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Nationalism
A sense of pride to one's country, a rise of which was triggered by sucessful foreign negotiations and the end of the War of 1812. The Whig Party and KY Rep. Henry Clay found support in nationalists. -
Era of Good Feelings
Preceded by the Jeffersonian era, the presidency of James Monroe was known as the Era of Good Feelings. This era, which was caused by the political dominance of the democratic republicans, was a misnomer, because civil war tensions were growing. -
Adams-Onis Treaty
In order to settle a long-lasting border dispute between USA and Spain, this treaty ceded Florida territory to the US, as well as re-establishing the Mexican (New Spanish) border. Florida had become a burden to Spain, and America craved expansion. This was considered a triumph of American expansion. -
McCulloch V. Maryland
Jackson,as well as many other southerners opposed the national bank on the grounds of states rights. Maryland tried to pass a tax limiting the bank's opperations, but James McCulloch, cashier of the bank, refused to pay the tax. The supreme court ruled in favor of McCulloch, declaring the bank constitutional. -
Missouri Compromise
Sectionalism threatned the union. In 1819, Missouri's proposed admission into the Union as a slave state threatned the balance of free and slave states. Congress could not agree upon a solution, until Rep. Henry Clay, KY, proposed a compromise that stated that Missouri would enter the Union as a slave state, Maine would enter as a free state, and slavery would be prohibited north of Missouri's southern border. -
Sectionalism
Especially in the years following the Missouri Compromise, many politicians felt more loyalty and devotion to their geographic region than they did to the US as a whole. Sectioalism added fuel to the ever-growing fire of civil-war tensions. -
Santa Fe Trail
Trade with Mexico was on the rise, and so was industrialization. in 1821, William Becknell pioneered this trail by killing all the Comanches who occpied Comancheria, connecting the US and Mexico -
Monroe Doctrine
President James Monroe forbade colonization of American land by foreign countries. This established USA's status of not only its own country, but a force to be reckoned with. -
Bureau of Indian Affairs
This section of government is dedicated to protect Native American rights, which is somewhat hypocritical, because it was created in the same era as the Trail of Tears, when Native Americans were largely oppressed. -
Tariff of Abominations
Before Andrew Jackson took office, congress placed a high tariff on imports. This outraged southerners, because it hurt their economy. This ensured that Quincy Adams would not be re-elected, added yet another issue for northerners and southerners to disagree about, and eventualy led to the nullification crisis. -
Jacksonian Democracy
Andrew jackson was a well-known and well-liked politician and war hero. He was a big proponent of states' rghts. He and his supporters believed in greater democracy for commoners, making him very popular among southerners. -
Indian Removal Act
Native Americans already lived in the lands Americans were trying to settle, so Jacson and other politicians oversaw the forced movement of Native Americans to designated territory. Native Americans were widely persecuted by white Americans during this time period. -
Indian Territory
In order to gain land, the Jackson administration and congress forced Native Americans into OK territory, causing them to have to abanding their diverse lands and ways of life. Many Native Americans are still impoverished and live on reservations due to the persecution Native Americans faced during the 19th century. -
States' Rights Doctrine
This doctrine protected states from the federal government by giving htem the right to refuse to follow a federal law they found unconstitutional. This made the Civil War and the events leading up to it a states' rights issue. -
Nullification Crisis
a dispute, lead by John C. Calhoun, initiated by his strong opposition to the Tariff of Abominations, that pitted states'-rights activists against the federal government and its supporters when he stated that he believed that states did not have to obel federal laws they saw as unconstitutional. -
Whig Party
Henry Clay was the main proponent of this party, modernizers who criticised Andrew Jackson on the grounds that he was a tyrant. Conflicts between northern and southern-based political parties were embodiments of the conflicting northern and southern idealisms and ways of life. -
Alamo
During the Mexican-American war, Texan volunteers, under Colonel William Travis, occupied the Alamo, which became an important battle site in the Texan revolution. Texas, at one point, was an independent nation, which won its independence from Mexico, which was usurped by the US. -
Oregon Trail
This was a 2,000 mile trail that led to Willamette Valley, Oregon. Due to the economic value of the Pacific Northwest, this trail was frequented by pioneer families, who were plagued by disease and starvation. -
Trail of Tears
The Cherokee nation resisted Jackson's movement, and, although against his oath, Jackson enforced an 800-mile forced march, where almost 1/4 of the Cherokee population died of starvation and disease. -
Spoils System
Derived from the phrase ""to the victors belong the spoils", the spoils system is a system in which winning politicians and their political party gave government jobs to their supporters, therefore tipping the odds in their favour. This was practiced by Andrew Jackson and the democratic-republicans during his presidency, therefore greaty changing the political dynamic from moderately to vastly democratic-republican. -
Manifest Destiny
This belief system was based around the idea that America not only could, but should expand and gain power. This fueled the war with Mexico, westward expansion, and the invasion of Native American land. -
Donner Party
Led by the wealthy Donner brothers, a group of pioneers attempted to find a shorter route to California, however, they died out one by one and eventually resorted to canibalism. This is the epitome of American greed during the era of westward expansion; even those who were already sucessful and wealthy were desparate to emigrate to California on the off chance that they might find gold. -
California gold rush
After an isolated event, James Marshal finding gold in California, led many others to jump on the covered bandwagon and head west in hopes of striking it rich. Eastern Asians also immigrated to California through Angel Island. This surge in immigration led to the development of the west. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
This treaty promised peace between the US and Mexico, ending the Mexican-American War. It also gave the expansion-hungry Americans more land, making the war a sucess in our eyes. -
Forty-Niners
After a carpenter, James Marshal, found gold in California, 80,000 emigrants, hoping to strike it rich, went to California.. This influx of settlers rapidly increased westward expansion. -
Gadsden Purchase
After the Mexican-American War, Americans wanted to make sure their westward expansion took place only on American land, so they bought the southern parts of Arizona and New Mexico from Mexico for $10 million.
