Study Guide on Louisiana and Early American History

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary and concepts related to the Louisiana Purchase, early U.S. history, foreign affairs, the War of 1812, and the Antebellum period.

Louisiana Purchase

The acquisition of the Louisiana territory by the United States from France in 1803.

Emargo Act of 1807

A law that prohibited all trade between the U.S. and foreign nations to protect U.S. interests but ultimately harmed the economy.

Lewis and Clark Expedition

An expedition from 1804 to 1806 to explore the newly acquired Louisiana territory and find a water route to the Pacific.

Nullification

The doctrine that states can invalidate federal laws they deem unconstitutional.

Macon’s Bill Number 2

Legislation that aimed to restore U.S. trade with Britain and France while asserting U.S. neutrality.

Trail of Tears

The forced relocation of Native Americans from their homelands to designated territories under the Indian Removal Act, leading to significant suffering and death.

Missouri Compromise

An agreement passed in 1820 to maintain the balance of power between slave and free states by establishing a boundary at the 36°30′ latitude.

Manifest Destiny

The 19th-century belief that the expansion of the U.S. across the American continents was both justified and inevitable.

Adams-Onis Treaty

An 1819 agreement between the U.S. and Spain that ceded Florida to the U.S. and defined the boundary between the U.S. and New Spain.

Wilmot Proviso

An unsuccessful proposal to ban slavery in territory gained from Mexico during the Mexican-American War.

War of 1812

A conflict between the U.S. and Great Britain from 1812 to 1815, caused by British impressment, trade restrictions, and support for Native Americans.

Monroe Doctrine

A U.S. foreign policy initiated in 1823 declaring that European powers should not colonize or interfere with independent nations in the Americas.

Tariff of Abominations

A protective tariff passed in 1828 that significantly raised duties on raw materials and manufactured goods, leading to the Nullification Crisis in South Carolina.

Compromise of 1850

A package of five separate bills passed by Congress, which diffused a four-year political confrontation between slave and free states regarding the status of territories acquired during the Mexican–American War. Key components included California entering as a free state, a stricter Fugitive Slave Law, and popular sovereignty in some territories.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

An 1854 law that allowed voters in Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide whether to permit slavery by popular sovereignty, effectively repealing the Missouri Compromise.

What was a major consequence of the Louisiana Purchase?

It approximately doubled the size of the United States.

What was the primary negative economic impact of the Embargo Act of 1807?

It severely harmed the U.S. economy by cutting off foreign trade, particularly impacting merchants and farmers.

Who were the leaders of the Lewis and Clark Expedition?

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.

The doctrine of Nullification was primarily associated with which major crisis?

The Nullification Crisis of 1832-1833, triggered by Southern opposition to the Tariff of Abominations.

How did Macon's Bill Number 2 contribute to the War of 1812?

It led to renewed hostilities with Great Britain after Napoleon's deceptive agreement to respect U.S. neutrality, prompting the U.S. to embargo British goods.

The forced relocation known as the Trail of Tears was authorized by which U.S. federal act?

The Indian Removal Act of 1830.

What was the significance of the 36°30′ latitude line in the Missouri Compromise?

It prohibited slavery north of this line in the Louisiana Purchase territory, with the exception of Missouri itself.

How did the belief in Manifest Destiny influence U.S. territorial expansion?

It served as a justification for westward expansion, leading to events like the annexation of Texas, the Oregon Treaty, and the Mexican-American War.

Which U.S. state was acquired from Spain through the Adams-Onis Treaty?

Florida.

Why was the Wilmot Proviso important, despite its failure to pass into law?

It intensified the national debate over the expansion of slavery into new territories, deepening sectional divisions between North and South.

What were the three main causes of the War of 1812?

British impressment of U.S. sailors, British trade restrictions on U.S. commerce, and British support for Native American resistance against U.S. expansion.

What was the core principle of the Monroe Doctrine of 1823?

It asserted that European powers should not colonize or interfere with independent nations in the Western Hemisphere, and in return, the U.S. would not interfere in European affairs.

Which state vigorously opposed the Tariff of Abominations, leading to the Nullification Crisis?

South Carolina.

Besides California entering as a free state, what were two other major components of the Compromise of 1850?

A stricter Fugitive Slave Law and the application of popular sovereignty to decide slavery in the Utah and New Mexico territories.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act directly overturned which significant earlier legislation regarding slavery?

The Missouri Compromise of 1820.

What violent conflict arose in the Kansas territory due to the Kansas-Nebraska Act's principle of popular sovereignty?

'Bleeding Kansas,' a series of violent civil confrontations.