Ap Us History: Unit 4: Chapter 10: Key Terms

Front 1

War of 1812

Back 1

Fought between Britain and the United States largely over the issues of trade and impressment. Though the war ended in a relative draw, it demonstrated America’s willingness to defend its interests militarily, earning the young nation newfound respect from European powers.

Front 2

Treaty of Ghent

Back 2

Ended the War of 1812 in a virtual draw, restoring prewar borders but failing to address any of the grievances that first brought America into the war.

Front 3

Tariff of 1816

Back 3

First protective tariff in American history, created primarily to shield New England manufacturers from the inflow of British goods after the War of 1812.

Front 4

Panic of 1819

Back 4

Severe financial crisis brought on primarily by the efforts of the Bank of the United States to curb overspeculation on western lands. It disproportionately affected the poorer classes, especially in the West, sowing the seeds of Jacksonian Democracy.

Front 5

peculiar institution

Back 5

Widely used term for the institution of American slavery in the South. Its use in the first half of the 19th century reflected a growing division between the North, where slavery was gradually abolished, and the South, where slavery became increasingly entrenched.

Front 6

loose construction

Back 6

Legal doctrine which holds that the federal government can use powers not specifically granted or prohibited in the Constitution to carry out its constitutionally-mandated responsibilities.

Front 7

Fletcher v. Peck

Back 7

Established firmer protection for private property and asserted the right of the Supreme Court to invalidate state laws in conflict with the federal Constitution.

Front 8

Anglo-American Convention

Back 8

Signed by Britain and the United States, the pact allowed New England fishermen access to Newfoundland fisheries, established the northern border of Louisiana territory and provided for the joint occupation of the Oregon Country for ten years.

Front 9

Monroe Doctrine

Back 9

Statement delivered by President James Monroe, warning European powers to refrain from seeking any new territories in the Americas. The United States largely lacked the power to back up the pronouncement, which was actually enforced by the British, who sought unfettered access to Latin American markets.

Front 10

Florida Purchase Treaty (Adams-Onis Treaty)

Back 10

Under the agreement, Spain ceded Florida to the United States, which, in exchange, abandoned its claims to Texas.

Front 11

Hartford Convention

Back 11

Convention of Federalists from five New England states who opposed the War of 1812 and resented the strength of Southern and Western interests in Congress and in the White House.

Front 12

Battle of New Orleans

Back 12

Resounding victory of American forces against the British, restoring American confidence and fueling an outpouring of nationalism. Final battle of the War of 1812.

Front 13

American System

Back 13

Henry Clay’s three-pronged system to promote American industry. Clay advocated a strong banking system, a protective tariff and a federally funded transportation network.

Front 14

Missouri Compromise

Back 14

Allowed Missouri to enter as a slave state but preserved the balance between North and South by carving free-soil Maine out of Massachusetts and prohibiting slavery from territories acquired in the Louisiana Purchase, north of the line of 36°30.

Front 15

Cohens v. Virginia

Back 15

Case that reinforced federal supremacy by establishing the right of the Supreme Court to review decisions of state supreme courts in questions involving the powers of the federal government.

Front 16

Dartmouth College v. Woodward

Back 16

Supreme Court case that sustained Dartmouth University’s original charter against changes proposed by the New Hampshire state legislature, thereby protecting corporations from domination by state governments.

Front 17

Land Act of 1820

Back 17

Fueled the settlement of the Northwest and Missouri territories by lowering the price of public land. Also prohibited the purchase of federal acreage on credit, thereby eliminating one of the causes of the Panic of 1819.

Front 18

Russo-American Treaty

Back 18

Fixed the line of 54°40’ as the southernmost boundary of Russian holdings in North America.

Front 19

Rush-Bagot Treaty

Back 19

Signed by Britain and the United States, it established strict limits on naval armaments in the Great Lakes, a first step in the full demilitarization of the U.S.-Canadian border, completed in the 1870s.

Front 20

McCulloch v. Maryland

Back 20

Supreme Court case that strengthened federal authority and upheld the constitutionality of the Bank of the United States by establishing that the State of Maryland did not have power to tax the bank.

Front 21

Gibbons v. Ogden

Back 21

Suit over whether New York State could grant a monopoly to a ferry operating on interstate waters. The ruling reasserted that Congress had the sole power to regulate interstate commerce.

Front 22

Congress of Vienna

Back 22

Convention of major European powers to redraw the boundaries of continental Europe after the defeat of Napoleonic France.

Front 23

Tallmadge Amendment

Back 23

Failed proposal to prohibit the importation of slaves into Missouri territory and pave the way for gradual emancipation. Southerners vehemently opposed the amendment, which they perceived as a threat to the sectional balance between North and South.

Front 24

Era of Good Feelings

Back 24

Popular name for the period of one-party, Republican, rule during James Monroe’s presidency. The term obscures bitter conflicts over internal improvements, slavery and the national bank.