Vocabulary Flashcards for United States History Unit 2: New Republic to Reconstruction

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from United States History, focusing on the period from the New Republic to Reconstruction.

Andrew Jackson

Seventh President of the United States known for his role in the Jacksonian Era and advocating for the common man.

Jacksonian Democracy

A political movement that championed greater democracy for the common man, emphasizing universal suffrage for white males.

Common man politics

Political principles that prioritize the interests and rights of the average citizen.

Universal / white male suffrage

The right to vote for all white males, which expanded during the Jacksonian Era.

States’ rights

The idea that states have the authority to govern themselves, especially regarding federal laws.

Nullification Crisis

A political confrontation between South Carolina and the federal government in the 1830s over tariffs.

Secession

The act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or political entity, notably associated with Southern states during the Civil War.

Tariffs

Taxes imposed on imported goods, often used to protect domestic industries.

Indian Removal Act

Legislation that authorized the removal of Native Americans from their ancestral lands to designated territories.

Cherokee Nation

A Native American tribe that experienced forced relocation during the Indian Removal Act.

Trail of Tears

The forced relocation and movement of Native American nations from their homelands, resulting in the suffering and death of thousands.

Henry Clay / American System

A national economic plan advocating for protective tariffs, a national bank, and internal improvements.

Industrial Revolution

A period of major industrialization that transformed economies that had been based on agriculture into economies based on large-scale industry.

Railroads

A mode of transportation that significantly contributed to economic growth and westward expansion in the United States.

Canals / Erie Canal

Artificial waterways built to enhance transportation and trade; the Erie Canal connected the Hudson River to Lake Erie.

2nd National Bank

Established to stabilize the currency and credit of the United States, it was controversial in the Jacksonian Era.

Second Great Awakening

A religious revival movement in the early 19th century that emphasized personal faith and social reform.

Temperance

A social movement against the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

American Temperance Society

An organization founded to advocate for the reduction and prohibition of alcohol consumption.

Cotton gin / Eli Whitney

A machine invented by Eli Whitney that revolutionized the cotton industry by efficiently separating cotton fibers from seeds.

Abolition

The movement to end the practice of slavery.

William Lloyd Garrison

An abolitionist and journalist known for his publication, The Liberator, advocating for the immediate emancipation of slaves.

Frederick Douglass / The North Star

A former enslaved person who became a leading abolitionist; he published The North Star, an anti-slavery newspaper.

Nat Turner

An enslaved person who led a violent rebellion against slavery in Virginia in 1831.

American Colonization Society

An organization that aimed to resettle free African Americans in Africa, specifically Liberia.

American Anti-Slavery Society

An organization formed to fight against slavery and promote abolition.

Public education / Horace Mann

The movement for accessible education for all children, championed by reformer Horace Mann.

Common school movement

An educational reform movement aimed at establishing free public schools.

Women’s suffrage

The movement for women's right to vote.

Seneca Falls Convention

The first women's rights convention held in 1848 that advocated for gender equality.

Declaration of Sentiments

A document authored at the Seneca Falls Convention outlining the rights women should be entitled to as citizens.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

A leading figure in the early women's rights movement and co-organizer of the Seneca Falls Convention.

Susan B. Anthony

A prominent activist for women’s suffrage and a key leader in the women’s rights movement.

Missouri Compromise

An agreement passed in 1820 to maintain the balance of power between slave and free states.

Henry Clay / Great Compromiser

A politician known for crafting compromises, notably the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850.

Manifest Destiny

The 19th-century doctrine that the expansion of the US across the American continents was both justified and inevitable.

James K. Polk

The 11th President of the United States known for territorial expansion, including the annexation of Texas.

Annexation

The act of adding territory to an existing state or country.

Texas Territory

Land that was annexed to the United States, formerly an independent republic.

Oregon Territory / Trail

Land that was claimed and settled by Americans, leading to significant migration westward via the Oregon Trail.

Mexican-American War

A war between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848, resulting in significant territorial gains for the US.

Rio Grande River

The river that forms part of the United States-Mexico border; its designation sparked conflict leading to the Mexican-American War.

Remember the Alamo! / Battle of the Alamo

A significant event in the Texas Revolution where Texan forces were defeated by the Mexican army.

Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo

The 1848 agreement that ended the Mexican-American War and ceded California and New Mexico to the United States.

Wilmot Proviso

A failed proposal to ban slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico.

Compromise of 1850

A set of laws aimed at resolving tensions between slave and free states regarding the status of territories.

Kansas-Nebraska Act / Bleeding Kansas

An act that created two new territories and allowed for popular sovereignty, leading to violent conflict in Kansas.

Popular sovereignty

The principle that allows residents of a territory to decide whether to enter as a free or slave state.

Scott v. Sanford

An 1857 Supreme Court case that ruled that African Americans could not be citizens and Congress had no authority to regulate slavery in the territories.

John Brown’s Raid on Harper’s Ferry, Virginia arsenal

An attempt by abolitionist John Brown to initiate a slave revolt by seizing a U.S. arsenal.

Election of 1860

The presidential election that resulted in the election of Abraham Lincoln, contributing to Southern secession.

Free states

States that prohibited slavery.

Slave states

States that permitted slavery.

Civil War

A conflict from 1861 to 1865 between the Union and Confederate states primarily over slavery and states' rights.

Union

The states that remained loyal to the United States government during the Civil War.

Confederate States of America

A coalition of 11 Southern states that seceded from the Union.

Habeas corpus

A legal principle that protects against unlawful and indefinite imprisonment.

Emancipation Proclamation

An executive order issued by Abraham Lincoln freeing all enslaved people in Confederate-held territory.

Gettysburg Address

A speech given by Lincoln dedicating the Gettysburg cemetery and reasserting the commitment to the principles of freedom.

Inauguration

The ceremonial induction into office.

Ulysses Grant

The 18th President of the United States and prominent Union general during the Civil War.

William T. Sherman

A Union general known for his