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Abolition
The social and political movement to end slavery immediately, led by figures like William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass.
Dred Scott decision
A Supreme Court ruling that African Americans were not citizens and that Congress had no power to ban slavery in the territories.
Missouri Compromise
An 1820 deal that admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as free, drawing a line below Missouri to settle future slavery debates.
Washington's Farewell Address
A warning to the nation to avoid involvement with foreign nations and political parties.
Manifest Destiny
The 19th-century belief that the United States had a God-given right to expand across the entire North American continent.
Hamilton's Financial Plan
A proposal to stabilize the economy through a national bank, assumption of state debts, and an excise tax on whiskey.
Fugitive Slave Act
A law requiring citizens to assist in capturing runaway slaves; its enforcement radicalized many Northerners against slavery.
Trail of Tears
Andrew Jackson's forced removal of the Cherokee and other tribes to land west of the Mississippi, resulting in thousands of deaths.
Intolerable Acts
Harsh laws passed by Britain in response to the Boston Tea Party, which unified the colonies against the King.
Mexican-American War
A conflict that resulted in a massive land gain (the Mexican Cession) for the U.S., reigniting the debate over slavery's expansion.
Kansas-Nebraska Act
A law that allowed popular sovereignty in the Midwest, effectively repealing the Missouri Compromise and leading to "Bleeding Kansas."
Monroe Doctrine
A U.S. policy warning European powers to stay out of the Western Hemisphere and stop further colonization.
Seneca Falls Convention
The first national women’s rights convention, which produced the "Declaration of Sentiments" calling for suffrage.
Compromise of 1850
A deal that admitted California as a free state but included a much harsher Fugitive Slave Act to appease the South.
Mercantilism
Economic policy where colonies exist to enrich the mother country through raw materials and restricted trade.
Great Compromise (Constitutional Convention)
An agreement at the Constitutional Convention creating a bicameral legislature (House by population, Senate by equal state votes).
Second Great Awakening
A religious revival in the early 1800s that emphasized individual salvation and sparked social reform movements like Abolition and Temperance.
Marbury v. Madison
The Supreme Court case that established the principle of judicial review, giving the Court power to declare laws unconstitutional.
Popular sovereignty
The policy that the people living in a territory should vote to decide whether or not to allow slavery.
Articles of Confederation
The first U.S. constitution; it created a weak central government that lacked the power to tax or regulate trade.
Wilmot Proviso
A failed proposal to ban slavery in all territory gained from Mexico; it highlighted the deep divide between North and South.
Republican Motherhood
The idea that women should be educated so they could teach their sons to be virtuous citizens of the new republic.
Nullification Crisis
A conflict between South Carolina and Andrew Jackson's government over tariffs, establishing the idea that states could "void" federal laws.
Proclamation of 1763
A British law forbidding colonial settlement west of the Appalachians to avoid Indian conflicts, sparking colonial resentment.
Market Revolution
The shift from home-based production to a national factory and market system, fueled by transportation and tech.