American History I: Test 3 Review

Comprehensive Question and Answer flashcards covering Test 3 Review topics in American History I: Jacksonian Democracy, slave culture and Southern society, antebellum reform movements, and Western expansion.

What key circumstances and controversies characterized the election of President Andrew Jackson?

"common man" election. The campaign was ugly, featuring bigamy accusations against Jackson's wife Rachel, who died before his inauguration.

What was the Eaton affair during Jackson's administration?

Senator John Eaton married the daughter of a tavern owner. Washington society excluded her and called her "a whore," similar to attacks against Jackson's late wife Rachel.

How did the Eaton affair lead to the rise of Martin Van Buren?

While other Washington officials and their wives refused to include Senator Eaton and his wife at social events, Van Buren included them and earned Jackson's favor, unlike Vice President John C. Calhoun.

What was the Nullification crisis and how did Andrew Jackson respond?

John C. Calhoun of South Carolina backed the nullification of the Tariff of Abomination; in response, Jackson sent battleships to Charleston, South Carolina.

What were Andrew Jackson's primary reasons for his opposition to the elite?

Jackson held a "common man" philosophy, possessed resentment toward the powerful, and blamed big-money elitists for the death of his wife Rachel.

How did Andrew Jackson react to the Supreme Court ruling regarding the Cherokees in Georgia?

Although the Cherokees won in US court, Jackson stated, "let them enforce it," and forcibly removed Native Americans from Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia along the Trail of Tears.

What distinct cultural and governmental institutions did the Cherokee people possess before removal?

The Cherokees had established their own written language and constitution.

How were the Five Civilized Tribes handled during Indian removal, and which tribe resisted?

The Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, and Chickasaw were relocated to Oklahoma during the winter. The Seminoles were the only tribe not successfully removed; nor was their leader, Osceola

Who was the leader of the Seminoles?

Osceola

What was the result of the battle between Andrew Jackson and Nicholas Biddle over the Bank of the United States?

It led to the fall of the Bank of the United States and triggered an economic depression for the American public caused by a severe contraction of credit ("Go to Biddle").

What were "pet banks" during the Jacksonian era?

State banks selected to receive US government funds instead of the Second Bank of the United States, as ordered through Roger Taney.

What stance did the Supreme Court take under Roger Taney regarding business and economics?

The Taney Court issued rulings promoting competition and free business ideology while opposing monopolies and elitist economic control.

What was the Anti-Masonry movement and why did it attack Martin Van Buren?

It was a political movement that attacked Van Buren for his membership in a secretive, elitist society.

What factors caused the Panic of 1837 during Martin Van Buren's presidency?

It was not Van Buren's fault, but rather stemmed from the Specie Circular, Jackson's hard currency policies, and broader economic instability.

What campaign strategy did William Henry Harrison use in the election against Martin Van Buren?

Harrison, former governor of Indian Territory and hero of Tippecanoe, ran the "Log Cabin campaign" ("Tippecanoe and Tyler too"), presenting himself as a common man who enjoyed log cabins and hard cider.

What political crisis occurred after John Tyler assumed the presidency?

Following the death of William Henry Harrison in office, Tyler switched party alignments and was officially read out of his own party.

What occurred during the Creole incident?

Enslaved people staged a mutiny aboard a ship off the coast of Virginia en route to New Orleans, redirecting the vessel to the Bahamas.

What occurred during the Caroline affair?

Canadian rebels seized a US ship, after which the British captured the vessel and killed an American; British Commander McLeod was subsequently tried for murder.

What was the significance of the Treaty of Wang Hya?

Negotiated by Caleb Cushing, it secured the formal entry of the United States into trade with China.

How did short-staple cotton compare to long-staple cotton in antebellum agriculture?

Short-staple cotton was hardy and could be cultivated throughout most of the US, whereas long-staple cotton was limited to coastal and tropical areas.

What primary economic development drove the expansion of slavery in the antebellum South?

The rapid increase in cotton production.

What religious traditions shaped antebellum slave culture?

A combination of African, Caribbean, and Christian religious traditions.

How did the experience of house slaves compare to field slaves in the South?

House slaves performed physically easier labor but faced higher risks of sexual abuse and endured constant oversight due to living in close proximity to slave owners.

How did living conditions differ between rural and urban enslaved populations?

Rural slaves experienced better physical living conditions, whereas urban slaves had greater personal freedom despite worse overall conditions.

What was De Bow's Review and what thesis did it advance regarding the southern economy?

It argued that the South had a dependent colonial economy reliant on the North because southern capital was funneled into land and enslaved labor instead of industry.

Who were the "plain folk" of the antebellum American South?

The majority of white southerners, who typically owned one or two enslaved laborers or none and worked side by side with them in the fields.

Who were the "hill people" in the southern social hierarchy?

Impoverished white southerners who owned no slaves and performed slave-type physical labor themselves to survive.

What were the historical definitions of the term "cracker" in the South?

It referred to poor white southerners who had to crack corn, or to slave overseers who used whips against enslaved individuals.

Why was the derogatory term "clay eater" applied to certain poor whites?

It described severely impoverished whites who consumed mineral-rich red clay to stave off starvation and malnutrition.

What was the outcome of Nat Turner's Rebellion in Virginia?

Over 60 white people were killed during the uprising, sparking widespread terror and fear among whites throughout the South.

What is Gullah (or Geechee) and where is it spoken?

An English-based creole language spoken by the Gullah-Geechee people (former enslaved African Americans) in coastal South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida; it is the only distinctly African American creole language in the US.

What was the goal of the temperance movement, and who led it?

The organized reduction and restriction of alcohol consumption, predominantly led by women.

What occurred at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848?

the first women's rights convention and a pivotal milestone in the feminist movement, it was organized by abolitionists and women's rights advocates including Elizabeth Cady Stanton (who was not a Quaker, though most organizers were).

Who was William Lloyd Garrison and what abolitionist views did he promote?

The white publisher of "The Liberator" who trained under a Quaker publisher; as a radical abolitionist, he denounced the US government, the Constitution, and organized churches as inherently racist.

Who was Frederick Douglass and what publication did he establish?

A runaway slave who purchased his freedom using donations raised in Ireland, became a prominent writer and speaker comparable to Martin Luther King Jr., and published the abolitionist newspaper "The North Star."

What was the objective of the American Colonization Society (ACS)?

To send freed enslaved people back to Africa, leading directly to the establishment of the nation of Liberia.

What was the historical impact of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin?

It was the book that had the single largest impact on the abolitionist movement by detailing the cruel realities and impact of slavery on Black people.

What took place during the Amistad case?

Enslaved Africans led a mutiny aboard a slave ship, were captured by the US, and were defended before the Supreme Court by John Quincy Adams, who won their freedom and secured their return to Africa.

What core ideological components drove the concept of "Manifest Destiny"?

Religious belief in God's will, racial supremacy, and the expansion of an "Empire of liberty."

How did the Mexican government attempt to attract American settlers into Mexican territory?

By offering tax breaks to entice Americans to relocate and settle in the region.

How is Stephen Austin characterized regarding US expansion into Mexican territory?

A US land speculator and troublemaker who worked to convert the borderlands of Mexico into United States territory.

Who was Santa Anna and what was his fate at the Battle of San Jacinto?

The military commander and leader of the Mexican army who was captured by American forces at the Battle of San Jacinto.

What happened to the Texas garrison at Goliad?

The captured American prisoners were executed by Mexican forces.

What was the outcome of the siege of the Alamo?

All American defenders defending the interior were killed, including Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett.

What notable events transpired at the Battle of San Jacinto?

Mexican General Santa Anna was captured, and American troops executed Mexican prisoners of war.

What were the primary territorial and financial terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo?

It established the US-Mexico border; the United States paid $15\text{ million}$ to acquire California, Nevada, Utah, Texas, and sections of Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.

What impact did the California Gold Rush of 1849 have on Native Americans?

The arrival of the forty-niners subjected California American Indians to massacres and enslavement.