APUSH Period 4 (1800–1848): The Era of Jefferson to the War of 1812

Vocabulary flashcards reviewing key political, legal, economic, and foreign policy concepts of APUSH Period 4 (1800–1848), covering the Jefferson presidency, Marshall Court rulings, regional dynamics, and the War of 1812.

Jeffersonian Neutrality Policy

The foreign policy approach carried over from the Washington and Adams administrations that sought to keep the United States out of entanglements in European conflicts.

Strict Interpretation

Thomas Jefferson's constitutional philosophy rejecting Alexander Hamilton's doctrine of implied powers, which created a dilemma regarding the Louisiana Purchase because no constitutional clause explicitly permitted a president to purchase foreign land.

Lewis and Clark Expedition

An expedition of two American explorers commissioned by President Jefferson to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Territory and discover a practical water route (Northwest Passage) across the continent to the Pacific Ocean for trade and commerce.

Corps of Discovery

The expedition team whose journey yielded greater geographic and scientific knowledge, stronger U.S. claims to the Oregon Territory, improved relations with American Indians, and accurate maps for fur trappers and future settlers.

Sacagawea

A Lemhi Shoshone teenager, mother, explorer, translator, and guide who assisted the Corps of Discovery in exploring the Louisiana Territory and achieving chartered mission objectives.

Federalist Conspiracy

A secret political pact formed by Aaron Burr with radical New England Federalists with the plan to win the New York governorship in 1804 and lead a united group of states to secede.

Burr-Hamilton Duel

A fatal encounter sparked by an insulting remark attributed to Alexander Hamilton, leading Aaron Burr to challenge the Federalist leader to a duel and shoot him, which caused Federalists to treat Burr as an enemy.

Burr Treason Trial

The 1806 legal proceeding initiated after President Jefferson learned of Aaron Burr's intrigue to take Mexico from Spain and unite it with Louisiana under his rule.

Marbury v. Madison

The landmark Supreme Court ruling that established judicial review—the power of the court to declare laws unconstitutional—and elevated the Supreme Court to an equal branch of the federal government.

Fletcher v. Peck (1810)

A Supreme Court case involving land sold by John Peck to Fletcher after purchasing it from Georgia, in which the court struck down a state law repeal as unconstitutional.

Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819)

A case in which the New Hampshire legislature attempted to alter Dartmouth College's charter by shifting trustee appointments to the governor, leading the Supreme Court to rule that the Contract Clause applies to both private and public corporations.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

A case sparked by Maryland placing a tax on the national bank, resulting in a unanimous Supreme Court ruling affirming that Congress has the constitutional authority to establish a national bank.

Gibbons v. Ogden

A Supreme Court dispute arising from New York granting Robert R. Livingston and Robert Fulton exclusive 20-year navigation privileges on all state waters, which Gibbons challenged after operating a competing route.

Era of Good Feelings

The period following the election of 1816, when James Monroe defeated Federalist Rufus King 183 electoral votes to 34, characterized by the acquisition of Florida, the Missouri Compromise, and the adoption of the Monroe Doctrine.

American System

An economic plan proposed by Henry Clay composed of three parts: protective tariffs, a national bank, and internal improvements.

Tallmadge Amendment

A proposal submitted by Representative James Tallmadge of New York regarding Missouri's statehood bill that ignited congressional debate by calling for the gradual elimination of slavery in Missouri.

Missouri Compromise

A three-part compromise engineered by Senator Henry Clay that preserved the balance between 11 free and 11 slave states by admitting Missouri as a slave state, Maine as a free state, and banning slavery north of latitude $36^\circ 30'$ in the Louisiana Territory.

Barbary Pirates

North African maritime marauders whose acts of piracy represented the first major foreign policy challenge to Thomas Jefferson's administration.

Chesapeake-Leopard Affair

An 1807 naval engagement off the coast of Virginia in which the British warship Leopard fired upon the American warship Chesapeake, nearly driving the United States to war.

Embargo Act of 1807

A federal law passed under Jefferson prohibiting all U.S. exports to foreign ports and restricting British imports, which severely damaged the domestic economy—especially New England merchants and shipbuilders—before its repeal.

Non-Intercourse Act of 1809

Legislation enacted under President James Madison following the repeal of the Embargo Act, designed to alleviate economic distress while upholding American neutral trading rights.

Macon's Bill No. 2 (1810)

A measure that reopened U.S. commerce worldwide while promising to reinstate an embargo against either Britain or France if the other nation agreed first to respect U.S. neutral shipping rights.

Impressment

The British practice of intercepting American vessels and forcing sailors into service in the Royal Navy, constituting a leading cause of the War of 1812.

War Hawks

A faction of congressional leaders, including Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun, who declared they would not tolerate British insults to American honor and agitated for military conflict.

Fort McHenry

A military fortification in Baltimore that withstood an overnight British naval bombardment during the War of 1812, inspiring Francis Scott Key to compose the Star Spangled Banner.

Treaty of Ghent

The agreement that concluded the War of 1812, resulting in the encouragement of American industrialization and reaffirming the United States as a free and independent nation.