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Louisiana Purchase
The U.S. purchased the land from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains from Napoleon for $15 million. Jefferson was interested in the territory because it would give the U.S. the Mississippi River and New Orleans and also room to expand. Napoleon wanted to sell because he needed money for his European campaigns and because a rebellion against the French in Haiti had soured him on the idea of New colonies. The Constitution did not give the federal government the power to buy land. -
Embargo Act
Act which ended all of Americas importation and exportation. Jefferson hoped the act would pressure the French and British to recognize U.S. neutrality rights in exchange for U.S. goods. -
The End of Slave Trade
Slaves could no longer be legally imported into America in 1808 under congress. -
The Non-Intercourse Act
Replaced the Embargo of 1807. Unlike the Embargo which forbade American trade with all foreign nations, this act only forbade trade with France and Britain. It did not succeed in changing British or French policy towards neutral ships. -
Manifest Destiny
A notion held by a nineteenth-century Americans that the United States was destined to rule the continent from the Atlantic to Pacific. -
The War of 1812
Resulted from Britain's support of Indian hostilities along the frontier, interference with American trade, and impressments of American sailors into the British Army. -
Treaty of Ghent
Ended the War of 1812 and restored the status quo. For the most part, territory captured in the war was returned to the original owner. It also set up a commission to determine the dispute Canada/U.S. border. -
Industrial Revolution
Transition from small shops of hand made goods to factories and mills powered by water. The first industrial labor force consisted of single girls in New England textile mills such as the Lowell Mills accompanied by revolution in transportation and the market economy. -
Treaty of 1818
A negotiated treaty between the Monroe administration and England. This treaty came after the War of 1812 to settle disputes between Britain and U.S. It permitted Americans to share Newfoundland fisheries with the Canadians and fixed the vague northern limits of Louisiana from the Lake of the Woods to the Rocky Mountain. -
Missouri Compromise
Compromise of 1820 over the issue of slavery in Missouri. It was decided Missouri entered as a slave state and Maine entered as a free state and all states North of the 36th parallel were free states and all South were slave states. -
Election of 1828
The election of 1824 convinced Van Buren of the need for a renewed two party competition. In the election of 1828 a new party formed and gradually became known as the Democratic Party which made Jackson president. -
Railroad Boom
The expansion of the railroad changed the West in many ways. Until they were regulated, railroads would overcharge where they had a monopoly and undercharged when they were competing with other railways in the same market. This practice was harmful to farmers in remote areas. Rail companies also led to the near extinction of buffalo. This led to increased tension with the Native Americans who lived in the West. -
Texas Revolution
War between Texas settlers and Mexico from 1835-1836 resulting in the formation of the Republic of Texas. -
Trail of Tears
The Cherokee Indians were forced to leave their lands. They traveled from North Carolina and Georgia through Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas more than 800 miles to the Indian territory. More than 4000 Cherokees died of cold, disease and lack of food during the 116 day journey. -
Mexican-American War
President Polk declared war on Mexico over the dispute of land in Texas. At the end, American ended up with 55 percent of Mexico's land. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Treaty signed by the U.S. and Mexico that officially ended the Mexican-American War. Mexico had to give up much of its northern territory to the U.S. in exchange the U.S. gave Mexico $15 million and said that Mexican Cession would be protected. -
Compromise of 1850
California admitted as free state, territorial status and popular sovereignty of Utah and New Mexico, resolution of Texas-New Mexico boundaries, federal assumptions of Texas debt, slave trade abolished in DC, and new fugitive slave trade. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Created Nebraska and Kansas as states and gave the people in those territories the right to chose to be a free or slave state through popular sovereignty. -
American Civil War
War between North and South over slavery and succeeding. -
Homestead Act
Provided free land in the West to anyone willing to settle there and develop it. Encouraged westward migration. -
Thirteenth Amendment
Constitutional amendment that officially ended slavery. -
First Reconstruction Act
Divided the South into military districts, granted local voting rights to African Americans and barred former Confederate leaders from holding office. -
Fourteenth Amendment
This amendment states that no state could take away a citizens life, liberty and property without due process of law. -
Fifteenth Amendment
The right of citizens of the U.S. to vote shall not be denied or abridged on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. -
Second Industrial Revolution
Involved development of chemical, electrical, oil, and street industries. Mass production of consumer goods also developed at this time through the mechanization of the manufacture of food and clothing. It saw the popularization of cinema and radio. -
Gold Standard
A monetary system in which paper money and coins are equal to the value of a certain amount of gold. -
Standard Oil Trust
John D Rockefeller's corporation that controlled over 90% of the nations oil and bribed politicians for favors. -
Pendleton Cicil Service Act
Law that created a Civil Service Commission and stated that federal employees could not be required to contribute to campaign funds nor be fired for political reasons. -
Interstate Commerce Commission
Former independent agency of the U.S. government, established in1887; it was charged with regulating the economics and services of specified carriers engaged in transportation between states. Surface transportation under the jurisdiction included railroads, trucking companies, bus line, freight forwarders, water carriers, oil pipelines, transportation brokers and express agencies. -
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
First federal action against monopolies, it was signed into law by Harrison and was extensively used by Theodore Roosevelt for trust-busting. However it was initially misused against labor unions. -
Spanish American War
America wanted Spain to peacefully resolve the Cuban's fight for independence. The start of the war was due in large part to yellow journalism. -
Annexation of Hawaii
U.S. wanted Hawaii for business and so Hawaii sugar could be sold in the U.S duty free, Queen Liliuokalani opposed so Sanford B. Dole overthrew her in 1893, William McKinley convinced Congress to annex Hawaii in1898