Glossary
Abolition
The movement to end slavery, particularly the transatlantic slave trade and chattel slavery in the United States.
Example:
The abolition movement gained significant traction in the North, with activists employing moral arguments and political pressure to end the institution of slavery.
Andrew Jackson
The seventh U.S. President (1829-1837), a military hero who championed the 'common man' and expanded presidential power, leading to the era of Jacksonian Democracy.
Example:
Andrew Jackson's forceful personality and populist appeal defined an era of American politics, marked by his clashes with the national bank and Native American tribes.
Bank War
The political struggle during the presidency of Andrew Jackson over the rechartering of the Second Bank of the United States.
Example:
Jackson's veto of the bank's recharter bill and his subsequent removal of federal deposits ignited the Bank War, a major conflict over the role of federal power in the economy.
Burned-Over District
A region in western and central New York State that was repeatedly swept by religious revivals during the Second Great Awakening, leading to intense religious fervor and new denominations.
Example:
The Burned-Over District became a fertile ground for new religious movements, including Mormonism, due to the intense and frequent evangelical activity.
Charles Finney
A prominent American Presbyterian minister and leader in the Second Great Awakening, known for his innovative and emotional revivalist preaching techniques.
Example:
Charles Finney's passionate sermons and emphasis on individual conversion made him one of the most influential figures of the Second Great Awakening.
Education Reform
A movement in the 19th century aimed at improving and expanding public education, advocating for universal, tax-supported schools.
Example:
Horace Mann was a leading figure in education reform, championing the idea of common schools to create a more informed and virtuous citizenry.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
A leading figure in the early women's rights movement, who, along with Lucretia Mott, organized the Seneca Falls Convention.
Example:
Elizabeth Cady Stanton's powerful advocacy for women's suffrage and broader legal rights made her a foundational leader of the feminist movement.
Factory System
A method of manufacturing using machinery and division of labor, where all steps of production are centralized in one location, typically a factory.
Example:
The Lowell Mills in Massachusetts exemplified the factory system, bringing together raw cotton, machinery, and a workforce of young women under one roof.
Frederick Douglass
An escaped slave who became a leading abolitionist, orator, and writer, advocating for the end of slavery and racial equality.
Example:
Frederick Douglass's powerful autobiography and eloquent speeches provided firsthand accounts of slavery's brutality, inspiring many to join the abolitionist movement.
Henry Clay
A prominent American statesman from Kentucky, known as the 'Great Compromiser' for his role in crafting major legislative compromises and for advocating the American System.
Example:
Henry Clay's political career was dedicated to promoting national unity and economic development through his ambitious American System.
Indian Removal Act
A law passed in 1830 that authorized the President to negotiate with Native American tribes for their removal from their ancestral lands in the southeastern United States to federal territory west of the Mississippi River.
Example:
The Indian Removal Act led to the forced displacement of thousands of Native Americans, most notably the Cherokee on the Trail of Tears.
Infrastructure
The fundamental facilities and systems serving a country, city, or area, such as transportation and communication networks, essential for economic activity.
Example:
The construction of the Erie Canal was a monumental infrastructure project that drastically reduced shipping costs and connected the Great Lakes region to New York City.
Jacksonian Democracy
A political philosophy championed by Andrew Jackson that expanded suffrage to most white men, promoted the 'common man,' and emphasized executive power.
Example:
The election of Andrew Jackson, a military hero from humble beginnings, symbolized the rise of Jacksonian Democracy and a shift towards broader political participation for white males.
James Madison
The fourth U.S. President (1809-1817), known as the 'Father of the Constitution' and for leading the country during the War of 1812.
Example:
James Madison faced significant challenges during his presidency, including navigating the complexities of the War of 1812 against Great Britain.
John Marshall
The fourth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (1801-1835), whose rulings significantly strengthened the power of the federal government and the judiciary.
Example:
Chief Justice John Marshall's decisions in cases like Marbury v. Madison and McCulloch v. Maryland laid the foundation for American constitutional law.
Judicial Nationalism
The Supreme Court's tendency under Chief Justice John Marshall to interpret the Constitution in ways that strengthened the power of the federal government over the states.
Example:
Through cases like McCulloch v. Maryland, John Marshall's Supreme Court asserted judicial nationalism, reinforcing the supremacy of federal law.
Labor Movement
The organized effort by workers to improve their wages, working conditions, and rights through collective action, such as forming unions.
Example:
Early strikes by textile workers in places like Lowell, Massachusetts, signaled the nascent labor movement's efforts to challenge harsh factory conditions.
Louisiana Purchase
The acquisition by the United States of approximately 828,000 square miles of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803.
Example:
Thomas Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase dramatically expanded the size of the United States, opening vast new lands for westward expansion and exploration.
Lucretia Mott
A prominent Quaker abolitionist, social reformer, and women's rights activist who helped organize the Seneca Falls Convention.
Example:
Lucretia Mott's commitment to both abolition and women's rights exemplified the interconnectedness of many reform movements of the era.
Manifest Destiny
The 19th-century belief that the United States was divinely ordained to expand its dominion and spread democracy across the North American continent.
Example:
Many Americans believed it was their nation's Manifest Destiny to acquire vast territories like Oregon and California, often disregarding the claims of Native Americans or Mexico.
Marbury v. Madison
A landmark Supreme Court case in 1803 that established the principle of judicial review, allowing the Court to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional.
Example:
Marbury v. Madison solidified the Supreme Court's role as an equal branch of government, giving it the power to interpret the constitutionality of laws.
Market Revolution
A significant economic transformation in the United States during the early 19th century, characterized by a shift from a subsistence-based, agrarian economy to a more commercial and industrial one.
Example:
The rise of textile mills in New England, powered by water and employing young women, was a prime example of the Market Revolution transforming American production.
McCulloch v. Maryland
A landmark Supreme Court case in 1819 that upheld the constitutionality of the Second Bank of the United States and reinforced the doctrine of implied powers.
Example:
McCulloch v. Maryland affirmed the broad powers of the federal government under the 'necessary and proper' clause, allowing it to create a national bank.
Mexican Cession
The region of the present-day southwestern United States that Mexico ceded to the U.S. in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, following the Mexican-American War.
Example:
The Mexican Cession added immense territories, including California and New Mexico, to the United States, intensifying debates over the expansion of slavery.
Missouri Compromise
An agreement in 1820 that admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, while prohibiting slavery in the Louisiana Purchase territory north of the 36°30′ parallel.
Example:
The Missouri Compromise temporarily eased tensions over slavery's expansion but highlighted the growing sectional divide that would eventually lead to the Civil War.
Monroe Doctrine
A U.S. foreign policy statement issued in 1823, warning European powers against further colonization or interference in the Western Hemisphere.
Example:
The Monroe Doctrine asserted American dominance in the Western Hemisphere, signaling a growing confidence in the nation's international standing.
Mormonism
A religious movement founded by Joseph Smith in the 1820s, whose followers, known as Mormons, eventually migrated west to Utah due to persecution.
Example:
The rise of Mormonism in the Burned-Over District demonstrated the diverse religious landscape and spiritual experimentation of the Second Great Awakening era.
Nat Turner
An enslaved African American who led a slave rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia, in 1831, resulting in the deaths of approximately 60 white people.
Example:
Nat Turner's rebellion, though ultimately suppressed, sent shockwaves through the South, leading to harsher slave codes and increased fear among slaveholders.
National Bank
A central financial institution proposed by Alexander Hamilton and later revived by Henry Clay, intended to stabilize the economy, regulate currency, and provide credit.
Example:
Andrew Jackson's fierce opposition to the Second National Bank led to its eventual demise, as he viewed it as an unconstitutional tool of the wealthy elite.
Nullification Crisis
A sectional crisis during the presidency of Andrew Jackson, caused by South Carolina's attempt to declare federal tariffs null and void within its borders.
Example:
The Nullification Crisis tested the limits of states' rights versus federal authority, with South Carolina threatening secession over the 'Tariff of Abominations.'
Positive Good Theory
A pro-slavery argument, primarily articulated by John C. Calhoun, that claimed slavery was not a necessary evil but a beneficial institution for both slaves and society.
Example:
Proponents of the Positive Good Theory argued that slavery provided stability and a paternalistic system that cared for enslaved people, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Protective Tariffs
Taxes on imported goods designed to protect domestic industries from foreign competition by making imported products more expensive.
Example:
Northern manufacturers strongly supported protective tariffs to ensure their goods could compete with cheaper British imports, while Southern planters often opposed them.
Second Great Awakening
A Protestant religious revival movement during the early 19th century that led to widespread conversions and inspired various social reform movements.
Example:
The emotional camp meetings of the Second Great Awakening fueled a desire for moral improvement and spurred movements like temperance and abolition.
Sectionalism
Loyalty to one's own region or section of the country, rather than to the country as a whole, often leading to conflicting interests and political divisions.
Example:
The debate over whether new western territories would allow slavery highlighted the intense sectionalism between the industrial North and the agrarian South.
Seneca Falls Convention
The first women's rights convention in the United States, held in 1848, which issued the Declaration of Sentiments calling for women's equality.
Example:
The Seneca Falls Convention is widely considered the birth of the organized women's rights movement in America, laying out a clear agenda for gender equality.
Temperance Movement
A social movement against the consumption of alcoholic beverages, which gained significant momentum in the 19th century, often led by women and religious groups.
Example:
The Temperance Movement advocated for moderation or total abstinence from alcohol, believing it was a root cause of social ills like poverty and crime.
Thomas Jefferson
The third U.S. President (1801-1809), a Democratic-Republican known for the Louisiana Purchase and his agrarian vision for America.
Example:
Thomas Jefferson's presidency marked a shift towards a more limited federal government, though his acquisition of Louisiana expanded presidential power.
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
The peace treaty signed in 1848 that ended the Mexican-American War, resulting in Mexico ceding vast territories to the United States.
Example:
The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo formally transferred the Mexican Cession to the United States, significantly expanding the nation's western borders.
Universal Manhood Suffrage
The right of all adult male citizens to vote, regardless of property ownership or wealth.
Example:
The expansion of universal manhood suffrage in the early 19th century significantly increased the number of eligible voters, particularly benefiting Andrew Jackson's political base.
War of 1812
A military conflict fought between the United States and Great Britain from 1812 to 1815, often called the 'Second War of Independence.'
Example:
The War of 1812 solidified American sovereignty and fostered a sense of national identity, despite ending in a stalemate.
Whig Party
A political party formed in the 1830s in opposition to Andrew Jackson's policies, advocating for a strong federal government, protective tariffs, and internal improvements.
Example:
Henry Clay was a leading figure of the Whig Party, which sought to promote economic development through the American System and limit executive power.
William Lloyd Garrison
A prominent American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer who published the influential anti-slavery newspaper *The Liberator*.
Example:
William Lloyd Garrison's uncompromising call for immediate and uncompensated emancipation made him a radical but powerful voice in the abolitionist cause.
Women's Rights Movement
A social movement advocating for the equal rights of women, particularly in areas such as suffrage, property ownership, and legal standing.
Example:
The Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 marked a pivotal moment for the Women's Rights Movement, issuing a Declaration of Sentiments demanding equality.