4.1 Learning Goal

Embargo Act 1807

A law signed by President Thomas Jefferson that banned American ships from trading in all foreign ports.

The Hartford Convention

a series of secret meetings held from Dec 15,1814, to January 5, 1815, at the Old State House in Hartford, Connecticut

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

U.S. Supreme Court case that established the principle of judicial review: the power of American courts to strike down laws, statutes, and executive actions that violate the U.S. Constitution.

War of 1812

3-year military conflict fought between the United States and Great Britain from June 1812-Feb 1815

Treaty of Ghent

The peace agreement signed on Dec 24, 1814, in Ghent, United Netherlands (modern Belgium), officially ending the War of 1812.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

U.S. Supreme Court case that established two major constitutional principles: implied powers of Congress and national supremacy over the states

The Monroe Doctrine

Foundational U.S. foreign policy was established on Dec 2, 1823, by President James Monroe during his annual address to Congress. Its core principles were: non-colonization, separate spheres (New World and Old World), and non-intervention in European conflicts.

“The Era of Good feelings”

A period in United States history, roughly 1815 to 1825. There was a rise in nationalism, one-party dominance (Democratic-Republicans), national projects (Henry Clay’s “American System”), and major milestones (Monroe Doctrine and Missouri Compromise)

Universal white male suffrage

The gradual removal of property and religious qualifications for voting that opened the ballot to nearly all adult white men between roughly 1800 and 1850

Participatory Democracy

A model of governance that emphasizes the active, direct involvement of citizens in public policy and decision-making, rather than relying solely on elected representatives.

“Corrupt Bargain”

1824 U.S. election in which Clay threw his support behind John Quincy Adams, helping him win the presidency in the House of Representatives. Shortly after taking office, Quincy Adams named Clay as his Secretary of State, a position historically viewed as the stepping-stone to the presidency.

Why was it named the “Corrupt Bargain”

Andrew Jackson and his supporters labeled the appointment a “corrupt bargain,” charging that Adams and Clay had stolen the election from the true popular choice. This outrage galvanized Jackson’s base, led to the creation of the Jacksonian Democratic Party, and directly fueled Jackson’s landslide victory in the 1828 presidential election.

National Bank (Bank of the United States)

A federally chartered central bank designed to manage the nation’s money supply, hold government funds, issue a uniform currency, and extend credit to spur economic growth.

Tariffs

A tax imposed by the federal government on imported goods.

Internal Improvements

public works and infrastructure projects built during the 19th century—primarily roads, turnpikes, canals, harbors, and later railroads—designed to link together regional markets and build a self-sufficient national economy.

Henry Clay’s American System

19th-century economic plan after the War of 1812. Its primary goal was to foster economic nationalism, promote domestic manufacturing, and build a self-sufficient national market that relied less on Great Britain.

Protective tariff

A tax imposed on imported foreign goods designed to make them more expensive than domestic products.

Second Bank of the United States

A national bank chartered by Congress in 1816 to stabilize the American economy, hold federal funds, issue a reliable paper currency, and rein in the over-lending of state banks after the War of 1812.

Louisiana Purchase

1803 land deal in which the United States bought approximately 828,000 square miles of territory from France for $15 million, doubling the size of the young nation.

Lewis and Clark Expedition

A U.S. military and scientific journey from 1804 to 1806 to explore the western territory the United States acquired through the Louisiana Purchase.

Adams-Onis Treaty

An agreement between the United States and Spain that ceded Florida to the U.S. and set a clear Western Boundary between U.S. territory and New Spain.

Missouri Compromise

1820 United States federal law that kept an equal power balance between slave states and free states in Congress.

What were the results of the Missouri Compromise

Admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state to keep the Senate balance even. It banned slavery in the remaining Louisiana Purchase territory north of the southern border of Missouri.

When was the Louisiana Purchase

1803

When did the international slave trade end

1808

When did the Missouri Compromise happen

1820