[APUSH] Jacksonian Democracy and Manifest Destiny Vocabulary

New Democracy

• During the 1820s and 1830s

• Rise and Andrew Jackson and his democracy, which allowed for greater political participation between the population

Common man

• The average ordinary citizen

• Used in politics to adhere to the greater majority.

Corrupt Bargain

• 1824

• Political scandal in the election of 1824 during a deadlock

• Henry Clay met with John Quincy Adams in which Henry Clay dropped out and became JQA’s, Secretary of State

Political Machine (Martin Van Buren)

• Organization linked to political party that controlled local government through patronage, bribery, and manipulation

• Martin Van Buren founded the Albany Regency in New York.

Spoils System

• System where political parties rewards the backers of a successful candidate.

• Demonstrated by Andrew Jackson with public office jobs.

Rotation in office

• Popularized by Andrew Jackson

• Regularly changing government officials in order to give more people a chance to hold a position in power

Kitchen cabinet

• Informal group of advisors to President Jackson

• Jackson regularly conferred with them over his own cabinet.

Tariff of Abominations

• Also known as Tariff of 1828

• Protective Tariff passed by Congress which favored the North’s manufacturing industry at the expense of the Southern economy

• Raised taxes on imported manufactures to reduce foreign competition

John C. Calhoun

• Andrew Jackson’s Vice President

• Leading southern politician advocating for states’ rights and democratic views

• “Father of Secession:

Sectionalism

• Idea that region of a country is more important that the whole of a country

• North vs. South

• Led to the Civil War

The South Carolina Exposition

• Pamphlet written in 1828 by Calhoun responding to the Tariff of Abominations

• Declared the Tariff unconstitutional

Columbia Convention

• Called by South Carolina state legislature

• Called for the Tariff of Abominations to be void in South Carolina, threatened to secede.

Nullification Crisis

• Conflict between South Carolina and the federal government

• 1832 - 1833

• Led By John C. Calhoun in which South Carolina would exit the union

Force “Bloody” Bill

• Bill passed in 1833

• Allowed President to send armed troops to collect tariffs against states that refused to comply

Compromise Tariff of 1833

• Law that gradually lowered tariffs over a decade to resolve Nullification Crisis

• Helped avoid a civil war and prolonged the union for another 30 years

Webster-Hayne Debate

• Series of speeches in the Senate between Senator Daniel Webster from Massachusetts and Senator Robert Y. Hayne from South Carolina.

• January 19th - 27th, 1830

• On the issue of states and federal power.

Nicholas Biddle

• President of the 2nd BUS

• Appointed by Monroe in 1822

• Was disliked by many such as Jackson who tried to destroy the bank

“Bank War”

• Conflict between President Jackson and the Bank from 1832 to 1836.

• Result of Jackson’s effort to dissolve the bank, which was in opposition to the majority Whig congress.

• Jackson vetoed the charter of the 2nd bank

Pet Banks

• State banks used by the federal government for revenue deposits in attempt to destroy the 2nd Bank.  

• Term used by Jackson’s opponents.

Wildcat Banks

• Poorly regulated state-chartered banks after the destruction of the Second Bank of the United States.

• Didn’t require collateral so loans were taken out and unpaid, which caused banks to fail

Five Civilized Tribes

• Consisted of Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek), and Seminole

• Considered “civilized” due to their adoption of white customs and good relations with their neighbors

Worcester v. Georgia

• 1832 Supreme Court Case

• Ruled that the state of Georgia could not control the Cherokee within the territory

Indian Removal Act

• 1830

• Allowed President Jackson to negotiate treaties with native tribes to relocate them to unsettled land west.

Cherokee Nation v. U.S.

• Cherokees sued the state of Georgia against the Indian Removal Act and nullification of Cherokee laws. 

• Marshall ruled that Cherokee could not sue the United States as they were a independent nation

“Trail of Tears”

Forced relocation of natives, primarily the Cherokee, who were made to move west  which was often riddled with disease, starvation, and death.

Seminole Wars

• Series of conflicts in the 19th century between the U.S. and Seminole tribe in Florida.

• Wars arose over land disputes and U.S. expansion, seminoles were removed from Spanish Florida in 3 wars.

Manifest Destiny

• Belief that the U.S. was destined to expand west all the way to the Pacific Ocean and settle the entire continent of North America.

• Was almost a religious belief.

Stephen Austin

• “Father of Texas”

• Led the first group of American settlers to Texas under Mexican rule and worked to promote settlement in the region

Sam Houston

• Commander of Texas Army during Texas Revolution

• Secured Texas’ independence by defeating Santa Anna at the battle of San Jacinto in 1836

• First president of Republic of Texas

Santa Anna

• Mexican general and dictator, fought first from Mexican independence from Spain

• Defeated in the Battle of San Jacinto

James Polk

• 11th president of the United States (1845 - 1849)

• Oversaw the annexation of Texas, and led the U.S. during the Mexican American war.

• Settled the Oregan boundary dispute

John Slidell

• Diplomat sent under President Polk to negotiate the purchase of California and New Mexico from Mexico in 1845

• Ultimately was rejected, which led to the Mexican-American War

Spot Resolution

• Proposed by Congressman Abraham Lincoln in 1847.

• Aimed to challenge Polk’s claim that American blood was shed of U.S. soil

• Wanted Polk to provide the exact “Spot” that the soldiers were attacked which caused for war

Mexican-American War

• 1846 - 1848

• Conflict between U.S. and Mexico over territorial disputes

• Sparked by U.S. annexation of Texas in 1845

Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo

• 1848 

• Ended the Mexican-American War.

• Established Rio Grande as the border, U.S. Mexico ceded California and Mexican Cession to the U.S. for $15 million.

Webster-Ashburton Treaty

• 1842

• Agreement between the U.S. and British Canada, resolving border disputes in the Northeast, particularly Maine.

• Gave the U.S. slightly more land north, and reaffirmed shared waterways.

“Fifty Four Forty or Fight”

• Expansionist slogan during Oregon boundary dispute with Britain

• United States was ought to claim all territory  up to 54 degrees and 40 minus north parallel or fight Britain for the land

Wilmot Proviso

• 1846

• Proposal to ban slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico during the Mexican-American War

• Heightened tension between the North and the Souths view of slavery

Ostend Manifesto

• 1854

• Secret document suggesting that the U.S. purchase Cuba from Spain and using force if refused.

• Seemed as South’s attempt to expand slavery

William Walker

• American adventurer and filibuster who led private military expeditions in Latin America.

• Declared himself as president of Nicaragua in 1856, promoting pro-slavery policies before being overthrown.

Commodore Perry

• Naval Officer who led an expedition to Japan in 1853-1854. 

• Successfully opened Japan to U.S. trade through the Treaty of Kanagawa, ending centuries of Japanese isolation.