Early 19th Century U.S. History Key Terms

Question-and-answer flashcards covering key historical figures, legal cases, treaties, movements, and concepts in early nineteenth-century American history.

What agreement was established by the Adams-Onís Treaty (1819)?

An agreement in which Spain gave Florida to the United States.

Who was Alexis de Tocqueville?

A French writer who studied American democracy.

How is Capitalism defined?

An economic system based on private ownership and profit.

What was the function of the Cotton Gin?

A machine that quickly separated cotton seeds from fibers.

What principles did the Democratic-Republican Party support?

States’ rights and farming.

What was the purpose of the Embargo of 1807?

A law that stopped U.S. exports to avoid foreign conflicts.

What characterized the Era of Good Feelings?

A period of increased national unity after the War of 1812.

Who was Frederick Douglass?

A formerly enslaved abolitionist who fought to end slavery.

What was the ruling in Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)?

A Supreme Court case giving the federal government power over interstate commerce.

What ideas did writer Henry David Thoreau promote?

Simple living and resisting unjust government.

What policies did Henry Clay promote?

The American System and economic growth.

What did the Indian Removal Act of 1830 mandate?

A law allowing Native Americans to be forced west.

What was Chief Justice John Marshall known for?

Strengthening federal power.

What is the core belief of Laissez-faire?

The belief that government should minimally interfere in business.

What was the Louisiana Purchase (1803)?

The U.S. purchase of a huge territory from France.

What was the Lowell System?

A factory system that employed young women in textile mills.

What was Manifest Destiny?

The belief that America was destined to expand westward.

What principle was established by Marbury v. Madison (1803)?

Judicial review.

What components defined the Market Revolution?

Economic change involving factories, transportation, and expanding markets.

What were the constitutional outcomes of McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)?

A Supreme Court case strengthening federal power and upholding the national bank.

What did the Missouri Compromise (1820) achieve?

An agreement balancing slave and free states and limiting slavery in parts of the Louisiana Territory.

What warning was stated in the Monroe Doctrine (1823)?

A warning that Europe should not interfere in the Americas.

Who founded the Mormons and in what year?

A religious group founded by Joseph Smith in 1830.

What is the doctrine of Nullification?

The belief that states can reject federal laws they consider unconstitutional.

What consequences resulted from the Panic of 1837?

A financial crisis that caused unemployment and business failures.

What concepts were promoted by Ralph Waldo Emerson?

Individualism and Transcendentalism.

What technological achievement is attributed to Robert Fulton?

He helped make steamboats commercially successful.

What was the significance of the Second Great Awakening?

A religious revival that inspired social reform movements.

Why was the Second National Bank of the United States created?

To stabilize the nation's economy.

What was the Second Party System?

The political rivalry between Democrats and Whigs.

How is Sectionalism defined?

Loyalty to one's region over the entire country.

What practices characterized the Shakers?

Communal living and celibacy.

What was the purpose of Slave Codes?

Laws restricting enslaved people's rights and freedoms.

What was provided by the Sunday School Movement?

Religious and moral education, especially to children.

What was the objective of the Temperance Movement?

Encouraging people to reduce or stop drinking alcohol.

What occurred during the Trail of Tears (1838–1839)?

The forced removal of the Cherokee that caused thousands of deaths.

What was the outcome of the Treaty of Ghent (1814)?

It ended the War of 1812.

What did the Unitarians emphasize?

Reason and individual conscience.

Who were the War Hawks?

Congressmen who supported war against Britain.

What issues caused the War of 1812?

Trade restrictions and other disputes between the United States and Britain.

What did poet Walt Whitman celebrate in his work?

Democracy and individuality.

What were the primary positions of the Whig Party?

Opposing Andrew Jackson and supporting economic development.

What were William Lloyd Garrison's main contributions to abolitionism?

He published The Liberator and demanded an end to slavery.