AMERICAN HISTORY UNIT 2

Consolidation of the Republic

The process of establishing a strong national government in the early history of the United States.

Washington's First Cabinet

The initial group of advisors to President George Washington, including key figures like Jefferson and Hamilton.

Federalists and Republicans

The two main political parties during the early years of the United States; Federalists supported a strong central government while Republicans favored states' rights.

Election of 1796

The first election where political parties played a significant role, resulting in Thomas Jefferson, a Republican, defeating the Federalists.

Monroe Doctrine

A U.S. policy that opposed European colonialism in the Americas, stating that European powers should not interfere in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere.

Indian Removal Act

A law that led to the forced relocation of Native American tribes from their ancestral lands, most notably resulting in the Trail of Tears.

Nullification Crisis of 1832

A confrontation between South Carolina and the federal government over tariff laws, highlighting the conflict between state and federal authority.

Slavery and the Old South

The system of forced labor used primarily in the Southern United States, which was deeply intertwined with the economy and culture of the region.

Missouri Compromise of 1820

An agreement that allowed Missouri to enter as a slave state and Maine as a free state, maintaining the balance between slave and free states.

Emancipation Proclamation

An executive order by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 that declared all slaves in Confederate states to be free.

Gettysburg Address

A famous speech delivered by Abraham Lincoln at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in 1863, emphasizing equality and the purpose of the Civil War.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

A landmark Supreme Court case in 1857 that ruled African Americans could not be American citizens and that Congress lacked the authority to ban slavery in the territories.

Compromise of 1850

A series of laws aimed at resolving the conflict between slave and free states, allowing California to enter as a free state and enacting the Fugitive Slave Law.

Bleeding Kansas

A series of violent political confrontations between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in Kansas, resulting from the Kansas-Nebraska Act.