Unit 1
Colonization
The process of establishing control over another territory and sending people to settle there
Checks and balances
The system prevents any branch of government from becoming too powerful
Louisiana Purchase
The 1803 land acquisition from France that doubled the size of the United States
What happened in the Civil War period
Secession: Southern states' withdrawal from the Union
King Cotton Diplomacy: Confederate strategy to gain European support through the cotton trade
Conscription: Military draft during the Civil War
Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln's order freeing enslaved people in rebel states
Ex Parte Merryman: Supreme Court case challenging Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus
What happened in Marbury v. Madison in 1803
Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that the Supreme Court had the power of judicial review, allowing it to declare laws unconstitutional. The case arose when William Marbury sued for his commission as justice of the peace, which James Madison had withheld. While the Court determined Marbury deserved his commission, it ruled that the law Marbury used to bring his case was unconstitutional. This established the Court's authority to review acts of Congress and declare them void if they violate the Constitution, fundamentally shaping the American system of checks and balances.
Sugar Act (1764)
Tax on sugar and other goods; first act to raise revenue from colonies
The Constitution
Established three branches of government and federal system
Missouri Compromise
1820 agreement maintaining balance between free and slave states
What are 5 Important timeline events
1850: Compromise of 1850
1854: Kansas-Nebraska Act
1857: Dred Scott Decision
1860: Lincoln's Election
1861-1865: Civil War
What happened McCulloch v. Maryland in 1819
This case addressed state attempts to tax the Second Bank of the United States. Chief Justice Marshall ruled that Congress had the power to establish a national bank under the Constitution's "necessary and proper" clause, even though this power wasn't explicitly stated. The Court also determined that states couldn't tax federal institutions. The ruling strengthened federal power over states and established the doctrine of implied powers, expanding Congress's ability to implement the Constitution's expressed powers.
King George III
British monarch during the American Revolution who refused colonial demands
What are the weaknesses of the Articles of confederation
-Structure/Weaknesses:
-No national court system
-No national army
-Weak executive branch
-No unified currency
-Unable to collect taxes
What are key Historical Figures
Andrew Jackson: 7th President, known for Indian removal and expanding democracy
Frederick Douglass: Former enslaved person, abolitionist leader, and author
Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Elizabeth Cady Stanton: Women's rights activist
What are Key causes of Civil War
Slavery
Economic differences between North and South
States' rights debates
Political party divisions
Westward expansion disputes
What are Cherokee Nation v. Georgia in 1831
The Cherokee Nation sued Georgia to prevent the enforcement of state laws on its territory. Chief Justice Marshall ruled that Native American tribes were "domestic dependent nations" rather than foreign nations, meaning they couldn't sue in federal court as foreign nations could. This decision established the federal trust responsibility to tribes and defined tribes as neither states nor foreign nations, but as dependent sovereign nations, creating a unique legal status that continues to influence federal-tribal relations today.
Daughters of Liberty
Women who supported boycotts through making homemade goods
Northwest Ordinance (1787): Organized western territories
Shays' Rebellion: Highlighted government weakness
Rise of sectionalism between states
What are 3 Important Economic terms
Cotton Gin: An Invention that increased cotton production and slavery expansion
Factory System: Manufacturing method using machines and division of labor
Interchangeable Parts: Standardized parts that could be easily replaced
Lowell Mills: Early textile factories employing young women
What are the Important Events Timeline
1850: Compromise of 1850
1854: Kansas-Nebraska Act
1857: Dred Scott Decision
1860: Lincoln's Election
1861-1865: Civil War
1863: Emancipation Proclamation
1865-1877: Reconstruction
1877: Compromise of 1877
what are Dred Scott v. Sandford in 1857
In this infamous decision, Chief Justice Roger Taney ruled that enslaved people and their descendants were not U.S. citizens and therefore had no right to sue in federal court. The Court also declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, stating Congress couldn't ban slavery in territories. This decision intensified sectional tensions, contributed to the Civil War's outbreak, and is considered one of the Court's worst decisions, later overturned by the 13th and 14th Amendments
French and Indian War (1754-1763)
Conflict between Britain and France over North American territory
What are the causes of war in 1812
-Embargo Act of 1807
-British impressment of sailors
-War Hawks
-Tecumseh's resistance
3 Geographic Expansion Term
Manifest Destiny: The belief that American settlers were destined to expand across North America
Indian Removal Act: Law passed in 1830, forcing Native Americans to move west of the Mississippi River
Trail of Tears: Forced relocation of Native American tribes, resulting in thousands of deaths
Mexican-American War (1846-1848): Conflict between the U.S. and Mexico resulting in Mexican territory.
What are the challenges of reconstruction
Implementation of Constitutional Amendments
Rise of the Ku Klux Klan
Economic struggles in the South
Political resistance to African American rights
Emergence of the sharecropping system
What happened in Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896
Homer Plessy challenged Louisiana's Separate Car Act requiring separate railroad cars for Black and white passengers. The Supreme Court upheld racial segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine, ruling that segregation didn't violate the 14th Amendment as long as facilities were equal. This decision legitimized racial segregation and Jim Crow laws across the South for nearly 60 years until Brown v. Board of Education (1954) overturned it.