US History Final Review

Era of Good Feelings

Period of national unity after War of 1812; characterized by nationalism and political harmony

American System

Henry Clay's plan: national bank, tariffs, and internal improvements to unify the economy

Judicial Review

Power of the Supreme Court to declare laws unconstitutional (Marbury v. Madison)

Monroe Doctrine

U.S. foreign policy declaring Europe should not interfere in the Americas

Labor Unions

Organized groups of workers seeking better wages and conditions during Industrial Revolution

Industrialization

Shift from handmade to machine-made goods, especially in the North

Sectionalism

Loyalty to a region over the nation, especially over slavery and economy

Manifest Destiny

Belief that the U.S. was destined to expand across the continent

Missouri Compromise (1820)

Missouri = slave state, Maine = free; banned slavery north of 36°30′ line

Mexican-American War

War between U.S. and Mexico over Texas and land; led to U.S. expansion west

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Ended Mexican-American War; U.S. gained Southwest territory

Corrupt Bargain

1824 election deal between Adams and Clay that cost Jackson the presidency

Indian Removal Act

Law that forced Native Americans west of the Mississippi River

Trail of Tears

Forced relocation of Cherokee; thousands died

Bank of the U.S.

National bank opposed by Jackson; he vetoed its renewal

Calhoun

Jackson's VP; supporter of states' rights and nullification

Martin Van Buren

Jackson's successor; dealt with Panic of 1837

Tariff of Abominations

1828 tariff that angered the South and led to the Nullification Crisis

Horace Mann

Education reformer; promoted free public schools

Dorothea Dix

Reformer who improved treatment of mentally ill and prison conditions

Seneca Falls Convention

1848 meeting advocating women's rights; issued Declaration of Sentiments

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Leader in women's rights movement; helped organize Seneca Falls

Underground Railroad

Secret network to help slaves escape to freedom; Harriet Tubman was a key figure

Stephen Douglas

Senator who supported popular sovereignty in new territories

Dred Scott Decision

Supreme Court case saying slaves were property and couldn't sue

Bleeding Kansas

Violent conflict in Kansas over slavery due to popular sovereignty

John Brown

Radical abolitionist who led Harpers Ferry raid to spark slave rebellion

Compromise of 1850

CA = free, stricter Fugitive Slave Act, popular sovereignty in UT & NM

South Carolina Secession

First state to secede after Lincoln's 1860 election

Confederacy

Group of Southern states that seceded from the Union

Abraham Lincoln

Union president during Civil War; issued Emancipation Proclamation

Emancipation Proclamation

Freed slaves in Confederate states (1863)

Anaconda Plan

Union strategy to blockade South, control Mississippi, divide Confederacy

Battle of Antietam

Bloodiest single day of Civil War; led to Emancipation Proclamation

Battle of Gettysburg

Turning point of Civil War; Union victory

Appomattox Courthouse

Site of General Lee's surrender to Grant, ending the Civil War

13th Amendment

Abolished slavery in the U.S.

14th Amendment

Granted citizenship and equal protection under the law

15th Amendment

Gave Black men the right to vote

Freedmen's Bureau

Helped freed slaves with education, jobs, housing after the Civil War

Compromise of 1877

Ended Reconstruction; federal troops removed from South

Homestead Act

Gave settlers land in the West; encouraged western migration

Transcontinental Railroad

Linked east and west coasts; completed in 1869

Battle of Little Bighorn

Native American victory over U.S. forces; led by Sitting Bull

Social Darwinism

Belief that the strongest businesses and people naturally succeed

Monopoly

Total control of an industry by one company

Sherman Anti-Trust Act

First law to break up monopolies (1890); weakly enforced at first

New Immigrants

Mostly from Southern/Eastern Europe; faced discrimination

Tenements

Overcrowded and unsafe urban housing for poor and immigrants

Jacob Riis

Muckraker who exposed poor living conditions in How the Other Half Lives

Knights of Labor

Early labor union; open to all workers

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

Labor union for skilled workers; focused on wages and conditions

Political Machines

Corrupt organizations that controlled cities; helped immigrants for votes

Boss Tweed

Leader of Tammany Hall, a powerful political machine in NYC