Antebellum

This just means pre-war (especially pre-Civil War). Not the country group from Nashville. 

Bank War

Jackson wanted to take apart the federal banking system because he thought it concentrated wealth and power in the hands of the urban elite and took economic power away from the common man. Jackson ultimately won in the end, using his presidential authority to veto the charter of the Second Bank of the United States and redistribute the money to smaller banks. Actually, he just wanted to get back at Alexander Hamilton because his Broadway show did so much better than Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson. 

Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

Another states' vs. federal rights predicament. The act itself forced everyone—and it meant everyone, even if you were from the North and hated slavery with every bone in your body—to return an escaped slave to their master. But anti-slavery folks in the North used history to their advantage. Thinking of the Nullification Crisis and the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, states like Wisconsin and Vermont nullified the act, saying it was unconstitutional. 

Great Ruler of Nations

Really cool name for God. 

Jacksonian Democracy

Is it obvious to say that this was an idea about democracy named after Andrew Jackson? More specifically, this was supposed to be the political ideology for the common man. Yes, man. Women weren't welcome in politics at this time, sadly. Jackson's supporters split away from the Democratic-Republican Party of Thomas Jefferson, forming the Democratic Party. They wanted voting rights for all adult white men, the expansion of U.S. territory to provide cheap land for ordinary farmers, and a strong president. 

Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions

These resolutions of 1798 and 1799 were written in opposition to the federal Alien and Sedition Acts and they really amped up the whole states' vs. federal rights debate in the U.S. In short, the resolutions argued that the states had the right to declare federal government laws as unconstitutional and therefore disobey them. (Thomas Jefferson anonymously penned the Kentucky resolution; James Madison wrote the Virginia version, also secretly.) 

Kitchen Cabinet

Where Jackson kept his takeout from Gadsby's Tavern. 

JK. It really refers to Jackson's informal bunch of advisors. Rumors about Jackson's Secretary of War's wife got him so worked up that he asked for the resignation of everyone in his official cabinet. He appointed a new one, but surrounded himself with like-minded friends whom he knew he could trust. His haters called these "advisers" the Kitchen Cabinet.

Nullification

The idea that states did not have to follow the laws put forth by the federal government if they believed them to be unconstitutional. Nullification meant that, as far as the state was concerned, the law was null and void within its borders. Try that argument next time your unhappy with someone's decision about something and let us know how it goes… 

Secede

To break free from an organization; in this case, the United States of America. Yeah, BFD. 

South Carolina Exposition and Protest

A.K.A. Calhoun's Exposition. Another set of documents written in secret (can you say dramatic flair?), this time by John C. Calhoun. Calhoun's Exposition was the match that lit the Nullification Crisis fire. Calhoun lays out his argument against the tariff of 1828 and the justifications for nullification. The legislature didn't take official action on it, but it caused quite a stir. 

Sovereignty

Governance. Power. Authority. Strength. And. Other. Single. Word. Sentences. 

Tariff (of 1824, 1828, and so on)

A tariff is a tax on imported or exported goods designed to protect a nation's economy by making companies purchase goods made in that country. There have been a ton of these, the first being in 1789. FYI, the Tariff of 1828 and the "Tariff of Abominations" are the same tariff.