AP US History - Chapters 12 & 14

Age of Jackson

Period in the 1820s-1830s marked by Andrew Jackson's presidency, expansion of democracy for white men, and increased executive power.

Indian Removal Act (1830)

Federal law authorizing funds and military force to relocate Native American tribes east of the Mississippi River.

Cherokee Nation

Native American tribe in Georgia that adopted white American customs, laws, Christianity, and slavery.

John Ross

Leader of the Cherokee Nation who pursued legal resistance to Indian removal.

Worcester v. Georgia (1832)

Supreme Court case ruling that Native American tribes were distinct political communities and states had no authority over them.

Marshall Court

Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Marshall, known for strengthening federal power.

Trail of Tears

Forced relocation of Native Americans, especially the Cherokee, resulting in mass death and suffering.

Executive Defiance

Jackson's refusal to enforce Supreme Court decisions he disagreed with.

First Party System

Early U.S. political system dominated by Federalists and Democratic-Republicans.

Era of Good Feelings

Period after the War of 1812 with one dominant political party.

Second Party System

Political era (1830-1854) featuring Democrats vs. Whigs.

Jacksonian Democrats

Party supporting limited government, states' rights, and the common white man.

National Republicans / Whigs

Party favoring economic activism, reform, and Clay's American System.

American System

Henry Clay's plan for tariffs, internal improvements, and a national bank.

Election of 1824

Contested election resolved by the House of Representatives.

Corrupt Bargain

Alleged deal between John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay after the 1824 election.

Election of 1828

Jackson's victory using mass campaigning and voter mobilization.

Universal White Male Suffrage

Expansion of voting rights to all white men regardless of property.

Spoils System

Practice of appointing loyal supporters to government positions.

Rotation in Office

Jackson's belief that frequent replacement of officeholders prevented corruption.

Veto Power

Presidential authority to reject legislation; Jackson used it extensively.

Maysville Road Veto

Jackson's rejection of federal funding for a local Kentucky road.

Populism

Political approach appealing to the interests of ordinary people.

Tariff of Abominations (1828)

Highly protective tariff that angered the South.

John C. Calhoun

Vice President who developed the theory of nullification.

Nullification

Theory that states can refuse to enforce federal laws they oppose.

Exposition and Protest

Calhoun's essay defending nullification.

Force Act (1832)

Law authorizing the president to use military force to enforce tariffs.

Compromise Tariff of 1833

Agreement easing tariff tensions between North and South.

Second Bank of the United States

National bank Jackson opposed as favoring elites.

Bank Veto (1832)

Jackson's rejection of the bank's recharter bill.

Referendum Election

Election focused on a single major issue.

Deposit Act (1836)

Law distributing federal funds to state banks.

Specie Circular (1836)

Executive order requiring land purchases to be made in gold or silver.

Deflation

Decrease in money supply causing economic slowdown.

Whig Party

Political party favoring reform, economic development, and moral activism.

Election of 1840

First modern mass campaign using imagery and slogans.

William Henry Harrison

First Whig president; died after one month in office.

John Tyler

Vice president who became president; often opposed Whig policies.

Second Great Awakening

Religious revival emphasizing emotion, personal salvation, and reform.

Evangelical Christianity

Movement stressing conversion and moral responsibility.

Burned-Over District

Region of intense religious revival in upstate New York.

Perfectionism

Belief that humans could achieve moral perfection.

Millenarianism

Belief that the end of the world was imminent.

Cult of Domesticity

Ideology assigning women moral authority within the home.

Reform Societies

Groups seeking to eliminate social vices.

Temperance Movement

Campaign to reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption.

Dry Laws

Local laws banning alcohol sales.

Dorothea Dix

Reformer who improved conditions in mental asylums.

Abolitionist Movement

Effort to end slavery.

Gradualists

Abolitionists who favored ending slavery slowly and with compensation.

Immediatists

Abolitionists demanding immediate, uncompensated emancipation.

William Lloyd Garrison

Radical abolitionist and publisher of The Liberator.

The Liberator

Abolitionist newspaper founded in 1831.

Gag Rule

Congressional rule tabling anti-slavery petitions.

Petition Campaigns

Use of First Amendment rights to pressure Congress.

Elijah Lovejoy

Abolitionist editor murdered by pro-slavery mobs.

Women's Rights Movement

Campaign for legal and political equality.

Seneca Falls Convention (1848)

First women's rights convention.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Women's rights leader and organizer.

Lucretia Mott

Abolitionist and women's rights advocate.

Declaration of Sentiments

Document demanding equal rights for women.

Manifest Destiny

Belief that the U.S. was destined to expand westward.

Nationalism

Strong pride and belief in national superiority.

Sectionalism

Growing division between North and South.

Market Economy

Economic system based on buying and selling goods.

Territorial Expansion

Growth of U.S. land increasing slavery debates.

Republic of Texas

Independent nation formed after Texas won independence from Mexico.

Annexation of Texas

U.S. incorporation of Texas in 1845, increasing sectional tensions.

James K. Polk

Expansionist president who strongly supported Manifest Destiny.

Mexican-American War (1846-1848)

War between the U.S. and Mexico over territorial disputes.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Treaty ending the Mexican-American War and granting the U.S. large territories.

Mexican Cession

Land acquired from Mexico after the war, including California and the Southwest.

Wilmot Proviso

Proposal to ban slavery in territories gained from Mexico; never passed.

Free-Soil Movement

Opposition to the expansion of slavery into western territories.

Popular Sovereignty

Letting settlers vote on whether to allow slavery in a territory.

Compromise of 1850

Series of laws temporarily resolving sectional disputes over slavery.

Fugitive Slave Act (1850)

Law requiring escaped slaves to be returned, angering Northerners.

Personal Liberty Laws

Northern laws protecting alleged runaway slaves.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe that exposed the cruelty of slavery.

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

Law allowing popular sovereignty and repealing the Missouri Compromise.

Bleeding Kansas

Violent conflict between pro- and anti-slavery settlers in Kansas.

Republican Party

Political party formed to oppose the expansion of slavery.

Stephen Douglas

Senator who promoted popular sovereignty.

Freeport Doctrine

Douglas's claim that slavery could not exist without local support.

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

Supreme Court ruling that denied citizenship to slaves and declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional.

John Brown's Raid

Attempt to start a slave rebellion at Harpers Ferry.

Election of 1860

Presidential election that resulted in Lincoln's victory.

Abraham Lincoln

Republican president opposed to slavery's expansion.

Secession

Southern states' withdrawal from the Union.

Confederate States of America

Government formed by seceding Southern states.

Fort Sumter

Site of the first shots of the Civil War.

Civil War

Conflict between the Union and the Confederacy from 1861-1865.

Anaconda Plan

Union strategy to blockade Southern ports and control the Mississippi River.

Total War

Military strategy targeting civilian resources and infrastructure.

Ulysses S. Grant

Union general known for aggressive tactics.

Battle of Gettysburg

Major Union victory and turning point of the war.

Sherman's March to the Sea

Total war campaign destroying Southern infrastructure.

Emancipation Proclamation

Executive order freeing slaves in Confederate-held areas.

13th Amendment

Constitutional amendment abolishing slavery.