Glossary

Continental System

France instituted this system in an effort to stop British exports and destroy British industry. The system closed European ports to British ships and ordered the seizure of any neutral ship that carried British goods or stopped at a British port.

John Marshall

Marshall, who became chief justice of the Supreme Court in 1801, did much to enhance the prestige of and gain public respect for the Court.

judicial review

Judicial review refers to the power of the federal courts to review the constitutionality of federal laws and invalidate acts of Congress that are determined to be in violation of the Constitution. This power is the basis of the important place the Supreme Court has in American life today.

Louisiana Purchase

Fearing that the establishment of a French colonial empire in the West would block American expansion, Jefferson negotiated the purchase of Louisiana Province from France for the price of $15 million. The purchase doubled the size of the United States.

Marbury v. Madison

This Supreme Court decision was a landmark in American constitutional history that greatly expanded the power of the Supreme Court by establishing judicial review. The decision intensified Republican distrust of the federal courts.

Northern Confederacy

In response to the Louisiana Purchase, a group of Federalist congressmen devised a plan for the formation of the "Northern Confederacy," which would consist of New Jersey, New York, New England, and Canada. Rejected by Alexander Hamilton, the plan gained the support of Aaron Burr.

Orders in Council

Britain responded to France's continental system by issuing the Orders in Council, which required all neutral ships to land at a British port to obtain a trading license and pay a tariff.

War Hawks

Many young Republicans who strongly supported national expansion and national honor were elected to Congress in 1812. Federalists dubbed them "War Hawks" because they favored war with Great Britain as an opportunity to defend national honor, assert American interests, and conquer Canada and Florida.

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