Unit 4 Overview: Beginnings of Modern American Democracy (1800-1848)

Flashcards reviewing the key concepts from the lecture notes.

How did Henry Clay's American System contribute to economic development during this period?

Increased infrastructure (railroads, canals, etc), supported tariffs, and created a National Bank for stability. The factory system replaces the domestic system and the demand for laborers will drastically alter typical gender roles.

What was Manifest Destiny, and how did it influence territorial expansion in the United States during the early 19th century?

Manifest Destiny supported westward expansion. This created debates over how to proceed with slavery. It said that God gave the nation a right to expand.

Describe the impact of Jacksonian Democracy on voter eligibility and participation during this period. What groups were still excluded from voting despite these changes?

Jacksonian Democracy eliminated property regulations for voting, and introduced universal manhood, which meant that only white males could vote. This left out women, Natives, and slaves.

Discuss the significance of the Missouri Compromise in the context of sectional tensions over slavery.

The Missouri Compromise attempts to ease the tension in the Louisiana Purchase territory by establishing a separation of free and slave territories. This created tensions between the North, South, and West on how to proceed with slavery.

Explain how the Market Revolution changed gender roles in American society. What new opportunities and challenges did this present for women?

The Market Revolution allowed for women to work because of the demand for labor, but they could only work under harsh conditions. Women were only allowed to work certain jobs, but they were given the jobs no one wanted to do.

What role did religious fervor in the Burned Over District play in the Second Great Awakening? How did this impact societal values and reform movements?

The Burned Over District in New York represents the religious fervor sweeping the east coast. This changed preaching tactics from philosophical styles to individualism. Women organize revivals to support outside of home. The Temperance movement was created and reform started to form over laws that restricted women's rights.

Identify and describe two major slave uprisings mentioned in the overview and discuss their impact on national attitudes toward slavery.

Turner's rebellion showed the white nation that Calhoun's “Positive Good” (idea that slaves were enforcing the elderly instead of them working in the factory) was not good. Maroon societies made slaveholders more scared, it lowered plantation productivity, sparked future revolts, and broke down the Southern Society.

Jacksons Presidency and Whig Party

Jackson is seen as a tyrant for his destruction of the bank, the Indian Removal Act, and his use of the Force Act in the Nullification Crisis. The Whig party was formed to go against his policies.

Explain the principle of Judicial Review established by Marbury vs. Madison and its importance in American legal and political history.

The Supreme Court began to flex its muscles by going through 1803 Marbury vs. Madison ruling that established the principle of Judicial Review (a legal process that allows courts to review and invalidate actions taken by the government).

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Gave U.S permission to expand westward, which increased debates on how to proceed with slavery.