Time Period 4 Vocab

Louisiana Purchase

Acquisition of Louisiana territory from France. The purchase more than doubled the territory of the US, opening vast tracts of settlement.

War Hawks

Democratic-Republican congressmen who pressed James Madison to declare war on Britain. It was largely drawn from the South and West, they resented British constraints on American trade and accused the British of supporting Native American attacks against American settlements on the frontier.

Battle of Tippecanoe

Resulted in the defeat of Shawnee chief the Prophet at the hands of William Henry Harrison in the Indiana wilderness. Afterward, the Prophet's brother, Tecumseh, forged an alliance with the British against the US.

Judicial Review

The idea that the Supreme Court has the final authority to determine constitutionality.

Marbury vs. Madison

A Supreme Court case that established the principle of Judicial Review.

Hartford Convention

A convention of Federalists from five New England states who opposed the War of 1812 and resented the strength of southern and western interests in Congress and the White House. Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island sent full delegations, while New Hampshire and Vermont sent partial delegations.

Impressment

The act of forcibly drafting an individual into military service, employed by the British navy against American seamen in times of war against France. It was a continual source of conflict between Britain and the US in the early national period.

Embargo Act

Enacted in response to British and French mistreatment of American merchants, the act banned the export of all goods from the US to any foreign port. It placed great strains on the American economy while only marginally affecting the European targets, and was therefore repealed in 1809.

Non-Intercourse Act

Passed alongside the repeal of the Embargo Act, it reopened trade with all but the two of the belligerent nations, Britain and France. The act continued Thomas Jefferson's policy of economic coercion, still with little effect.

Macon's Bill No. 2

Aimed at resuming peaceful trade with Britain and France, the act stipulated that if either Britain or France repealed its trade restrictions, the US would reinstate the embargo against the nonrepealing nation. When Napoleon offered to lift his restrictions on British ports, the US was forced to declare an embargo on Britain, thereby pushing the two nations closer toward war.

Battle of New Orleans

A resounding victory of American forces against the British, restoring American confidence and fueling an outpouring of nationalism. It was the final battle of the War of 1812.

Era of Good Feeling

A popular name for the period of one-party, Republican, rule during James Monroe's presidency. The term obscures bitter conflicts over internal improvements, slavery, and the national bank.

Sectionalism

Loyalty to one's own region or section of the country rather than to the country as a whole, often at the expense of national unity.

Nationalism

The spirit of nation-consciousness or national oneness.

Protective Tariff

Tax on imported goods designed to make them more expensive than domestic products, thereby shielding American industries from foreign competition.

American System

Henry Clay's three-pronged system to promote American industry. Henry Clay advocated for a strong banking system, a protective tariff, and a federally funded transportation network.

Erie Canal

A New York state canal that linked Lake Erie to the Hudson River. It dramatically lowered shipping costs, fueling an economic boom in upstate New York and increasing the profitability.

Cotton Gin

Eli Whitney's invention that sped up the process of harvesting cotton. It made cotton cultivation more profitable, revitalizing the Southern economy and increasing the importance of slavery in the South.

Lowell System

A labor and production model in early 19th century textile mills, primarily in Lowell, Massachusetts, that was notable for hiring young, unmarried women from rural areas to work in its factories.

Market Revolution

An 18th and 19th century transformation from a disaggregated, subsistence economy to a national commercial and industrial network.

Implied Powers

The powers of the federal government that aren't explicitly listed in the Constitution but are inferred as necessary to carry out the enumerated powers.

Missouri Compromise

Allowed Missouri to enter as a slave state but preserved the balance between North and South by carving free-soil Maine out of Massachusetts and prohibiting slavery from territories acquired in the Louisiana Purchase, north of the line 36°30'.

Monroe Doctrine

A statement delivered by President James Monroe, warning European powers to refrain from seeking any new territories in the Americas. The US largely lacked the power to back up the pronouncement, which was actually enforced by the British, who sought unfettered access to Latin American markets.

Common Man

An ordinary, self-made citizen. Andrew Jackson was supported by them, and he used them and their lifestyle to promote his presidential campaign.

Know-Nothing Party

The nativist political party, also known as the American Party, which emerged in response to an influx of immigrants, particularly Irish Catholics.

Trail of Tears

A forced march of 15,000 Cherokee Native Americans from their Georgia and Alabama homes to Native American Territory. Some 4,000 Cherokee died on the arduous journey.

Pet Banks

Pro-Jackson state banks that received the bulk of federal deposits when Andrew Jackson moved to dismantle the Bank of the US.

Spoils System

A policy of rewarding political supporters with public office, first widely employed at the federal level by Andrew Jackson. The practice was widely abused by unscrupulous office seekers, but it also helped cement party loyalty in the emerging two-party system.

Specie Circular

The US Treasury decree requiring that all public lands be purchased with "hard", or metallic, currency. It was issued after small state banks flooded the market with unreliable paper currency, fueling land speculation in the West.

Corrupt Bargain

An alleged deal between presidential candidates John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay to throw the election, to be decided by the House of Representatives, in John Quincy Adams' favor. Though never proven, the accusation became the rallying cry for supporters of Andrew Jackson, who actually garnered a plurality of the popular vote in 1824. Once John Quincy Adams was elected president, he selected Henry Clay as his Secretary of State, who was also a nationalist and advocate of the American System.

Nullification Crisis

A showdown between President Andrew Jackson and the South Carolina legislature, which declared the 1832 tariff null and void in the state and threatened secession if the federal government tried to collect duties. It was resolved by a compromise negotiated by Henry Clay in 1833. As a result, Andrew Jackson dispatched military reinforcements.

Whigs

A political party in the mid 19th century that formed in opposition to President Andrew Jackson and his policies.

Utopian Communities

Intentional societies created in the 19th century to build an ideal, often cooperative, society based on religious or secular principles.

American Colonization Society

An organization founded in 1816 to support the resettlement of free African Americans and emancipated slaves in Africa.

Second Great Awakening

A Protestant religious revival movement in the early 19th century characterized by emotional "camp meetings", widespread conversion, and a focus on personal salvation.

Cult of Domesticity

A pervasive 19th century cultural creed that venerated the domestic role of women. It gave married women greater authority to shape home life but limited opportunities outside the domestic sphere.

Seneca Falls Convention

The first women’s rights convention in the US, held in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848.