APUSH Unit 4 Key Terms

1800-1848

Whiskey Rebellion 1794

1794 farmer uprising against the federal government because of an excise tax on whiskey. George Washington suppressed it with a large army. Shows the power of the Constitution compared to the previous Bill of Rights (and Shays’s Rebellion)

Alexander Hamilton

• Federalist

• supported National Bank, strong federal government, and neutrality in international affairs

• Secretary of Treasury in Washington’s cabinet

Hamilton’s financial plan

• A series of measures proposed by Alexander Hamilton to stabilize the American economy

• the federal assumption of state debts

• the establishment of a national bank

• the promotion of tariffs and taxes

Thomas Jefferson

• Democrat-Republican, Hamilton’s longtime rival

• hoped for an agrarian society/economy with more democracy and equality

• strict interpretation of the Constitution, supported states' rights over federal power.

• 3rd president of the US

Impressment

• kidnapping sailors and coercing them to enlist in the army

• what the British did to the American sailors during the Napoleonic Wars

Jay’s Treaty 1794

• 1794 treaty between the US and Britain that averted war, facilitated trade, and maintained peace

• Democrat-Republicans angered because it seemed in opposition to their former ally France

Washington’s Farewell Address 1797

• Washington warns the US as he leaves office in 1797 to stay out of international conflicts

• wants the US to stay neutral because it is still young

John Adams

• 2nd president of the US 1797-1801, federalist

• XYZ Affair

• Alien & Sedition Acts

• Midnight Appointments

• refused to declare war on France even though his party was in support of it, demonstrating republicanism

Convention of 1800

• An agreement between the US and France that ended the Quasi-War and improved relations, marking a shift towards diplomacy after years of tension

• also ended the Franco-American alliance

XYZ Affair 1797

• In 1797, 3 French diplomats named X, Y, and Z show up in America and demand bribes before they even begin discussing international affairs with the US

• begins the undeclared war between the US and the France, known as the Quasi-War

Alien and Sedition Acts 1798

• John Adams, in anticipation of a war with France, stripped away the US citizens’ right to free speech (sedition) and allowed the government to deport immigrants (alien) in 1798

• clear abuse of power, unconstitutional

Kentucky & Virginia Resolutions

• As a response to the Alien & Sedition Acts, Democrat-Republicans Jefferson and Madison wrote separate statements saying that those federal acts were unconstitutional

• Jefferson wrote for Kentucky, Madison wrote for Virginia

Embargo Act 1807

• Jefferson places an embargo that does not allow American to trade with any country as a response to Britain and France stealing American trade ships

• it had the intention of hurting Britain’s and France’s economies, but in actuality, it only damaged the American economy—both merchants and farmers

Louisiana Purchase 1803

• Jefferson buys the entire French Louisiana Territory for $15 million in 1803

• conveys the conflict between Jefferson’s idealism, strict interpretation of the constitution (for which the purchase goes against) vs his practicality as the US president

John Marshall

• chief justice of the Supreme Court

• greatly empowered the Judicial Branch to become a branch as strong as the Legislative and Executive branches through a series of court rulings

• created judicial review (aka checks and balances which allows the Judicial Branch to rule whether a law is constitutional)

• Marbury v. Madison

• McCulloh v. Maryland

• Worcester v. Georgia

Marbury v. Madison 1803

• A midnight judge appointed by Adams named Marbury was not given his job commission by Madison, so he sued Madison

• Marbury demanded the court to issue a writ of mandamus to make Madison give him the commission

• John Marshall, the chief justice, ruled that although what Madison did was illegal, the court cannot give order a writ of mandamus because that would be unconstitutional

• this court case established Judicial Review (checks and balances)

McCulloch v. Maryland 1819

• Court case in 1819 because Maryland taxed the federal bank to death

• John Marshall ruled that state governments cannot tax federal institutions

War of 1812

• war between Britain and the US between 1812-1815 when James Madison took office

• causes: Britain stealing American goods and impressing their soldiers because of the Napoleonic Wars

• British burn down the White House

• ends in a stalemate and the Treaty of Ghent

• General Andrew Jackson becomes a war hero at the Battle of New Orleans, though the battle was after the treaty had been signed

• effect: Americans feel more united and patriotic, the Era of Good Feelings, the Federalist Party dissolves

Hartford Convention 1814

• Federalists in New England have a convention during the War of 1812 because the war has been hurting their merchant trade the most

• they want to secede from the US, shocks everyone

• Federalist Party’s reputation plummets as they are seen as unpatriotic, leads to them disbanding

Battle of New Orleans 1815

• Although the War of 1812 officially ended after the Treaty of Ghent, General Andrew Jackson brings another victory to the US in New Orleans

• Andrew Jackson becomes a national war hero

The Monroe Doctrine

• As South America gains their independence from Spain, James Monroe, the 5th President of the US (1817-1825), issues a statement saying that the era of colonization is over and European powers cannot mettle in American/New World affairs

Missouri Compromise 1820

• A compromise between the Northern free states and Southern slave states that the Missouri will be a slave state, but all other territory above the 36 30’ latitude is free

Andrew Jackson

• 7th President of the US (1829-1837)

• the first president of the people, the “common man”, Popular war hero

• Represented southern/western interests

• hated elitism and the Washington “insiders”

• “killed” the national bank, issued the Indian Removal Act, started the Trail of Tears, and greatly augmented the Executive Branch’s power

Henry Clay

• Most famous politician of the early 19th century to never become president

• the “great compromiser”: Missouri Compromise, Compromise of 1850

• the corrupt bargain with John Quincy Adams

Whigs

• Anti-Andrew Jackson, elitist party, feared that Andrew Jackson would bring the demise of American democracy

Worcester v. Georgia 1832

• Native American Tribe, Cherokee, sued Georgia for revoking their constitution and subjugating them to Georgia’s state laws

• John Marshall ruled that Georgia’s actions were unconstitutional and recognized that the Native American tribes were individual nations

• However, Andrew Jackson ignored this ruling

South Carolina Exposition and Protest 1828

• Protests/writings against the Tariffs of 1828 written by politician John Calhoun (who represented South Carolina)

• the South believed that the federal tariffs only harmed them, so they had every right to ignore them

• inspired by Jefferson and Madison’s Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions

• the catalyst of the Nullification Crisis

Spoils System

• the practice of a successful political party giving public office to its supporters

• used by President Andrew Jackson, who replaced many government positions with his own supporters

Nullification Crisis

• A political confrontation between South Carolina and the federal government (due to the South Carolina Exposition and Protest 1828), centered around the state's opposition to federal tariffs they deemed harmful to southern economies

• resolved because of Henry Clay’s compromise which reduced tariffs, and because of President Andrew Jackson’s Force Bill (using military force to subdue states into following the federal laws)

• result: heightened tensions between state and federal authority, strengthened the idea of states' rights, that states can secede or nullify laws whenever they want

Panic of 1837

• A financial crisis in the US in 1837 that resulted in a severe economic depression

• It began when banks failed due to land speculation, leading to widespread bankruptcies, high unemployment, and a sharp decline in economic activity

• a cold shower after all the excitement and anticipation following the Era of Good Feelings

American System

• a plan suggested by Henry Clay in the early 19th century

  1. government funded roads and canals to improve transportation

  2. a protective tariff to encourage the national industry

  3. a national bank to stabilize the economy

Election of 1840

• The election in which William Henry Harrison, a Whig candidate, defeated incumbent President Martin Van Buren

• demonstrates the use of modern campaign strategies, including slogans and rallies, focusing on Harrison's image as a “man of the people”

Dorothea Dix

• A social reformer in the 19th century who advocated for the mentally ill and improved conditions in mental hospitals

• She worked to raise awareness about the need for better treatment and care for those with mental health issues

Horace Mann

• An education reformer in the 19th century known as the “Father of the American Public School System”

• He advocated for universal public education, improved school conditions, and trained teachers

Second Great Awakening

• A religious revival movement in the early 19th century in the United States that emphasized personal faith, emotional involvement in religion, and the importance of social reform

• It led to the growth of new denominations and the promotion of various reform movements including abolition, temperance, and women's rights

• Charles Finney

• perfectionism

Perfectionism

• A belief that individuals can achieve a state of spiritual perfection and lead sinless lives, which emerged during the Second Great Awakening

• emphasized the possibility of moral improvement and promoted social reforms

Charles Finney

• A preacher and leader in the Second Great Awakening known for his innovative revivals and emphasis on personal conversion and social reform

• advocate of perfectionism, believing that individuals could attain a state of moral perfection

American Temperance Society

• An organization founded in the early 19th century that aimed to promote temperance (moderation or abstinence from alcoholic beverages)

• Sought to reduce the consumption of alcohol in society and was part of the broader reform movements of the time like the Second Great Awakening

Seneca Falls Convention

• the first women's rights convention held in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York

• marked the beginning of the organized women's rights movement in the United States and addressed issues such as women's suffrage, education, and legal rights, culminating in the Declaration of Sentiments

Transcendentalists

• a group of 19th-century American writers and thinkers, including Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, who emphasized the importance of the individual, nature, and personal intuition over traditional authority and societal norms

• believed in self-reliance, the inherent goodness of people, and the connection between humanity and the natural world

Hudson River School

• A mid-19th century American art movement characterized by landscape painting that portrayed the beauty of the American wilderness, particularly the Hudson River Valley

• Artists such as Thomas Cole and Frederic Edwin Church were key figures who emphasized the romantic relationship between nature and humanity