period 4 Flashcards
War of 1812: Causes
British interference with American trade and impressment of sailors
Desire for westward expansion
British support for Native Americans resisting U.S. settlement
U.S. desire to uphold national honor and possibly annex Canada
War of 1812: Effects
Surge in American nationalism
Economic growth and increased manufacturing
Decline of the Federalist Party
U.S. gained international respect
Weakened Native American resistance
Louisiana Purchase (1803)
Cost $15 million
Doubled the size of the U.S.
Constitutionality questioned (no explicit presidential power to buy land)
Led by President Jefferson
Sparked westward exploration (Lewis and Clark, Sacagawea)
Prompted Native American relocation debates
Cotton: “King Cotton”
Cotton was the most cultivated U.S. crop
British demand made Southern cotton vital
South defended slavery to protect cotton economy
Market Revolution
Growth of factories and mechanization
Eli Whitney’s cotton gin increased slavery
Expanded national, specialized, and interdependent economy
U.S. population grew by 24 million (1790–1860)
Transportation Revolution
Erie Canal (1825): Linked Great Lakes to NYC, boosted trade
Steamboats (Fulton’s Clermont, 1807): Faster river transport
Railroads (1830s–40s): Connected cities, aided westward expansion
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
William Marbury sued for his judicial commission
Established judicial review
Supreme Court gained power to declare laws unconstitutional
Embargo Act (1807)
U.S. banned exports to foreign countries (response to British and French interference)
Hurt U.S. economy, repealed in 1809
Replaced by Non-Intercourse Act (still banned trade with Britain and France)
Hartford Convention (1814–1815)
New England Federalists opposed War of 1812
Proposed constitutional amendments (e.g., 2/3 vote for war)
Seen as unpatriotic after U.S. victory; led to Federalist decline
Era of Good Feelings (1814–1825)
One-party rule (Democratic-Republicans)
Masked tensions over slavery, sectionalism, and economic policy
Key events: Missouri Compromise, market revolution, rise of nationalism
Missouri Compromise (1820)
Missouri admitted as slave state, Maine as free state
No slavery north of 36°30′ in Louisiana Territory
First major compromise over slavery
Monroe Doctrine (1823)
U.S. opposed further European colonization in the Americas
American System
Back:
Promoted by Henry Clay
Protective tariffs, national bank, internal improvements
Aimed to unite economy and reduce European dependence
Criticized by South for favoring North
Jacksonian Democracy
Expanded voting rights to all white men
Rise of Democratic Party, “common man” politics
Indian Removal Act (Trail of Tears, 1838)
Nullification Crisis (over tariffs)
Bank War (Jackson opposed national bank)
Nat Turner’s Rebellion (1831)
Slave revolt in Virginia, 55 whites killed
Led to stricter slave codes and restrictions on slaves
Seneca Falls Convention (1848)
Organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott
Declaration of Sentiments
Start of organized women’s rights movement
Transcendentalism
Key thinkers: Emerson, Thoreau
Emphasized spiritual self-reliance, nature, rejection of materialism
Second Great Awakening
Emphasized free will, personal salvation, social reform
Increased women’s church participation and rights activism
Inspired temperance, abolition, women’s rights, education reforms
Mexican-American War (1846–1848)
Fought over Texas and border disputes
Driven by Manifest Destiny and Polk’s expansionism
Ended with Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
U.S. gained California, Arizona, New Mexico, and more
