Early U.S. History Exam 2: Key Terms and Events

Battle of New Orleans

The Battle of New Orleans was the final major battle of the War of 1812, and it became historically important because it boosted national confidence.

Battle of Baltimore

The Battle of Baltimore was a major War of 1812 engagement in which U.S. forces successfully repelled a British attack on the city and Fort McHenry.

Tecumseh

A Shawnee leader who tried to unite Native tribes against American expansion and preserve their lands and culture.

William Henry Harrison

Territorial governor and general known for defeating Tecumseh's confederacy at Tippecanoe.

Three-Fifths Compromise

An agreement counting enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxation.

Articles of Confederation

America's first national government framework, giving most power to the states and a weaker national government.

Northwest Ordinance

A law under the Articles of Confederation that created a system for governing the Northwest Territory and admitting new states on equal footing with the original ones.

Ordinance of 1785

A land-survey system dividing western lands into townships for sale and settlement.

Shay's Rebellion

An uprising of farmers protesting taxes and debt in Massachusetts.

The Great Compromise

A Constitutional Convention agreement creating a two-house legislature, with one being based on population, and the other with all states being equal.

Federalists

One of the two political parties in the US at the time, led by figures like Alexander Hamilton, favored by a strong central government.

Democratic-Republicans

One of the two political parties in the US at the time, led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, supported limited federal power.

Midnight Judges

Last-minute judicial appointments made by President John Adams.

Chesapeake Affair

A British warship attacked the American frigate Chesapeake off the coast of Virginia.

Treaty of Ghent

The treaty ending the War of 1812.

Eli Whitney

Inventor of the cotton gin and promoter of interchangeable parts.

Samuel Morse

Inventor of the telegraph and Morse code.

Erie Canal

A major canal linking the Great Lakes to New York City.

Corrupt Bargain

The alleged deal between John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay during the election.

Know-Nothing Party

An anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic political party.

American factory system

A system using centralized factories with wage labor and mass production.

Nullification Crisis

It forced a confrontation over whether states could nullify a federal law.

Panic of 1837

A major economic depression triggered by bank failures and unstable currency.

Whigs

A political party opposing Andrew Jackson and supporting federal involvement in the economy.

Lowell Girls

Young women who worked in the Lowell textile mills under early industrial labor systems.

Republican Motherhood

The idea that women should raise virtuous, civic-minded citizens.

2nd Great Awakening

A major religious revival movement that emphasized individual salvation and moral reform.

Hamilton's Financial Plan

A three-part economic plan to stabilize the economy through a national bank.

Whiskey Rebellion

The Whiskey Rebellion was an armed uprising by farmers protesting a federal tax on distilled spirits.

Temperance Movement

The Temperance Movement was a social reform effort that sought to reduce or ban alcohol consumption, arguing that alcohol caused poverty, crime, and family instability. This movement reshaped American social reform, expanded women’s political activism, and directly led to Prohibition