Antebellum Test Study Guide Notes

Monroe Doctrine (1823)

Monroe Doctrine: U.S. foreign policy opposing European colonialism in the Americas.
- Declared the Western Hemisphere off-limits to new colonization.
Non-Colonization Principle: No new European colonies could be established in the Western Hemisphere.
Non-Intervention Principle:
- The U.S. would not interfere in European wars or colonies.
- Expected Europe not to interfere in the Americas.
Western Hemisphere: North and South America, designated as under U.S. influence in the Monroe Doctrine.
British Enforcement: Britain helped enforce the Monroe Doctrine with its navy due to mutual trade interests.
James Monroe: 5th President of the United States who proclaimed the Monroe Doctrine in 1823.
John Quincy Adams: Secretary of State under Monroe; main architect of the Monroe Doctrine.

House of Representatives: Decided the 1824 election when no candidate won a majority of electoral votes.
Spoils System: Practice of rewarding political supporters with public office, expanded under Jackson.
Adams-Clay Alliance: Alleged agreement in the 1824 election that gave Adams the presidency and Clay the role of Secretary of State.
Electoral College Deadlock: In 1824, no candidate won a majority in the Electoral College, sending the election to the House.
Andrew Jackson: Lost the 1824 election despite winning the popular vote; later became president in 1828.
Henry Clay: Speaker of the House in 1824 who supported Adams and became Secretary of State.

Jacksonian Democracy: Movement for greater democracy for the common man, symbolized by Jackson's presidency.
Indian Removal Act: 1830 law authorizing the removal of Native American tribes to lands west of the Mississippi.
Bank War: Jackson’s campaign against the Second Bank of the United States, which he viewed as corrupt.
Veto Power Expansion: Jackson used the presidential veto more than all predecessors combined, asserting executive power.
Universal White Male Suffrage: Expansion of voting rights to all white men regardless of property ownership.
Force Bill: Gave Jackson authority to use military force to enforce federal tariffs during the Nullification Crisis.
Trail of Tears: Forced relocation of Cherokee and other tribes, resulting in thousands of deaths.
Nicholas Biddle: President of the Second Bank of the United States and Jackson’s opponent in the Bank War.

Manifest Destiny: The 19th-century belief that the U.S. was divinely ordained to expand from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
American Exceptionalism: The idea that the U.S. has a unique mission to transform the world with its values.
Expansionism: A policy of territorial or economic expansion, often tied to Manifest Destiny.
Safety-Valve Theory: Theory that the American frontier acted as a "safety valve" for urban and industrial tensions.
- The frontier relieved economic pressure, prevented class conflict, and reduced social unrest by providing opportunities for land ownership and self-sufficiency.
The Frontier Thesis:
- Advanced by historian Frederick Jackson Turner.
- Argued that the existence of a frontier shaped American democracy, character, and institutions.
- Argued that the closing of the frontier in 1890 marked the end of a vital era in American development.

Republic of Texas: Independent nation formed after Texas won its independence from Mexico in 1836.
The Alamo: Battle where a small group of Texans held off a much larger Mexican force; all defenders were killed.
- Known as the American Thermopylae.
- Inspired a larger force to gather and meet the enemy.
Goliad Massacre: Execution of over 300 Texan prisoners by Mexican forces after surrendering.
Battle of San Jacinto: Final battle where Texas forces captured Santa Anna and secured independence.
Sam Houston: Commander of the Texan army and first president of the Republic of Texas.
Stephen F. Austin: Founder of the first American colony in Texas and negotiator with the Mexican government.
Antonio López de Santa Anna: Mexican general and dictator defeated at San Jacinto.
Davy Crockett: Frontiersman and folk hero who died at the Alamo.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: 1848 treaty ending the Mexican-American War, ceding large territory to the U.S.
Mexican Cession: Lands ceded to the U.S. in 1848, including California, Arizona, and others.
Nueces River vs. Rio Grande Dispute: Territorial dispute that helped spark the Mexican-American War.
Bear Flag Revolt: California uprising by American settlers against Mexican rule during the war.
U.S. Annexation of Texas: 1845 admission of Texas into the U.S., provoking conflict with Mexico.
Gadsden Purchase: 1854 land deal where the U.S. bought land from Mexico to build a southern railroad.
James K. Polk: U.S. President who expanded U.S. territory through the Mexican-American War.
John C. Frémont: Explorer and military officer who helped seize California during the war.
Dress Rehearsal for the Civil War: Many of the most prominent Civil War Generals gained military experience by being junior officers in the Mexican - American War.

Dorothea Dix: Advocate for the mentally ill who led reform of asylums and helped create mental hospitals.
Horace Mann: Reformer who promoted public education and teacher training (normal schools).
Catherine Beecher: Advocate for women's education and female roles in moral development.
Thomas Gallaudet: Pioneer of education for the deaf, co-founder of the first American school for the deaf.
Dr. Sylvester Graham: Dietary reformer who promoted health and temperance, known for Graham crackers.
Clara Barton: Nurse during the Civil War who later founded the American Red Cross.
Harriet Tubman: Former enslaved woman who helped hundreds escape via the Underground Railroad.