APUSH Chapter 11 Key Terms
Macon's Bill #2
definition: Aimed at resuming peaceful trade with Britain and France, the act stipulated that if either Britain or France repealed its trade restrictions, the United States would reinstate the embargo against the non repealing nation. significance: When Napoleon offered to lift his restrictions on British ports, the United States was forced to declare an embargo on Britain, thereby pushing the two nations closer toward war.
Sally Hemings
definition: Sally Hemings was one of Thomas Jefferson's slaves, a woman he was rumored to have had a relationship even fathered children with. significance: Jefferson's critics used this gossip as another excuse to slander his name in the press, attacking him for his unconventional behavior. Countless pieces of evidence have since identified Jefferson as the likely father of all of Sally Hemings children.
Tecumseh
definition: A Shawnee chief who, along with his brother, Tenskwatawa, a religious leader known as The Prophet, worked to unite the Northwestern Indian tribes. The league of tribes was defeated by an American army led by William Henry Harrison at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. significance: Tecumseh was killed fighting for the British during the War of 1812 at the Battle of the Thames in 1813. With him perished the dream of an Indian confederacy.
Chesapeake Affair
definition: A conflict between Britain and the United States that precipitated the 1807 embargo. The conflict develo-ped when a British ship, in search of deserters, fired on the American Chesapeake off the coast of Virginia. significance: The Chesapeake Affair angered countless Americans and rallied cries for war against Britain. War Hawks, representatives that advocated for war against England, were strengthened by this development and encouraged their peers to feel similarly. Many American sailors died during this process and this became one of the causes of the War of 1812.
Thomas Jefferson
definition: A strong symbol of the Democratic-Republican party, Thomas Jefferson advocated for a strict interpretation and enforcement of the Constitution, a small and weak federal government, a largely agricultural economy, and a large percentage of power given to states and individual voters - Jefferson became known as the champion of the "common man." significance: As third president of the United States, Jefferson contradicted his core beliefs on many occasions, including his handling of the Louisiana Purchase, the Bank of the United States and the state debt assumption plan, and his pro-slavery views despite his "all men are created equal" preachings. His greatest accomplishment in the presidential office was arguably the Louisiana Purchase.
Aaron Burr
definition: Aaron Burr was Thomas Jefferson's opponent in the election of 1800, a moderately leaning man who loosely affiliated with Democratic Republicans. He received the same amount of electoral votes as his running mate Jefferson, so the vote bounced to the House of Representatives, where Jefferson emerged victorious. significance: In addition to running alongside the third president of the United States, Aaron Burr was also Alexander Hamilton's killer and was later tried for treason after planning to separate the western part of the US from the East, although he was acquitted. Following his release, Burr fled to Europe, where he urged Napoleon to make peace with Britain and launch a joint invasion of America. Burr's insurrectionary brashness demonstrates that it was one thing for the United States to purchase large expanses of western territory, but quite another to govern it effectively.
James Madison
definition: James Madison was the fourth president of the United States, author of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and considered a father of the Federalist party. significance: Madison was President during the war of 1812 and was also Vice-President under Jefferson. He was a great statesman but was not a strong president. The War of 1812 was occasionally called "Mr. Madison's War" given that he declared it and was a strong proponent of it from the beginning. War hawks from his own party joined him as he advocated for a war with the British that he believed was inevitable. Madison was determined that war with Britain would restore confidence in the republican experiment, a concept that many believed was dwindling. America needed to prove that it was strong enough to fight for itself.
Marbury v. Madison
definition: James Marbury was named justice of the peace for the District of Columbia by President John Adams and, upon learning that his commission was being shelved by new secretary of state James Madison, sued for its delivery. Ultimately, the case of Marbury v. Madison cleared up the issue of who had the final authority to determine the meaning of the Constitution. significance: Marbury v. Madison first established the concept of judicial review, stating that the Supreme Court had the power to determine a law as unconstitutional if they saw the need to.
John Marshall
definition: John Marshall was the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court as appointed by John Adams in a last-ditch effort to retain Federalist control of the Judicial branch. He played crucial roles in several significant cases, including that of Aaron Burr and Marbury v. Madison. significance: Although he dismissed the Marbury suit ( 1801) to avoid direct political showdown, he said that part of the Judiciary Act of 1789, on which Marbury tried to base his appeal was unconstitutional. Marshall greatly magnified the authority of the court. In the Marbury v. Madison case Marshall inserted the keystone into the arch that supports the tremendous power of the Supreme Court. Marshall's decision regarding Marbury spurred the Jeffersonians to lay rough hands on the Supreme Court through impeachment. Jefferson's ill advised attempt of " Judge Breaking" was a reassuring victory for the independence of the judiciary and the separation of powers among the three branche
Non-Intercourse Act
definition: Passed alongside the repeal of the Embargo Act, it reopened trade with all but two belligerent nations, Britain and France. The act continued with Jefferson's policy of economic coercion, still with little effect. significance: Britain and France, however problematic they may have been, were still valuable trading partners for a still relatively young America. The Non-Intercourse Act was slightly more beneficial than the Embargo Act since it allowed for at least some international trade, but the effect was still felt by American merchants and consumers and smuggling continued as Americans desperately tried to find a way around these Acts.
Judiciary Act of 1801
definition: Passed by the departing Federalist Congress, it created sixteen new federal judgeships, ensuring a Federalist hold on the judiciary. significance: The Federalist party was dying as John Adams finished his term as president, the last of his party to ever serve in office. The Judiciary Act was a last attempt at regaining some form of power as the election of 1800 gave control of both the executive and legislative branches to the Democratic-Republicans under Jefferson's administration
Battle of Tippecanoe
definition: Resulted in the defeat of Shawnee chief Tenskwatawa, "the Prophet," at the hands of William Henry Harrison in the Indiana wilderness. significance: After the battle, the Prophet's brother, Tecumseh, forged an alliance with the British against the United States, which would prove to be an incredible disadvantage for the young nation in the war of 1812.
Embargo Act
definition: The Embargo Act cut off trade effectively with all foreign countries in an attempt to end impressment and create stronger neutrality for America. Spearheaded by Jefferson, a strong proponent of a largely agricultural-based nation, the Embargo Act effectively strengthened America's industrial strength, a positive but unintended effect. significance: The Embargo Act was formed in the efforts of weakening Britain as well as protecting American ships from impressment, but the negative effects on American merchants were either unforeseen or ignored. The effects on EUropean economies were only marginally felt, so the act was repealed in 1809.
Revolution of 1800
definition: The Revolution of 1800 was the peaceful transfer of power between political parties as Thomas Jefferson replaced John Adams and president and Democratic-Republicans gained control of both the legislative and executive branches. Jefferson considered this to be a "return to what he considered to be the original spirit of the Revolution" way back in 1776, a callback to republican values. significance: The peaceful, nonviolent nature of this transfer was a hopeful sign that this new republic was functioning just as it was meant to. Those with doubts about the new American nation were reassured slightly by this unexpected event. The American people were readying for a violent, non-cooperational exchange between two powerful, influential men that would have meant war or hostile conflict for the nation, and were pleasantly proved wrong.
Impressment
definition: The act of forcibly drafting an individual into military service, employed by the British navy against American seamen in times of war against French, 1793-1815. significance: Impressment was a continual source of conflict between Britain and the United States in the early national period. Ultimately, the War of 1812 was largely in retaliation to British impressment of American ships.
Sacajawea
definition: Thomas Jefferson sent Meriweather Lewis and William Clark to explore the newly annexed territory from the Louisiana Purchase and, most importantly, find a direct route via rivers from the Atlantic ocean to the Pacific - even though American territory technically didn't reach all the way to the Pacific ocean. A Native American woman named Sacajawea. significance: Knowing that Lewis and Clark would face many geographic challenges - both physical and human - that they may not be able to handle alone. Sacagawea accompanied these men, along with her newborn baby on her back, and without her they likely would not have survived a week. From unknown tribes to potentially poisonous berries, Sacagawea helped these explorers in a journey she would not get credit for for years to come.
Louisiana Purchase
definition: Thomas Jefferson was originally interested in purchasing New Orleans from the French commander Napoleon Bonaparte, but Napoleon, desperately in need of money to fight a war with Britain and subdue Haitian slave revolts, offered the entire Louisiana territory for barely over when Jefferson had offered for just a city. The Louisiana Purchase effectively doubled the size of America at roughly 3 cents an acre. significance: As a Democratic-Republican, Thomas Jefferson was a firm believer in a strict interpretation of the Constitution and a weak central government. The Louisiana Purchase and the annexation of all of this new land, approved and supported by Jefferson, directly opposed this belief. A true Constitutionalist would argue that the President has no explicit power listed in the Constitution to add on land to the country, but here, Jefferson chose to interpret his powers much more loosely than his party usually called for. This summoned much controversy and distrust of Jefferson in both political parties.
