Early Nineteenth-Century American History: Jeffersonian Democracy to the War of 1812

Practice vocabulary flashcards covering the presidency of Thomas Jefferson, westward expansion, foreign policy challenges, and key events of the War of 1812.

Small 'r' Republican

The political philosophy represented by Thomas Jefferson that advocated for strictly limiting the size and power of the federal government, protecting the rights of ordinary citizens, and promoting westward expansion.

Federalist

The political faction represented by leaders like John Adams, George Washington, and Alexander Hamilton that supported a strong centralized federal government and strong national control.

Yeoman Ethos

Thomas Jefferson's ideal that the foundation of the American republic should be independent, small-scale landowners and farmers pursuing their own economic advantage, rather than large mercantile businesses and centralized power on the East Coast.

Louisiana Purchase

An 1803 land agreement in which Thomas Jefferson's administration bought territorial claims from Napoleon's French government for $15{,}000{,}000$, effectively doubling the geographic size of the United States.

Unorganized Louisiana Territory

The vast western territorial expanse created in 1805 following the Louisiana Purchase, stretching west of the Mississippi River.

Lewis and Clark Expedition

An 1806 fact-finding mission sent by Thomas Jefferson to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase territory to the Oregon region and determine how the land could support new farming economies.

Sacagawea

The Native American guide who assisted Meriwether Lewis and William Clark during their western expedition, helping them navigate and establish contact with regional native tribes.

Impressment

The practice by the British Royal Navy of seizing American merchant vessels and forcing American sailors into British naval service under the legal claim that they were born British subjects.

Naval Embargo of 1806–1807

A governmental restriction instituted by Thomas Jefferson that prohibited American merchants from trading in European waters, intended to protect American ships and avoid war, but resulting in domestic outrage and protests in port cities.

Tecumseh

A Native American leader in the American Midwest who attempted to unite regional tribes to resist white settlement, whom U.S. officials falsely accused of acting as an operative for the British Empire.

War of 1812

A conflict declared by the United States against Great Britain that lasted from 1812 until 1815, sparked by maritime trade conflicts, naval impressment, and suspicions of British incitement of Native American resistance on the frontier.

Burning of Washington D.C.

An August 1814 military operation during the War of 1812 where British troops invaded the federal capital and burned down public buildings, including the White House and Capitol, sparing only the post office.

Fort McHenry

The defensive fort guarding Baltimore Harbor that successfully withstanded a British naval bombardment in August 1814, preventing the capture of Baltimore.

The Star-Spangled Banner

A patriotic poem written by Francis Scott Key while held captive aboard a British vessel during the bombardment of Fort McHenry, which subsequently became the national anthem of the United States.

Battle of New Orleans

A major engagement fought on January 1, 1815, after the signing of the peace treaty in Europe, in which entrenched American forces decisively defeated an attacking British force numbering 7,000 to 8,000 soldiers.

Andrew Jackson

The American general who became a national hero following his victory at the Battle of New Orleans and later became the first U.S. president not from the founding generation or related to a founding father.