APUSH (3)

Erie Canal 

A canal completed in New York, 1825. It connected western farms to eastern cities, which significantly boosted economic growth.

Samuel F.B. Morse 

The inventor of the telegraph. It enabled messages to be sent almost instantly through wires. Revolutionized communication by allowing people to connect as fast as electricity could travel.

Factory System 

A method of mass production. It manufactured in large buildings, replacing the older system of individual craft shops. Relying on machines and cheap labor, it allowed for cheaper production of goods.

Industrialization 

The shift from agricultural economy to manufacturing economy in the United States during the 1800s. Fueled by inventions, transportation improvements, and protective tariffs, it made the U.S. the world's leading industrial power by the 1900s.

Lowell System  

A labor model used in Massachusetts textile mills. It employed young farm women and children, and housed them in company dormitories. It attracted workers when factory jobs struggled to compete with the appeal of cheap western land.

Factory Girls Association  

The organized efforts of 2,500 young women working at Lowell. They advocated for labor rights. (Better wages, shorter hours, and improved working and living conditions.)

Commonwealth v. Hunt

After states tried to outlaw them, this court case legalized labor unions, and allowed them to engage in collective bargaining.

Hudson River School

A group of painters who portrayed the beauty of American landscapes, especially along the Hudson River.

James Fenimore Cooper

An American novelist who wrote Leatherstocking Tales. It glorified the nobility of scouts and settlers on the frontier.

Walt Whitman (DO!)

Herman Melville

An American writer who wrote Moby-Dick. It explored relevant religious and cultural conflicts through Captain Ahab’s hunt for a white whale.

Transcendentalists

A group of New England-ers who believed people could discover truth and God through intuition and nature. They valued individualism and artistic expression.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

A leading transcendentalist who urged Americans to create their own American culture. He promoted self-reliance, spiritual values, and opposition to slavery.

Margaret Fuller

A feminist writer and editor who lived at Brook Farm.

Henry David Thoreau

A transcendentalist writer (wrote Walden) who lived simply in nature. He believed in disobeying unjust laws in “On Civil Disobedience.”

Brook Farm

Founded by George Ripley, this communal experiment in Massachusetts combined intellectual and manual labor. It became known for its creativity and innovative school.

New Harmony

Founded by Robert Owen, this nonreligious utopian community in Indiana addressed problems from the Industrial Revolution. It failed due to financial issues and disagreements.

Oneida Perfectionists

Founded by John Humphrey Noyes, this cooperative community in New York sought perfect social and economic life. In the cult, property and partners were shared. It eventually produced high-quality silverware.

Shakers

A religious communal group that shared property, kept men and women separate, and forbade marriage and sex. The community declined by the mid-1900s.

Mormonism

A religion based on The Book of Mormon. After persecution (due to the practice of polygamy) and John Smith’s death, followers moved to Utah, where they built a cooperative community called New Zion.

Joseph Smith

Founder of Mormonism. His practice of polygamy normalized it in Mormonism. However, he was killed by a mob in Illinois due to it.

Second Great Awakening

A religious revival movement reemphasized traditional Puritan ideas. It spread widely through emotional preaching and revivals. It preached salvation for all through faith and hard work, inspiring new churches across the nation.

Temperance

A social reform movement dedicated to reducing/banning alcohol consumption. Originally, alcohol aversion began with religious-driven pledges of abstinence. However, it gained political support, leading to the constitutional prohibition alcohol.

Horace Mann

Leading advocate of the public school movement. As secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education, he worked for attendance for all children, a longer school year, and better teacher preparation.

Harriet Beacher Stowe (DO!)

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

A women’s rights reformer. She began campaigning after being silenced at an antislavery convention. Later, she led a campaign for equal voting, legal, and property rights for women.

Susan B. Anthony

A women’s rights reformer. Along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, she led a campaign for equal voting, legal, and property rights for women.

Seneca Falls Convention

The first women’s rights convention in American history. It issued the “Declaration of Sentiments,” declaring that men and women are equal. Additionally, it listed women’s grievances against the current laws.

Sojourner Truth

An African American leader who organized efforts to assist fugitive slaves in escaping anti-slave territories in the North or Canada.

The Corrupt Bargain

A supposed secret political deal. Henry Clay used his influence in the House of Representatives to help John Quincy Adams become president over Andrew Jackson. After, Adams appointed Clay as his Secretary of State.

Henry Clay

When Andrew Jackson became president, Henry Clay became his main political opponent. During an election year, he persuaded Congress to pass a bank recharter bill. (This challenged Andrew Jackson.)

American System (DO!)

Andrew Jackson

Character:

• A war hero and man of the western frontier.

• Symbolized middle and lower classes.

• Born poor, and became wealthy (Self-made man.)

• Had no college education.

Presidency (1828):

• Relied on a “kitchen cabinet” of unofficial advisers.

• Appointed government jobs based on party loyalty (the spoils system).

• Rotated officeholders to give more Democrats a chance to serve.

• Opposed the Bank of the United States, believing it unconstitutional and favored the wealthy.

• Passed the Indian Removal Act, which forced American Indians west of the Mississippi.

Alexis de Tocqueville

A Frenchmen who visited the United States. He observed Americans’ informal manners and democratic attitudes, and recorded that all social classes ate, traveled, and dressed similarly. (Equality!)

Spoils System

The president appointing government jobs to those loyal to their party. This replaced previous officeholders who were not of the same party. ("To the victor goes the spoils!")

Nicholas Biddle

The president of the Bank of the United States. Though he managed it effectively, his arrogance contributed to the public suspicion that the bank abused its power and favored the wealthy.

Whigs

Supporters of Henry Clay. The party is similar to the Federalists.

Beliefs:

• Supported a national bank.

• Supported protective tariffs.

• Support federal spending for internal improvements.

• Concerned about crime associated with immigrants.

Location:

• New England and the Mid-Atlantic states.

• Urban professionals.

Indian Removal Act

A law approved by Andrew Jackson. It forced American Indians to leave their traditional homelands and resettle west of the Mississippi.

Specie Circular

A presidential order issued by Andrew Jackson. It required future purchases of federal lands to be made in specie (gold and silver) instead of paper banknotes. It was an attempt to reduce inflation.

Panic of 1837 

A financial crisis that occurred right after Jackson left office. Banks closed and the nation’s economy fell into a depression. It was partly caused by Jackson’s financial policies and opposition to rechartering the National Bank.

The Log Cabin Campaign 

The presidential campaign in which the Whigs promoted their candidate, William Henry “Tippecanoe” Harrison. Though he was a military hero from the Battle of Tippecanoe, Harrison was humble. The Whigs promoted him using log cabins on wheels, hard cider, and slogans.

The Penny Press (DO!)

Aroostook War 

A conflict between rival lumber workers on the Maine-Canadian border. It erupted into open fighting over an ill-defined boundary between Maine (US) and New Brunswick (British North America). It was called the “battle of the maps.”

Webster-Ashburton Treaty

The treaty negotiated by Daniel Webster (U.S. Secretary of State) and  Lord Alexander Ashburton (British ambassador). It ended the Aroostook War by dividing the disputed territory between Maine and British Canada.

Irish Potato Famine 

A devastating famine in Ireland that forced many tenant farmers to emigrate to the United States. The immigrants faced discrimination because of their Roman Catholic religion. Many settled in Northern cities, forming Irish communities where they maintained their language, customs, and churches.

Nativism 

Hostility toward immigrants, especially those who were Roman Catholic, by native-born Americans. They feared that newcomers would take their jobs or dilute the dominant Anglo culture.

Know-Nothings

A political organization (also called the American Party) formed by nativists. Members often said “I know nothing” in response to political questions. They supported policies that prolonged immigrants becoming citizens, and limited public office to only native-born citizens.

Lewis and Clark

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led an expedition to explore land west of the Mississippi River. Due to the Louisia purchase, this expedition gained importance.

 

They gained scientific knowledge, improved relations with American Indians, and mapped routes for future settlers.

Missouri Compromise

An agreement debated after Missouri applied for statehood, which dealt with whether slavery would be permitted in new western territories and states.

Cherokees

A Native American tribe that was forced by federal and state policies to leave its homeland in Georgia and move west of the Mississippi River.

Cherokee Nation v Georgia

A Supreme Court case (1831) that ruled the Cherokees were not a foreign nation and therefore could not sue in federal court.

Worcester v Georgia

A Supreme Court case (1832) that decided Georgia’s laws had no force within Cherokee territory, though the ruling was not enforced.

Indian Removal Act

A law signed by President Andrew Jackson that forced Native American tribes to leave their homelands and resettle west of the Mississippi River.

Trail of Tears

The forced march of about 15,000 Cherokees from Georgia to Indian Territory. Around 4,000 died from hardship and disease.