Turning Points in Criminal Justice (1787-1910)

These flashcards contain key terms and their definitions from the chapter on Turning Points in Criminal Justice, focusing on significant historical events and concepts between 1787 and 1910.

Nullification Controversy

A South Carolina conflict where the state attempted to nullify a federal tariff.

Abraham Lincoln

Sixteenth President of the United States; led during the Civil War and issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

Allan Pinkerton

Founder of the Pinkerton Detective Agency and an influential figure in the emergence of private detective work.

Andrew Johnson

Seventeenth President who succeeded Lincoln; he was impeached but acquitted.

Draft riots

Violent public protests in cities like New York against the draft laws during the Civil War.

Dred Scott case

An 1857 Supreme Court decision that declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional and denied citizenship to African Americans.

Equal protection

A legal principle that requires states to provide equal protection under the law to all individuals.

Federal income tax law

Legislation enacted during the Civil War that established the first income tax in the United States.

Fourteenth Amendment

An amendment ratified in 1868 granting citizenship and equal protection to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S.

Fugitive Slave Act

Laws that allowed for the capture and return of runaway slaves in the United States.

Henry Wirz

Confederate officer tried and executed for war crimes related to his leadership at the Andersonville Prison.

Impeachment

The process by which a federal officer is accused of unlawful activity; Andrew Johnson was impeached and acquitted.

Interstate Commerce Commission

The first U.S. federal regulatory agency, established in 1887 to regulate railroad rates and practices.

Jefferson Davis

President of the Confederate States during the Civil War.

John Wilkes Booth

The man who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln.

Mann White Slave Traffic Act

A 1910 law that made it a crime to transport women across state lines for immoral purposes.

Monopoly

A market structure where a single seller dominates, stifling competition.

Peculiar institution

A term used to refer to the unique system of slavery in the United States.

Posse Comitatus Act

A 1883 law that restricts the use of the military for domestic law enforcement.

Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906

A federal law aimed at regulating food and drug safety.

Robber barons

Wealthy and powerful businessmen who were accused of exploiting workers and engaging in corrupt practices.

Robert E. Lee

General of the Confederate Army during the Civil War.

Roger B. Taney

Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court who delivered the Dred Scott decision.

Secret Service

Federal agency originally created to investigate counterfeiting and protect the President.

Sherman Anti-Trust Act

A landmark federal statute passed in 1890 that outlawed monopolistic business practices.

State interposition

The idea that states can intercede to shield their citizens from federal laws deemed unconstitutional.

Suspension of the writ of habeas corpus

A legal action taken by Lincoln to detain suspects without trial during the Civil War.

Tammany Hall

A political organization in New York City known for its corrupt practices and influence on local government.

Theodore Roosevelt

Twenty-sixth President known for progressive reforms and the establishment of federal agencies.

Third Department

The secret police of czarist Russia tasked with surveillance of political dissenters.

Ulysses S. Grant

Eighteenth President of the United States and a Union general during the Civil War.

Underground Railroad

A network of secret routes and safe houses used by enslaved people to escape to free states.

Watering of stock

An illegal practice where a company inflates its value by selling shares in excess of its actual assets.

William Marcy Tweed

Leader of Tammany Hall notorious for political corruption in New York City.

William McKinley

Twenty-fifth President of the United States who was assassinated in 1901.

William P. Wood

First chief of the U.S. Secret Service.

Civil War

Conflict from 1861 to 1865 between the North and the South, significantly impacting U.S. laws and criminal justice.

Constitutional issues

Legal matters arising from the interpretation and application of the U.S. Constitution.

Extradition

The formal process of returning a fugitive to the jurisdiction where the crime was committed.

Civil rights

The rights of citizens to political and social freedom and equality.

Police systems

Law enforcement agencies that vary in function and structure across different regions.

Economic exploitation

The act of using economic power to deprive individuals or groups of their rights or compensation.

Federalism

The distribution of powers between the national and state governments.

Racial tensions

Societal conflicts arising from racial discrimination and inequality.

Social Darwinism

The belief that social and economic progress occurs through the survival and dominion of the fittest individuals.

Labor unions

Organizations formed by workers to advocate for better wages and working conditions.

Political machine

A political organization that relies on patronage and loyalty to maintain power.

American exceptionalism

The idea that the U.S. has a unique mission to spread liberty and democracy.