Unit 3 and 4

Unit 3: Westward Expansion

  • Abolition

    • Definition: The act of destroying or eliminating a practice, most notably slavery.

  • Temperance Movement

    • Definition: A movement aimed at "cleaning up" American society, with the primary goal of limiting alcohol consumption.

    • Leaders: Predominantly led by churches and women's groups.

    • Influence: Had a significant impact on the abolition movement.

  • Protective Tariff

    • Definition: A tax enacted with the goal of protecting a domestic industry from foreign competition.

  • Antebellum Period

    • Definition: The time in the southern United States between the War of 1812 and the Civil War.

    • Characteristics: Marked by the conflict between the ideas of abolition and the fight for states' rights.

  • Manifest Destiny

    • Definition: The belief in the United States' destined expansion across North America, particularly the idea that it should own and govern all territory between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

  • De Facto Segregation

    • Definition: Illegal segregation that occurs as a result of societal beliefs rather than through official legislation.

  • De Jure Segregation

    • Definition: Segregation that is legally sanctioned by government legislation.

  • Missouri Compromise

    • Definition: Legislation that allowed the admission of Maine to the United States as a free state while admitting Missouri as a slave state.

    • Purpose: Aimed at maintaining the balance of power between free and slave states.

  • Monroe Doctrine

    • Definition: A foundational American policy aimed at discouraging European interference and colonization in the Western Hemisphere.

  • Sectionalism

    • Definition: Excessive consideration for regional or local interests; a strong local spirit that can lead to prejudice and division.

  • Indian Removal Act

    • Date: Signed into law by President Andrew Jackson on May 28, 1830.

    • Definition: Authorized the president to negotiate with southern Native American tribes for their removal to federal territory west of the Mississippi River in exchange for their lands.

  • Louisiana Purchase

    • Definition: The acquisition of territory from France in 1803, initiated by Thomas Jefferson.

    • Impact: This purchase doubled the size of the United States and provided control over New Orleans and the Mississippi River.

    • Controversy: Thomas Jefferson viewed the acquisition as hypocritical since it involved a loose interpretation of the Constitution.

  • Andrew Jackson

    • Position: The seventh President of the United States.

    • Notable Achievements: Recognized as a hero of the War of 1812, known as "Old Hickory," and considered the first President elected from the western states.

  • John C. Calhoun

    • Role: Served as Vice President under Andrew Jackson.

    • Origin: Native to South Carolina.

    • Legacy: Became a political rival of Jackson and was a key figure in the movement advocating for nullification and states' rights.

  • Seneca Falls Convention

    • Definition: The first significant women's rights convention in the United States.

    • Influence: Heavily influenced by the Temperance Movement.

  • Mexican-American War

    • Timeline: 1846 to 1848.

    • Nature: Armed conflict between the United States and Mexico over border disputes.

  • Mexican Cession

    • Definition: Refers to the territory ceded by Mexico to the United States in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 following the Mexican-American War.

  • Gadsden Purchase

    • Definition: The purchase of territory that included present-day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico.

    • Purpose: Settled border disputes with Mexico and considered the final act of fulfilling Manifest Destiny.

  • War of 1812

    • Definition: A significant conflict between the United States and Great Britain.

    • Causes: Initiated due to parliamentary actions by Britain against American trade due to their war with France.

    • Legacy: Sometimes referred to as the Second War of Independence.

  • Texas Revolution

    • Timeline: 1832 to 1836.

    • Definition: A revolutionary movement where U.S. settlers in Texas asserted independence from Mexico and established the Republic of Texas.

Unit 4: Sectionalism, Civil War, Reconstruction

  • Union

    • Definition: Refers to the group of Northern states and free states that fought in the Civil War, collectively known as the United States at that time.

  • Confederacy

    • Definition: The group of Southern states, which were slave states, that fought in the Civil War, known formally as the Confederate States of America.

  • Compromise of 1850

    • Definition: A legislative act that allowed California to join the United States as a free state.

    • Provisions: Included the enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Law as a trade-off.

  • Kansas-Nebraska Act

    • Definition: This act permitted the settlers of Kansas and Nebraska to vote on whether to allow slavery in their states, marking the first instance of allowing popular sovereignty rather than enforcing a legislative compromise.

  • Fugitive Slave Law

    • Definition: A law allowing slave states the right to pursue, capture, and reclaim runaway slaves in exchange for the annexation of California as a free state.

  • John Brown

    • Description: A radical abolitionist known for leading the raid on Harpers Ferry.

    • Perception: Viewed as a hero in the North and a terrorist in the South.

  • Frederick Douglass

    • Role: An influential abolitionist and former runaway slave.

    • Contribution: Authored "The North Star," which detailed his experiences as a slave and promoted the abolitionist cause.

  • Harriet Tubman

    • Recognition: Best known as the