Chapter 6 Study Guide: The Early Republic

Vocabulary flashcards covering the major political, constitutional, economic, and military developments of the Early Republic from Chapter 6.

Bill of Rights

An addition to the Constitution designed to protect individual liberties and limit government power, safeguarding freedoms such as speech, religion, and the press.

Judiciary Act of 1789

Legislation that helped organize the federal court system by establishing a federal district court for each state.

Alexander Hamilton

George Washington's first Secretary of the Treasury, responsible for overseeing U.S. finances and advocating for the full face-value repayment of national war bonds to rebuild trust in the federal government.

Federal Assumption of State Debts

Hamilton's financial policy where the federal government took over the debts incurred by individual states, achieved through a compromise that relocated the national capital to the South.

Strict Construction

A narrow interpretation of the Constitution asserting that the federal government possesses only those powers specifically granted in the text, cited by Thomas Jefferson against establishing the Bank of the United States.

Loose Construction

A broad interpretation of the Constitution, illustrated by Hamilton using the Necessary and Proper Clause to argue that Congress had the authority to create a national bank to carry out its duties.

Whiskey Rebellion

An uprising against federal taxes whose suppression demonstrated the authority, power, and enforcement capability of the new U.S. government.

Treaty of Greenville

A treaty in which Native American signatories surrendered lands comprising modern-day Ohio and Indiana to the United States, expanding U.S. territorial control at the expense of Native nations.

Impressment

The British practice of kidnapping American merchant sailors and forcing them to serve in the British Royal Navy.

Jay's Treaty

An agreement with Great Britain that drew intense criticism from Americans because it left critical issues unresolved, including British troops remaining in the Northwest and Britain continuing to arm Native nations.

Pinckney's Treaty

A treaty granting American farmers west of the Appalachian Mountains navigation rights on the Mississippi River to transport and sell goods through New Orleans.

Washington's Farewell Address

George Washington's final public statement, in which he warned that political parties would divide the nation and cause citizens to prioritize factional loyalty over their own country.

Democratic-Republicans

A political party that advocated for limited federal government power, states' rights, protection of individual liberties, and placing the greatest political voice in farmers.

XYZ Affair

A diplomatic incident where French intermediaries demanded a public apology for anti-French remarks and a multi-million dollar loan before negotiating, sparking outrage in the United States.

Sedition Act

A controversial law that restricted freedom of speech and the press by punishing critics of the federal government, which opponents argued directly violated the First Amendment.

Twelfth Amendment

A constitutional amendment created to prevent future electoral crises by requiring presidential electors to vote for president and vice president on separate ballots.

Midnight Judges

Judicial appointments made by John Adams near the end of his term to ensure Federalists maintained power and influence within the judicial branch after Thomas Jefferson became president.

Judicial Review

The legal principle established in Marbury v. Madison granting the courts the constitutional power to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional.

Louisiana Purchase

The purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France in $1803$ for $\$15\text{ million}$, which dramatically enlarged the United States and expanded its national power.

Lewis and Clark Expedition

An expedition commissioned to map the Louisiana Territory and document its geographic features, plants, animals, Native tribes, and economic resources.

Sacagawea

A Native woman who assisted Lewis and Clark by translating native languages, guiding the expedition across familiar terrain, gathering supplies, and rescuing valuable records when a canoe overturned.

Embargo Act

A law that prohibited all American goods from being shipped to any foreign ports, enacted by Jefferson to pressure Britain and France and protect shipping, but which severely harmed the U.S. economy.

Non-Intercourse Act

A trade policy that banned commerce exclusively with Great Britain and France, replacing the broader total ban on foreign shipping imposed under the Embargo Act.

Orders in Council

British commercial decrees that barred neutral American ships from trading with France or any territories under French control.

Tecumseh

A Shawnee leader who worked to establish a unified alliance among Native nations to resist American westward expansion and halt the cession of Native lands.

The Star-Spangled Banner

A poem written by Francis Scott Key during the War of $1812$, inspired by the British naval bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore.

Battle of Tippecanoe

A conflict along the Tippecanoe River between U.S. troops led by General William Henry Harrison and Tecumseh's alliance, which exposed British support for the Native forces and escalated tensions between the U.S. and Britain.

Battle of the Thames

A War of $1812$ battle in Canada in which General William Henry Harrison led $3{,}000$ troops to defeat British and Native forces; Tecumseh was killed, causing the Native resistance alliance to collapse.

Battle of New Orleans

A major War of $1812$ victory led by Andrew Jackson over British forces fought after the Treaty of Ghent had already been signed, transforming Jackson into a national war hero.

Treaty of Ghent

The agreement signed in Belgium in $1814$ that ended the War of $1812$, restored conquered territories, and removed British forces from the Northwest, though it left impressment and trade embargos unresolved.

Hartford Convention

A meeting of New England Federalists who opposed the War of $1812$ to discuss constitutional amendments, secession from the Union, or a separate peace with Britain, causing the party to be branded as traitors and subsequently collapse.