APUSH Terms Unit 4A #1

These flashcards cover key concepts and events from early American history that are essential for understanding this period.

Louisiana Purchase

A pivotal land acquisition from France in 1803, orchestrated by President Thomas Jefferson, which effectively doubled the size of the United States and provided control over the vital Mississippi River.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Supreme court case presided over by Chief Justice John Marshall, that established the principle of judicial review, allowing the Supreme Court to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional.

John Marshall

Chief Justice of the United States from 1801 to 1835, whose influential rulings, such as Marbury v. Madison and McCulloch v. Maryland, significantly strengthened the power and role of the Supreme Court and the federal government.

Impressment

The controversial British practice of forcibly conscripting American sailors into service in the Royal Navy, a major cause of tension and a key factor leading up to the War of 1812.

Chesapeake Affair

A significant naval confrontation in 1807 where the British HMS Leopard fired upon and boarded the American USS Chesapeake, seizing alleged deserters and inflaming anti-British sentiment in the United States.

Embargo Act of 1807

A law enacted by President Thomas Jefferson in 1807 that prohibited American ships from trading in foreign ports, pressured Britain and France to respect U.S. neutrality, and severely damaged the American economy.

Tecumseh

A powerful Shawnee chief and warrior who, in the early 19th century, led a confederacy of Native American tribes in an effort to resist American territorial expansion into the Ohio River Valley.

Battle of Tippecanoe

A significant battle in 1811 near Prophetstown, Indiana, where American forces led by William Henry Harrison defeated Native Americans under Tecumseh's brother, Tenskwatawa, weakening Tecumseh's confederacy against white expansion.

War Hawks

A faction of young, aggressive congressional leaders, primarily from the South and West, who strongly advocated for war against Britain in 1812 to defend American honor, end impressment, and facilitate territorial expansion.

Hartford Convention

A series of secret meetings held by New England Federalists from 1814-1815 during the War of 1812, where they discussed grievances and potential constitutional amendments; its timing led to the rapid decline of the Federalist Party.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

A landmark Supreme Court case affirming the 'implied powers' of Congress under the 'necessary and proper' clause and establishing the supremacy of federal laws over state laws, particularly regarding the Second Bank of the United States.

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

A pivotal Supreme Court ruling in 1824, which held that the power to regulate interstate commerce, granted to Congress by the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution, encompassed the power to regulate navigation, reinforcing federal authority over transportation.

Era of Good Feelings

A period in American history, roughly from 1815 to 1825, characterized by a sense of national purpose, political unity under the Democratic-Republican Party, and a surge of nationalism following the War of 1812.

Clay’s American System

A comprehensive economic plan in the early 19th century, advocating for a national bank to foster commerce, protective tariffs to encourage American industry, and federally funded internal improvements like roads and canals to unite the country economically.

Adams-Onis Treaty

An 1819 agreement, also known as the Transcontinental Treaty, between the United States and Spain, which ceded Florida to the U.S., defined the boundary between the U.S. and New Spain (Mexico), and renounced U.S. claims to Texas.

Nativism

A political policy, prevalent in the 19th century, of protecting the interests of native-born or established inhabitants against those of immigrants, often fueled by fears of economic competition, cultural changes, or religious differences.

Lowell (Waltham) System

A distinctive labor and production model employed primarily in textile mills in Massachusetts during the early Industrial Revolution, largely using young, unmarried women from New England farms as a factory workforce.

Monroe Doctrine

A landmark U.S. foreign policy statement issued in 1823, warning European powers against further colonization or interference in the Western Hemisphere, establishing a sphere of influence for the United States.

Tariff of 1816

The first protective tariff passed by Congress in U.S. history, enacted after the War of 1812 to protect burgeoning American industries from an influx of cheaper British manufactured goods, as part of Henry Clay's American System.

Erie Canal

A monumental artificial waterway completed in 1825 in New York, connecting the Hudson River to Lake Erie, which dramatically reduced transportation costs, facilitated westward migration, and made New York City a major commercial hub.

Missouri Compromise

An influential legislative agreement passed in 1820 that admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state simultaneously to maintain the balance of power in Congress, and prohibited slavery in future territories north of the 36^ ext{o}30' parallel.

Panic of 1819

The first widespread financial crisis in the United States, which led to widespread deflation, bank failures, unemployment, and an economic depression, highlighted the instability of the young nation's market economy.

Market Revolution

A profound economic transformation in the United States during the early 19th century, characterized by a shift from a subsistence, localized economy to a more commercial and industrial one, driven by new technologies, transportation, and specialized production.