Native Americans
What number system did the Maya and Aztecs both use?
Zero
What were the two main reasons settlers came to the English colonies?
Religious freedom and to make money through farming
What is religious toleration? Where was it found?
Allowing others to practice their own religion. It was found in the Middle Colonies.
Why were American colonists upset about British tax laws?
Colonists lacked representation in Parliament
What are "separation of powers" and "checks and balances"?
Systems that prevent any one branch of government from becoming too powerful
What is the Sedition Act?
A law that punished people who insulted or spoke against the government
What was the French and Indian War?
War between Great Britain and France. Great Britain won, but left the country in debt.
Name one way Native Americans adapted to their environment.
Built irrigation systems for farming / hunted buffalo / built pueblos / fished
What was the Columbian Exchange?
The spread of people, goods, and diseases between Europe and the Americas
Name the three regions of the thirteen colonies.
New England
Middle
Southern
Why did the British begin to tax the colonies?
They were in debt from the French and Indian War.
What were three weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
The Articles of Confederation were too weak.
- No president
- Unable to tax
- Difficult to pass laws.
What did the Sedition Act make illegal?
Speaking against or writing false things about the government or President
What is the "Join or Die" cartoon about?
It showed the need for colonies to unite together / unity was necessary for survival
Why did different Native American groups develop different cultures?
Each group adapted to its own environment in a different way
What disease did the Columbian Exchange spread to Native Americans?
Various European diseases / smallpox
What mainly caused differences between the three colonial regions?
Geographic conditions
Name two forms of protest. Why did boycotts work against British taxes?
Boycott/Smuggling
They caused British merchants to lose money
Which house of Congress is based on population? Which had equal representation?
House of Representatives (population). Senate (equal)
Why were people upset by the Sedition Act?
It violated free speech rights / people could be punished for criticizing the government
Name one Act the British passed and what it did.
Stamp Act (paper goods) / Tea Act (tea) / Townshend Acts (manufactured goods) / Quartering Act (soldiers could live in colonists' homes) / taxes without representation (no say in Parliament)
What was the major cause of death for Native Americans after contact with Spanish explorers?
Disease. Specifically Smallpox
Name one item that traveled from Europe to the Americas during the Columbian Exchange.
Horses / pigs / cattle / wheat / disease
What does "mercantilism" mean?
The belief that colonies exist to benefit the economy of the mother country
What does the phrase "no taxation without representation" mean?
Colonists should not be taxed if they cannot have a say in the British Parliament.
Name the three branches of government. What are their roles?
Legislative Branch - makes the laws
Executive Branch - enforces the laws
Judicial Branch - interprets the laws
What was Manifest Destiny?
The belief that God gave the United States the right to expand westward all the way to the Pacific Ocean.
What was an effect of the Boston Tea Party?
Great Britain punished the colonists with the Intolerable Acts.
Which Native American group built floating gardens?
The Aztec
What was one effect of the Columbian Exchange on Native American populations?
Many Native Americans died from disease
What is the difference between subsistence farming and plantation farming?
Subsistence farming is growing food for your own family / Plantation farming is growing crops to sell for profit
What historical event did the series of British policies and colonial protests lead to?
The American Revolution
What did the separation of powers accomplish?
It divided government power so no one branch became too strong
How did westward expansion affect Native Americans?
They were forced from their lands / many died / they were relocated
Why was the Battle of Saratoga known as the turning point of the American Revolution?
France began to help out the colonists.