American History: Era of Good Feelings - Seneca Falls Convention (2)

Hariet Tubman

Famous abolitionist, born a slave, she assisted fugitive slaves to escape to free territory.

Panic of 1837

Just as Martin Van Buren became the president, the country suffered a financial crisis as many banks closed their doors.

Railroads

A major economic development of the 1820s. By the 1830s they were competing directly competing with canals as a method for carrying passengers and freight. Towns such as Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, and Chicago soon became booming commercial centers.

National (Cumberland) Road

A paved highway that extended more than a thousand miles from Maryland to Illinois. It was built using state and federal money over many years (1811-1852). One of the few roads crossing state boundaries.

Second Great Awakening

A religious movement that occurred during the antebellum period. It was a reaction against rationalism (belief in human reason). It offered the opportunity of salvation to all.

Pet Banks

A term for the state banks. President Andrew Jackson was trying to destroy the Bank of the United States, so he transferred federal funds to these state banks.

Missouri Compromise

Allowed Missouri to join the Union as a slave state, and Maine to join as a free state. It also established a line across the southern border of Missouri (36°,30') stating that except for the state of Missouri, all states north of that line must be states without slavery.

Rush-Bagot Agreement

An 1817 disarmament pact between U.S. and Britain, it strictly limited Naval armament on the Great Lakes. The agreement was extended to place limits on U.S. and Canadian border fortifications.

Monroe Doctrine

An 1823 warning to 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.

Antebellum

Belonging to a period before a war especially the American Civil War

Industrialization

Caused a shift from farming economy to using manufacturing machines in a factory economy.

Tariff of 1828 (Tariff of Abominations)

During President John Quincy Adams' term, Congress created a new tariff law which pleased northern manufacturers, but alienated southern planters.

Henry Clay

He was secretary of state under President John Q. Adams. He was President Andrew Jackson's chief opponent. In 1832, he challenged Jackson by persuading Congress to pass a bank-recharter bill.

Horace Mann

He was the leading advocate of the public school movement.

Andrew Jackson

He won the 1828 presidential election easily, winning every state west of the Appalachians. He was know as "Old Hickory" and presented himself as a common man.

Cotton gin

In 1793, this machine was invented by Eli Whitney. It removed seeds from cotton fibers so cotton could be processed quickly and cheaply. As a result more cotton was grown in the South and more slaves were needed in the cotton fields. (p. 162)

Indian Removal Act

In 1830, this forced the resettlement of thousands of Native Americans west of the Mississippi.

Nullification Crisis

In 1832, South Carolina passed a resolution forbidding the collection of tariffs in the state, which was acting against a federal law at the state level. President Jackson threatened South Carolina with the use of federal troops and a compromise was reached.

Trail of Tears

In 1838, the U.S. Army forced 15,000 Cherokees to leave Georgia and march to Oklahoma. 4,000 Cherokees died on the trip.

Seneca Falls Convention

In 1848, this was the first women's rights gathering in U.S. history. They wrote a "Declaration of Sentiments", modeled after the Declaration of Independence, which declared all men and women equal and listed grievances.

Asylum Movement

In the 1820s and 1830s, this movement sought to improve the conditions for criminals, emotionally disturbed people, and paupers. They proposed setting up state-supported prisons, mental hospitals, and poorhouses.

Factory system

In the 1820s, New England emerged as the country's leading manufacturing center because of abundant water power to drive machinery and seaports to ship goods.

Whigs

In the 1820s, this party was led by Henry Clay. It was similar to the old Federalist party of Alexander Hamilton.

Democrats

In the 1820s, this party was led by President Andrew Jackson. It harked back to the old Republican party of Thomas Jefferson.

Women's Christian Temperance Union

In the late 1870s, this women's organization was part of the temperance movement.

Spoils System

President Andrew Jackson appointed people to federal jobs strictly according to whether they had campaigned for the Democratic party. Previous office holders were fired and replaced with a loyal Democrat.

American System

Proposed plan for advancing the nation's economic growth consisted of three parts: 1) protective tariffs, 2) a national bank, and 3) internal improvements. The internal improvements, to be funded by the national government, were not approved because James Monroe felt that the Constitution did not allow it.

Temperance

Reformers targeted alcohol as the cause of social ills. The movement started by using moral exhortation, then shifted to political action. Business leaders and politicians supported it because it improved productivity of industrial workers.

Era of Good Feelings

Term to describe James Monroe's period as president (1817-1825). The Democratic-Republicans party dominated politics. On the surface everything looked fine, however there were conflicts over tariffs, the national bank, internal improvements, and public land sales.

James Monroe

The fifth President of the United States (1817-1825). His administration was marked by the Tariff of 1816, Rush-Bagot Agreement with Britain (1817), acquisition of Florida (1819), and the Missouri Compromise (1820)

Lowell System

The system that recruited young farm women to work in textile mills and house them in company dormitories.

Log Cabin and Hard Cider Campaign

The term for the 1840 presidential campaign. Popular war hero, William Henry Harrison was the Whig candidate. He used log cabins and hard cider to portray his down-home heritage. He attacked Martin Van Buren as an aristocrat. Harrison and John Tyler won the election.

Corrupt Bargain

The term that President Andrew Jackson and followers called the Adams and Clay deal of the 1824 election. The House of Representatives had to choose the president and Henry Clay used his influence have John Quincy Adams elected.

Second Bank of the United States

This institution was chartered in 1816 under President James Madison and became a depository for federal funds and a creditor for (loaning money to) state banks. It became unpopular after being blamed for the Panic of 1819. Suspicion of corruption and mismanagement haunted it, until its charter expired in 1836.

market revolution

This revolution was a result of specialization on the farm, growth of the cities, industrialization, and the development of modern capitalism. It brought the end of self-sufficient households and a growing interdependence among people. (p. 164)