Period 4 Vocabulary
Marbury vs. Madison (1803) – A Supreme Court case that established judicial review, meaning courts can decide if laws are unconstitutional.
Chief Justice John Marshall – The head of the Supreme Court who helped define the power of the judicial branch.
Judicial Review – The Supreme Court's power to decide if a law violates the Constitution.
Barbary Pirates – Pirates from North Africa who attacked U.S. ships and demanded bribes.
Louisiana Purchase – The 1803 purchase of a huge area of land from France that doubled the size of the U.S.
Lewis & Clark Expedition – A journey to explore the land from the Louisiana Purchase and find a route to the Pacific.
Aaron Burr – Thomas Jefferson's vice president who killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel.
Impressment – The British practice of kidnapping American sailors and forcing them to serve in their navy.
Embargo Act of 1807 – A law that stopped all U.S. trade with foreign countries to avoid conflict, but it hurt the U.S. economy.
James Madison – The fourth president of the U.S. who led the country during the War of 1812.
War of 1812 – A war between the U.S. and Britain over trade restrictions and impressment.
Tecumseh – A Native American leader who tried to unite tribes against U.S. expansion.
Battle of Tippecanoe – A battle where U.S. forces defeated Tecumseh's confederacy in 1811.
War Hawks – Congress members who pushed for war with Britain before the War of 1812.
Francis Scott Key – The writer of "The Star-Spangled Banner," inspired by the War of 1812.
Treaty of Ghent – The 1814 agreement that ended the War of 1812 with no clear winner.
Hartford Convention – A meeting where Federalists opposed the War of 1812 and considered secession.
Battle of New Orleans – A major U.S. victory in the War of 1812, led by Andrew Jackson, after the war officially ended.
Macon’s Bill No. 2 – A law that resumed trade with Britain and France but promised to stop trading with the enemy of whichever country recognized U.S. neutrality first.
Erie Canal – A canal that connected the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, boosting trade and the economy.
Samuel F. Morse – The inventor of the telegraph and Morse code.
Eli Whitney – Inventor of the cotton gin and interchangeable parts, which boosted U.S. industry.
Cyrus Hall McCormick – The inventor of the mechanical reaper, which made farming easier and faster.
Lowell System – A factory system in Massachusetts that employed young women to work in textile mills.
Market Revolution – The expansion of markets during the early 1800s, leading to new inventions and a stronger economy.
Industrial Revolution – The shift from hand-made goods to machine-made goods, starting in the late 1700s.
“Cult of Domesticity” – The belief that women should focus on home and family, defining gender roles.
Irish Potato Famine – A devastating famine in Ireland that caused many Irish to immigrate to the U.S.
Nativism – The belief that native-born citizens are superior to immigrants.
Know-Nothing Party – A political party that opposed immigrants and Catholics.
German Immigration – The movement of Germans to the U.S. in the 1800s, many fleeing political unrest.
Irish Immigration – The large influx of Irish people to the U.S., especially during the Irish Potato Famine.
John C. Calhoun – A politician from South Carolina who supported states' rights and slavery.
Henry Clay – A U.S. senator known for his compromises, including the Missouri Compromise and the American System.
Daniel Webster – A leading senator who supported a strong national government and opposed slavery.
Tariff of 1816 – A tax on imported goods designed to protect American industry.
“American System” – Henry Clay’s plan to improve the U.S. economy through tariffs, a national bank, and infrastructure projects.
James Monroe – The fifth president of the U.S., known for the Monroe Doctrine.
“Era of Good Feelings” – A period of national unity and political peace during Monroe’s presidency.
Oregon Country – A region in the Pacific Northwest that was claimed by both the U.S. and Britain before being settled by treaty.
Panic of 1819 – The first major financial crisis in the U.S., caused by banks lending too much money.
Missouri Compromise 1820 – A law that admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state to maintain balance in Congress.
Gibbons vs. Ogden (1824) – A Supreme Court case that ruled the federal government controls interstate commerce.
Monroe Doctrine 1823 – A policy that told European countries not to interfere in the Americas.
Andrew Jackson – The seventh president of the U.S., known for his populist policies and opposition to the national bank.
“Corrupt Bargain” – The belief that John Quincy Adams won the presidency in 1824 because of a secret deal with Henry Clay.
John Quincy Adams – The sixth president of the U.S., known for his diplomatic efforts.
Spoils System – The practice of giving government jobs to political supporters.
Nullification Crisis – A conflict between South Carolina and the federal government over tariffs, where South Carolina tried to nullify federal law.
Trail of Tears – The forced relocation of Native American tribes to lands west of the Mississippi River.
Indian Removal Act – A law passed by Andrew Jackson that authorized the removal of Native American tribes from their lands.
Martin Van Buren – The eighth president of the U.S., known for dealing with the Panic of 1837.
Tariff of 1832 – A tax on imports that led to the Nullification Crisis.
Anti-Masonic Party – The first third party in U.S. politics, formed in opposition to the influence of Freemasonry.
Specie Circular – A policy requiring land purchases to be made in gold or silver, contributing to the Panic of 1837.
Panic of 1837 – A financial crisis caused by bank failures and land speculation.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin – A novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe that portrayed the horrors of slavery.
“Peculiar Institution” – A term used to describe slavery in the southern U.S.
Paternalism – The idea that slaveholders acted in the best interests of their slaves.
Yeomen Farmers – Independent farmers in the South who owned small farms.
Mulattoes – People of mixed race, particularly in the context of African American and white ancestry.
“Spirituals” – Religious songs sung by enslaved African Americans.
Nat Turner’s Rebellion – A violent slave rebellion in Virginia in 1831.
Transcendentalism – A philosophical movement that emphasized the importance of nature and individual conscience.
Shakers – A religious group known for their communal lifestyle and celibacy.
Second Great Awakening – A religious revival movement in the early 1800s that inspired reform movements.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints – A religious group founded by Joseph Smith, also known as Mormons.
American Temperance Society – An organization that promoted abstinence from alcohol.
Horace Mann – An advocate for public education reform in the U.S.
Ralph Waldo Emerson – A leading Transcendentalist writer and philosopher.
Henry David Thoreau – A Transcendentalist writer who advocated for civil disobedience.
Emily Dickinson – A famous American poet known for her unique style.
Edgar Allan Poe – A writer known for his gothic stories and poems.
Dorothea Lynde Dix – A reformer who worked to improve conditions for the mentally ill.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton – A leading figure in the women’s rights movement.
Abolition – The movement to end slavery.
William Lloyd Garrison – An abolitionist who published the anti-slavery newspaper "The Liberator."
Frederick Douglass – A former enslaved person who became a leading abolitionist speaker and writer.
Underground Railroad – A network of secret routes and safe houses used to help enslaved people escape to freedom.
Harriet Tubman – A former enslaved person who helped others escape through the Underground Railroad.
Sojourner Truth – A former enslaved person and abolitionist who advocated for women’s rights and abolition.
Seneca Falls Convention – The first women’s rights convention, held in 1848, where the Declaration of Sentiments was presented, calling for equal rights for women.
Nat Turner's Rebellion – A violent slave rebellion led by Nat Turner in 1831, which resulted in stricter slave laws across the South.