Honors US History Final Study Guide 1

Semester 1 - Terms & Definitions

Chesapeake Affair (1807)

Conflict between Britain and the US

Walker Tariff

Lowered tariffs from 1842 levels, fueled trade and increased treasury receipts

Caroline

American steamship that carried supplies across Niagara R. to Canadian insurrection

Liberty Party

First formal Antislavery party, sought abolition of slavery

Buena Vista

american victory against Mexican forces in the Mexican War

Revolution of 1800

Electoral victory of Democratic-Republicans over the Federalists, who lost their congressional majority and the presidency.

Order in Council

British laws that restricted American trade with Europe during the Napoleonic Wars, angering the U.S

Impressment

The British practice of forcing American sailors into the British navy

Non-intercourse Act

Reopened trade with all but two nations: Britain and France

War of 1812

Fought between Britain and the United States over issues of trade and impressment

Treaty Ghent

Ended the War of 1812 in a draw

Corrupt Bargain

Deal between John Q Adams and Henry Clay to overthrow the 1824 election in the house of reps to Adams

Spoils Systems

rewarding political supporters with public office

Battle of Saratoga

Decisive American victory in upstate NY

Battle of Bunker Hill

Fought at the outskirts of Boston on breeds hill

Declaration of Independence

Formal pronouncement of independence from Britain, drafted by Thomas Jefferson

Nullification Crisis

Declared 1832 tariff null and void

Panic of 1837

Economic crisis triggered by bank failures

Battle of San Jacinto

Texas Victory over Mexican leader Santa Anna

1st Continental Congress

Convention of delegates from 12 of 13 colonies that convened in philadelphia to craft a response to the intolerable act

Marbury v Madison

Supreme Court case, established principle of "judicial review" - the idea that the Supreme Court had the final authority to determine constitutionality

Louisiana Purchase

Acquisition of Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million, more than doubled the territory of the US

Corps of Discovery

A U.S. expedition led by Lewis and Clark to explore the Louisiana Territory and reach the Pacific Ocean

Gadsden Purchase

Acquired land in New Mexico and Arizona from Mexico for $10 million to facilitate construction of transcontinental railroad

Kansas-Nebraska Act 1854

Proposed that the issue of slavery be decided by popular sovereignty in Kansas and Nebraska Territories

Compromise of 1850

Admitted California as a free state, opened New Mexico and Utah to popular sovereignty, ended slave trade in Washington DC

Fugitive Slave Law

Passed to set high penalties for anyone who aided black people escaping slavery and compelled all law enforcement officers

Aroostook War

Series of clashes between American and Canadian lumberjacks in the disputed territory of Northern Maine

Tippecanoe

A battle where U.S. forces defeated Native American resistance in the Indiana Territory, weakening Tecumseh's confederation

Deism

Religious doctrine that emphasized reason, moral behavior, and scientific pursuit of knowledge

2nd Continental Congress

representative body of delegates from all thirteen colonies
Drafted the declaration of independence

Conscience Whigs

A political party that opposed Andrew Jackson and supported a national bank, tariffs, and government-funded economic development

Manifest Destiny

Belief that the US was destined by God to spread its "empire of liberty" across Northern America

Free-Soil Party

Anti-slavery party, opposed expansion of slavery into territories

California Gold Rush

Inflow of miners to N California after news od discovery of gold in Sutter's Mill

Underground Railroad

Network of volunteers that helped slaves escape from the south and reach free-soil Canada

Jamestown

First Permanent English settlement in N.A. founded by virginia company

Virginia's House of Burgesses

Representative parliamentary assembly created to govern Virginia

Spanish Armada

Spanish fleet defeated in the english Channel in 1588

Bill of Rights

First 10 amendments to the constitution

Constitution

a set of fundamental principles that dictate how a state, nation, or organization is governed

Articles of Confederation

First American constitution that established US as a loose confederation of states under a weak national Congress. Had no power to regulate commerce or collect taxes

Revolutionary War

war between the 13 American colonies and Great Britain

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Ended the War with Mexico