Unit 4B Terms List

John C. Calhoun - A leading American statesman and political theorist from South Carolina who served as vice president and was a proponent of states’ rights and nullification.

Henry Clay - Known as the “Great Compromiser,” he was a statesman who played a significant role in American politics, notably the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850.

Nullification Crisis - A political confrontation during the 1830s where South Carolina attempted to nullify the federal tariffs of 1828 and 1832, leading to a standoff with the federal government.

Martin Van Buren - The eighth president of the United States, an advocate for Democratic Party principles, and significant in the organization of the modern Democratic Party.

Commonwealth v. Hunt (1842) - A landmark Massachusetts Supreme Court case that ruled labor unions were lawful and that strikes were a legitimate form of protest.

Tariff of Abominations - A name given by Southern opponents to the Tariff of 1828, which imposed high duties and hurt the Southern economy.

Worcester v. Georgia (1832) - A Supreme Court case in which the court ruled that Georgia’s laws had no force within Cherokee territory, supporting the rights of Native Americans.

Indian Removal Act (1830) - Signed by President Andrew Jackson, this act authorized the forced relocation of Native American tribes to lands west of the Mississippi River.

Black Hawk War - A brief conflict in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader, who resisted forced relocation.

Trail of Tears - The forced relocation of Cherokee Indians to the western United States, resulting in the death of thousands due to harsh conditions.

Whig Party - A political party that emerged in opposition to Andrew Jackson and the Democrats, supporting modernization and economic protectionism.

Panic of 1837 - A financial crisis marked by bank failures, high unemployment, and a severe economic downturn, largely attributed to President Jackson’s policies.

Know-Nothing Party - Also known as the American Party, it was an anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic political movement in the 1850s.

Cult of Domesticity - A 19th-century ideology that promoted the view of women as homemakers with a focus on morality, piety, and domestic responsibilities.

Nat Turner’s Rebellion - A violent slave rebellion in 1831 led by Nat Turner in Virginia, which heightened tensions around the issue of slavery.

Transcendentalism - A philosophical movement in the 1830s and 1840s that emphasized nature, individualism, and spiritual intuition over materialism and social institutions.

Free Soil Party - A political party that opposed the expansion of slavery into Western territories, aiming to protect free labor.

Second Great Awakening - A religious revival movement in the early 19th century that emphasized personal salvation and led to social reforms.

Charles Finney - A prominent preacher of the Second Great Awakening known for his enthusiastic and emotional sermons.

Horace Mann - An education reformer who advocated for free public education, believing it essential for a functioning democracy.

Temperance Crusade - A social movement aimed at reducing or banning the consumption of alcohol, seen as a way to improve society’s moral and health standards.

Dorothea Dix - A reformer who advocated for better conditions in prisons and mental asylums, highlighting the treatment of the mentally ill.

Seneca Falls Convention - The first women’s rights convention in 1848, where leaders like Elizabeth Cady Stanton called for equality and suffrage.

William Lloyd Garrison - An abolitionist known for his anti-slavery newspaper, The Liberator, and his call for immediate emancipation.

Sojourner Truth - An abolitionist and women’s rights activist who escaped from slavery and was known for her powerful speeches.

Frederick Douglass - A former enslaved person and leading abolitionist known for his writing, speeches, and autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.

Harriet Beecher Stowe - Author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, a novel that depicted the harsh realities of slavery and galvanized anti-slavery sentiments in the North.