US History Pre-Civil War Flashcards

A comprehensive vocabulary review of 58 key terms, court cases, events, and political movements in United States history prior to the Civil War.

Hamilton/Jefferson Debate

Disagreement between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson over the direction of the U.S.: Hamilton favored a strong federal government and industry; Jefferson wanted states' rights and an agricultural economy

District of Columbia

The federal capital district of the United States, created by the Constitution to move the capital more south, rather than in NYC

Bank of the United States

A national bank that was part of Alexander Hamilton's financial plan to manage government funds, issue currency, and stabilize the national economy. Would be executed by Congress

Protective Tariff

A tax placed on imported goods designed to raise their price. An effort to encourage consumers to buy domestic products and protecting domestic manufacturing from foreign competition

Excise Tax

An internal tax levied by the government on the manufacture, sale, or consumption of specific goods produced within a country, such as the early U.S. tax on whiskey

Whiskey Rebellion

A farmers' revolt in Pennsylvania against a federal whiskey tax. Washington sent troops to show that the new national government could enforce its laws

XYZ Affair

French agents demanded bribes from American envoys to negotiate a peace treaty, leading to an undeclared naval conflict known as the Quasi-War

Alien-Sedition Acts

Laws passed by Federalists that limited free speech and made it harder for immigrants to become citizens; aimed to weaken Democratic-Republicans

Washington's Farewell Address

President Washington's final message warning against political parties and permanent alliances with foreign nations

Federalists vs. Democratic Republicans

Federalists: Political party led by Alexander Hamilton; supported a strong central government, manufacturing, and close ties with Britain. Democratic Republicans: Party led by Thomas Jefferson; favored states' rights, farming, and close ties with France

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

Written by Jefferson and Madison, claiming states could nullify (cancel) unconstitutional federal laws

Marbury v. Madison

Supreme Court case that established judicial review, giving courts the power to declare laws unconstitutional

Louisiana Purchase

Land bought from France by Jefferson, doubling the size of the U.S. and giving control of the Mississippi River

Lewis and Clark

Exploration led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to map and study the Louisiana Territory and reach the Pacific Ocean

Embargo Act of 1807

A law passed during Thomas Jefferson's presidency that banned all American ships from trading with foreign ports to prevent attacks from Britain and France, which ultimately devastated the U.S. economy

Impressment

The practice by the British Royal Navy of forcing captured American merchant sailors into military service, which served as a primary cause for the War of 1812

War Hawks

Young members of Congress (mostly from the South and West) who pushed for war against Britain leading up to the War of 1812

Tecumseh

A Shawnee leader who tried to unite Native American tribes against U.S. expansion into their lands

War of 1812

War between the U.S. and Britain caused by trade restrictions and British impressment of American sailors; ended in a tie but boosted U.S. nationalism

McCulloch v. Maryland

SCOTUS ruled that states couldn't tax the national bank, strengthening federal power (supported the idea of implied powers)

Gibbons v. Ogden

SCOTUS ruled that only the federal government can regulate interstate commerce

Manifest Destiny

Belief that the U.S. was destined to expand westward across the continent to the Pacific Ocean

Oregon Trail

Route used by pioneers traveling west to Oregon and other territories during the 1840s

Texas Revolution

1835-1836 armed conflict in which Anglo settlers and Tejanos fought to gain independence from Mexican rule, establishing the independent Republic of Texas before its eventual annexation by the U.S

Mexican-American War

War between the U.S. and Mexico caused by border disputes and Manifest Destiny; U.S. won and gained new territories

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Ended the Mexican-American War; Mexico gave up large territories (California, Utah, Arizona, etc.) to the U.S.

California Gold Rush

Mass migration of people to California after gold was discovered; boosted population and economic growth

Sectionalism

A strong loyalty to the regional interests, economy, and culture of one's own section of the country rather than to the nation as a whole

Industrial revolution

Period of major industrial growth with new machines, factories, and mass production, changing how people worked and lived

Erie Canal

Man-made waterway connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean; made New York City a major trade center

Cotton Kingdom

The region of the Deep South whose economy, social hierarchy, and rapid expansion were driven almost entirely by large-scale cotton production and enslaved labor

Cotton Gin

Machine invented by Eli Whitney that quickly removed seeds from cotton; increased cotton production and expanded slavery in the South

Northern v. Southern Economy

Northern: built on free labor, trade, and manufacturing. Southern: relied on slave-based cash-crop farming

Henry Clay

U.S. senator who promoted compromise and economic growth; created the American System and helped negotiate the Missouri Compromise

American System

Henry Clay's plan to strengthen the economy with tariffs, a national bank, and internal improvements (roads, canals)

Expansion of Immigration

During the 1800s, large numbers of immigrants came to the U.S., especially from Ireland and Germany, to work in factories and cities

Nativism

Hostility toward immigrants; belief that native-born Americans were superior

Missouri Compromise

Agreement to maintain balance between free and slave states; Missouri entered as a slave state, Maine as a free state, and slavery was banned north

Monroe Doctrine

President Monroe's policy declaring the Americas off-limits to European colonization or interference

Democrats

The political party founded by supporters of Andrew Jackson that championed the "common man," state sovereignty, strict construction, and opposition to a national bank

Whigs

A political party formed in opposition to Andrew Jackson that favored strong federal power, protective tariffs, national banking, and internal infrastructure improvements

Tariff of Abominations

A high protective tariff passed in 1828 that protected Northern manufacturing but severely hurt Southern agricultural interests, leading directly to the Nullification Crisis

Nullification

Conflict when South Carolina tried to nullify a federal tariff (they didn't want to do it); President Jackson opposed it, asserting federal supremacy

Indian Removal Acts

Law passed under Jackson forcing Native American tribes to move west of the Mississippi River

Cherokee Nation v. Georgia

1831 Supreme Court case that ruled that Native American tribes were "domestic dependent nations" rather than foreign states, meaning they could not sue in federal court

Worcester v. Georgia

1832 Supreme Court ruling that states had no authority to enforce laws on sovereign Cherokee territory, a decision that President Andrew Jackson famously refused to enforce

Trail of Tears

Forced march of the Cherokee and other tribes from their lands to Indian Territory (Oklahoma); thousands died

Bank Wars

President Andrew Jackson's campaign to destroy the Second Bank of the U.S., believing it favored the wealthy

Romanticism

A cultural and intellectual movement emphasizing emotion, individualism, nature, and intuition over strict reason, inspiring American movements like Transcendentalism

Temperance

Reform effort to limit or ban alcohol use, believing drinking led to social problems

Women's Rights

Movement seeking equal rights for women, especially voting and property rights

Seneca Falls Convention

The first women's rights convention, held in New York; issued the Declaration of Sentiments demanding equality

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Leader of the women's rights movement and organizer of the Seneca Falls Convention

Prisons/Asylums

A social movement that aimed at improving brutal prison conditions and establishing separate, humane institutions for the mentally ill

Dorothea Dix

Reformer who fought for better treatment of the mentally ill and for improved prisons

Underground Railroad

Secret network of routes and safe houses used to help enslaved people escape to freedom

Harriet Tubman

Former enslaved woman who became a key conductor on the Underground Railroad, helping hundreds escape

Nat Turner's Rebellion

An 1831 violent uprising of enslaved people in Virginia led by preacher Nat Turner, which resulted in the deaths of roughly 60 white people and led to harsher slave codes across the South