Key Terms
Articles of Confederation-The document that created the first central government for the United States, it was replaced by the constitution.
James Madison-American statesman, he was a delegated to the Constitutional Convention, the fourth president of the United States, and the author of some of the Federalist Papers. He is called the “father of the Constitution” for his proposals at the Constitutional Convention
Checks and Balances-A system established by the Constitution that prevents any branch of government from becoming too powerful
Legislative Branch-The division of the government that proposes bills and passes them into laws. House of Representatives and Senate
Executive Branch-The division of the federal government that includes the president and the administrative departments; enforces the nation’s laws.
Judicial Branch-The division of the federal government that is made up of the national courts; interprets laws, punishes criminals, and settles disputes between states.
Federalists-People who supported ratification of the Constitution
Anti-Federalists- People who opposed the ratification of the Constitution
Ratification-An official approval
Bill of Rights-First ten amendments to the Constitution; ratified in 1791
Strict Constructionist-A person who interprets the Constitution in a way that allows the federal government to take only those actions the Constitution specifically says it can take
Loose Constructionist-A person who interprets the Constitution in a way that allows the federal government to take actions that the Constitution does not specifically forbid it from taking
Marbury Vs. Madison-Supreme Court case that established the principle of judicial review
Louisiana Purchase-The purchase of French land between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains that doubled the size of the United States
James Monroe-Leading Revolutionary figure, negotiator of the Louisiana Purchase, and the fifth president of the United States. He put forth the Monroe doctrine establishing the U.S. sphere of influence in the Western Hemisphere that became the foundation of U.S. foreign policy.
Monroe Doctrine-President James Monroe’s statement forbidding further colonization in the Americas and declaring that any attempt by a foreign country to colonize would be considered an act of hostility
Nationalism-The belief that the interests of the nation as a whole are more important than regional interest of other countries
McCullock Vs. Maryland-U.S. Supreme Court case that declared the Second Bank of the United States was constitutional and that Maryland could not interfere with it
Missouri Compromise-An agreement proposed by Henry Clay that allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave stare and Maine to enter as a free state and outlawed slavery in any territories or states north of 36-30 latitude
Sectionalism-The belief that ones own section, or region, of the country is more important than the whole
Indian Removal Act-A congressional act that authorized the removal of Native Americans who lived east of the Mississippi River
Trail Of Tears-An 800 mile forced march made by the Cherokee from their homeland in Georgia to Indian Territory; resulted in the deaths of almost one fourth of the Cherokee people.
Second Bank of the U.S. -A national back created by congress in 1816 and overseen by the federal government, its purpose was to regulate state banks
Industrial Revolution-A period of rapid growth in the use of machines in manufacturing and production that began in the mid 1700’s
Compromise of 1850-Henry Clay’s proposed agreement that allowed California to enter the Union as a free state and divided the rest of the Mexican Cession into two territories where slavery would be decided by popular sovereignty
Fugitive Slave Act-A law that made it a crime to help runaway slaves; allowed for the arrest of escaped slave in areas where slavery was illegal and required their return to slaveholders
Stephen A. Douglas-American politician and pro-slavery nominee for president; he debated Abraham Lincoln about slavery during the Illinois senatorial race. He proposed the unpopular Kansas-Nebraska Act, and he established the Freeport Doctrine, upholding the idea of popular sovereignty
Popular Sovereignty-The idea that political authority belongs to the people
Kansas/Nebraska Act-A law that allowed voters in Kansas and Nebraska to choose whether to allow slavery
James Buchanan-American politician and fifteenth president of the United States; he was chosen as the Democratic nominee for president in 1854 for being politically experienced and not offensive to slave states
Abraham Lincoln-Sixteenth president of the United States; he promoted equal rights for African American in the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates. He issued the Emancipation Proclamation and set in motion the Civil War, determined to preserve the Union. He was assassinated in 1865.
Lincoln/Douglas debates-A series of debated between Republican Abraham Lincoln and Democrat Stephen Douglas during the 1858 U.S. Senate campaign in Illinois
Jefferson Davis-First and only president of the Confederate States of America after the election of President Lincoln in 1860 led to the secession of many southern states
Confederate States of America-The nation formed by the southern states when they seceded from the Union
Fort Sumter-The first battle of the Civil War; surrendered by the Union on April 14, 1861
Robert E. Lee-American General; he refused Lincoln’s offer to head the Union Army and aggress to lead Confederate forces. He successfully led defeat at Gettysburg, and he surrendered to the Union’s commander General Grant at Appomattox Courthouse.
Battle Of Bull run-The first major battle of the Civil War, resulting in a Confederate victory; showing the North that the Civil War would not be won easily
Battle of Shiloh-A Civil War battle in Tennessee in which the Union army gained greater control over the Mississippi River valley
Battle of Antietam-A union victory in the Civil War that marked the bloodiest single-day battle in U.S. Military history
Emancipation Proclamation-An order issued by President Abraham Lincoln freeing the slaves in areas rebelling against the Union; took effect January 1, 1863
Battle of Chancellorsville-Civil War battle that was one of the Confederate army’s major victories
Battle of Gettysburg-A Union Civil War victory that turned the tide against the Confederates
13th Amendment-A constitutional amendment that outlawed slavery
Reconstruction- The laws that put the southern states under U.S. military control and required them to draft new constitutions upholding the Fourteenth Amendment
Civil Rights Act of 1866-Law that gave African Americans legal rights to those of white Americans
14th Amendment-A constitutional amendment giving full rights of citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the United States, except for American Indians
15th Amendment-A constitutional amendment that gave African American men the right to vote
Scalawags-Meaning scoundrel; name given by former Confederates to those southerners who supported the shift in power to Congress and the army in the South during Reconstruction
Carpetbaggers-name given by Southern critics to Southerners allied with Northern Republicans who came south to take part in the region’s political and economic rebirth.
Share Cropping-A system used on southern farms after the Civil War in which farmers worked land owned by someone else in return for a small portion of the crops
Tenant Farming-System of farming where farmers rented their land from the landowner, and were allowed to grow whatever they chose
Liberal Republicans-Group of Republicans that broke with the Republican Party over the Enforcement Acts scandals of the Grant administration
Sand Creek Massacre-U.S. Military’s killing of about 150 Cheyenne elderly, women, and children at Sand Creek Reservation in Colorado Territory
Battle of the Little Big horn-Battle between the U.S. Army led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and Sioux forces lead by Chief Sitting Bull; the Sioux won the battle.
Sitting Bull-American Indian leader who became the head chief of the entire Sioux nation, he encouraged other Sioux leaders to resist government demands to buy lands on the Black Hills reservations.
George Armstrong Custer-American Army officer in the Civil War; he became a fighter of Native Americans in the West and was killed with his troops in the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
Wounded Knee Massacre-The U.S. Army’s killing of approximately 150 Sioux at Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota; ended U.S.-Indian wars on the Plains.
Dawes Act-Legislation passed by Congress that split up Indian reservation lands among individual Indians and promised them citizenship
Chief Joseph-Chief of the Nez Perce’ tribe; he led resistance against white settlement in the Northwest. He eventually surrendered, but his eloquent surrender speech earned him a place in American History.
Geronimo-Chiricahua Apache leader; he evaded capture for years and led an opposition struggle against white settlements in the American Southwest until his eventual surrender.
Chisholm Trail-A trial that ran from San Antonio, Texas, to Abilene, Kansas, established by Jesse Chisholm in the late 1860’s for cattle drives.
Homestead Act-A law passed by congress to encourage settlement in the West by giving government-owned land to small farmers.
Entrepreneur-Risk taker who starts new ventures within the economic system of capitalism
Capitalism-Economic system in which most businesses are privately owned
Laissez faire-in French, meaning “allow to do” in business, it refers to a system where companies are allowed to conduct business without interference by the government
Social Darwinism-a view of society based on Charles Darwin’s scientific theory of natural selection
John D. Rockefeller-American industrialist and philanthropist; he made a fortune in the oil business and used vertical and horizontal integration to establish a monopoly on the steel business.
Andrew Carnegie-American industrialist and humanitarian; he focuses his attention on steelmaking and made a fortune through his vertical integration method.
Cornelius Vanderbilt-American business leader who controlled the New York Central Railroad and up to 4,500 miles of railroad track., he later donated $1 million to a Tennessee university
George Pullman-American business leader who made a fortune in the railroad business by designing and building railroad cars, including sleeper a car
Sherman Antitrust Act-a law that made it illegal to create monopolies or trusts that restrained free trade.
Thomas Edison-American inventor of over 1,000 patents; he invented the light bulb and establish a power plant that supplied electricity to parts of New York City.
Ellis Island-An island in New York harbor that was an entry point for 12 million immigrants to the United States between 1892 and 1954
Americanization-process in which immigrants were forced to abandon their traditional cultures and adopt the culture of white America
Tenement-poorly built, overcrowded housing where many immigrants lived
Settlement House-neighborhood center staffed by professionals and volunteers for education, recreation, and social activities in poor areas
Jane Addams-American social worker and activist; she was the co-founder of Hull House, an organization that focused on the needs of immigrants. She helped found the American Civil Liberties Union and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931.
Social Gospel-the idea that religious faith should be expressed through good works
Populist Party-a political part formed in 1892 that supported free coinage of silver, work reforms, immigration restrictions, and government ownership of railroads and telegraph and telephone systems.
Jim Crow Laws-laws that enforced segregation in the southern states
Lynching-the murder of an individual by a group or mob
Booker T. Washington-African American educator and civil rights leader; he was born into slavery and later became head of the Tuskegee Institute for career training for African Americans. He was an advocate for conservative social change.
W.E.B. Du Bois-African American educator, editor, and writer; he led the Niagara Movement, calling for economic and educational equality for African Americans. He helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Jacob Riis-Newspaper reporter, reformer, and photographer; his book How the Other Half Lives shocked Americans with its descriptions of slum conditions and led to tenement housing legislation in New York
Progressivism-group of reform movements of the late 1800s that focused on urban problems, such as the plight of workers, poor sanitation, and corrupt political machines
Muckrakers-a term coined for journalists who “raked up” and exposed corruption and problems of society
Ida Tarbell-Investigative journalist; she wrote a report condemning the business practices of John D. Rockefeller in McClure’s magazine. The articles became the basis for her book, The History of the Standard Oil Company.
Lincoln Steffens-Muckraker and managing editor of McClure’s magazine he wrote about government corruption in his 1904 book, the Shame of the Cities
Robert M. La Follette-Progressive American politician; he was active in local Wisconsin issues and challenged party bosses. As governor, he began the reform program called the Wisconsin Idea to make state government more professional.
17th Amendment-a constitutional amendment allowing American voters to directly elect U.S. senators
Initiative-a method of allowing voters to propose a new law on the ballot for public approval
Referendum-a procedure that allows voters to approve or reject a law already proposed or passed by government
Recall-a vote to remove an official from office
Theodore Roosevelt-26th president of the U.S.; he focused his efforts on trust busting, environmental conservation and strong foreign policy
Bully Pulpit-a platform used to publicize and seek support for important issues
Square Deal-Theodore Roosevelt’s 1904 campaign slogan expressed his belief that the needs of workers, business, and consumers should be balanced, and called for limiting the power of trusts, promoting public health and safety, and improving working conditions
Elkins Act-law passes by Congress which prohibited railroads from accepting rebates from their best customers.
Hepburn Act-law that authorized the Interstate Commerce Commission to set maximum railroad rates and gave it the power to regulate other companies engaged in interstate commerce
Upton Sinclair-Novelist whose 1906 book, The Jungle, depicted the unsanitary conditions at meatpacking plants, the book brought about a public outcry, which led to consumer protection laws.
Meat Inspector Act-law that required federal government inspection of meat shipped across state lines
Pure food and drug Act-law that forbade the manufacture, sale or transportation of food and patent medicine containing harmful ingredients, and required that containers of food and medicines carry ingredient labels.
John Muir-Naturalist who believed that wilderness should be preserved in its natural state. He was largely responsible for the creation of Yosemite National Part in California.
Newlands Reclamation Act-law that allowed the federal government to build irrigation projects to make marginal lands productive
Gifford Pinchot-Conservationist who was chief of the Forest Service, under his leadership millions of acres of land were added to the national forests.
William Howard Taft-27th president of the U.S., he angered progressives by moving cautiously toward reforms and by supporting the Payne-Aldrich Tariff. He lost Roosevelt’s support and was defeated for a second term.
16th Amendment-law that allowed Congress to levy taxes based on an individual’s income
Hiram W. Johnson-Governor of California and U.S. senator, he helped form the Progressive Part, or Bull Moose Party, and ran as it’s vice presidential candidate with Theodore Roosevelt in 1912.
Woodrow Wilson-28th president of the U.S., he proposed the league of Nations after World War 1, his reform legislation included direct election of senators, prohibition and women’s suffrage.
New Freedom-Woodrow Wilson’s plan of reform which called for tariff reductions, banking reform, and stronger antitrust legislation
Federal Reserve Act-law that created a central fund from which banks could borrow to prevent collapse during a financial panic, it also placed the backing system under the supervision of the government for the first time.
Clayton Antitrust Act-law that prohibited companies from buying the stock of competing companies in order to form a monopoly, forbade companies from selling goods below cost with the goal of driving their competitors out of business and made strikes, boycotts, and peaceful picketing legal.
Alice Paul-American social reformer, suffragist and activist, she was the founded of the organization that became the National Women’s Party that worked to obtain women’s suffrage
19th Amendment-a constitutional amendment that gave women the right to vote