APUSH Unit 5

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Eli Whitney: A mechanical genius who invented the cotton gin, which was machine that separated the cotton from the seed. This greatly improved efficiency, and the South was able to clear more acres of cotton fields, which also increased the demand for slaves.
Reform Crusades: These were a series of movements designed to better American society. They included movements such as prison reform, temperance, and women's rights. While not bringing an immediate change, the reforms did act as a starting point for a series of changes later on.
Commonwealth v. Hunt: A Massachusetts Supreme Court case regarding the issue of worker unions; it ruled that unions were not illegal conspiracies provided that their actions were honorable and peaceful. While this did not legalize the worker strikes, it was a milestone for later acts regarding worker unions.
Noah Webster: American writer who wrote textbooks to help the advancement of education. He also wrote a dictionary which helped standardize the American language.
Samuel Houston: An American who went to Texas. During the Texan Rebellion, he was made commander in chief of their armed forces and ultimately defeated the Mexicans. He later served as president of Texas for two terms. He was influential in getting Texas its statehood.
DeWitt Clinton: Governor of New York who started the Erie Canal project. His leadership helped complete the canal, which boosted the economy greatly by cutting time traveled from west New York to the Hudson.
Utopian Experiments: Due to the perfectionism occurring in the country, some radical groups attempted to create utopian societies based on communism and equality. These were just examples of the feelings felt by certain Americans that somewhat reflected the general perfectionism.
Deism: Belief that held that God did exist, but man was responsible for building upon what was created. It would help promote scientific advancement as well as inspire Unitarianism.
Webster-Ashburton Treaty: settled the dispute over the location of the Maine-New Brunswick border between the United States and Canada as well as the location of the border in the westward frontier up to the Rocky Mountains -called for a final end to the slave trade on the high seas, to be enforced by both signatories
Henry David Thoreau: American transcendentalist who was against a government that supported slavery. He wrote down his beliefs in Walden. He started the movement of civil-disobedience when he refused to pay the toll-tax to support him Mexican War.
Elizabeth Blackwell: A woman who challenging the taboo of professional women. She graduated from medical college, thereby proving that women are able to do what men can.
Know-Nothing Party: A party which pushed for political action against these newcomers. They displayed the feelings of America regarding newcomers that were different and therefore, the double standard of the country.
Walt Whitman: American poet and transcendentalist who was famous for his beliefs on nature, as demonstrated in his book, Leaves of Grass. He was therefore an important part for the buildup of American literature and breaking the traditional rhyme method in writing poetry.
John Deere: American blacksmith that was responsible for inventing the steel plow. This new plow was much stronger than the old iron version; therefore, it made plowing farmland in the west easier, making expansion faster.
Perfectionism: Due to the new liberal movements and religious fervor, many Americans believed that perfection was attainable. Therefore, a series of movements took place to perfect society, such as prison reform, temperance, etc.
Oregon Question: A dispute between the British and the Americans over the boundary of Oregon. However, it was resolved by declaring the 49th parallel the official border, preventing war yet again.
Samuel Slater: British mechanic who "stole" the plans of British machinery and used them to reconstruct a machine to spin cotton in NE. This started the Industrial Revolution for America and placed the North at the center.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: American poet that was influenced somewhat by the transcendentalism occurring at the time. He was important in building the status of American literature.
Log-Cabin Campaign, 1840: This was William Henry Harrison's bid for the presidency as a Whig. The campaign attempted to gain the support of the population by portraying Harrison as a simple man who lived in a log cabin. Harrison ultimately won, and was the beginning of active campaigning and slogans.
Caroline Incident: An incident where an American steamer was attacked by the British. It caused a rise in tensions between the two countries.
Slidell Mission: This was a last ditch attempt to gain California for America. Polk sent Slidell to offer a maximum of $25 million for it, but it was rejected by the Mexicans. This prompted Polk to provoke war with the Mexicans.
Joseph Smith: He was responsible for forming the Mormon sect of Christianity. This new sect was an American one and not European in origin as with all the other sects.
Transcendentalists: Followers of a belief which stressed self-reliance, self- culture, self-discipline, and that knowledge transcends instead of coming by reason. They promoted the belief of individualism and caused an array of humanitarian reforms.
Catherine Beecher: Female reformer that pushed for female employment as teachers; however, she still embraced the role of a good homemaker for women. She was an example of the fact that not all women were pushing for radical reforms.
Harriet Beecher Stowe: She was an American writer famous for Uncle Tom's Cabin, which was about the blackness of American slavery. Acclaimed in Europe and the North, the book furthered the abolitionist movement, and it was a cause of the Civil War.
Samuel Morse: He developed an electric telegraph which allowed information to be transferred from one place to another by means of a strung wire using a dot-slash code. This was an early form of quick communication that helped tie people together regardless of distance.
The Liberator: An anti-slavery newspaper written by William Lloyd Garrison. It drew attention to abolition, both positive and negative, causing a war of words between supporters of slavery and those opposed.
Frederick Douglas: Famous black abolitionist that escaped from slavery who would later right a narrative of his own life that described his life. He promoted the abolitionist cause and drew the line where evil must be denounced.
Ralph Waldo Emerson: American transcendentalist who was against slavery and stressed self-reliance, optimism, self-improvement, self-confidence, and freedom. He was a prime example of a transcendentalist and helped further the movement.
Cumberland Road: A national road that stretched from Maryland to Illinois. It was the first national/interstate highway, and it was a milestone for the eventual connection of all the states by highways, thus increasing trade.
William Lloyd Garrison: Ardent abolitionist that fought against slavery for moral reasons. His influence brought many people to his standard, as well as to oppose him. He created the Anti-Slavery Society. argued for immediate and complete emancipation of all slaves and founded The Liberator
Brigham Young: The successor to the Mormons after the death of Joseph Smith. He was responsible for the survival of the sect and its establishment in Utah, thereby populating the would-be state.
John Tyler: Vice-president under Harrison brought in to gain support of the South. His presidency was responsible for the veto against another Bank of the U.S and settled the Texas and Maine disputes in the country
Robert Fulton: Inventor of the steamboat, which as a boat that had a powerful steam engine. These enabled boats to travel upstream on rivers, thus increasing trade while at the same time improving inter and state transportation.
Immigration Patters: Due to the varied problems in Europe, distinct groups immigrated to America. First were the Irish, who were hated for their Catholicism and their taking of American jobs. The next group was the Germans, who faired better than the Irish due to the fact that they brought over culture and already knew how to farm. Their massive movement caused a growth of nativist feelings in American, as well as the creation of the Know Nothings.
James K. Polk: He was the next American president after Tyler. His presidency is known for settling the Oregon dispute, granting Texas statehood, and winning the Mexican-American War.
Seneca Falls Convention: This was a meeting of feminists at Seneca Falls where the women mimicked the Declaration to include women and their grievances as well as demanded the vote. The convention started the feminist movement.
Cyrus Field: American businessman who laid the first telegraph wire across the Atlantic. This cut down the time it took for a message to be sent from Europe to American and vice-versa.
Santa Anna: Mexican dictator who was in charge when war broke out between the Mexicans and Americans. He lost Texas to rebels, and was the leader of the armed forces during the war.
Texas Question: Dispute between those who wanted Texas to be immediately accepted as a state; and those who wanted to wait until there was a new free state ready to join so that the balance in the Senate would not be undone. It increased the tensions between the North and South.
Second Great Awakening: A second religious fervor that swept the nation. It converted more than the first. It also had an effect on moral movements such as prison reform, the temperance movement, and moral reasoning against slavery.
Cyrus McCormick: Irish-American inventor that developed the mechanical reaper. The reaper replaced scythes as the preferred method of cutting crops for harvest, and it was much more efficient and much quicker. The invention helped the agricultural growth of America.

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Number of cards 42