers.

Panic of 1837

Economic crisis under Van Buren caused by speculative lending and Jackson's bank policies.

Corrupt Bargain

1824 election decision by the House; Adams made Clay Secretary of State, angering Jackson's supporters.

Petticoat Affair

Scandal involving Cabinet members' wives; led to Cabinet shakeup and strengthened Jackson-Van Buren alliance.

Trail of Tears

Forced relocation of Cherokee from the Southeast to Indian Territory, causing thousands of deaths.

Nat Turner's Rebellion

Slave uprising that led to harsh laws in the South restricting slaves and free Blacks.

Amistad (1839)

Slave ship revolt; captured Africans won freedom in a Supreme Court case with abolitionist support.

Romantic Era

Cultural movement emphasizing emotion, nature, and individualism; influenced literature and reform.

Second Great Awakening

Religious revival movement that spurred reform efforts like temperance and abolition.

Underground Railroad

Network of secret routes and safe houses used to help enslaved people escape to freedom.

Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Short story by Washington Irving reflecting American folklore and identity.

Rip Van Winkle

Irving tale about a man who sleeps through revolutionary change, symbolizing transformation.

Civil Disobedience

Essay by Thoreau encouraging passive resistance to unjust laws, influencing future activists.

Freedom's Journal

First African American owned and operated newspaper in the U.S., published in 1827.

Liberator

Abolitionist newspaper founded by William Lloyd Garrison advocating for immediate emancipation.

Declaration of Sentiments

Document from the Seneca Falls Convention (1848) demanding equal rights for women.

Democracy in America

Tocqueville's analysis of U.S. democracy and its strengths/weaknesses in the 1830s.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Autobiography exposing the brutality of slavery and promoting abolition.

North Star

Abolitionist newspaper founded by Frederick Douglass promoting anti-slavery and civil rights.

Judiciary Act (1801)

Law that expanded federal judgeships; Adams' 'midnight judges' controversy followed.

Embargo Act (1807)

Jefferson's ban on U.S. exports to avoid war; hurt American economy.

Force Bill

Authorized Jackson to use military force to enforce federal tariffs during Nullification Crisis.

Non-Intercourse Act

Replaced Embargo Act; reopened trade with all nations except Britain and France.

Tariff of 1816

First protective tariff in U.S. history to support American manufacturing post-War of 1812.

Adams-Onis Treaty

Spain ceded Florida to the U.S. and defined boundary between U.S. and New Spain.

Monroe Doctrine

Declared the Americas off-limits to European colonization; cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy.

Missouri Compromise

Maintained balance between free and slave states; admitted Missouri as slave, Maine as free.

Tariff of 1828

High protective tariff that angered the South and led to the Nullification Crisis.

Indian Removal

A 1830 law under Jackson authorizing removal of Native Americans to lands west of the Mississippi.

Second Seminole

Conflict in Florida resisting Native removal; costly war for the U.S.

Treaty of Echota

Treaty used to justify Cherokee removal; signed by a minority faction, not tribal leaders.

Judicial Review

Established by Marbury v. Madison; allows Supreme Court to rule laws unconstitutional.

American System

Mass production using interchangeable parts; boosted efficiency and U.S. industry.

Henry Clay's American System

Henry Clay's plan for economic growth: tariffs, internal improvements, and a national bank.

Nationalism

Belief in national unity and strength; grew after War of 1812 and influenced U.S. policy.

Temperance

Movement to reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption; part of broader reform movements.

Cult of Domesticity

Ideal that women should stay at home and uphold moral values; reinforced gender roles.

Era of Good Feel

Period of political unity under Monroe; marked by nationalism and one-party dominance.

Ordinance of Nullification

South Carolina's declaration that it could void federal laws like the tariff of 1828.

White Supremacy

Belief in the superiority of white people; shaped pro-slavery and segregationist policies.

Common Man

Jacksonian idea celebrating average white men's political and social participation.

Transcendentalism

Philosophy emphasizing intuition, nature, and individual conscience; led by Emerson and Thoreau.

Gag Rule

Congressional rule blocking discussion of anti-slavery petitions from 1836 to 1844.

Task System

Slave labor system common in rice-growing regions allowing some autonomy after task completion.

Barbary States

North African states whose piracy led to early U.S. naval action under Jefferson.

War Hawks

Young Congressmen who pushed for war with Britain in 1812 to defend national honor.

Whigs

Political party opposing Jackson; supported federal power, reform, and economic development.

Democrats

Party led by Jackson; favored states' rights and limited federal government.

Cherokee

Native nation forcibly removed during the Trail of Tears despite Supreme Court protections.

National Republic

Adams-Clay faction supporting the American System; precursor to the Whigs.

Planter Elite

Wealthy Southern landowners who dominated politics and supported slavery.

Yeoman Farmers

Independent small farmers in the South who owned few or no slaves; backbone of Southern society.

Nativists

Anti-immigrant Americans who feared cultural change and job competition from immigrants.

American Anti-Slavery Society

Founded by Garrison in 1833 to promote immediate emancipation.

Liberty Party

First antislavery political party; formed in 1840 to push abolition in politics.

Free-Soil Party

Opposed expansion of slavery into western territories; precursor to the Republican Party.

Abolitionists

Activists who demanded the end of slavery on moral and political grounds.

Marbury v. Madison

Established judicial review, strengthening the power of the Supreme Court.

McCulloch v. Maryland

Affirmed federal supremacy and upheld the constitutionality of the national bank.

Cherokee Nation v. Georgia

Court ruled Cherokee were a 'domestic dependent nation' with limited standing.

Worcester v. Georgia

Supreme Court ruled Georgia couldn't interfere in Cherokee lands; Jackson ignored ruling.