Unit 3 Study Guide: Early Republic to the Age of Jackson

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the key concepts, legislation, individuals, and events in the Unit 3 Study Guide from Washington's presidency through the Age of Jackson.

Judiciary Act of 1789

Federal legislation establishing the structure of the federal court system, including the Supreme Court and district courts.

Washington’s Cabinet

The official group of department heads chosen by George Washington to advise the executive branch, including State, Treasury, War, and the Attorney General.

Elastic Clause

The constitutional provision granting Congress implied powers to pass necessary and proper laws, used to justify the chartering of the national bank.

Whiskey Rebellion

A western Pennsylvania farmer uprising against an excise tax on whiskey, which Washington suppressed with federal troops to demonstrate the power of the new federal government.

XYZ Affair

A 1797 diplomatic scandal during John Adams's presidency involving French agents demanding bribes and loans before negotiating with American delegates.

Alien and Sedition Acts

Four laws enacted under John Adams that increased residency requirements for citizenship and penalized government criticism, widely viewed as violations of the First Amendment.

Election of 1800

The presidential contest in which Thomas Jefferson defeated John Adams, representing the first peaceful transition of political power between rival parties in U.S. history.

John Marshall

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court whose landmark decisions fortified federal judicial authority and established the doctrine of judicial review.

Judiciary Act of 1801 and Midnight Judges

An act passed by Federalists to reorganize the judiciary, enabling John Adams to appoint Federalist judges in the closing hours of his administration.

Marbury v. Madison

The 1803 landmark Supreme Court case that formally established the court's power of judicial review to invalidate unconstitutional congressional laws.

Louisiana Purchase

The 1803 land deal with France that doubled the territory of the United States, posing a constitutional dilemma for Jefferson's philosophy of limited government.

Lewis and Clark Expedition

A transcontinental exploration of the newly acquired Louisiana territory led to reach the Pacific coast, aided significantly by the Shoshone guide Sacajwe.

Tecumseh

A Shawnee leader who organized a confederacy of Native American tribes in the Northwest Territory to resist white settlement prior to the War of 1812.

War Hawks

Young Western and Southern members of the 12th Congress who strongly advocated for war against Great Britain in 1812 to protect American sovereignty and expand territory.

Battle of New Orleans

The final major engagement of the War of 1812, which concluded with a decisive American victory and brought national renown to Andrew Jackson.

Factory System

A production method that concentrated labor, power machinery, and raw materials into a single facility, fueling the Industrial Revolution in the North.

Cotton Gin

A mechanical invention that rapidly separated seeds from cotton fibers, dramatically increasing profitability and entrenching the expansion of chattel slavery across the South.

American System

An economic program promoted by Henry Clay consisting of protective tariffs, a national bank, and federally funded internal improvements to tie regional economies together.

Erie Canal and National Road

Key early transportation infrastructure projects that linked coastal commercial markets with the western interior, facilitating westward settlement and trade.

Tariff of 1816

The first protective tariff passed by Congress, designed to protect northern manufacturing from foreign goods while provoking economic concerns in the South.

Second National Bank

A national financial institution chartered in 1816 to manage currency stability, regulate credit, and act as a repository for federal revenues.

Era of Good Feelings

The period of James Monroe’s presidency characterized by a perceived lack of partisan friction, national political unity, and rising American nationalism.

Great Triumvirate

The three prominent statesmen—Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, and Daniel Webster—who represented Western, Southern, and Northern sectional interests in Congress.

McCulloch v Maryland

An 1819 Supreme Court case affirming the constitutional validity of implied powers in establishing a national bank and denying states the power to tax federal entities.

Monroe Doctrine

A foreign policy statement delivered in 1823 declaring the Western Hemisphere closed to future European colonization and external interference.

Missouri Compromise

An 1820 legislative agreement that admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, prohibiting slavery north of the 36°30′ parallel in the remaining Louisiana territory.

Corrupt Bargain

The alleged agreement during the election of 1824 in which Henry Clay endorsed John Quincy Adams for the presidency in exchange for appointment as Secretary of State.

American Populism

A political approach emphasizing the interests and political empowerment of ordinary citizens against entrenched aristocratic and political elites during Jackson's era.

Spoils System

The practice instituted widely by Andrew Jackson of awarding federal civil service jobs to partisan supporters and campaign loyalists.

Indian Removal Act

An 1830 federal law granting the president power to negotiate treaties to forcibly relocate Native American tribes to territories west of the Mississippi River.

Trail of Tears

The forced relocation of Cherokee and other Southeastern tribes to Indian Territory, marked by severe deprivation, disease, and high mortality rates.

Tariff of Abominations

A high protective tariff passed in 1828 that drew fierce opposition from John C. Calhoun and South Carolina, sparking the Nullification Crisis of 1832.

Pet Bank

A state bank selected by the Jackson administration to receive federal deposits stripped from the Second Bank of the United States in an effort to weaken it.

Whig Party

A major political party formed in the 1830s in opposition to Andrew Jackson's policies and executive overreach, advocating for congressional supremacy and the American System.

Panic of 1837

A severe financial panic and subsequent economic depression that began at the start of Martin Van Buren's presidency following bank failures and credit contraction.