UCONN U.S History Midterm

Constitutional Convention (1787)

Meeting in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation; resulted in the U.S. Constitution.

James Madison

“Father of the Constitution,” author of the Virginia Plan and Federalist Papers.

Alexander Hamilton

Federalist leader who supported a strong national government and national bank.

Checks and Balances

System in which each branch of government limits the power of the others.

Virginia Plan

Plan for representation based on state population; favored large states.

New Jersey Plan

Plan for equal representation of states in Congress; favored small states.

Great Compromise

Bicameral legislature with House based on population and Senate with equal representation.

Three-Fifths Compromise

Counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxation.

Commercial Compromise

Allowed Congress to regulate interstate and foreign trade but not tax exports.

Electoral College

System created to elect the president through state electors.

Federalists

Supported the Constitution and a strong central government.

Anti-Federalists

Opposed the Constitution and demanded protections for individual rights.

The Federalist Papers

Essays written to promote ratification of the Constitution.

Bill of Rights

First ten amendments protecting individual liberties.

Executive Departments

Federal offices assisting the president in enforcing laws.

Cabinet

Group of advisors to the president heading executive departments.

Thomas Jefferson

Secretary of State and leader of the Democratic-Republican Party.

Judiciary Act of 1789

Law establishing the federal court system.

Hamilton’s Economic Plan

Plan to pay off debts, assume state debts, and create a national bank.

National Bank

Federal bank created to stabilize the economy.

Strict Constructionists

Believed the Constitution should be interpreted literally.

Loose Constructionists

Believed the Constitution allowed implied powers.

Proclamation of Neutrality

Washington’s declaration keeping the U.S. out of European wars.

Citizen Genet

French diplomat who violated U.S. neutrality.

Jay’s Treaty

Treaty improving relations with Britain but unpopular in the U.S.

Pinckney’s Treaty

Treaty granting U.S. access to the Mississippi River and New Orleans.

Whiskey Rebellion

Farmers’ uprising against a whiskey tax; suppressed by Washington.

Democratic-Republican Party

Party favoring states’ rights and agriculture.

Federalist Party

Party favoring a strong national government and industry.

Washington’s Farewell Address

Warned against political parties and foreign alliances.

John Adams

Second president of the United States.

XYZ Affair

Diplomatic scandal involving French demands for bribes.

Alien and Sedition Acts

Laws restricting immigrants and free speech.

Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions

States’ rights response arguing states could nullify federal laws.

Revolution of 1800

Peaceful transfer of power from Federalists to Democratic-Republicans.

Louisiana Purchase

1803 land deal doubling the size of the U.S.

Lewis and Clark

Explorers who mapped the Louisiana Territory.

John Marshall

Chief Justice who strengthened federal power.

Marbury v. Madison

Established judicial review.

Aaron Burr

Vice president who killed Hamilton in a duel.

Fletcher v. Peck

First Supreme Court case striking down a state law.

Embargo Act

Law halting U.S. trade to avoid war.

War Hawks

Congressmen who pushed for the War of 1812.

Tecumseh

Native American leader resisting U.S. expansion.

War of 1812

Conflict between the U.S. and Britain over trade and sovereignty.

Battle of New Orleans

Major U.S. victory led by Andrew Jackson.

Treaty of Ghent

Treaty ending the War of 1812.

Hartford Convention

Federalist meeting opposing the war.

Market Revolution

Economic shift toward industrialization and national markets.

Transportation Revolution

Expansion of roads, canals, railroads, and steamboats.

Commercialization

Shift from subsistence farming to market production.

National Road

Federal highway connecting East and West.

Erie Canal

Canal linking the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.

Robert Fulton

Inventor of the steamboat.

Eli Whitney

Inventor of the cotton gin and interchangeable parts.

Samuel Slater

Founder of the first successful American textile mill.

Factory System

Centralized production using machinery.

American System

Regional specialization connected by infrastructure.

Railroads

Transportation system connecting markets and regions.

Steam-Powered Printing Press

Enabled mass production of newspapers.

Telegraph

Device sending messages using Morse code.

Cotton Gin

Machine that increased cotton production and slavery.

Election of 1824

Election won by John Quincy Adams despite losing popular vote.

Corrupt Bargain

Deal between Adams and Henry Clay.

Universal White Manhood Suffrage

Voting rights expanded to all white men.

Era of the Common Man

Period emphasizing political participation of ordinary white men.

Andrew Jackson

Seventh president; expanded executive power.

John Quincy Adams

Sixth president; supporter of internal improvements.

Henry Clay

The Great Compromiser.

Election of 1828

Jackson’s victory using popular campaigning.

Spoils System

Practice of rewarding political supporters with jobs.

Tariff of Abominations

High tariff opposed by the South.

Popular Campaigning

Use of rallies and slogans to attract voters.

Indian Removal Act

Law forcing Native Americans west.

Trail of Tears

Forced relocation of Cherokee people.

Worcester v. Georgia

Supreme Court ruling supporting Cherokee sovereignty.

Cherokee Nation v. Georgia

Ruled tribes were domestic dependent nations.

States’ Rights

Belief states have authority over the federal government.

Nullification Crisis

South Carolina’s attempt to nullify a federal tariff.

John C. Calhoun

Southern leader supporting nullification.

Exposition and Protest

Document defending states’ rights.

Hayne-Webster Debate

Debate over states’ rights vs. nationalism.

Bank War

Jackson’s fight against the National Bank.

Populism

Appeal to ordinary people against elites.

Plantation Life

Large-scale farming system dependent on enslaved labor.

Expansion of Slavery

Growth of slavery into western territories.

King Cotton

Cotton’s dominance of the Southern economy.

Internal Slave Trade

Sale of enslaved people within the U.S.

Slave Codes

Laws restricting enslaved people’s rights.

Resistance to Slavery

Actions opposing slavery including escape and rebellion.

Nat Turner’s Rebellion

1831 slave uprising in Virginia.

Abolitionist Movement

Movement to end slavery.

American Colonization Society

Group promoting relocation of free Black Americans to Africa.

William Lloyd Garrison

Radical abolitionist publisher.

The Liberator

Antislavery newspaper.

Frederick Douglass

Former enslaved abolitionist leader.

The North Star

Douglass’s antislavery newspaper.

David Walker

Abolitionist who urged resistance to slavery.

Underground Railroad

Network helping enslaved people escape.

The Gag Rule

Banned discussion of antislavery petitions in Congress.