Heimler Unit 4 Review

What is the significance of the date range for Period 4 (1800–1848)?

1800 marks the “Revolution of 1800,” when Jefferson’s election represented a peaceful transfer of power between political parties, proving the stability of the new republic. 1848 marks the end of the Mexican-American War and the Seneca Falls Convention, reflecting westward expansion and the rise of reform movements. The period as a whole shows America’s growing democracy, sectional tensions, and rapid social and economic transformation.

What major themes define Period 4?

Expansion of democracy, rise of political parties, westward expansion, the Market Revolution, increased sectional tension over slavery, reform movements, and debates over the balance of liberty and order.

What was the “Revolution of 1800”?

The Revolution of 1800 refers to Jefferson’s election as president, marking the first peaceful transfer of power between rival political parties (Federalists to Democratic-Republicans). It demonstrated that the new U.S. political system could survive partisan division.

Section 2: Jefferson’s Presidency & Expansion of Federal Power

What was Jefferson’s political philosophy?

Jefferson believed in limited government, strict interpretation of the Constitution, and protecting states’ rights and individual liberties. He aimed to reduce the size and cost of the federal government while preserving republican simplicity.

What actions did Jefferson take to limit federal power?

He reduced military spending, eliminated internal taxes (like the whiskey tax), and cut the national debt, emphasizing frugality and limited government.

How did Jefferson expand federal power despite his philosophy?

Through the Louisiana Purchase (1803), Jefferson used implied powers not explicitly granted by the Constitution, effectively doubling U.S. territory. This contradicted his earlier strict-constructionist views.

What were the causes and effects of the Louisiana Purchase?

France, led by Napoleon, sold the territory to fund European wars. The U.S. gained control of the Mississippi River and New Orleans, doubled in size, and strengthened agricultural expansion—but also raised questions about slavery in new territories.

What was the significance of the Lewis and Clark Expedition?

Commissioned by Jefferson, the 1804–1806 expedition explored the Louisiana Territory, mapped routes, established relations with Native tribes, and strengthened American claims to western lands.

What was the Embargo Act of 1807?

A law prohibiting U.S. exports to all foreign nations, intended to pressure Britain and France to respect U.S. neutrality during the Napoleonic Wars. It hurt American merchants and farmers, damaging the U.S. economy.

What was the result of the Embargo Act?

It backfired—causing economic hardship and widespread smuggling—and was replaced by the Non-Intercourse Act (1809), which limited trade bans to Britain and France only.

Section 3: The Marshall Court & Judicial Review

Who was John Marshall?

John Marshall was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (1801–1835). His decisions strengthened the federal government and established the judiciary as a coequal branch of government.

What was the significance of Marbury v. Madison (1803)?

It established the principle of judicial review—the Supreme Court’s power to declare laws unconstitutional—strengthening the judiciary and asserting federal authority.

What was the outcome of McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)?

The Court ruled that states could not tax the national bank and confirmed the constitutionality of the Bank of the United States, expanding federal power through the “necessary and proper” clause.

What was decided in Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)?

The Court ruled that only Congress could regulate interstate commerce, reinforcing federal supremacy over state laws.

How did the Marshall Court shape American government?

It consistently expanded federal power, strengthened the judiciary, and promoted national economic unity.

Section 4: War of 1812 & Its Consequences

What were the causes of the War of 1812?

British impressment of American sailors, British support for Native American resistance, trade restrictions during the Napoleonic Wars, and U.S. desire for territorial expansion—especially into Canada.

Who supported and who opposed the war?

War Hawks in Congress (mainly southern and western Democratic-Republicans) supported war for national honor and expansion. Federalists, especially in New England, opposed it due to its disruption of trade.

What was the significance of the Battle of New Orleans (1815)?

Andrew Jackson’s victory after the peace treaty boosted national pride and made him a war hero, symbolizing American resilience.

What were the results of the War of 1812?

The Treaty of Ghent restored prewar boundaries (“status quo ante bellum”). The war increased U.S. nationalism, weakened Native resistance, ended the Federalist Party (after the Hartford Convention), and encouraged industrialization.

What was the Hartford Convention (1814–15)?

A meeting of New England Federalists who opposed the war and discussed possible secession. Its timing—just before the war’s end—made the Federalists seem disloyal, leading to their political decline.

How did the War of 1812 impact Native Americans?

It weakened Native resistance in the Northwest and South, opening more land for white settlement.

Section 5: The American System & Missouri Compromise

What was the “Era of Good Feelings”?

A period after the War of 1812 marked by one-party (Democratic-Republican) dominance and national unity, though underlying sectional tensions persisted.

What was Henry Clay’s “American System”?

A plan to promote economic growth through three parts: a national bank, protective tariffs, and internal improvements (infrastructure). It aimed to foster national self-sufficiency and link regional economies.

How did the American System promote sectionalism and unity?

It united the nation economically through trade and infrastructure but divided regions politically—northerners favored tariffs and a bank, while southerners opposed them.

What was the Missouri Compromise (1820)?

Proposed by Henry Clay, it admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, maintaining the balance in the Senate. It banned slavery north of the 36°30′ line in the Louisiana Territory.

What was the significance of the Missouri Compromise?

It temporarily eased sectional tensions over slavery but set a precedent for future conflict over westward expansion and the balance of free vs. slave states.

Section 6: Foreign Policy—Monroe Doctrine & Expansion

What was the Monroe Doctrine (1823)?

A U.S. foreign policy statement warning European powers not to interfere in the Western Hemisphere. It declared the Americas closed to future colonization and promised U.S. non-interference in European affairs.

What were the causes of the Monroe Doctrine?

Inspired by revolutions in Latin America and fears of European re-colonization after the Napoleonic Wars, the U.S. wanted to assert regional dominance.

What was the impact of the Monroe Doctrine?

It established the U.S. as a dominant power in the Western Hemisphere and became a cornerstone of American foreign policy.

What was the Adams-Onís Treaty (1819)?

A treaty in which Spain ceded Florida to the U.S. and set the boundary between U.S. and Spanish territory. It expanded U.S. influence in the South.

How did westward expansion affect Native Americans during this period?

Federal policies and migration displaced Native tribes, often through coercive treaties and forced removals, deepening conflict on the frontier.

Section 7: The Market Revolution & Economic Change

What was the Market Revolution?

A period of rapid economic transformation (early 1800s–1840s) marked by new technologies, increased commercialization, and expansion of transportation and communication networks that connected regional markets.

What transportation developments fueled the Market Revolution?

The building of canals (like the Erie Canal), steamboats, railroads, and improved roads connected farmers and manufacturers to national markets.

What was the significance of the Erie Canal?

Completed in 1825, it linked the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, drastically lowering shipping costs, stimulating settlement in the Midwest, and making New York City a major trade hub.

What innovations transformed manufacturing?

Eli Whitney’s interchangeable parts, the cotton gin, and textile mills (like Lowell Mills) increased efficiency and production, transforming both agriculture and industry.

What were the social effects of the Market Revolution?

It increased wage labor, urbanization, and class divisions, while also changing gender roles and family dynamics through the rise of separate spheres ideology.

How did the Market Revolution affect women?

More women entered the workforce in textile mills and factories (e.g., Lowell System), but most still faced restricted rights and social expectations centered on domesticity.

How did the Market Revolution impact slavery?

The cotton gin made cotton production highly profitable, entrenching slavery in the South and fueling the domestic slave trade.

Section 8: Social Change, Immigration, and Women’s Roles

How did immigration change during this period?

Millions of Irish and German immigrants arrived between 1820 and 1840 due to famine and political unrest, providing labor for industrial and infrastructure growth.

Where did Irish and German immigrants settle?

Irish immigrants largely settled in northeastern cities and worked in low-wage jobs; Germans often moved to the Midwest and became farmers or craftsmen.

How did native-born Americans react to immigration?

Nativism rose, fueled by fears of job competition and anti-Catholic sentiment, leading to the formation of groups like the “Know-Nothings.”

What was the “cult of domesticity”?

A social ideal that emphasized women’s roles as moral guardians of the home, responsible for child-rearing and maintaining family virtue.

How did the Second Great Awakening influence women?

Women became active in reform movements—especially temperance, abolition, and moral reform—seeing activism as an extension of their moral influence.

Section 9: Expansion of Democracy & the Age of Jackson

What characterized the “Age of Jackson”?

The expansion of suffrage to most white men, rise of mass political participation, and growing populism that challenged elite control of government.

What was Jacksonian Democracy?

A political movement that championed the “common man,” expanded white male suffrage, opposed special privileges for elites, and supported majority rule.

What was the spoils system?

A practice under Jackson where political supporters were rewarded with government jobs, increasing political loyalty but also corruption.

What was the significance of the Election of 1828?

It marked the rise of modern political campaigning, with Jackson’s victory symbolizing the triumph of popular democracy over elite politics.

What was the Nullification Crisis (1832–33)?

South Carolina, led by John C. Calhoun, declared federal tariffs unconstitutional and threatened secession. Jackson responded with the Force Bill, asserting federal supremacy.

What was the outcome of the Nullification Crisis?

A compromise tariff (by Henry Clay) ended the crisis peacefully, but it set a precedent for Southern claims of states’ rights and secession.

What was Jackson’s view on the national bank?

He opposed the Second Bank of the United States, seeing it as unconstitutional and favoring the wealthy. He vetoed its recharter and moved federal funds to “pet banks.”

What were the effects of Jackson’s Bank War?

It weakened the national bank, led to inflation, and contributed to the Panic of 1837, an economic depression during Martin Van Buren’s presidency.

What was the Indian Removal Act (1830)?

A law authorizing the forced relocation of Native American tribes east of the Mississippi River to lands west of it, justified as promoting progress and security.

What was the significance of Worcester v. Georgia (1832)?

The Supreme Court ruled that Cherokee lands were sovereign, and Georgia laws had no authority there—but Jackson ignored the decision, leading to the Trail of Tears.

What was the Trail of Tears?

The forced removal of 16,000 Cherokee from Georgia to Indian Territory (modern Oklahoma), during which about a quarter died, symbolizing the cruelty of federal Indian policy.

Section 10: Cultural & Religious Movements

What was the Second Great Awakening?

A religious revival movement (1790s–1840s) emphasizing individual salvation, moral reform, and human perfectibility, fueling social activism and reform movements.

Who were key figures of the Second Great Awakening?

Preachers like Charles Grandison Finney promoted revivalism, moral improvement, and social reform in the “burned-over district” of New York.

How did the Second Great Awakening change society?

It inspired reform movements like temperance, abolition, and women’s rights, while emphasizing that individuals could improve themselves and society.

What was Transcendentalism?

An intellectual movement emphasizing individualism, self-reliance, and connection with nature; it criticized materialism and conformity.

Who were key Transcendentalists?

Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, who advocated for self-reliance and civil disobedience against unjust laws.

What new religious movements arose during this period?

Groups like the Mormons (founded by Joseph Smith) and Shakers emerged, reflecting religious diversity and utopian experimentation.

Section 11: Abolitionism & Women’s Rights

Who were key abolitionist leaders?

Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, and Sojourner Truth, who advocated immediate emancipation and equality for enslaved people.

What was The Liberator?

An abolitionist newspaper founded by William Lloyd Garrison in 1831, demanding immediate emancipation without compensation to slaveholders.

What were the methods of abolitionists?

They used moral suasion, petitions, newspapers, and societies (like the American Anti-Slavery Society) to promote anti-slavery sentiment.

How did the women’s rights movement emerge?

Women’s participation in reform movements led them to demand their own rights, culminating in the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848.

What was the Seneca Falls Convention?

The first women’s rights convention in U.S. history, organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, which issued the Declaration of Sentiments asserting equality for women.

What was the Declaration of Sentiments?

A document modeled on the Declaration of Independence, stating that “all men and women are created equal” and calling for women’s suffrage and legal reform.

How were abolitionism and women’s rights connected?

Both movements shared leaders and ideals about human equality and moral reform, though women often faced exclusion from male-led reform efforts.

Section 12: Southern Society & Slavery

What was the structure of Southern society during this period?

It was hierarchical, with a small elite of large planters dominating politics and economy, supported by yeoman farmers and enslaved laborers at the bottom.

What role did slavery play in the Southern economy?

Slavery was central to the plantation economy, producing cash crops like cotton, which fueled both Southern wealth and Northern industrialization.

What was life like for enslaved people?

They faced brutal conditions but developed strong family and community networks, spiritual traditions, and forms of resistance like work slowdowns and escape.

How did slaveholders justify slavery?

They argued it was a “positive good,” defended it on racial and biblical grounds, and claimed it provided order and care for enslaved people.

How did free Black communities exist in the North and South?

Free African Americans established churches, schools, and mutual aid societies but faced severe discrimination, limited rights, and threats of violence.

What tensions did slavery create in national politics?

Debates over the expansion of slavery into western territories increasingly divided the nation along sectional lines, foreshadowing the conflicts that led to the Civil War.