American History Key Terms Flashcards

These flashcards contain key terms and concepts from American history, spanning topics such as early U.S. policies, major events leading to the Civil War, and amendments to the Constitution.

Republican Motherhood

An ideology that emerged in the early 19th century that emphasized the role of women in nurturing the principles of democracy in children.

Louisiana Purchase

The acquisition of the Louisiana territory from France in 1803, which doubled the size of the United States.

Impressments

The act of forcing individuals into military service, particularly the British practice of seizing American sailors in the early 19th century.

Monroe Doctrine

A U.S. foreign policy statement issued in 1823 declaring that the Americas should be free from future European colonization.

Cotton gin

A machine invented by Eli Whitney in 1793 that quickly and efficiently separated cotton fibers from seeds.

Nativism

A political policy favoring the interests of established inhabitants over those of immigrants.

Missouri Compromise

An 1820 agreement that admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state to maintain the balance of power.

Nullification Crisis

A 1832 confrontation between South Carolina and the federal government over the state's attempt to nullify federal tariffs.

Whig Party

A political party active in the mid-19th century that opposed the Democratic Party and advocated for modernization.

Second Great Awakening

A Protestant religious revival in the early 19th century that emphasized individual piety and social reform.

Transcendentalism

A philosophical movement in the 1830s and 1840s that espoused the inherent goodness of people and nature.

William Lloyd Garrison

A prominent abolitionist and journalist who published 'The Liberator' and advocated for immediate emancipation of slaves.

Nat Turner

An enslaved African American who led a violent rebellion in Virginia in 1831.

Women's suffrage

The movement to grant women the right to vote, which gained momentum in the 19th century.

Seneca Falls Convention

The first women's rights convention held in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York, focusing on social, civil, and religious rights for women.

Indian Removal Act

A law passed in 1830 that authorized the forced relocation of Native American tribes to lands west of the Mississippi River.

Trail of Tears

The forced relocation of Native American nations from their ancestral homelands, resulting in the deaths of thousands.

Cult of Domesticity

A 19th-century ideology that defined the roles of women primarily as homemakers and caretakers.

Manifest Destiny

The 19th-century doctrine that the expansion of the United States across the American continents was both justified and inevitable.

Texas Revolution

The rebellion of colonists from the United States against Mexican rule in Texas from 1835 to 1836.

Texas annexation

The incorporation of the Republic of Texas into the United States in 1845.

Mexican-American War

A conflict fought between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848 resulting in significant territorial gains for the U.S.

The Alamo

A pivotal battle during the Texas Revolution in which Texian defenders were besieged by Mexican forces in 1836.

John Quincy Adams

The sixth president of the United States and a strong opponent of slavery who later became a prominent abolitionist.

Democratic Party

A major political party in the United States that evolved from the Democratic-Republican Party and traditionally advocates for social equality.

Free Soil Party

A political party formed in the 1840s that opposed the expansion of slavery into the territories of the United States.

Compromise of 1850

A series of legislative measures aimed at reducing tensions over slavery, including the admission of California as a free state.

Fugitive Slave Act

A law passed in 1850 that required the return of runaway slaves and penalized those who aided their escape.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

An anti-slavery novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe published in 1852, which depicted the harsh realities of slavery.

Popular sovereignty

The principle that the authority of a state and its government is created and sustained by the consent of its people.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

1854 legislation that created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and allowed for popular sovereignty regarding slavery.

Bleeding Kansas

A series of violent political confrontations in the Kansas territory between 1854 and 1859 over the issue of slavery.

Republican Party

A political party formed in the 1850s, primarily to oppose the expansion of slavery into the territories.

John Brown

An abolitionist who believed in armed insurrection as the way to overthrow the institution of slavery in the United States.

Election of 1860

A pivotal election in which Abraham Lincoln was elected president, leading to the secession of several Southern states.

Secession

The action of withdrawing formally from membership in a federation or body, particularly the withdrawal of Southern states from the Union.

Harpers Ferry

The site of a raid led by John Brown in 1859 in an attempt to initiate an armed slave revolt.

Fort Sumter

The location where the first shots of the Civil War were fired in April 1861.

Anaconda Plan

A Union strategy during the Civil War aimed at blockading Southern ports and controlling the Mississippi River.

George B. McClellan

A Union general during the Civil War known for his slow approach and leadership in the early part of the war.

Robert E. Lee

A Confederate general who commanded the Army of Northern Virginia during the Civil War.

Ulysses S. Grant

The Union general who led the U.S. Army to victory in the Civil War and later became the 18th president of the United States.

Emancipation Proclamation

An executive order issued by President Lincoln in 1863 that freed slaves in the Confederate states.

Battle of Antietam

The bloodiest single-day battle in American history fought on September 17, 1862, which halted the Confederate invasion of the North.

Battle of Gettysburg

A pivotal battle fought from July 1 to 3, 1863, resulting in a turning point in the Civil War favoring the Union.

New York draft riots

A series of violent disturbances in New York City during July 1863 in response to the drafting of men for the Civil War.

Sherman's March

A military campaign led by Union General William Tecumseh Sherman during the Civil War, involving a destructive march through Georgia.

13th Amendment

The constitutional amendment adopted in 1865 that abolished slavery in the United States.

14th Amendment

The constitutional amendment ratified in 1868 granting citizenship and equal protection under the law to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S.

15th Amendment

The constitutional amendment ratified in 1870 that prohibits the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on race.