Antebellum U.S. Politics and Crises

A set of vocabulary flashcards summarizing key political events and economic issues in the United States during the Jacksonian era.

Doctrine of Nullification

Political theory outlined by John C. Calhoun asserting that a state could invalidate any federal law it deemed unconstitutional, developed in response to the 1828 Tariff of Abominations.

Tariff of Abominations (1828)

Nickname for the high protective tariff that angered the South and sparked Calhoun’s doctrine of nullification.

Election of 1828

Presidential contest won by Andrew Jackson, whose frontier background and war-hero image appealed to the common man.

Whig Party Nomination of 1840

Decision to run William Henry Harrison instead of Henry Clay, based on claims that Clay lacked broad political appeal and experience.

Panic of 1837

Economic crisis triggered in part by falling cotton prices, leaving southern farmers unable to pay northern creditors and causing widespread financial distress.