Colonial & Early Republic
What 1607 settlement is considered the first permanent English colony in North America?
Jamestown (1607)
Which 1776 document declared the American colonies independent from Britain?
Declaration of Independence (1776).
Which 1803 land purchase doubled the size of the United States?
Louisiana Purchase.
In what years did the Civil War occur?
1861–1865.
Name one historic document (other than the U.S. Constitution) that influenced American government ideas
Magna Carta, English Bill of Rights, Mayflower Compact, Federalist Papers.
Name the written agreement signed by Pilgrims in 1620 to establish self-government in Plymouth.
Mayflower Compact
Name two causes of the American Revolution
Examples: Stamp Act, Intolerable Acts, mercantilism, lack of representation, Proclamation of 1763.
Define "Manifest Destiny" in one sentence.
Belief that the U.S. was destined to expand across the continent.
What event marked the beginning of the Civil War with the first shots fired?
Firing on Fort Sumter.
What are "unalienable rights" as referenced in the Declaration of Independence? Give one example.
Rights that cannot be taken away: life, liberty, pursuit of happiness
Identify one major reason English colonists established colonies in North America (choose political, economic, religious, or social)
Examples: political (expand English power), economic (search for resources/trade), religious (seek freedom), social (land and opportunity).
Give one role played by George Washington during the American Revolution.
Commander of Continental Army; led troops; set precedent as first president
Name one cause and one effect of the U.S.–Mexican War.
Cause: territorial/military conflict, expansion desire; Effect: U.S. gained territories (Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo), increased sectional tensions over slavery.
Name two important Civil War battles
Antietam, Gettysburg, Vicksburg
Describe one technological innovation from the 19th century that changed manufacturing or transportation
Cotton gin (increased cotton production), steamboat (faster transport), telegraph (faster communication), interchangeable parts (mass production).
What early colonial legislative body in Virginia is an example of representative government?
Virginia House of Burgesses.
What were the Great Compromise and the Three–Fifths Compromise issues debated at the Constitutional Convention?
Great Compromise: bicameral legislature with representation by population (House) and equal states (Senate). Three–Fifths Compromise: count three-fifths of enslaved people for representation and taxation.
Explain how the expansion of slavery contributed to growing sectionalism before the Civil War.
Expansion raised disputes whether new territories would permit slavery, increasing sectional tensions and political compromises.
What was the Emancipation Proclamation and why was it significant?
Executive order by Lincoln freeing enslaved people in Confederate states; redefined war aims and allowed enlistment of Black soldiers.
Explain the purpose of amending the U.S. Constitution and name one Reconstruction amendment (13th, 14th, or 15th)
Purpose: to correct, update, or clarify the Constitution; Reconstruction amendment example: 13th abolished slavery.
Explain how the Northwest Ordinance influenced orderly expansion of the United States (brief).
Northwest Ordinance set process for admitting new states, prohibited slavery in Northwest Territory, provided orderly settlement rules.
Analyze one major weakness of the Articles of Confederation that led to the writing of the U.S. Constitution.
Weaknesses: no power to tax, no strong central government, interstate trade problems, no executive to enforce laws.
How did tariff policies affected different regions of the United States before the Civil War?
Tariffs favored Northern industry but harmed Southern economy relying on imports and exports; contributed to regional resentment.
Evaluate one political or social effect of Reconstruction on the United States
passage of 13th–15th Amendments, temporary political power for African Americans, rise of Black officeholders, backlash and segregation/Black Codes later
Analyze how the development of the free enterprise system (minimal regulation, property rights) shaped the early U.S. economy
Free enterprise encouraged private ownership, competition, and innovation; led to regional economic differences, industrial growth in North, plantation economy in South.