jamestown
first successful english settlement in north america; 1607; had trouble due to the fact that settlers didn't make camps right away, and rather searched for gold; saved by the powhatan natives and john smith's leadership
indentured servitude
type of labor in which a person agrees to work for a period of 4-7 years in exchange for passage to North America, food, and shelter
puritans
a denomonination of christianity that felt the need to reform the church from within; some from this group decide to break away from the church completely
pilgrims
a puritan subgroup that fled to holland; took the mayflower to plymouth rock, massachusetts, and create the second settlement in north america
separatists
group of puritans that chose to break away completely; a more famous and more specific category of this group would be the pilgrims
predestination
the religious concept that one's fate is already determined by God and that nothing can be done to change one's fate
peter stuyvesant
duke of new netherlands (later becomes new york)
new jersey
new colony formed after the duke of york gives a piece of the newly won new netherlands colony to the duke of jersey
quakers
this denomination of separatist was persecuted in england; as a result William Penn forms the colony of Pennsylvania
philadelphia
first capital city of the united states before the capital moved to new york
mercantilism
a strategy in which nations can increase power through two ways: obtain as much gold and silver as possible from from the colonies a country owned, or establish a favorable balance of trade
middle passage
part of the triangular trade in which African slaves were brought from their homeland to the Americas
enlightenment
an intellectual movement that points back to the renaissance; stresses the use of logic and reason; prime example of great enlightenment thinker would be ben franklin
great awakening
an intellectual movement that called for a return to religion; seeks to revive the intensity and dedication of the original puritan vision
french and indian war
war between the between the british and france; the native americans aided the french cause; from 1754-1763; involved disputes over the ohio river valley
george washington
this man was the leader of a militia group from virginia involved in the french and indian war; leader of the US army during the revolutionary war; first president of the united states
treaty of paris 1763
treaty that ends the french and indian war; all of france's land including Canada and all land east of the mississippi river was given to britain; france and native americans lose
proclamation of 1763
a decree that warned colonists not to cross line west of the Appalachian mountains, so as to avoid conflicts with the native americans
stamp act
first direct tax given by parliament on the colonies; requires a special stamp be placed on goods
sons of liberty
a famous secret resistance group led by samuel adams ; pre-revolutionary war; oganized demonstrations, protests, harrassment, etc.
sam adams
leader of the sons of liberty
committees of correspondance
in response to great britain's taxes on the colonists, these were formed as a communication link for all thirteen colonies
dorothea dix
woman who instituted prison and mental health reforms
paul revere
most famous of the men who alerted colonists of the british soldiers' coming to lexington and concord
john adams
man who at the second continental congress suggested that each colony set up its own government and that the colonies should declare themselves independent; second president of the united states
declaration of independence
a document drawn up to declare the colonies as independent; adopted on july 4, 1776
patriots
supporters of colonial independence
torries
loyalists; those in the colonies who remained loyal to britain
battle of trenton
battle of the revolutionary war in which george washington crosses the delaware river and suprises the hessians on december 25, 1776
hessians
german mercenaries paid by great britain; hired and paid soldiers
battle of saratoga
battle of the revolutionary war in which the continental army takes on General John Burgoyne's british army in the wilderness of new york; Burgoyne was forced to surrender; crucial battle that convinces France to help the colonies with the war
battle of yorktown
the final battle of the revolutionary war in which british general cornwallis surrenders and the united states wins the war
treaty of paris 1783
treaty that granted independence to the united states and set the country's borders; ends the revolutionary war
republicanism
the idea that governments should be based on the consent of the people
articles of confederation
new type of government proposed by congress; the first government system of the united states; within this government there were two levels of government (state and federal) that share fundamental powers; this government system ultimately fails
james madison
one of two men that calls for the annapolis convention; proposes the virginia plan (involving population representation); fourth president of the united states
alexander hamilton
one of the two men to call for the annapolis convention; secretary of treasury in george washington's cabinet; advocated a strong central government led by a prosperous upper class; establishes Bank of United States; leader of the federalist party; dies in a duel
delegated powers
powers granted to the national government according to the constitution
reserved powers
powers kept by the states
federalism
a type of government that shares power between the states and central government
northwest ordinance of 1787
a decree that split land into territories and set requirements for them to become states; must appoint governor and judges, have 5,000 residents and write constitution, could apply to congress for statehood once population reaches 60,000
checks and balances
a system created to prevent one branch of government from seizing too much power; three different types of this include vetoing, 2/3 vote, and declaring something to be unconstitutional
legislative; judicial; executive
the three branches of government are:
james madison
father of the constitution
electoral college
way to elect president so that the people don't hold too much power in elections
federalists
supporters of the constitution
antifederalists
people who opposed the constitution
bill of rights
a document that contains the first ten amendments to the united states constitution
first amendment
amendment that granted the freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, and freedom to place petitions
second amendment
amendment in the bill of rights that grants the right to bear arms
fourth amendment
amendment that grants protection from unreasonable search and seizure
fifth amendment
amendment that grants the right of due process- the right to know what one is being charged with
sixth amendment
amendment that grants the right to a trial by jury in public and in the same city or town the crime was committed in
seventh amendment
amendment that grants the right to a trial by jury
eighth amendment
amendment that grants protection from excessive bail, excessive fines, or other cruel punishment.
thomas jefferson
key player in creation of the declaration of independence; george washington's secretary of state; advocated a strong state and local government with regular people in control; head of the democratic republican party; third president of the united states
bank of the united states
financial institution where the federal government could put its money; prints and handles taxes and other government funds; instituted by alexander hamilton
federalist party
one of the first political parties whose members shared alexander hamilton's views; advocated business and commerce and upper class government rule
democratic republican party
one of the first political parties whose members shared the views of thomas jefferson; advocated agriculture; mainly in the south and west
tariff
a tax on imported goods
pinckney's treaty
treaty involving a negotiation with spain; spain gives up all land east of the mississippi and agrees to open the mississipppi river to the US for trade
genet affair
scandal in which a french diplomat to america was the houseguest of thomas jefferson as he actively recruited americans to fight in france
jay's treaty
treaty in which john jay goes to london to negotiate with british over occupied forts; britain agrees to abandon its forts
sectionalism
the idea of putting one's region ahead of one's country
XYZ affair
affair in which john marshall is to negotiate with the french foreign minister to avoid war; instead is met by three unknown men who say he is not allowed to meet with the minister unless he pays $250,000
nullification
a concept in which the states have the right not to follow an unfair law passed by government
judiciary act of 1801
the last act of john adams' presidency; addition of midnight judges and appointment of john marshall as chief justice
marbury vs madison
argument that leads to the institution of judicial review
judicial review
the ability of supreme court to declare an act of congress to be unconstitutional; a cornerstone of US law
louisiana purchase
the purchase of land from france that doubles the size of the united states; 1803; bought for $15 million
lewis and clark
two of the most famous explorers who went and explored the land of the louisiana purchase; led by Sacajawea
james monroe
one of the men involved in the dealing of the louisiana purchase; fifth president of the united states
john calhoun
a warhawk; one of the big three who contributed numerous compromises in US history; one of the leaders of the Whig party; andrew jackson's vice president
treaty of ghent
treaty that declares an armistice for the war of 1812; does not address impressment or other controversial matters
battle of new orleans
battle in war of 1812, american side led by andrew jackson; victory that protects this vital port city
industrial revolution
a massive change in social and economic organization resulting from the replacement of hand tools by machines and the development of large-scale production
new england
area of the US where the industrial revolution was most prevalent; grew into a manufacturing head for the country
eli whitney
invented the cotton gin which makes cotton easier to grow
henry clay
a warhawk who proposes the American System; also proposes the Missouri Compromise of 1820; a leader of the Whig party
American System
a proposition by henry clay that 1) establishes a protective tariff; 2) renews the Bank of the US; 3) supports development of transportation systems
era of good feelings
a name for the time period during James Monroe's presidency
monroe doctrine
a speech given to congress and directed to the world warning europe not to interfere with the affairs of the western hemisphere, and at the same time the US would not get involved in European affairs
adams onis treaty
agreement in which spain gives up florida
john quincy adams
secretary of state under james monroe; believed in rising above sectionalism; sixth president of the US
Missouri Compromise of 1820
a compromise proposed by henry clay in which 1) missouri enters the union as a slave state; 2) maine enters the union as a free state; 3) the compromise line is established (36, 30)
spoils system
the replacement of government officials with friends and supporters; established by andrew jackson
andrew jackson
war hero of 1812 at battle of new orleans; seventh president of the united states; orders indian removal act; gets rid of the bank of the united states
market revolution
a trend in which people began to buy and sell goods rather than making them for themselves; changes the US economy and people's daily lives
capitalism
an economic system in which private businesses and individuals control the means of production
manifest destiny
the belief that it was the US's destiny to expand to the Pacific Ocean; ordained by God; coined by John O' Sullivan
fort laramie treaty
treaty after the Black Hawk War that provided various native american groups with a 400 mile peace of land east of the Rocky Mts to live in peace in exchange for ceasing attacks on civilians
mormons
religious group that traveled west to escape persecution; founded by joseph smith, but the movement west was led by brigham young
zachary taylor
war hero of the Mexican-American War; sent to Rio Grande to enforce texas' borders; also invades mexico in 3-prong attack; 12th president of the US
james polk
11th president of the US; expansionist who calls for the annexation of Oregon Territory; president during Texas Revolution
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
treaty that ends the Mexican-American War; establishes Texas' borders; New-Mexico and California territories are ceded to the Union; US pays $15 million for what today is CA, NM, TX, NV, AZ, UT, and WY
California
this territory provides a deal of controversy when it is ready for statehood; lies on both sides of the Compromise line and wishes to enter as a free state
Compromise of 1850
compromise that admits CA as a free state but also enforces stricter fugitive slave act; also establishes the concept of popular sovereignty
popular sovereignty
a new method for future states in which the people in that territory vote for whether they wish to be a free state or a slave state
Dred Scot
a slave who lived with his master for 5 years in IL and WI territory; sues for his freedom; ruled not to be a citizen and thus is private property; ruling eliminates 36 30
John Brown
crazy man who invades Harpers Ferry and calls for slaves to rise up; attacks the arsenal
Abraham Lincoln
sixteenth president of the US; his election causes a chain reaction of secessions from states in the south
harriet beecher stowe; uncle tom's cabin
this woman wrote this book which caused much controversy over the topic of slavery (2 answers)
james oglethorpe
founder of Georgia
washington d.c.
the capital of the US moved here from New York
Thomas Paine
man who wrote the pamphlet "Common Sense" before the revolutionary war
Roger Williams
He founded Rhode Island; called for a break from the Church of England and believed colonists should pay Natives for their land; put on trial for heresy and banished back to England, but escapes banishment
Mayflower Compact
document written by the pilgrims to set up a self-governing system when they arrived in Plymouth; one of the first documents of self-government in the region
harriet tubman
an abolitionist who helped free slaves through the Underground Railroad
Republican Party
a new party that forms for the 1856 elections; anti-slavery feelings
Anne Hutchinson
an outspoken woman who rejects the concept of predestination; was put on trial and banished from colony; considered one of the first feminists?