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Oregon Trail: 1811-60s
The Oregon Trail was a settler trail. It was used for Americans to settle lands farther West. It started in Missouri and went all the way to Willamette Valley, Oregon. This trail opened up the West, allowing the California gold rush. It allowed America to expand, and if there was more land, more states entered the Union. And with more states in the Union, more members in Congress, which makes Congress take even longer to make decisions. -
Era of Good Feelings: 1815-1825
From 1815-1825 the U.S. had an Era of Good Feelings. They had peace, pride, and progress. The term was coined by a Boston Editor in 1817 after James Monroe visited New England. The Supreme Court ruled on implied powers of Congress, and Congress created a national bank. In 1824, the Supreme Court ruled that the states couldn’t interfere with interstate trade. -
Adam-Onis Treaty: 1819
A treaty signed in 1819 by John Quincy Adams, and Luis de Onis. Spain gave the U.S. Eastern Florida, and the U.S. gave up claims on Texas. U.S. leaders also agreed to give up $5 million worth of U.S. citizens’ claims against Spain. The treaty was signed because Jackson invaded Florida to catch Seminole Indians who helped runaway slaves. In the process he took over military forts, and overthrew the governor of Spain.
The Louisiana Pruchase and the Adam-Onis Treaty -
Sectionalism: 1819
While the Era of Good Feelings was mostly a time of peace, there was still rife between the states. Disagreements popped up between the different states. In 1819 Missouri wanted to join the U.S., but at the time there were 11 Free states and 11 slave states, if Missouri entered, there would be more slave states. Which would tip the balance in the senate in favor of the South. To keep things equal, Congress passed a special Amendment to keep things equal, Missouri couldn’t import slaves, and all -
Missouri Compromise: 1819
To keep the Senate calm, Henry Clay made the Missouri Compromise. He proposed that Missouri would enter the Union as a slave state, while Maine would enter the Union as a Free State. And no state formed north of 36 degrees 30’ latitude. This helped keep the Senate calm, and equal, so the senate could make decisions best for the country. -
McCulloch V. Maryland: 1819
During Jacksons presidency he questioned the legality of the Second Bank of America. Many states, mostly in the South, believed this two. Maryland took up arms and tried to pass a tax that would limit Bank’s operations. James McCulloch, a cashier of the Bank’s branch in Maryland, refused to pay the tax. Maryland took him to court, and the case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The court ruled the national bank was constitutional. All of these losses for the South, and they were startin -
Jacksonian Democracy: 1820s-30s
Political parties held nominating conventions, which is where party members choose the candidates for the party’s. This period of expanding democracy became known as Jacksonian Democracy. Previously party candidates were elected by party leaders. Jacksonian democracy was important because is allowed the entire party to decide who their candidates were. The Democratic Party rose from supporters of Jackson. -
Monroe Doctrine: 1821
Monroe Doctrine was a statement made by President Monroe saying that the U.S. policy was to stay out of European problems in the Western Hemisphere. The doctrine was created because most Spanish colonies in America had declared independence from Spain, and the U.S. was afraid other European countries would try to make the U.S. fight for them. -
Santa Fe Trail: 1821-46
The Santa Fe Trail was a highway for trade. Mexicans would trade with Americans, but when the Mexican-American war happened in 1846, the trade stopped. And after the war was won, the Santa Fe Trail was a road that connected the old states with the new southern states. This impacted Congress because the South gained more states, putting more members in Congress. So Congress had to add more free states. But at a certain point there isn’t enough territory left to even out the Free and slave states. -
Bureau of Indian Affairs: 1824
The Bureau of Indian Affairs was created on March 11, 1824. The Bureau of Indian Affairs was created by John C. Calhoun, and he appointed McKinney as its head without the consent of congress. The BIA controlled the land that was given by the Indians to the U.S. And also the movement of Indians to Western lands. This was important because there was now land out there that belonged to the U.S., and it could either be for the North or the South. -
Tariff of Abominations: 1827
In 1827 Northerners wanted to raise taxes on imported wool because Britain companies were beating U.S. companies. They did this because they could manufacture goods faster, and they sold their goods for a lower price. The tariff would cause imported wool to cost too much. This request angered southerners because they couldn’t get cheap wool. Making the southerners and northerners angrier at each other. And Congress assented to placing the tariff in place. -
Spoils System: 1828
During Jackson’s presidency, he awarded some of his supporter’s government jobs. This became known as the spoils system. Secretary of State Martin Van Buren was one of Jackson’s strongest allies in his official cabinet. With the spoils system, Presidents could become more powerful because they had more backing in their decisions, overriding other parties opinions. This would cause some dissent in Congress. -
Nullification Crisis: 1828
Conflicts between the supporters and opponents of nullifying the Tariff of Abominations deepened. The nullification crisis was the name given to this fight. Calhoun resigned from office when Jackson was reelected, and Martin Van Buren became the V.P. When more northerners were inside Congress, the southerners became even more infuriated, making them want to start a conflict. -
States' Rights Doctrine: 1828
In 1828 John C. Calhoun, Vice President, joined his fellow southerners in opposition of the Tariff of Abominations. In response to the tariff he drafted the South Carolina Exposition and Protest. It said that Congress shouldn’t favor one state, or region, over another. Also saying that states should have more power than the national government. This tariff, and Doctrine, separated the house into two regions, those who supported the tariff, and those who didn’t. -
Nationalism: 1830s
Nationalism is a sense of pride and loyalty to a nation. Because of the growing success in wars and negotiations with foreign countries, citizens of the U.S. were feeling a rising sense of nationalism. The new nationalism found a strong supporter in the U.S. Representative Henry Clay. Henry Clay tried to support this by creating a plan known as the American System, which would help the U.S. economically self-sufficient. -
Indian Removal Act: 1830
Native Americans who lived east of the Mississippi River were removed to lands to the West. This was caused by Congress, from President Jackson’s pressure. The Indian Removal Act angered the Indians, because they were forcibly being moved out of their homes. It also freed up land, which was good for the U.S. -
Indian Territory: 1830
Indian Territory is in what is now Oklahoma. The Native Americans were moved here. Supporters of the Indian Territory said that the new territory would stop conflicts between settlers and Native Americans. A supporter of this was Calhoun. This gave up land that could have been used for the U.S. -
Trail of Tears: 1830s-50s
The Trail of Tears is what the Native Americans called the Indian Removal Act. In 1836 the U.S. drove the Creeks from their home, and of those creeks 3,500 out of 15,000 didn’t survive. The Trail of Tears was rightly named because of all the horrendous acts done by the U.S. to drive the Indians off their land. In 1838 President Martin Van Buren sent 7000 soldiers to expedite the Cherokees. The soldiers got there, and marched the Indians 1200 miles to Indian Territory. Trail of Tears PBS Media -
Whig Party: 1834
The Whig Party formed in 1834 to oppose Jackson, they named themselves after a British party that opposed the Monarchy. Forming the party to show the public Jackson was using his power like a king. The Whig Party favored the idea of a weak president and a strong Congress. Whigs were criticized by Jacksonian Democrats as being only for the wealthy and educated. Important because it showed that president shouldn’t have too much power, like Jackson did. -
Alamo: 1836
The Alamo was an abandoned mission near San Antonio, and it later became an important battle site of the Texas Revolution. The Americans lost the battle of the Alamo. The Battle of the Alamo was important because it was one of the first revolutions in the Union. And it also showed that there was unrest inside the nation. -
Manifest Destiny: 1845
By 1845 the U.S. had already made a booming economy, but there was a problem, they didn’t have enough land. So they decided to travel west, and claim the vast, open frontier. The Americans believed it was their Manifest Destiny to settle land all the way to the Pacific Ocean in order to spread democracy. Manifest Destiny lead to the acquisition of new land, which helped grow the U.S. -
Donner Party: 1846-47
The Donner Party was a group of Western travelers who went to California, but were stuck in the Sierra Nevada. The travelers were stuck in the mountains because they were traveling west, but decided to take a short-cut. When the part was found, or the original 87 travelers 42 had died. The significance of the Donner Party is that it proved how dangerous the west could be. -
Treaty of Gudalupe Hidalgo: 1848
The treaty was an outcome of the Mexican-American War. After Mexico City was captured the treaty was signed. The treaty officially ended the war and forced Mexico to hand over most of its northern territory. California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah are parts of the territory gained from the treaty, which is also known as the Mexican Cession. Settlers could move into these new territory’s which were now owned by the U.S. -
California Gold Rush: 1848
The California Gold Rush began in 1848 when James Marshall discovered gold while making a saw mill. His employees found out, and the legend spread. In 1849 around 80,000 gold-seekers traveled to California hoping to make themselves rich. The gold rush provided funding for the American economy, and there was also a major job shortage because many workers went to search for gold. This job shortage provided work for immigrants. Because of all the jobs in California, many immigrants traveled there. -
Forty-Niners: 1849
The huge amount of people who migrated to California in 1849 were known as the forty-niners because they had moved to California in 1849. The amount of gold found then was the equivalent of billions of dollars today. In the beginning gold nuggets could be found almost anywhere, but these deposits were quickly scooped up. So gold-seekers had to use different methods, such as panning in nearby streams. Another lasting impact is that a legal system was inputted in the West because of the gold rush -
Gadsden Purchase: 1853
After the war with Mexico, Americans wanted to guarantee that any railroads built to California would be completely in the U.S. So James Gadsden, U.S. minister to Mexico, negotiated an agreement. Under the agreement the U.S. would pay Mexico ten million dollars. The U.S. would gain the southern parts of modern day Arizona and New Mexico. This allowed future rail roads to be completely in the U.S.
