Period 4 APUSH Vocab

Battle of Horseshoe Bend

(1814) Native confederacy in Southeast; defeated by Andrew Jackson.

• Causes: Resistance to U.S. expansion.

• Effects: Treaty of Fort Jackson ceded millions of acres.

• Historical Contribution: Opened Southeast to cotton expansion.

Battle of New Orleans

(1815) Decisive U.S. victory under Jackson after Treaty of Ghent signed.

• Causes: British attempt to seize New Orleans.

• Effects: Boosted nationalism; Jackson became hero.

• Historical Contribution: Symbolic end to War of 1812.

Treaty of Ghent

(1814) Ended War of 1812; restored prewar boundaries.

• Causes: Stalemate in war; European pressures.

• Effects: No territorial changes; improved U.S.-British relations.

• Historical Contribution: Secured independence; ushered in nationalism.

Tecumseh & Prophet

• Shawnee leaders who sought pan-Indian resistance to U.S. expansion.

• Causes: Native displacement; desire for unity.

• Effects: Defeated at Battle of Tippecanoe; weakened Native resistance.

• Historical Contribution: Symbol of Native resistance.

John Marshall

Chief Justice between 1801-1835

• Federalist Chief Justice who strengthened federal power.

• Causes: Federalist desire to preserve influence.

• Effects: Landmark rulings (Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, Gibbons v. Ogden).

• Historical Contribution: Established judiciary as powerful branch; reinforced nationalism.

Impressment

• British practice of seizing American sailors and forcing them into the Royal Navy.

• Causes: Britain’s manpower needs during Napoleonic Wars.

• Effects: Outrage in U.S.; major cause of War of 1812.

• Historical Contribution: Symbol of violated sovereignty; fueled nationalism.

Chesapeake-Leopard Affair

(1807) British warship Leopard attacked U.S. frigate Chesapeake, impressing sailors.

• Causes: British enforcement of naval policies.

• Effects: American outrage; Jefferson’s Embargo Act.

• Historical Contribution: Heightened tensions leading toward War of 1812.

War of 1812

(aka Mr. Madison’s War) Derisive Federalist label for War of 1812, blaming Madison’s leadership.

• Causes: Impressment, trade restrictions, frontier conflicts.

• Effects: Deepened partisan divides; New England opposition.

• Historical Contribution: Showed sectional differences in support for war.

• Connections: War Hawks, Hartford Convention, Treaty of Ghent.

Nonintercourse Act

(1809) Replaced Embargo Act; reopened trade with all nations except Britain and France.

• Causes: Economic devastation from Embargo Act.

• Effects: Limited success; Britain/France continued violations.

• Historical Contribution: Demonstrated difficulty of economic coercion.

Old Ironsides

Famous US frigate that won victories in War of 1812. Used to promote nationalism and boost morale.

James Monroe

• Fifth president (1817–1825); oversaw Era of Good Feelings.

• Causes: Postwar nationalism; collapse of Federalists.

• Effects: Missouri Compromise, Monroe Doctrine.

• Historical Contribution: Symbol of unity but presided over rising sectionalism.

Tariff of 1816

First ever protective tariff in US.

American System

Made by Henry Clay; an economic plan that played an important role in American policy during the first half of the 19th century, including protective tariffs, creation of a 2nd BUS, and federal government being liable for internal improvements.

Panic of 1819

• First major U.S. economic depression.

• Causes: Speculation, bank tightening credit, falling cotton prices.

• Effects: Bankruptcies, unemployment, resentment of Bank.

• Historical Contribution: Shaped distrust of national bank; fueled sectionalism.

Cumberland Road/Erie Canal/Lancaster Turnpike

• Early internal improvements linking regions.

• Causes: Need for transportation infrastructure.

• Effects: Lowered costs, expanded markets, spurred westward migration.

• Historical Contribution: Foundations of Market Revolution.

Robert Fulton

Created the steamboat.

Eli Whitney

Created interchangeable parts and cotton gin. Wanted cotton gin to reduce slavery, but accomplished the opposite.

Samuel Slater

Created Textile mills and illegally brought his manufacturing knowledge to the US. Is known to be a “father of the US Industrial Revolution” and was deemed “Slater the Traitor” by the British.

Lowell System

• Textile factory model employing young women in dormitories.

• Causes: Industrial growth in New England.

• Effects: Provided wages and independence but harsh conditions.

• Historical Contribution: Early industrial labor system; foreshadowed labor reform.

Market Revolution

• Transformation of U.S. economy with transportation, industrialization, and commercialization.

• Causes: Internal improvements, inventions, expanding markets.

• Effects: Growth of cities, wage labor, sectional specialization.

• Historical Contribution: Shifted U.S. toward capitalist economy; deepened sectional divides.

Missouri Compromise

(1820) Created the 36’30” line that pierces the US; allowed for the balance of power between pro-abolitionists and anti-abolitionists. Maine was to be a free state, and Missouri was to be a slave state.

Rush-Bagot Treaty

(1817) Agreement with Britain limiting naval forces on Great Lakes.

• Causes: Postwar desire for peace.

• Effects: Demilitarized border; improved relations.

• Historical Contribution: Example of peaceful diplomacy.

Adams-Onis Treaty

(1819) Treaty with Spain ceding Florida to U.S.; defined boundary with Spanish territory.

• Causes: U.S. pressure after Jackson’s incursions.

• Effects: Expanded U.S. territory; clarified borders.

• Historical Contribution: Strengthened U.S. control in Southeast.

Nativists/Know Nothing Party

• Anti-immigrant movement and political party opposing Catholics and immigrants.

• Causes: Rising immigration (Irish, German) due to economic opportunity and environmental disasters (e.g., Irish Potato Famine).

• Effects: Political influence in 1850s; violence against immigrants.

• Historical Contribution: Early example of anti-immigrant sentiment.

Codes of Chivalry

• Southern cultural ideal emphasizing honor, paternalism, and defense of slavery.

• Causes: Plantation society values.

• Effects: Reinforced gender and racial hierarchies.

• Historical Contribution: Shaped Southern identity and defense of slavery.

Denmark Vesey

(1822) Free Black man who planned a large slave revolt in Charleston, SC.

• Causes: Oppression of free and enslaved African Americans.

• Effects: Plot discovered; Vesey and followers executed; harsher slave codes.

• Historical Contribution: Demonstrated resistance to slavery; fueled Southern fears.

Nat Turner

(1831) Enslaved preacher who led violent slave rebellion in Virginia.

• Causes: Brutality of slavery; Turner’s religious visions.

• Effects: Dozens killed; massive retaliation; stricter slave laws.

• Historical Contribution: Intensified sectional divisions; hardened Southern defense of slavery.

Commonwealth v. Hunt

(1842) Massachusetts Supreme Court case ruling labor unions legal if goals were lawful.

• Causes: Growth of industrial labor and strikes.

• Effects: Legitimized unions; encouraged labor organization.

• Historical Contribution: Landmark in labor rights; foundation for union movement.

Indian Removal Act

(1830) A law enacted by President Andrew Jackson that authorized the forced relocation of Native American tribes living east of the Mississippi River to designated territories west of the river. This act aimed to open up land for American settlers and was rooted in the belief of Manifest Destiny, which justified expansion across the continent.

Worcester v. Georgia

(1832) Supreme Court ruling that Cherokee were a distinct nation and Georgia laws had no authority over them.

• Causes: Cherokee resistance to removal.

• Effects: Jackson ignored ruling; removal continued.

• Historical Contribution: Exposed limits of judicial authority when opposed by executive.

Martin Van Buren

• Eighth president (1837–1841); Jackson’s successor.

• Causes: Democratic Party loyalty; architect of party organization.

• Effects: Presidency marred by Panic of 1837.

• Historical Contribution: Strengthened party system; struggled with economic crisis.

• Fun Fact: He was part of the Free-Soil Party between the years 1848-1854. The party focused on opposing the expansion of slavery into western territories of the US

King Caucus

• Early system where party leaders in Congress chose presidential candidates.

• Causes: Need for organized nominations.

• Effects: Criticized as undemocratic; replaced by national conventions.

• Historical Contribution: Evolution of party politics.

Corrupt Bargain

(1824) Sixth president John Quincy Adams elected after House decided 1824 election; accused of “corrupt bargain” with Henry Clay. Jackson didn’t win presidency even with the majority of BOTH electoral AND popular vote.

• Causes: No candidate won majority; Clay supported Adams.

• Effects: Adams presidency weakened by charges of illegitimacy.

• Historical Contribution: Deepened partisan divisions; fueled Jacksonian Democracy.

Tariff of Abominations

(1828) High protective tariff hated by South. It taxed foreign imports and resulted in a raise for the cost of living in the South.

• Causes: Northern industrial interests.

• Effects: Sparked Nullification Crisis in South Carolina.

• Historical Contribution: Heightened sectional conflict over tariffs and states’ rights.

Peggy Eaton Affair

(aka Petticoat Affair, 1829-1831) Scandal involving cabinet wives ostracizing Peggy Eaton, wife of Jackson’s Secretary of War.

• Causes: Social snubbing; moral judgments.

• Effects: Jackson defended Eaton; cabinet reshuffled.

• Historical Contribution: Showed Jackson’s loyalty and reshaped cabinet politics.

Nullification Crisis

(1832-1833) A political dispute between the Federal Government and the state of South Carolina over tariffs that were designed to protect manufacturers in the Northern states who were competing with British manufacturers.

Whigs

• Political party opposing Jackson; favored American System, strong Congress.

• Causes: Opposition to Jackson’s policies (Bank War, executive power).

• Effects: Drew support from industrialists, reformers.

• Historical Contribution: Major party in Second Party System.

Oneida Community

A Perfectionist communal society dedicated to living as one family and to sharing all property, work, and love. They called their 93,000 square foot home the Mansion House.

Horace Mann

• Education reformer advocating public schools, teacher training, curriculum standardization. Ensured every child could receive a basic education funded by local taxes.

• Causes: Belief in education for democracy.

• Effects: Expanded public schooling in North.

• Historical Contribution: Father of public education movement.

Women’s Christian Temperance Union

(aka WCTU) Organization promoting temperance and later broader reforms.

• Causes: Alcohol abuse linked to social problems.

• Effects: Mobilized women in reform; precursor to prohibition.

• Historical Contribution: Showed women’s activism in public sphere.

Dorothea Dix

• Social reformer who advocated for humane treatment of the mentally ill.

• Causes: Observed abuse and neglect in prisons and asylums.

• Effects: Established mental hospitals; influenced state and federal policy.

Thomas Gallaudet

• Educator who founded the first American school for the deaf (1817).

• Causes: Desire to provide education for disabled populations.

• Effects: Expanded opportunities for deaf students; promoted sign language.

• Historical Contribution: Advanced special education in U.S. reform era.

William Lloyd Garrison

• Radical abolitionist; editor of The Liberator.

• Causes: Moral opposition to slavery; influence of reform movements.

• Effects: Advocated immediate emancipation; founded American Anti-Slavery Society.

• Historical Contribution: Central figure in abolitionist movement; uncompromising stance.

Frederick Douglass

• Former enslaved man; leading abolitionist, writer, and orator.

• Causes: Escaped slavery; educated himself.

• Effects: Published Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass; advocated political action against slavery.

• Historical Contribution: Most influential Black abolitionist; shaped antislavery discourse.