US History 1 Midterm Vocabulary

A conflict between Britain and France for control of territory in North America, lasting from 1754 to 1763

Proposal by Benjamin Franklin to create one government for the 13 colonies

Civilians trained as soldiers but not part of the regular army

Law forbidding English colonists to settle west of the Appalachian mountains

Law passed by the British Parliament setting taxes on molasses and sugar imported by the colonies

An act passed by the British that allowed British troops to live in the homes of the colonists

A group of colonists who formed a secret society to oppose British policies at the time of the American Revolution

A tax that the British Parliament placed on leads, glass, paint and tea

The first bloodshed of the Amercan Revolution, as British guards at the Boston Customs House opened fire on a crowd killing five americans

Protest against increased tea prices in which colonists dumped british tea into boston harbor

Representatives from the colonies met together to discuss how to overthrow the British

The first battle of the Revolution in which British general Thomas Gage went after the stockpiled weapons of the colonists in Concord, Massachusetts

A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that claimed the colonies had a right to be an independent nation

An offer of peace sent by the Second Continental Congress to King George lll

The document approved by representatives of the American colonies in 1776 that stated their grievances against the British monarch and declared their independence

Military engagement that led King George III officially to declare the colonists in revolt; first battleof the Revolution

Colonists who were loyal to Britain

Colonists who wanted independence from Britain

The Hessians are Germans, 30,000 of them were employed by George III for the army

American victory against Hessians in Trenton saves the army and gives Americans hope

Turning point of the American Revolution

Treaty where France agreed to help the colonists win their independence from England

Last major battle; surrender of Cornwallis, led King George III to officially make peace with the colonies

Treaty Between England and the Colonies , formally ended the American Revolutionary War

A weak constitution that governed America during the Revolutionary War

Executive, Legislative, Judicial

A form of government in which citizens choose their leaders by voting

A political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them

The uprising of farmers to protest high taxes and heavy debt

Father of the constitution; leading federalist; author of the Bill of Rights

Proposal to create a strong national government

Favored the small states in proportional representation

Called for a two-house legislature with representation based on population in one house and equal representation in the other house

A system in which power is divided between the national and state governments

The division of power among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government

A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power

a group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president

Formal approval, final consent to the effectiveness of a constitution, constitutional amendment, or treaty

Supporters of the Constitution that were led by Alexander Hamilton and John Adams. They firmly believed the national government should be strong. They didn't want the Bill of Rights because they felt citizens' rights were already well protected by the Constitution

Opposed to a strong central government; saw undemocratic tendencies in the Constitution and insisted on the inclusion of the Bill of Rights. Included Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and Patrick Henry

Written by Hamilton, Jay, & Madison to support ratification of the U.S. Constituiton; 85 essays altogether

The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which largely guarantee specific rights and liberties

Departments designed to help the president lead the nation and make decisions

1) pay off national debt at face value, 2) protect the nation's industries & impose high tariffs on imports, 3) national bank, stable currency

Virginia would give up some land for the new capital and ratify the constitution; Washington DC

A government tax on imports or exports

Belief that the Constitution should be followed literally

Belief that the Constitution is flexible

Declared that war must be avoided, as the United States was too militarily disjointed to engage in war

Agreement that ended the dispute with Britain over American shipping during the French Revolution

1794 protest against the government's tax on whiskey by back country farmers

Warned Americans not to get involved in European affairs, not to make permanent alliances, not to form political parties and to avoid sectionalism

A 1797 incident in which French officials demanded a bribe from U.S. diplomats

acts passed by federalists giving the government power to imprison or deport foreign citizens and prosecute critics of the government

Deemed Alien & Sedition Acts unconstitutional. Demonstrated state's power to override national law

Adams, Jefferson, and Burr: Adams lost, Jefferson and Burr tied, Hamilton convinced other Federalists to vote for Jefferson to break the tie

This case establishes the Supreme Court's power of Judicial Review

The power of the Supreme Court to declare laws and actions of local, state, or national governments unconstitutional

1803 purchase of the Louisiana territory from France. Made by Jefferson, this doubled the size of the US

Two explorers sent by the president to explore the Louisiana Purchase

Publish mean things about each other, Burr challenges Hamilton to duel, Burr kills Hamilton (maybe by accident, but he was still trying to injure him), Burr disappears after

British practice of taking American sailors and forcing them into military service

Attack in 1807 by the British ship Leopard on the American ship Chesapeake in American territorial waters

An act passed by Congress to stop all foreign trade with the United States

War between the U.S. and Great Britain which lasted until 1814, ending with the Treaty of Ghent and a renewed sense of American nationalism

Decisive victory in the War of 1812 by Harrison over Tecumseh, used in Harrison's campaign for presidency

British burnt D.C in response to Americans burning York

Written by Francis Scott Key in Baltimore when the British bombed Ft. McHenry

Gathering of antiwar delegates in New England that ended up being accused of treason

Treaty that ended the War of 1812

Battle in 1815 between american and british troops for control of New Orleans, ending in an american victory

Missouri admitted as a slave state, Maine as a free state, slavery prohibited above 36'30" parallel

Change in technology, brought about by improvements in machinery and by use of steam power

Took ideas from England about effectively producing textile, America's first large industry

Established the first factory town and one of the first to hire women to work the factories; idea of specialized work force

United States inventor of the mechanical cotton gin (1765-1825)

Identical components that can be used in place of one another in manufacturing

A machine for cleaning the seeds from cotton fibers, invented by Eli Whitney in 1793

Artificial waterway opened in 1825 linking Lake Erie to the Hudson River

Combines raw materials and processed goods into finished products

The freedom of private businesses to operate competitively for profit with minimal government regulation

Devolopment of skills in a specific kind of work

Poorly built, overcrowded housing where many immigrants lived

An organization formed by workers to strive for better wages and working conditions

Nonviolent refusal to continue to work until a problem is resolved

United States slave and insurrectionist who in 1831 led a rebellion of slaves in Virginia

A strong feeling of pride in and devotion to one's country

A name for President Monroe's two terms, a period of strong nationalism, economic growth, and territorial expansion

Court ruled that congress did have authority to charter bank, citing the necessary and proper clause; States couldn't tax government property

Gave control of interstate commerce to U.S. Congress (1824)

An American foreign policy opposing interference in the Western hemisphere from outside powers

Madison still prevailed, even though the country was divided over the issue of war (many Northern states opposed war)

Supposed deal to swing the Presidential election of 1824 in return for a place on the cabinet

Establish protective tariff, bring back national bank and sponser development of transportation systems

The idea of spreading political power to all the people, thereby ensuring majority rule

The practice of giving offices and other favors of government to political supporters and friends

A heavy tax on imports designed to boost american manufacturing

A dispute led by John C. Calhoun that said that states could ignore federal laws if they believed those laws violated the Constitution

Removed indians from southern states and put them on reservations in the midwest

1832 The court banned Georgia's extension of state law into Cherokee land. Jackson ignored the decision

The tragic journey of the Cherokee people from their home land to Indian territory between 1838 and 1839, thousands of Cherokees died

Andrew Jackson doesnt like the bank. and he refuses to charter it. Biddle(bank owner) says he has to. and they argue

State banks where Andrew Jackson placed deposits removed from the federal National Bank

As a result of Jackson's economic policies, the United States went through another depression It resulted in the closure of many banks and record unemployment levels

Tyler's slogan during his election, using his vicotry during the Battle of Tippecanoe as a "pro" for voting for him

Believed that the most important truths in life transcended or went beyond human reason

Author of Walden who practiced ideas of transcendentalism

A social reform effort begun in the mid-1800s to encourage people to drink less alcohol

United States educator who introduced reforms that significantly altered the system of public education (1796-1859)

Separation of people based on racial, ethnic, or other differences

Activist who helped improve conditions of mental patients

Communities based on a vision of a perfect society

The movement concentrated on ending slavery in the United States

The freeing of enslaved people

American abolitionist and writer, he escaped slavery and became a leading African American spokesman and writer

A system of secret routes used by escaping slaves to reach freedom in the North or in Canada

Former slave who helped slaves escape on the Underground Railroad

Former slave who became an abolitionist and women's rights activist

Women's rights convention that results in a declaration of sentiments but not much else

Movement dedicated to achieving women's right to vote

One of the largest groups of individuals to emigrant to the United States; Main reason was the potato famine

Heavy drinkers, labor force, bad economies in Europe - (potato) - Germans set US moral character

Religious movements, traveling "meetings," rise of Baptist and Methodist ministries; Charles G. Finney

Spain ceded Florida to the United States and gave up its claims to the Oregon Territory

The belief that the United States was destined to stretch across the continent from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean; domestic security achieved

Most traveled overland routes to the west; dangerous and extremely popular

Migration of thousands of people to California (in 1849) after gold was discovered there

A mostly flat and grassy region of western North America

Original settler of Texas, granted land from Mexico on condition of no slaves, convert to Roman Catholic, and learn Spanish

Commander of the Texas army at the battle of San Jacinto; later elected president of the Republic of Texas

Successful revolt by Texans against Mexican rule in 1835-1836

Texans were greatly outnumbered and many were killed by the Mexicans. However, Texans were then inspired to seek revenge

Mexican general and dictator whose large army failed to defeat the Texans

After the battle at the Alamo, Texas gains its independence, only to be annexed by the US shortly after. Leading to a land grab for California

War lasting from 1846 to 1848 in which the US defeated Mexico and gained Mexican territory

Nickname for California after it declared independence form Mexico in 1846

Treaty that ended the Mexican War, granting the U.S. control of Texas, New Mexico, and California in exchange for $15 million

Purchase of land from mexico in 1853 that established the present U.S.-mexico boundary

Law passed in 1846 that banned slavery in any territories won by the United States from Mexico

Loyalty to one's own region of the country, rather than to the nation as a whole

An 1852 novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe written to show the evils of slavery and the injustice of the Fugitive Slave Act

Author of the antislavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin

Missouri admitted as a slave state, Maine as a free state, slavery prohibited above 36'30" parallel

Agreement over slavery by which California joined the Union as a free state and a strict fugitive slave law was passed

Law that provided for harsh treatment for escaped slaves and for those who helped them

South Carolina Senator - advocate for state's rights, limited government, and nullification

This political party was a Anti-immigrant group of people who believed in a policy that protected interest of native born against immigrants

Called for popular sovereignty to settle the issue of slavery in the territories

The concept that the people of the state should vote whether to be a slave state or free

Political party that believed in the non-expansion of slavery and comprised of Whigs, Northern Democrats, and Free-Soilers, in defiance to the Slave Powers

People who opposed expansion of slavery into western territories

Term referring to bloodshed over popular sovereignty in a particular western territory

Established that slaves were property, not people (1854)

Pro-slave constitution that got voted in for Kansas after anti-slavery people boycotted the election

The 1858 series of slavery debates between Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln preceding the election of 1860

A plan to provide weapons to slaves to start a revolt on slavery. It failed and John Brown was hung for treason

Lincoln was elected, NO states in the south elected him, he won because he got northern votes, and the other votes were split