Key Events and Concepts in Early American History

Missouri Compromise

1820 law admitting Missouri as a slave state, Maine as a free state, and banning slavery north of 36°30′ latitude in the Louisiana Territory.

Louisiana Purchase

1803 land deal in which the U.S. bought territory from France, doubling the nation's size.

Embargo of 1807

Jefferson's ban on U.S. trade with all foreign nations to avoid war; hurt American economy more than Europe.

War of 1812

Conflict between the U.S. and Britain over trade restrictions, impressment, and frontier conflicts; ended in stalemate.

Marbury v. Madison

1803 Supreme Court case establishing judicial review—the power to declare laws unconstitutional.

Cotton Gin

1793 invention by Eli Whitney that rapidly increased cotton production—and the demand for enslaved labor.

Second Great Awakening

Early 1800s religious revival promoting personal salvation and social reform, including abolition and temperance.

1824 Election

Controversial election decided by the House; John Quincy Adams won over Andrew Jackson in what Jackson called a 'corrupt bargain.'

Jackson Vetoes the Bank

President Jackson opposed and vetoed the recharter of the national bank, viewing it as too powerful and favoring the elite.

Tariff of 1828

High tariff protecting Northern industry but hurting Southern economy; called the 'Tariff of Abominations.'

Indian Removal Act

1830 law allowing the forced relocation of Native Americans to lands west of the Mississippi; led to the Trail of Tears.

Spoils System

Practice where political supporters are rewarded with government jobs; associated with Andrew Jackson's presidency.

Monroe Doctrine

1823 policy declaring the Americas off-limits to European colonization and intervention.

Underground Railroad

Secret network of routes and safe houses used by enslaved people escaping to free states or Canada.

Seneca Falls Convention

1848 women's rights meeting in New York; issued the Declaration of Sentiments demanding suffrage and equality.

Temperance Movement

Reform effort to reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption; linked to moral and social reform.

Abolition Movement

Campaign to end slavery in the U.S., led by figures like Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and William Lloyd Garrison.

Mexican War (causes & effects)

War (1846-1848) sparked by U.S. annexation of Texas and border disputes; ended with Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, giving U.S. much of the Southwest.

Manifest Destiny

Belief that the U.S. was destined to expand across the continent, used to justify westward expansion.

Oregon Trail

Major route taken by pioneers moving west in the mid-1800s in search of land and opportunity.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

1852 novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe that exposed the horrors of slavery; increased Northern opposition to slavery.

1850 Compromise

Series of laws meant to ease sectional tension: California admitted as a free state, new fugitive slave law, and popular sovereignty in some territories.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

1854 law allowing settlers in new territories to decide on slavery; repealed Missouri Compromise and led to violence.

Popular Sovereignty

Policy allowing settlers of a territory to vote on whether to allow slavery.

Fugitive Slave Act

1850 law requiring the return of escaped enslaved people to their owners; intensified Northern resistance.

Scott v. Sanford (Dred Scott Case)

1857 Supreme Court decision ruling that African Americans were not citizens and Congress couldn't ban slavery in territories.

Bleeding Kansas

Violent conflict between pro- and anti-slavery settlers in Kansas after the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Bleeding Sumner

1856 incident where Senator Charles Sumner was beaten on the Senate floor for criticizing slavery and Southern politicians.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

1858 Illinois Senate debates focusing on slavery; showcased Lincoln's moral opposition and Douglas's popular sovereignty stance.

Election of 1860

Abraham Lincoln's election triggered Southern secession as he opposed the expansion of slavery.

Nullification Crisis

1832 South Carolina's challenge to federal tariffs asserting states' rights.

Trail of Tears

Forced Cherokee removal to Oklahoma; thousands died.

Whig Party

Political party opposing Andrew Jackson and Democrats.

Know-Nothing Party

Nativist party opposing immigration.

Frederick Douglass

Former slave and leading abolitionist speaker.

Harriet Tubman

Leader in the Underground Railroad.

Bleeding Kansas

Violence in Kansas Territory over slavery.

Dred Scott Decision

Supreme Court ruling denying citizenship and rights to African Americans.

Copperheads

Northern Democrats opposing the Civil War.

13th, 14th, 15th Amendments

Known as the Reconstruction Amendments securing rights for freed slaves.