Period 1 (1491-1607)
What are the Aztec and Inca Empires?
The two major Native American empires that existed in North and South America before the arrival of Europeans.
Who are the Puritans?
This religious group was persecuted in England and founded the colony of Massachusetts Bay in 1630.
What is the Boston Massacre?
This event in 1770, in which British soldiers fired on American colonists, became a rallying cry for American independence.
What is Marbury v. Madison?
This Supreme Court case established the principle of judicial review, giving the court the power to strike down laws deemed unconstitutional.
What is San Francisco?
This California gold rush city became a symbol of the wild, lawless West.
What is Virginia?
The first successful English colony in North America was established in this current-day state.
What is the French and Indian War?
This war between England and France in the early 18th century had major consequences for North America.
What is the Declaration of Independence?
This document, written in 1776, declared the American colonies' independence from Great Britain.
What is the cotton gin?
This system, introduced by Eli Whitney in the late 18th century, revolutionized cotton production in the South and increased the demand for slave labor.
What is Dred Scott v. Sandford?
This 1857 Supreme Court decision declared that African Americans were not citizens and had no right to sue in federal court.
What is the Mayflower Compact?
This agreement was signed by the Pilgrims on the Mayflower and established a system of self-government for the Plymouth colony.
What is the Enlightenment?
This movement in the 18th century emphasized reason and the scientific method and had a major influence on the American Revolution.
What is the Battle of Saratoga?
his battle in 1777 was a turning point in the Revolutionary War, as it convinced the French to ally with the Americans.
What is the Embargo Act?
This policy, implemented by Thomas Jefferson in 1807, prohibited American ships from trading with foreign countries.
What is the 13th Amendment?
This amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery throughout the country.
What is smallpox?
This epidemic swept across Native American populations and greatly weakened them before European colonization.
What is the House of Burgesses?
This document established a representative assembly in Virginia and served as a model for other colonial assemblies.
What is the Albany Plan of Union?
This plan for a unified colonial government was proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1754.
What is the Monroe Doctrine?
This doctrine, introduced by James Monroe in 1823, warned European powers not to interfere in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere.
What is the Battle of Vicksburg?
This battle in 1863 was the turning point of the Civil War, as it gave the Union control of the Mississippi River.
Who is Hernán Cortés?
This Spanish conquistador defeated the Aztec Empire in Mexico in 1521.
What is the Great Awakening?
This religious revival in the 1730s and 1740s emphasized emotional, personal religious experience and had a significant impact on American culture.
What is the Treaty of Paris?
This treaty in 1783 officially ended the Revolutionary War and recognized American independence.
What is the Trail of Tears?
This trail in the 1830s saw the forced removal of thousands of Native Americans from their ancestral lands and resulted in thousands of deaths.
What is the 14th Amendment?
This Reconstruction-era amendment granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to all persons born or naturalized in the United States.