Key Events and Concepts in Early American History

Indian Removal Act

Law that expelled Native Americans from their lands and forced them west of the Mississippi River

Alien & Sedition Acts

Series of laws passed by the Federalists to limit political opposition and speaking out against the federal government by citizens and immigrants

Missouri Compromise

Agreement that temporarily settled the slavery issue by maintaining a balance in Congress and admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state

American System

Economic plan proposed by Henry Clay to develop national infrastructure (ex. roads), support industry, and recharter the National Bank.

Nullification Crisis

Period of tension between federal and state governments over tariffs, resulting in threats of secession

Election of 1800

Presidential election that resulted in the first peaceful transfer of power between political parties

War of 1812

A major war between the U.S. and Great Britain causes of trade restrictions, impressments, and frontier conflicts with Native Americans

Monroe Doctrine

Foreign policy statement declaring that European nations should not interfere in the Western Hemisphere

Jacksonian Democracy

Political movement emphasizing expanded suffrage and the "common man"

Manifest Destiny

Concept that the U.S. was destined to expand from coast to coast

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Controversial law that allowed territories to decide on slavery by popular sovereignty, leading to violent conflict

John Brown's Raid

Effort by abolitionists to initiate a slave revolt in Harper's Ferry, Virginia; U.S. military surrounded the arsenal forcing a surrender

Second Great Awakening

Religious revival movement that inspired social reforms such as temperance and abolitionism

Suspension of habeas corpus

The act of Lincoln limiting legal protections, such as appearing before a court, during the Civil War to maintain order

Women's Suffrage

Political and social movement advocating for women's right to vote

Scott v. Sandford

Landmark Supreme Court case ruling that African Americans were not citizens and had no legal standing

Mexican War

Conflict over territorial boundaries that resulted in the U.S. gaining California and the southwest territories

Compromise of 1850

Series of laws aimed at settling sectional tensions by admitting California as a free state, and strengthening the Fugitive Slave Act, a federal provision for interfering in the capture of runaway slaves

Election of 1860

Presidential election that led to the victory of Abraham Lincoln and the secession of southern states

Emancipation Proclamation

Presidential decree that freed enslaved people in Confederate-held territories.

Gettysburg Address

Speech commemorating a cemetery that connected the sacrifices of war with the promises of freedom

Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

President Lincoln's speech calling for healing and unity after the Civil War.

Vicksburg

Battle that secured Union control of the Mississippi River during the Civil War

March to the Sea

Military engagement where Union forces led by Sherman destroy southern infrastructure and morale

Black Codes

A set of discriminatory laws passed in the South to restrict the rights of African Americans.

Election of 1876

Presidential election that led to the election of Hayes and the end of Reconstruction through the Compromise of 1877

Freedmen's Bureau

Federal agency designed to help formerly enslaved people and poor whites after the Civil War with needs such as food, housing, education, etc.

Louisiana Purchase

territory in western United States purchased from France in 1803 for $15 million

Abolitionism

Social movement advocating for an end to slavery

Reconstruction Amendments

A series of amendments that abolished slavery, granted citizenship, and gave voting rights to African Americans