Period 1
When Christopher Columbus first arrived in America, where did he think he was?
The Indies
What is the Enlightenment?
A movement that emphasized reason, individualism, and natural rights, influencing colonial thinkers and leaders during the 18th century, shaping ideas about government, society, and human nature.
What is the Boston Tea Party?
This act of colonial defiance that involved dumping tea into Boston Harbor to protest British policies.
What is the War of 1812?
The War of 1812, fought between the U.S. and Britain, was caused by issues like impressment and trade restrictions. It ended in a tie but boosted American unity and economic independence.
What is the Compromise of 1850?
A compromise, proposed in 1850, that aimed to resolve disputes over slavery in newly acquired territories from the Mexican-American War. It included the admission of California as a free state, the Fugitive Slave Act, and popular sovereignty in Utah and New Mexico.
Define the Columbian exchange
The exchange from Europe of livestock, grains, diseases, to America for tobacco, corn/maize, beans, etc.
What is Bacon's Rebellion?
A armed rebellion in 1676 in the Virginia colony, led by a planter against the colonial government, that was triggered by disputes over land, Native American policy, and political representation.
What is the Articles of Confederation?
This first attempt at a national government in the U.S., which was weak and ultimately replaced.
What is the Monroe Doctrine?
The policy that declared that the Americas were no longer open to European colonization.
What is the Emancipation Proclamation?
An executive order, issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, declared that all enslaved people in Confederate-held territory were to be freed. While it did not immediately free all slaves, it transformed the Union's war aims and paved the way for the 13th Amendment.
What is maize (corn)?
A crop, cultivated by Native Americans in Mexico and then spread throughout the Americas, that became a staple food source and supported large populations.
Define the Great Awakening
A religious revival influenced by Enlightenment thinkers in Europe.
What is the American Revolution?
An event, sparked by colonial grievances, that led to the birth of the United States of America.
Define the Louisiana Purchase
The 1803 acquisition of land from France for $15 million that doubled the size of the United States, giving the U.S. control of the Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans.
What is manifest destiny?
The belief that the U.S is destined by God to extend its power and civilization across the entire North America.
What is the Encomienda system?
The Encomienda system was a system based on labor/economy, created by the Spanish to determine the status of Native Americans.
What did the Slave Code do?
It denied rights to slaves and allowed them to be defined as property instead of people.
What are The Federalist Papers?
These essays, written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay, that argued for the ratification of the Constitution.
Explain the Missouri Compromise
An agreement in 1820 admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, maintaining the balance in the Senate. It also prohibited slavery in the remaining Louisiana Purchase lands north of the 36°30′ parallel.
What are the Black Codes?
These laws, passed during Reconstruction, aimed to restrict the rights and freedoms of African Americans in the South. They varied by state but often included measures such as vagrancy laws, labor contracts, and restrictions on voting and land ownership.
What is the Treaty of Tordesillas?
A treaty signed in 1494 by King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile, that divided the newly discovered lands outside of Europe between Portugal and Spain.
What is the French and Indian War (or Seven Years' War)?
A conflict fought between Britain and France from 1754 to 1763, resulting in British victory and control over vast territories in North America. It also led to increased tensions between Britain and its American colonies.
What is the French Revolution?
This European upheaval, which began in 1789, initially earned American support but later divided the nation.
Explain the Second Great Awakening
The Second Great Awakening was an early 19th-century religious revival with emotional gatherings that boosted church membership and inspired movements for social reform like temperance and abolition. It changed American religion by emphasizing personal conversion and the idea that anyone could be saved.
What is sharecropping?
A system that developed in the South after the Civil War, where landowners provided land, tools, and supplies to tenant farmers, who in turn gave a portion of their crops to the landowner. It often trapped farmers in a cycle of debt and dependence.