Apush unit 3 test review

1824 Election

A contested presidential election decided by the House of Representatives after no candidate won a majority. John Quincy Adams was chosen through the “Corrupt Bargain” with Henry Clay. Marked the end of the Era of Good Feelings and rise of new parties (Democrats vs. National Republicans).

1828 Election

Andrew Jackson (Democrat) defeated John Quincy Adams (National Republican) in a campaign emphasizing the “common man.” Marked a shift toward greater voter participation and the birth of modern party politics.

Log-Cabin Campaign

The 1840 presidential campaign of William Henry Harrison (Whig), which used populist imagery like log cabins and hard cider to appeal to ordinary Americans. Reflected the rise of mass democratic politics.

American System

Economic program proposed by Henry Clay (National Republican/Whig) promoting internal improvements, a national bank, and protective tariffs to unify the nation and strengthen the economy.

Anti-Masonic Party and the Workingman’s Parties

Third parties of the 1820s–30s. The Anti-Masonic Party opposed secret societies and elite privilege, while the Workingman’s Parties fought for labor rights. Early examples of issue-based political reform movements.

Indian Removal Act

1830 law signed by Andrew Jackson (Democrat) that authorized the forced relocation of Native American tribes west of the Mississippi. Led to the Trail of Tears and exemplified U.S. expansionism and racial injustice.

John Tyler

10th U.S. President (1841–1845), a former Democrat who joined the Whigs but was expelled after vetoing Whig bills. Advocated states’ rights and annexed Texas near the end of his presidency.

Nullification Crisis

Conflict between South Carolina and the federal government over the Tariff of 1828. John C. Calhoun argued states could nullify federal laws. Andrew Jackson (Democrat) opposed nullification, reinforcing federal supremacy.

Panic of 1837

A severe economic depression during Martin Van Buren’s presidency caused by speculation, the collapse of the Second Bank, and the Specie Circular. Led to unemployment and bank failures.

Spoils System

Practice of rewarding loyal political supporters with government jobs. Expanded under Andrew Jackson (Democrat), promoting party loyalty but criticized for corruption.

Texas

Annexed by the U.S. in 1845 after gaining independence from Mexico in 1836. Sparked conflict over the expansion of slavery and helped cause the Mexican-American War.

William Henry Harrison

9th President (Whig), a war hero from the Battle of Tippecanoe. Won the 1840 election but died one month into office, making John Tyler president.

Harriet Tubman

Former enslaved woman and abolitionist who became a leading conductor of the Underground Railroad, helping hundreds escape slavery before and during the Civil War.

Planter Aristocracy

Social class of wealthy Southern slaveholders who dominated politics and society before the Civil War. Represented the concentration of wealth and power in the antebellum South.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

1852 antislavery novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe that exposed the brutality of slavery, swaying Northern public opinion and intensifying sectional conflict.

William Lloyd Garrison

Abolitionist and editor of The Liberator who called for immediate emancipation of enslaved people. Leader of the radical abolitionist movement.

Industrial Revolution

Period of rapid technological and industrial growth in the 18th–19th centuries, leading to urbanization, factory labor, and major economic changes in the U.S.

Market and Transportation Revolution

Early 19th-century expansion of markets due to canals, railroads, steamboats, and new business practices. Connected regions and boosted industrial and commercial growth.

“Self-Made Man”

19th-century ideal that individuals could rise through hard work and discipline, not birth or privilege. Popularized during Jacksonian Democracy.

Benevolent Empire

Network of Protestant reform movements in the early 1800s aimed at moral improvement—temperance, education, and abolition. Reflected the Second Great Awakening.

Nativism

Anti-immigrant sentiment, especially against Irish and German Catholics in the 1840s–1850s. Led to movements like the Know-Nothing Party.

Inventions during the 1800s

Innovations such as the cotton gin, telegraph, sewing machine, and mechanical reaper that revolutionized communication, manufacturing, and agriculture.

Charles Grandison Finney

Leading preacher of the Second Great Awakening who promoted revivalism and individual salvation; emphasized moral reform and social activism.

Political Machine

Organized groups that controlled political parties in cities, often trading favors and jobs for votes. Example: Tammany Hall. Reflected urban corruption and immigrant politics.

Corrupt Bargain

Term used by Andrew Jackson’s supporters after Henry Clay helped John Quincy Adams win the 1824 election, then became Secretary of State. Symbolized elite manipulation in politics.

Tariff of 1828

Also called the “Tariff of Abominations,” it raised duties on imported goods, hurting the South and sparking the Nullification Crisis.

Second Bank of the U.S.

National bank chartered in 1816 to stabilize currency and credit. Opposed by Andrew Jackson (Democrat), who destroyed it in the Bank War, expanding executive power.

Trail of Tears

Forced removal of Cherokee and other tribes from the Southeast to Indian Territory (1838–1839). Thousands died during the journey; a result of Jackson’s Indian policy.

Classical liberalism

Belief in limited government, free markets, and individual liberty. Influenced Whig economic ideas and later American capitalism.

Whig Party

Political party (1830s–1850s) formed in opposition to Andrew Jackson’s Democrats. Supported the American System, reform, and a strong Congress.

Specie Circular

1836 executive order by Andrew Jackson requiring payment for public land in gold or silver. Reduced speculation but caused a credit crunch leading to the Panic of 1837.

John Quincy Adams

6th President (National Republican), supporter of internal improvements and education. His presidency was weakened by the “Corrupt Bargain” charge.

Andrew Jackson’s Presidency

(1829–1837) Era of Jacksonian Democracy emphasizing the common man, limited government, and Indian removal. Expanded presidential power and party politics.

Roger B. Taney

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (1836–1864), appointed by Jackson. Wrote the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision, denying Black citizenship and favoring states’ rights.

Transcendentalism

Intellectual movement of the 1830s emphasizing intuition, nature, and individual conscience over materialism. Key figures: Emerson and Thoreau.

Utopian Societies

Experimental communities (1820s–1850s) like Brook Farm and New Harmony that aimed to create ideal societies based on equality and cooperation.

Mormonism and roots

Religious movement founded by Joseph Smith in the 1830s, emphasizing communal living and revelation. Faced persecution; followers migrated to Utah under Brigham Young.

Underground Railroad

Secret network of routes and safe houses helping enslaved people escape to freedom, led by abolitionists like Harriet Tubman.

Married women’s property laws

Reforms in the mid-1800s granting married women the right to own property and control their earnings, advancing women’s legal independence.

Seneca Falls Convention

1848 women’s rights meeting in New York organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. Issued the Declaration of Sentiments demanding equality and suffrage.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Leading Transcendentalist writer and philosopher who promoted self-reliance and individualism. His essays influenced American thought.

Henry David Thoreau

Transcendentalist author of Walden and “Civil Disobedience,” advocating simplicity, nature, and resistance to unjust laws.

Margaret Fuller

Transcendentalist and early feminist who edited The Dial and wrote Woman in the Nineteenth Century, arguing for gender equality.

Walt Whitman

Poet of Leaves of Grass, celebrated democracy, individuality, and the American spirit. Associated with Transcendentalist ideals.

Nat Turner’s Rebellion

1831 slave revolt in Virginia led by Nat Turner. Killed about 60 whites; brutally suppressed, leading to harsher slave laws and fear in the South.

Dorothea Dix

Reformer who advocated for humane treatment of the mentally ill and helped establish state asylums during the reform movements of the 1840s.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Leading women’s rights activist, co-organizer of the Seneca Falls Convention, and co-author of the Declaration of Sentiments.

Susan B. Anthony

Prominent women’s rights leader and suffragist who campaigned for women’s voting rights and co-founded the National Woman Suffrage Association.