American Pageant 16th edition Vocabulary Words and Definitions
*You are responsible for all terms in your readings and assignments as well as the terms below.*
Chapter 13: “The Rise of Mass Democracy”
Alamo
Fortress in Texas where four hundred American volunteers were slain by Santa Anna in 1836.
“Remember the Alamo” became a battle cry in support of Texan independence.
Anti-Masonic
Party
First founded in New York, it gained considerable influence in New England and the mid-Atlantic during
the 1832 election, campaigning against the politically influential Masonic order, a secret society. AntiMasons opposed Andrew Jackson, a Mason, and drew much of their support from evangelical
Protestants.
Bank War
Battle between President Andrew Jackson and Congressional supporters of the Bank of the United
States over the bank’s renewal in 1832. Jackson vetoed the Bank Bill, arguing that the bank favored
moneyed interests at the expense of western farmers.
Black Hawk
War
Series of clashes in Illinois and Wisconsin between American forces and Indian chief Black Hawk of the
Sauk and Fox tribes, who unsuccessfully tried to reclaim territory lost under the 1830 Indian Removal
Act.
compromise
Tariff of 1833
Passed as a measure to resolve the nullification crisis, it provided that tariffs be lowered gradually, over a
period of ten years, to 1816 levels.
corrupt bargain Alleged deal between presidential candidates John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay to throw the election,
to be decided by the House of Representatives, in Adams’ favor. Though never proven, the accusation
became the rallying cry for supporters of Andrew Jackson, who had actually garnered a plurality of the
popular vote in 1824.
Force Bill
Passed by Congress alongside the Compromise Tariff, it authorized the president to use the military to
collect federal tariff duties.
Goliad
Texas outpost where American volunteers, having laid down their arms and surrendered, were
massacred by Mexican forces in 1836. The incident, along with the slaughter at the Alamo, fueled
American support for Texan independence.
Indian Removal Ordered the removal of Indian Tribes still residing east of the Mississippi to newly established Indian
Act
Territory west of Arkansas and Missouri. Tribes resisting eviction were forcibly removed by American
forces, often after prolonged legal or military battles.
Nullification
Crisis
Showdown between President Andrew Jackson and the South Carolina legislature, which declared the
1832 tariff null and void in the state and threatened secession if the federal government tried to collect
duties. It was resolved by a compromise negotiated by Henry Clay in 1833.
Panic of 1873
Economic crisis triggered by bank failures, elevated grain prices, and Andrew Jackson’s efforts to curb
overspeculation on western lands and transportation improvements. In response, President Martin Van
Buren proposed the “Divorce Bill,” which pulled treasury funds out of the banking system altogether,
contracting the credit supply.
pet banks
Popular term for pro-Jackson state banks that received the bulk of federal deposits when Andrew
Jackson moved to dismantle the Bank of the United States in 1833.
San Jacinto,
Resulted in the capture of Mexican dictator Santa Anna, who was forced to withdraw his troops from
Battle of (1836) Texas and recognize the Rio Grande as Texas’s Southwestern border
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Specia Circular U.S. Treasury decree requiring that all public lands be purchased with “hard,” or metallic, currency.
Issued after small state banks flooded the market with unreliable paper currency, fueling land speculation
in the West.
Spoils system
Policy of rewarding political supporters with public office, first widely employed at the federal level by
Andrew Jackson. The practice was widely abused by unscrupulous office seekers, but it also helped
cement party loyalty in the emerging two-party system.
Tariff of
Abominations
Noteworthy for its unprecedentedly high duties on imports. Southerners vehemently opposed the Tariff,
arguing that it hurt Southern farmers, who did not enjoy the protection of tariffs, but were forced to pay
higher prices for manufactures.
Trail of Tears
Forced march of 15,000 Cherokee Indians from their Georgia and Alabama homes to Indian Territory.
Some 4,000 Cherokee died on the arduous journey.
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