Everything that you need to know for the APUSH exam from 1789-1914
Washington Inaugurated 1789
First president inaugurated in U.S.
Judiciary act 1789
Established the judicial branch of the U.S. government
Bill of rights 1789
First 10 amendments, includes freedom of religion, speech, press, and assembly, ensures right to bear arms, prohibits quartering of troops, protects against unreasonable searches and seizures, provisions related to grand juries, double jeopardy (second trial for same crime), right to jury, and more.
Samuel Slater
Early industrialist who brought textile technologies from Britain to U.S.
Tariff act 1789
Passed to protect American industries and pay off war debts after revolutionary war
First great awakening 1790
Religious awakening that occurred throughout the U.S. by changing the perception of religion
Patent and copyright laws 1790
Allowed U.S. citizens to copyright/patent
Bank of the United States 1791
Chartered for 20 years, served as repository for federal funds and the government’s fiscal agent. Opposed by Jeffersonians who thought it represented mercantile dominance over agrarian interests.
Excise tax on whiskey
Tax on domestically produced distilled products, first domestic tax, lead to protest by western farmers.
Proclamation of neutrality 1793
Washington states that the U.S. was neutral in the conflict between France and Britain
Genet affair
French diplomat who strongly advocated for the U.S. to support revolutionary France
Cotton gin
Important invention that helped lead to more efficient creation of textiles.
Fugitive slave act
Required escaped slaves be returned to their owners in the south. North strongly opposed it, leading to tension.
Whiskey rebellion 1794
Farmers, angered with the whiskey tax, decided to rebel against the government. Jefferson supports them as an agrarian ally, federalists are angered.
Jay’s treaty
Resolved issues between the U.S. and Britain, averting war and resolving issues.
Pinckney’s treaty 1795
Defined the border between the U.S. and Spanish Florida
Treaty of greenville
Treaty that aimed to end the tensions around the great lakes with Native Americans after the Battle of Fallen Timbers.
Washington’s farewell address
Declared Washington’s retirement from public life and expressed his gratitude to the people of the U.S.
XYZ affair
U.S. diplomats attempted to meet with the French foreign minister to restore peace. When they arrived, they were shunned and 3 French agents informed the diplomats that in order to meet with Charles de Talleyrand they would have to pay a large bribe and provide a loan, which led to a quasi-war with France.
11th amendment
Limits the federal judiciary’s power over the states
Alien and sedition acts
Series of laws that made it harder to obtain citizenship, gave the president the power to deport non-citizens, gave the president the power to detain non-citizens during times of war, and criminalized false and malicious statements about the government
Eli Whitney
Inventor of the cotton gin
Thomas Jefferson elected as president in 1800
Jefferson and Burr tied in the electoral college, so congress made Jefferson president.
Judiciary act 1801
Also called the midnight judges act,, it greatly expanded thee court system
Barbary pirates 1801
Thomas Jefferson led a war against the pirates who were keeping Americans hostage. This was an example of foreign policy and was the first test of the American navy.
Robert Fulton 1801
American engineer who created the first commercially successful steamboat
Yazoo land scandal
Real-estate fraud in Georgia where land was sold at very low prices
Louisiana purchase 1803
Massive land purchase made by Jefferson from France, doubled the size of the U.S.
Marbury v. Madison
Landmark decision that established judicial review, about judge who didn’t get his position after Adams left office. Probably the most important U.S. court case ever.
Lewis and Clark 1804-1806
U.S. expedition to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase
12th amendment 1804
Provides the current structure for electing the president and vice president
Impeachment of Chase 1804
House impeached Samuel Chase for refusing to dismiss biased jurors
Pike’s expeditions 1805
Another expedition sent out by Jefferson to explore the south and west of the Louisiana Purchase
Non-Importation act
Forbade British imports in an attempt to stop British impressment of American soldiers, but was ineffective.
Monroe-Pinckney Treaty
Attempt to renew the Jay Treaty, but was rejected by Jefferson
Embargo act 1807
Banned exports from the U.S. and limited French and British imports, meant to show importance of U.S. trade but really just hurt the U.S.
Chesapeake-Leopard affair
Naval engagement off of Virginia between American and British ships, increased tensions.
1808 events
James Madison elected, Importation of slaves ends, John Jacob Astor (first U.S. multimillionaire business magnate)
Enforcement act 1809
Gave customs officials sweeping power to use the army and navy to suppress smuggling, climax of Jefferson’s increasing powers
Non-intercourse act 1809
Replaced embargo act by forbidding French and British ships in American waters, allowed U.S. trade with other nations
Fletcher v. Peck 1810
First time that the supreme court ruled a state law unconstitutional, involved the Yazoo affairBa
Battle of Tippecanoe
Battle with Native Americans, decisive U.S. victory that gained the U.S. 3 million acres.
War Hawks 1812
Group of Republican congressmen who wanted to go to war with Great Britain.
War of 1812
Fought between U.S. and Great Britain, caused by U.S. anger about impressment and British support of Natives on the frontier, ended without a clear victory and was costly especially for the U.S., Washington D.C. burned 1814
Francis Scott key
American lawyer and poet, wrote the Star-Spangled Banner in 1814 during the British bombardment of Fort McHenry
Hartford convention
Series of meetings in Hartford that had leaders of the Federalist party discussing grievances about the war of 1812 and other problems.
Treaty of Ghent 1815
Treaty that negotiated peace between U.S. and Britain, restored relations between the 2, and was popular in the U.S. with unanimous approval
Erie Canal begins 1815
First navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic ocean and the Great Lakes
Second Bank of the U.S.
Second bank chartered from 1816-1836, headquartered in Philadelphia, and controlled the currency of the U.S.
James Monroe elected 1816
Monroe elected
Tariff act
First protective tariff passed by congress, helped U.S. industry become competitive
Rush-Bagot Agreement 1817
Treaty between the U.S. and Britain limiting their respective navies in the great lakes
American colonization society
Encouraged the emigration of free people of color from the U.S. to Africa
Bonus Bill Veto
Monroe vetoed a bill that would’ve provided money for new infrastructure, stating that infrastructure building wasn’t a power that congress has
Convention of 1818/the Anglo-American convention
Convention that improved relations between the U.S. and Great Britain and established the 49th parallel as the boundary between the U.S. and Canada
Adams-Onis treaty 1819
Treaty between the U.S. and Spain that ceded Florida to the U.S. after Jackson’s invasion
McCulloch v. Maryland
Case that defined the powers of congress and allowed it to create a national bank
Missouri compromise 1820
Compromise to balance the power of slave and free states. Missouri was admitted as a slave state while Maine was admitted as free, while also prohibiting slavery in Louisiana purchase lands north of 36 30
New Harmony 1825
Written by Robert Owen, established utopian socialism
Hudson Bay Company Established 1821
Canadian/French fur trading company
Cumberland Road Veto 1822
Congress passed legislation to rebuild the Cumberland road, but Monroe vetoed it citing the fact that congress didn’t have the authority.
Denmark Vessey
Slave carpenter and religious leader who alleged attempted a slave revolt in 1822. This lead to increased restrictions on slaves in the south.
Monroe Doctrine
Established U.S. dominance in western hemisphere, told Europeans to stay away from the Americans and U.S. will mind its own business.
Nicholas Biddle
Last president of the Bank of the United States, federalist
Clay’s American System
Policy that sought to drive U.S. economic development. Included infrastructure improvements such as roads and the creation of a National Bank
Corrupt bargain
Andrew Jackson got the most votes out of any candidate in the 1824 election, but the house elected John Quincy Adams over him due to Clay’s influence. Clay was then made secretary of state.
Steam-powered printing press 1826
Invented by Friedrich Koenig
American Society for the Promotion of Temperance
Early temperance movement in 1826, paved the way for prohibition.
Elimination of property requirements for voting 1827
Led to more representation in voting, as more people (white men) were able to vote despite their property owning status.
Andrew Jackson elected 1828
Known for expansion of white male suffrage, Trail of Tears, and opposition to the B.U.S.
Tariff of abominations 1828
Tariff that significantly raised the tax on imports. Southern states viewed it as disproportionately helping Northern states at the South’s expense.
Calhoun’s South Carolina exposition and protest
Written by Vice President Calhoun, it established the belief in nullification. It laid the groundwork for the nullification crisis.
Spoils system/patronage
Political practice where government officials rewarded their supporters with jobs, famously used by Andrew Jackson, highlighted corruption.
Maysville road veto 1830
Funding for the construction of the Maysville road in Kentucky was vetoed by Jackson, highlighting his belief in limited government and states’ rights.
Indian removal act 1830
Passed during Jackson’s presidency, forced Native Americans from their ancestral lands to Oklahoma, Trail of Tears.
Nat turner 1831
Enslaved African American who led a violent slave rebellion in Virginia, killing 50-60 white people. He was caught and executed, and the rebellion led to stricter slave codes.
William Lloyd Garrison 1831
Abolitionist who published the “Liberator”, leading abolitionist during the 1830’s
Peggy Eaton affair 1831
The wife of secretary of war John Eaton was accused of promiscuity, social isolated, resulted in the resignation of several of Jackson’s cabinet members.
Cherokee Nation v. Georgia 1831
The Cherokee Nation attempted to challenge Georgia’s sovereignty over their lands, court sided with Georgia
Nullification crisis 1832
South Carolina argued that they have the ability to nullify any federal laws that they found unconstitutional, strongly opposed by Jackson, resolved through the compromise tariff and force bill.
Black Hawk War 1832
Battle between U.S. and Native Americans in the Midwest, natives defeated, forced to reservations.
Veto of the B.U.S. 1832
Jackson vetoed a bill to recharter the B.U.S., argued it led to too much federal power, led to panic of 1837
Pet Banks
After Jackson’s B.U.S. veto, his administration ordered the movement of the federal funds to certain state banks that they favored, led to instability
Lowell mills strike 1834
Strike by textile workers in Massachusetts, one of the first industrial strikes, workers wanted higher wages and better conditions, they mostly failed but it brought attention to labor issues.
Second Seminole War 1835
Seminoles resisted relocation west of Mississippi, they successfully evaded capture but the war was costly.
Specie Circular 1836
Executive order by Jackson that ordered payment for public lands be paid in gold or silver. Aimed to curb inflation, led to
American Anti-Slavery society 1833
Founded by William Lloyd Garrison and Arthur Tappan, one of the earliest abolitionist organizations, advocated for emancipation through lectures, literature, and speeches
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Early transcendentalist philosopher and author
Economic panic of 1837
Caused by the Specie Circular and the veto of the B.U.S., led to widespread bank failures, credit problems, and plummeting property values.
Grimke sisters
Major women’s suffragists and abolitionists, spoke through lectures and writings, point of view was important because they were from a Southern slave owning family
Horace Mann
Abolitionist, public education advocate, and Whig politician.
Trail of tears 1838
Forced displacement of 60,000 native Americans mostly from the South. They were forced west of the Mississippi
William Henry Harrison is elected and died 1840
Died of Pneumonia only 1 month after his inauguration
Independent Treasury Act 1840
Established independent treasury deposit offices separate from private or state banks to receive government after the demise of the B.U.S.
Underground Railroad 1840
Network of safe houses and secret routes to help escaped slaves make their way north
Webster-Ashburton Treaty
Treaty that resolved border disputes between the U.S. and British Canada
Tariff Act 1842
Restored U.S. industrial protections, raised tariff to almost 40 percent, set up gilded age industrial growth
Dorothea Dix 1843
Mental health advocate, anti-asylum
Polk elected 1844
Expansionist, manifest destiny, democrat
Texas Annexation 1845
Annexed from Mexico, became state December 29th, 1845