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Nationalism
Nationalism in the US began in 1815. The people felt loyalty towards their nation and were prideful about this nation. The reason they felt like this was because of successful negotiations with foreign powers. This feeling was notably supported by Henry Clay from Kentucky. This was important because it united the nation. -
The Era of Good Feelings
The Era of Good Feelings was an era of peace, pride, and progress. A Boston editor started this phrase in 1817. There was a huge emphasis on national unity by all and this was strengthened by two Supreme Court cases. These two cases reinforced the power of the federal government. They were able to create and national bank and that states couldn’t interfere with Congress regulation interstate commerce. This was important because it made Americans proud to be a part of the nation. It boosted their -
Adams-Onis Treaty
In 1819, Spain and the United States signed the Adams-Onis Treaty. This treaty settled all border disputes between the two countries. In this treaty, Spain gave East Florida to the United States. In return, the United States gave up modern day Texas as well as the US paying up to five million of US citizens’ claims against Spain. This is significant because it established territory. -
Sectionalism
Sectionalism is disagreement between different regions. One example of sectionalism is the North and the South before the civil war. One supported slavery and one didn’t which was a large disagreement between the two, dividing them into “sections.” The difference in the beliefs of the North and South caused anger and sometimes hatred towards the other side. This is important because it showed that the two sides were divided. -
McCulloch v. Maryland
In McCulloch v. Maryland, the Court ruled that a national bank was constitutional. James McCulloch, cashier of the Bank’s branch in Maryland, refused to pay a tax to limit the Bank’s operations. This case went all the way to the US Supreme Court where he lost this case. The importance of this was that states didn’t have the right to tax federal institutions. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise settled the conflict of the application for Missouri to become a state. The problem was this would mean there would be an uneven number of free and slave states, 12-11. This compromise had Missouri enter the union as a slave state and Maine as a free state to make it 12-12. The last thing that this compromise established was anything north of the southern Missouri border was to be a free state. This was important because it kept the balance of free and slave states. -
Santa Fe Trail
The Santa Fe Trail was another key path to the west. It led from Independence, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico. This path previously was a trading route used by Native Americans. It was a very dangerous route but American traders thought it would be worth it with the potential profit. The Santa Fe Trail was important because it brought new things to the US. -
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine was issued on December 2, 1823 during his annual message to Congress. The Monroe Doctrine was an exclusive statement of American policy warning European powers not to interfere with the Americas. This was important because it stated that no foreign powers were to settle in America, European powers couldn’t interfere with the US and established colonies couldn’t be tampered with. -
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is how we man Indian territories. Congress approved the creation of a new government agency. The Bureau of Indian Affairs deals with Indian Territory typically in the west but also in Alaska. This is important because it established relationships with the Indians. -
Jacksonian Democracy
The Jacksonian Democracy was a period in the 1820s-1830s where the Democratic Party became more popular. Jackson’s main supporters were the members of the Democratic Party. This was the beginning of the rise of the Democratic Party. This is important because the Democratic Party is now one of the two major parties today. -
Tariff of Abominations
The Tariff of Abominations is was a tax on imported cheap wool. This tariff was hated by many southerners because it caused prices to go way up for something that should be very cheap. The reason for this tariff was so that the wool imported would cost more than the wool made in the North. This way, people bought from the northerners, making the economy better. The significance of this was that this helped the economy. -
Spoils System
The spoils system was started by Andrew Jackson after he won the election 1828. This was a system where he gave his major supporters a job in the government. In the late 19th century this was used extensively but also highly criticized. The reason this was so important is because the people that supported him were now in the government positions making everything lean towards the president’s opinion. -
States' Rights Doctrine
The States’ Rights Doctrine was drafted by John Calhoun. This stated that since the states had formed the national government, state power should be greater than feral power. Part of this was that if the states didn’t believe in a federal law, they could rule it unconstitutional. If they ruled a law unconstitutional, they could reject it. This was important because the dispute about the Doctrine pulled the North and South even further apart. -
Trail of Tears
The Cherokee’s 800-mile forced march became known as the Trail of Tears. Their march was a result of the Americans wanting more land so they kicked the Native Americans out of Georgia. During the journey, disease, hunger, and harsh weather were the main cause of one fourth of the Cherokee dying. The significance of the Trail of Tears is that this was one of the first negative affairs with Indians. -
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act took place in 1830. The act removed the Indian settlements east of the Mississippi. The Indians had stretches of land from Georgia to Mississippi, but politicians wanted to free up that area for American settlers. Andrew Jackson urged Congress to pass this act which led to “Indian Territory.” This is significant because it gave Americans more room to settle. -
Indian Territory
After the Indian Removal Act in 1830, Congress established Indian Territory. Present day Oklahoma is where the Native Americans were moved to. There were a few reasons they were moved. One was to give American settlers land. Another was to avoid conflict with Americans. This is important because this is where a lot of the Indian population is today. -
Nullification Crisis
The Nullification Crisis was the controversy over the States’ Rights Doctrine. The supporters of the Doctrine were the Southerners. The Southerners supported this because they could get rid of the tariff and pay for supplies at a low cost. The Northerners were against this because they benefitted from the tariff, driving their business up. The significance was that this was yet another thing that drove the two sides apart. -
Whig Party
The Whig Party favored the idea of a weak president and a strong Congress. Because they couldn’t agree on a presidential candidate, they nominated four to run against the Vice President, Martin Van Buren. No matter their efforts, Buren won due to support from Andrew Jackson. Possibly a reason why they lost is because all the Whig votes were spread among four people instead of going directly for just one. The importance of this was this was a new party that was against a powerful president. -
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail was 2,200 miles long. IT stretched from Independence, Missouri, or Council Bluffs, Iowa, west into Oregon Country. The trail followed the Platter and Sweetwater Rivers over the plains. The trail also forked after crossing the Rocky Mountains. To travel this trail you had to pay $600 when a worker typically made $1.50. The Oregon Trail was important because it was the main way to get to the west. -
Alamo
The Alamo was an abandoned mission near San Antonio that became an important battle site in the Texas Revolution. Under Colonel William Travis, his small force occupied the Alamo after taking San Antonio. However, some of the United States citizens joined forces to protect the Alamo. However their defense did not hold out and they lost the Alamo. This is important because it showed the first Mexican advance. -
Manifest Destiny
Manifest destiny is a term created by O’Sullivan in 1845. Manifest destiny means obvious fate and in this case to spread democracy. He said people needed to be spread all the way to the Pacific Ocean to spread democracy. O’Sullivan said it was the manifest destiny to populate the whole continent for the development of the great experiment of liberty. The importance of this was it rose the question if slaves would be allowed in the new territory. This made people think about slavery in America. -
Donner Party
The Donner Party was a group of travelers who went to California but found themselves stranded in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. After trying to find a shortcut, they got lost and got trapped by heavy snow. They also had almost no food with them, forcing them to resort to cannibalism. A rescue party found them in 1847 and 42 out of the 87 had died. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
This treaty ended the war between the United States and Mexico. Mexico gave the United States present day California, Nevada, and Utah. This is known as the Mexican Cession. In addition, it included most of Arizona and New Mexico, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming. The Mexican Cession gave the United States 500,000 square miles. The importance of this was it increased the size of the US and allowed more people. -
California Gold Rush
In 1849, gold was found in California. People found this gold as a result of them following the Oregon Trail. The Oregon Trail split at the Snake River and the southern route became known as the California Trail. Many American settlers took this route and found gold upon arrival. Once this news was spread, many Americans fled to California in hopes of finding gold. The significance of this event is many people went to California. -
Forty-Niners
In 1849 about 80,000 people came to California seeking lots of gold. They were later named the Forty-Niners because they came in 1849. Although many people caught this “gold fever” but very few struck it rich. The importance of these people is they populated the west. -
Gadsden Purchase
In the Gadsden Purchase, the US government paid Mexico $10 million. In exchange, the US received the southern parts of modern day Arizona and New Mexico. The Gadsden Purchase was negotiated in December 1853 and also guaranteed that any southern railroad would be built completely on American soil. The significance of this purchase was that the existing boundary with Mexico was finally fixed.
