american studies f*nal study guide

Battle of new oreleans

Major U.S. victory in the War of 1812 led by Andrew Jackson.

Battle of Lake Erie

U.S. naval victory that gave America control of Lake Erie.

Burning of Washington, D.C.

British troops burned government buildings during the War of 1812.

Battle of tippecanoe

U.S. victory over Native American forces led by Tecumseh’s confederacy.

The Alamo

Famous Texas battle where Texan defenders were defeated by Mexico.

Vicksburg

Union victory that gave the North control of the Mississippi River.

Gettysburg

Turning point of the Civil War; major Union victory over Confederate forces.

James Madison

“Father of the Constitution”; helped write the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

William Patterson

Proposed the New Jersey Plan, which favored equal representation for states.

Roger Sherman

Created the Great Compromise.

George Washington

Led the Continental Army during the American Revolution and became the first U.S. president.

Daniel Shay’s

Led a rebellion of farmers protesting debt and taxes in Massachusetts.

John Adam’s

Federalist leader and second U.S. president.

Alexander Hamilton

Created the national bank and strengthened the federal government.

Eli Whitney

Invented the cotton gin and promoted interchangeable parts.

James Monroe

Issued the Monroe Doctrine and oversaw westward expansion.

Andrew Jackson

Hero of the Battle of New Orleans and champion of the “common man.”

John. C. Calhoun

Supported states’ rights and nullification; defended slavery.

Forty niners

People who rushed to California in 1849 seeking gold during the Gold Rush.

Dred Scott

Enslaved man whose Supreme Court case ruled that African Americans were not U.S. citizens and that Congress could not ban slavery in territories.

Constitutional convention

Meeting in 1787 where delegates wrote the U.S. Constitution.

Great compromise

Agreement that created a two-house Congress: the Senate (equal representation) and House of Representatives (representation based on population).

Three-fifths compromise

Agreement that counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxation.

Checks and balances

System that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the others.

Bill of rights

The first 10 amendments to the Constitution that protect individual freedoms.

Whiskey rebellion

1794 protest by farmers against a federal tax on whiskey; showed the strength of the new government.

Jays treaty

1794 agreement between the United States and Great Britain that helped avoid war and settled some disputes.

Alien act

Law that allowed the president to deport foreigners considered dangerous.

Kentucky and Virginia resolutions

Statements arguing that states could declare federal laws unconstitutional.

Judicial review

The power of courts to determine whether laws are constitutional.

Louisiana purchase

1803 purchase of territory from France that doubled the size of the United States.

Treaty of Ghent

1814 treaty that ended the War of 1812.

Industrial Revolution

Period when machines and factories changed how goods were produced.

Cotton gin

Machine invented by Eli Whitney that quickly separated cotton fibers from seeds.

Manifest destiny

Belief that the United States should expand across North America.

“King cotton”

Idea that cotton was the South’s most important crop and economic resource.

Labor unions

Organizations of workers formed to improve wages, hours, and working conditions.

Capital

Money or resources used to start and operate a business.

Middle class

People between the wealthy and poor, often including business owners and skilled workers.

Interchangeable parts

Standardized parts that can be easily replaced in machines or products.

Underground Railroad

Network of routes and safe houses that helped enslaved people escape to freedom.

Popular sovereignty

The idea that people in a territory vote to decide whether slavery will be allowed.

Gettysburg address

Speech by President Abraham Lincoln honoring soldiers and reaffirming the nation’s principles during the Civil War.

Appomattox courthouse

Location in Virginia where Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the Civil War.

Scalawag

A white Southerner who supported Reconstruction and cooperated with the Republican Party after the Civil War.

Carpetbagger

A Northerner who moved to the South during Reconstruction, often seeking business or political opportunities.

13th amendment

Amendment that abolished slavery in the United States.

14th amendment

Amendment that granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to all people born or naturalized in the U.S.

15th amendment

Amendment that gave African American men the right to vote regardless of race.