Amer Hist 1 Flashcards
What was the Age of Exploration also referred to as and what centuries did it occur?
Age of Discovery, 15th Century to the 17th
What major advances allowed the Age of Exploration to occur?
Navigation, Cartography, and Ship-Making
What 4 major countries explored the world during the Age of Exploration?
Spain, Portugal, England, France
What were the countries in the Age of Exploration looking for when they left?
New routes to Asia
What five places did the Age of Exploration reveal routes to?
India around the southern tip of Africa, “The New World”, Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii
What two things increased with the newly found land during the Age of Exploration?
Trade and Colonization
Where did Russia explore and conquer during the Age of Discovery?
Siberia
What is Primogeniture?
A practice where only the oldest son could inherit land.
What is the Enclosure Movement?
The privatization of previously common land. It made land scarce to common people for grazing animals, growing food, and living.
What two groups of people were sent by the english government to The New World to solve the population problem?
Criminals and Beggars
What is the Protestant Reformation?
A religious Movement in the early 16th century caused by the alienation of some catholics by the Church of England. This resulted in the protestant faith and further colonization to The New World to practice freely.
What colony was the English’s first attempt at colonization? When was it founded?
Newfoundland, 1583
Where was the first permanent settlement and when was it established?
Jamestown, Virginia in 1607
What is the Virginia Charter?
This charter granted those born in the colonies all the rights of English citizens.
What was the relationship between England and Spain in the early 17th century?
They were in a time of peace.
Who was providing support and settlers to Jamestown?
Virginia Company
How did the Virginia Company convince settlers to come to The New World?
They promised the Englishmen adventure, religious freedom, and maintaining their English citizenship.
What are 3 reasons people came to the New World?
Political Ideology, Economic Prospects, and Social Change
When did the Southern Colonies shift from a system of servitude to Slavery?
1640-1660
Who were used as laborers before African slaves?
Native Americans and Indentured Servants
How were African slaves obtained by European traders?
African Chieftains would trade prisoners of war to the Europeans in exchange for guns or profit.
How were African slaves obtained by European traders?
African Chieftans would trade prisoners of war to the Europeans in exchange for guns or profit.
What two tribes were notorious for selling African slaves for profit?
Yoruba and Dahomey
Which colony was the first to legalize Chattel Slavery and when?
Virginia in 1661
What is Chattel Slavery?
A law that makes children of slaves also slaves.
What happened to dramatically increase slave trading in the 1680s?
The Royal African Company lost it’s monopoly on the slave trade
What were the purpose of slave codes?
To keep revolts down.
What are the Slave codes?
Slave are to be illiterate, cannot gather, cannot have weapons, and cannot leave the plantation without written permission.
Who declared slavery was inhumane and it violated the bible? When?
Quakers in 1688
Who wrote “Amazing Grace” and why?
John Newton, because he was a guilt-wracked former slave trader
How could slaves be freed?
Proving Mulatto or buying their freedom.
What is Mulatto?
This means being half white
What states were the New England colonies?
New Hampshire, Massachusetts’s, Rhode Island, Connecticut
What states were the Middle Colonies?
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware
What states were the Southern colonies?
Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia
What is taxation without representation?
Being taxed by your government without any representation within that government.
What was the American Revolutionary War and when did it start?
The war to overthrow Britain’s rule on the colonies and allow them to set up their own government. 1776
What is the Declaration of Independence and when was it written?
A letter written by Thomas Jefferson to King George III to Declare the colonies were breaking out from under Britain’s rule and would be their own country. 1776
What were the cash crops of the Southern Colonies?
Rice, Indigo, and Tobacco
When did the first African Slave come to Virginia?
1619
Which of the 3 groups of colonies had the best relationship with England and why?
South colonies, because England was their market for tobacco
What was the governing document of the Plymouth Colony?
Mayflower Compact of 1620
How many men signed the Mayflower Compact of 1620?
41
Why was the Mayflower of Compact of 1620 written?
Because the settlers believed that the past colonies failed due to a lack of government.
Who is King George III and why is he significant?
He was the king of England during the American Revolution and waged war on the colonies.
Who is Marquis de Lafayette and why is he significant?
A French military general who served under George Washington. He is known for containing british forces at Yorktown.
Who is Thomas Paine and why is he significant?
He is known as “The Father of the Revolution” and wrote the pro independence pamphlet “Common Sense”
When and Where did the first Continental Congress meet?
Philadelphia, PA 1774
How many delegates where at the First Continental Congress?
12 of 13
Which colony didn’t send a representative to the first Continental Congress and why?
Georgia, they were having trouble with warring natives and didn’t want to upset Britain. Expecting their help.
What did the first continental congress decide?
To propose a peaceful agreement to Britain. The congress affirmed loyalty to Britain and let parliament depict foreign affairs in the colonies. However, the intolerable acts needed to be repealed. The colonies instigated a trade embargo until this was met.
What is considered the the first battles of The American Revolution? When did they happen?
Lexington and Concord in 1775
When did the second continental congress meet?
1775
What did second Continental Congress decide?
Decided themselves independent from Britain, Formed an army, and named George Washington Commander-in-Chief
Who proposed the Declaration of Independance?
Richard Henry Lee
A committee of who drafted the Declaration of Independence?
Benjamín Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman
What are the 3 parts of the Declaration of Independence?
Preamble and reason for separation, a theory of government, and a formal declaration of war
What were the goals of the Declaration of Independence regarding the people?
To enlist help from other british colonies, create a cause to fight for to motivate the reluctant colonists, ensure captured Americans were considered Prisoners of War, and establish an American theory of government.
What are the Articles of Confederation?
The United States of America’s first attempt at government. It’s goal was to prevent a central government and leave final say on governing to the individual states.
Who drafted the Articles of Confederation and when?
Continental Congress, 1777
Why was the Constitution drafted?
Because the Articles of Confederation was ineffective at settling disputes or enforcing laws.
How many Delegates attended the Constitutional Convention?
12 of 13
What state didn’t attend the Constitutional Convention and why?
Rhode Island, they were afraid to lose their states power and had already printed their own paper money.
How many branches of government are there and what are they?
- Legislative (Congress), Executive (President), and Judicial (Supreme Court)
What are the first 10 Amendments called?
The Bill of Rights
When was the Bill of Rights passed?
1791
What is the First Amendment?
Freedom of Religion, speech, press, peaceable assembly and government petition.
What is the Second Amendment?
Right to Bear Arms
What is the Third Amendment?
Protection from quartering of soldiers except by law during war time.
What is the Fourth Amendment?
Protection from unreasonable search and seizure.
What is the Fifth Amendment?
Due Process, Protection from Double Jeopardy and self-Incrimination.
What is the Sixth Amendment?
The right to a speedy, public trial before an impartial jury.
What is the Seventh Amendment?
The right to a civil trial by jury in accord with common law.
What is the Eighth Amendment?
Protection from Cruel and Unusual Punishments, Excessive Fines, and Excessive Bail.
What is the Ninth Amendment?
The preservation of rights not mentioned
What is the Tenth Amendment?
The Preservation of Rights of States and Individuals.
What is the relevance of Marbury v. Madison?
It established that The Constitution is the supreme law of the land, with the supreme court as the interpreter. This gave the Judicial Branch power over the Legislative branch.
Who is Dred Scott and why is he important?
A slave who was taken from Missouri, a slave state, into Illinois, a free state and argued he should no longer be a slave. He was denied, but this lead to The Missouri Compromise being deemed unconstitutional.
What is the relevance of the case Baker v. Carr?
Established that federal courts could hear cases alleging that a state’s drawing of electoral boundaries, i.e. redistricting, violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution
What is the relevance of the case Brown v. Board of Education?
It made racial segregation illegal in educational facilities.
What is the relevance of the case Gideon v. Wainright?
This granted the right to free council
What is the relevance of the case Korematsu v. U.S.?
This allowed the government to place Japanese Americans in internment camps in WW2
What is the relevance of the case Mapp v. Ohio?
This established that evidence found while violating the 4th amendment can’t be used.
What is the relevance of the case McCulloch v. Maryland?
This case determined that national law has seniority over state law as long as it abides by the constitution.
What is the relevance of the case Miranda v. Arizona?
5th amendment requires the arrested to be read their legal rights.
What is the relevance of the case Plessy v. Ferguson?
Established the legality of “separate but equal.” Overturned by Brown v. Board of Education.
What is the relevance of the case Regents of the U of CA v. Bakke?
Banned quota systems in the college admission process, but deemed programs benefitting minorities are constitutionally sound.
What is the relevance of the case Roe v. Wade?
Overturned state laws prohibiting abortion.
What is the relevance of the case Scott v. Sandford?
It established that African Americans could never be granted U.S. Citizenship. Overturned by the 14th Amendment
What led to a decline in Spanish power in 1588?
The Spanish Armada was defeated by England
What is another name for King William’s War and what years did it take place?
Nine Years War, 1689-1697
What caused the War of Spanish Succession and when did it happen?
The war was caused by conflicting claims to the Spanish throne after the death of the childless King Charles II. 1701-1714
What caused the War of Austrian Succession and when did it happen?
The death of Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor and ruler of the Austrian Habsburg monarchy. 1740-1748
What is another name for the French and Indian war?
Seven Years War
What was the result of the Seven Years War and when did it take place?
1754-1763, France was no longer a colonial power and discontent spread among the colonists, sparking the American Revolution.
What is the Saratoga Campaign and when did it end?
The British’s 3 pronged plan to capture New York and separate the Northeast and Southern colonies. It ended at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777.
How did the Saratoga Campaign fail?
A general was instructed to capture Albany, but he went to Philadelphia instead.
What did the ending of the Saratoga Campaign do for the French?
It showed that the Americans could win the war against Britain.
What is the Treaty of Alliance and who signed it?
The French and American’s signed this treaty in 1778. The French would supply men, money, and ships in hopes to regain territory lost in the French and Indian war.
When was Britain’s military campaign of the Southern Colonies and who led it?
1778-1781, led by General Cornwallis
Who defeated the British at sea during the Revolutionary War?
The French
What happened to Cornwallis’ fleet during their retreat?
They were weakened by a violent storm and were forced to surrender in 1781.
What 4 main issues caused the Mexican-American war?
The American annexation of Texas, Disputes over the southern border of Texas, the large amount of money owed to the US by Mexico, and the Mexican’s contempt for the US considering them greedy land grabbers.
How much money did Polk offer Mexico and for what land leading up to the Mexican-American war?
$30 million for California, Texas, and some Mexican territory.
Who is Zachary Taylor and why is he relevant?
He led an expedition into recently annexed Texas land and a few of his men were killed by Mexican locals. This gave Polk a way to rationalize the necessity of a war with Mexico.
Who opposed and who was in favor of the Mexican-American war?
The Democrats were for the war and the Whigs were against it.
What was gained in the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo and when was it signed?
California, the rest of Texas, and and all mexican territory between Louisiana and California
What is Triangular Trade?
Trade between 3 points or regions.
What is the largest land acquisition in human history without bloodshed?
The Louisiana Purchase.
What is the Treaty of Idelfonso?
An agreement between France and Spain granting Napoleon Louisiana.
What is the Louisiana Purchase?
Napoleon signing 800,000 sq miles to the United States in hopes of an Anglo-American alliance.
How did the United States acquire New Orleans and West Florida?
Jefferson sent James Monroe to purchase it in response to Spain closing New Orleans to American business
What is Manifest Destiny?
The inevitability and righteousness of the American expansion west.
Who coined “Manifest Destiny” and what was it’s purpose?a
John O’Sullivan, To promote the annexation of Texas and the Oregon country.
What 4 major reasons had Americans expanding Westward?
- Cheap and fertile land
- Blocking the British from claiming land
- Claiming western ports to trade with Asia
- Oregon Country was lucrative for fur trapping
- Gold was found in a California Stream
- Spreading the ideals of liberty and democracy
Who is Jonathan Edwards and why was he important?
He wrote “Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God” and was a predominant preacher during The Great Awakening.
What is The Great Awakening?
A religious revival in New England in the 1730’s and 40s
Who is Elizabeth Cady Stanton and why is she important?
She is the author of the “Declaration of Rights of Women” and organized the Seneca Falls Women’s Rights Convention.
What 5 points caused the south to succeed from the union?
Slavery, State’s Rights, Sectionalism, Territorial Crisis, and National Elections
What is Sectionalism?
A loyalty to a region instead of the nation as a whole. This was caused by differing economies, social structures, and political values.
What is Popular Sovereignty?
The belief that each state should decide whether to ban or allow slavery within it’s borders.
What is the Compromise of 1850?
California was added to the U.S.
Slave Trade in Washington D.C. was outlawed
Efforts to capture escaped slaves were increased
New Mexico and Utah were given popular sovereignty
What is the Missouri Compromise and what was it’s goal?
It allowed Missouri join the US as a slave state, Massachusetts splits off into 2 states to make Maine, and established that any state added below Missouri would be a Slave state and vice versa. This kept the number of Free states and Slave states even for the sake of governing.
What is the 3/5 compromise?
Three out of every five slaves was counted when determining a state’s total population for legislative representation and taxation.
How many people died in The Civil War?
At least 600,000 deaths.
What two groups fought in the Civil War and who were their leaders?
Confederacy (South): Robert E Lee vs. Union (North): Ulysses S. Grant
What is considered the start of the Civil War?
When southern forces fired on Fort Sumter in 1861
What battle shifted favor from the South to the North?
Battle of Gettysburg in 1863
What battle signified the end of the Civil War?
Battle of Appomattox Courthouse in 1865
What is the Emancipation Proclamation?
A Presidential Proclamation made by Lincoln in 1863 declaring:
- All slaves in confederate states are freed.
- Suitable ex-slaves can join the paid service of the US Armed Forces.
- Showed that ending slavery was a goal of the Union.
Who are “Freedmen”?
Ex-slaves that joined the paid armed forces following the Emancipation Proclamation.
How many Black men joined the armed services following the Emancipation Proclamation?
200,000
What were large issues with the Emancipation Proclamation?
It didn’t free slaves under Union control, so it didn’t end slavery. It also didn’t make ex-slaves Citizens.
Who is Robert E Lee and why was he important?
He was the Commander of the Confederate Army in the Civil War. He was asked to lead the Union army, but he declined because his homestate VA was succeeding. Following his surrender in 1865 at Appomattox Courthouse, the confederates lost.
Who was the confederate president during the Civil War?
Frederick Davis
What did the Presidential Reconstruction look like after the Civil War?
Andrew Jackson was lenient on the south and allowed continued discrimination.
What did the Congressional Reconstruction look like after the Civil War?
Radical Republicans provided more civil rights to blacks and wanted more control over the southern government. They provided military control over former confederate state governments.
What is the 13th Amendment?
Abolish Slavery
What is the 14th Amendment?
Grants citizenship to all persons “born or naturalized in the United States,” including formerly enslaved people, and provided all citizens with “equal protection under the laws”
What is the 15th Amendment?
Granted voting rights to all men regardless of color, race, or previous condition of servitude
What are Jim Crow laws?
Discriminatory state level laws meant to marginalize African Americans by denying them the right to vote, hold jobs, get an education or other opportunities.
When did the US Reconstruction period happen?
1865-1877
