APUSH Terms Semester 1 Part 1 Flashcards
Abolitionist Movement
Movement dedicated to the abolition of slavery that existed primarily in the North in years leading up to the Civil War with both white and black members.
Albany Congress
1754 meeting of representatives of seven colonies to coordinate their efforts against French and Native American threats in the Western frontier region.
Alien and Sedition Acts
Proposed and supported by John Adams, gave the president the power to expel aliens deemed “dangerous to the country’s well-being” and outlawed publication and public pronouncement of “false, scandalous, and malicious:” statements about the governement.
American Colonization Society
Formed in 1817, stated that the best way to end the slavery problem in the United States was for blacks to emigrate to Africa; by 1822 a few American blacks emigrated to Liberia. Organizations’ views were later rejected by most abolitionists.
American Federation of Labor (A.F.L.)
National labor union founded by Samuel Gompers in 1886; original goal was to organize skilled workers by craft. Merged with Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) in 1955.
American System
Economic plan promoted by Speaker of the House Henry Clay in years following the War of 1812; promoted vigorous growth of the American economy, the use of protective tariffs to encourage Americans to buy more domestic goods, internal improvements like transportation, and the setup of a National Bank.
Anaconda Plan
Critical component of initial Union plans to win the Civil War; called for capture of critical Southern ports and eventual control of the Mississippi River, which would create major economic and strategic difficulties for the Confederacy.
Antifederalists
Group the opposed the ratification of the proposed Constitution of the United States in 1787; many feared that strong central government would remove the processes of government “from the people” and replicate the excesses of the British monarchy; later evolve into the Democratic-Republican Party.
Appomattox
In the courthouse of this Virginia city Robert E. Lee surrendered his Confederate army to Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865.
Articles of Confederation
Ratified in 1781, this document established the first official government of the United States; allowed much power to remain in the states, with the federal government possessing only limited powers. Replaced by the Constitution in 1788.
Aztecs
Advanced Indian society located in central Mexico; conquered by Spanish conquistador Cortes and small pox.
Ballinger-PInchot Affair
Crisis that occurred when William Howard Taft was president, further distancing him from Progressive supporters of Theodore Roosevelt. Richard Ballinger, Taft’s Secretary of the Interior, allowed private businessmen to purchase large amounts of public land in Alaska; Forest Service head Gifford Pinchot (Roosevelt supporter) protested to Congress and was fired by Taft.
Bank War
Political battles surrounding the attempt by President Andrew Jackson to greatly reduce the power of the Second Bank of the United States; Jackson claimed the Bank was designed to serve special interests in America and not the common people.
Bear Flag Republic
Declaring independence from Mexican control, this republic was declared in 1846 by American settlers living in california; this political act was part of a larger American political and military strategy to wrest Texas and California from Mexico.
Bessemer Steel
First produced in 1856 in converter (furnace) invented by Henry Bessemer; was much more durable and harder than iron. Steel was a critical commodity in the Second Industrial Revolution.
Bicameral Legislature
A legislative structure consisting of two houses; was adopted by the authors of the U.S. Constitution; membership of the states in one house (House of Representatives) is determined by population, while in the other house (Senate) all states have equal representation.
Bill of Rights
Added to the Constitution in 1791, the first 10 amendments protected freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to bear arms and other basic rights of American citizens; passed to gain Anti-Federalists support.
Birth of a Nation
Movie released in 1915 by director D.W. Griffith that portrayed the Reconstruction as a period when Southern blacks threatened basic American values, which the Ku Klux Klan tried to protect.
Black Codes
Laws adopted by the Southern states in the Reconstruction era that greatly limited the freedom of Southern blacks; in several states blacks could not move, own land, or do anything but farm.
Bleeding Kansas
As a result of Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, residents of Kansas territory could decide if territory would allow slavery or not; as a result, both proslavery and antislavery groups flooded settlers into Kansas Territory. Much violence followed very disputed elections in 1855.
Boston Massacre
Conflict between British soldiers and Boston civilians on March 5, 1770; after civilians threw rocks and snowballs at the soldiers, the soldiers opened fire, killing five and wounding six.
Boston Tea Party
In response to the Tea Act and additional British taxes on tea, Boston radicals disguised as Native Americans threw nearly 350 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor on December 16, 1773.
Brown vs. Board of Education
1954 Supreme Court decision that threw out the 1896 Plessy vs. Ferguson ruling that schools could be “separate but equal” ruling and began the long and painful process of school desegregation in the South and other parts of America.
Bull Moose Party
Name given to the Progressive party in the 1912 presidential campaign; Candidate was ex-president Theodore Roosevelt ran against Republican William Taft and Democrat Woodrow Wilson, with Wilson emerging victorious.
Battle of Bunker Hill
June 1775 British attack on colonial forces at Breed’s hill outside Boston; British, though victorious, lost many.
Calvinism
Protestant faith that preached salvation “by faith alone” and predestination.
Carpetbaggers
Term used by Southerners towards northerners who came to the Reconstruction South to gain financially or politically.
Cherokee Nation vs. Georgia
1831 Supreme Court case in which the Cherokee tribe claimed that Georgia had no right to enforce laws in Cherokee territory, since Cherokees were a sovereign nation; Ruling stated that Cherokees were not citizens and therefore had no right to appeal in federal court.
Civil Rights Act of 1866
Act that struck down Black Codes and defined the rights of all citizens; also stated that federal gov. could act when civil rights were violated at the state level.
Civil Service Commission
Created by the Pendelton Civil Service Act of 1883, was in charge of testing applicants and assigning them appropriate gov. jobs; filling jobs on a basis of merit (not spoils system).
Clayton Antitrust Act
1914 act designed to strengthen the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890; certain activities previously committed by big businesses, such as not allowing unions in factories and not allowing strikes were declared illegal.
Common Sense
1776 publication written by Thomas Paine; spoke out against monarchy and helped many undecided colonists support independence from Britain.
Compromise of 1850
Created by Henry Clay; California entered Union as free, New Mexico & Utah popular sovereignty, slave trading illegal in D.C., and stronger Fugitive Slave law.
Compromise of 1877
Settled presidential election of 1876; Rutherford B. Hayes becomes president, and Union army stops enforcing Reconstruction in the South (districts removed).
Battle of Concord
April 19, 1775 battle between British soldiers and Massachusetts militiamen after British destroy Massachusett’s arsenal.
Copperheads
Democrats in Congress who opposed Lincoln and North’s attack on the South, claiming that the war would result in large num. of freed slaves entering the north and a total disruption of the northern economy.
Dark Horse Candidate
Candidate for office with little support before the beginning of the nomination process; ex. James K. Polk.
Dawes Act of 1887
1887 act designed to break up Native American tribes, offered native American families 160 acres of farmland or 320 acres of land for grazing; large amounts were not claimed and thus purchased by land speculators.
Declaration of Rights and Grievances
1774 measure adopted by the First Continental Congress, stating that Parliament had some rights to regulate colonial trade with Britain, but they did not have the right to tax the colonies without their consent.
Declaratory Act
1766 British law stating that the Parliament had absolute right to tax the colonies as they saw fit and to make laws that would be enacted in the colonies; used to save face from the repeal fo the Stamp Act.
Democratic Party
Party born during the candidacy of Andrew Jackson; originally drew its principles from Thomas Jefferson and advocated limited government.
Direct Primary
Progressive-era reform adopted by some states that allowed candidates from state offices to be nominated by the rank-and-file party members in statewide primaries instead of by the party bosses.
Dollar Diplomacy
Foreign policy of President Taft, which favored increased American investment in the world as a major method for increasing American influence and stability abroad.
Dominion of New England
Instituted by King James II in 1686, where Sir Edmund Andros governed the colonies of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Plymouth, and New Hampshire as a single colony without an elective assembly; overthrown in April 1689 after the Glorious Revolution.
Dred Scott Case
Supreme Court Case where a slave had lived in a non slave state and a non slave territory and petitioning for his legal freedom; the Court ruled that slaves were not people but property, could not be citizens, had no legal right to petition the Court for anything, and also stated that Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional.
Electoral College
Procedure outlined in the Constitution for the election of the president; votes of electors from each state determined who is elected president.
Emancipation Proclamation
Issued by President Lincoln after the Battle of Antietam which abolished slavery in the Confederate states (“states in rebellion); did not apply to border states.
Embargo of 1807
Declaration by President Jefferson that banned all American trade with Europe; hoped it would force England and France to respect American neutrality, but instead hurt American economy as England and France found other resources.
Enlightenment
18-century European intellectual movement that attempted to discover the natural laws that governed science and society; stated that gov. should exist for the benefit of the people living under it.
Era of Good Feelings
Term used to describe the years between 1816 and 1832 when the US. remained generally free of foreign conflicts and political strife was at a bare minimum due to the end of the Federalists (Monroe’s presidency).
Federal Reserve System
Est. by Federal Reserve Act of 1913, this system est. 12 district reserve banks to be controlled by the banks in each district; improved public confidence in the banking system.
Federal Trade Commission
Authorized after the passage of the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914; est. as a the major gov. body in charge of regulating big business; investigated possible violations of antitrust laws.
Federalists
Supporters of the Constitution; later political party that supported a larger national government.
Feminism
Belief that women should have the same rights and benefits in American society that men do; gained many supporters during the Progressive era, and in the 1960’s drew large num. of supporters.
15th Amendment
Ratified in 1870, this amendment stated that a persion could not be denied the right to vote based on race or whether or not they had been a slave; extended the rights of blacks to vote to the North.
First Great Awakening
Religious revival in the American colonies from 1720’s through the 1740’s; speakers include Jonathan Edwards.
Food and Drug Act
1906 bill that created a federal Food and Drug Administration; ex. of consumer protection legislation of the progressive era (result of Upton Sinclair’s novel The Jungle).
Fort Sumter
Fort located in Charleston, SC that was fired on by Confederate artillery on April 12, 1861; first shots of the Civil War fired; mobilization of a federal army began as a result.
Fourteenth Amendment
Ratified in 1868, this amendment stated that “all persons born or naturalized in the U.S.” were citizens (defined citizenship); all former Confederate supporters were prohibited from holding office in the U.S.
Free Trade
Philosophy that trade barriers and protective tariffs restricted long-term economic growth.
Freedmen
Term used for free blacks in the South after the Civil War.
Free-Soil Party
Political Party that were opposed to the spread of slavery into any of the recently acquired American territories.
French and Indian War
A.K.A the Seven Years War; British and French fought for the right to expand their empire in the Americans. Colonists and Native Americans fought on both sides; English emerged victorious and received all of French Canada.
Fugitive Slave Act
Part of the Compromise of 1850, this legislation set up special commissions in Northern states to determine if an accused runaway slave really was one; according to regulations, after the verdict, commissioners were given more money if the accused was found to be a runaway than if he or she was found not to be one.
Gadsden Purchase
Strip of territory running through Arizona and New Mexico that the U.S. purchased from Mexico in 1853; Pierce authorized this purchase to secure a southern route of the transcontinental railroad; never used for the transcontinental railroad.
Gettysburg Address
Speech made by Abraham Lincoln at dedication ceremony for the cemetery for Union soldiers who died at the Battle of Gettysburg.
Battle of Gettysburg
Important battle of the Civil War, this July 1863 victory by Union forces prevented Gen. Robert E. Lee from invading the North; turned the tide of the war in the direction of the Union Forces.
Treaty of Ghent
1814 treaty between the U.S. and Great Britain ending the War of 1812; treaty restored diplomatic relations between the two but did nothing to address the issues that had caused the war; terms were that everything taken would be returned and stop fighting.
The Gilded Age
Late nineteenth century era with a surface of great prosperity hiding deep problems of social inequality and shallowness of culture.
Glorious Revolution
A reference to the political events of 1688-1689, when James II abdicated his throne and was replaced by his daughter Mary and her husband, Prince William of Orange; American colonists in response, revolted against appointed Catholic officials in NY and MD, and in Mass. the governor was sent back to England with the colonial demand that he Dominion of New England be disbanded.
Gold Standard
Economic system that bases all currency on gold, i.e. all paper currency could be exchanged at a bank for gold.
Gospel of Wealth
Philosophy of steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, who stated that wealthy industrialists had an obligation to use their profits to help their local communities (esp. in the arts).
Great Compromise
Plan drafted by Roger Sherman of Connecticut during the construction of the Constitution that stated one house of the U.S. Congress would be based on population (House of Representative) and the other house all states would be represented equally (Senate).
Greenback Party
Political party of the 1870’s and early 1880’s that stated the gov. should put more money in circulation to help the farmers in debt, supported an eight-hour workday, and female suffrage; received support from farmers, but never reached national level.
Greenbacks
Paper money issued by the American gov. during and after the Civil War that was not backed up by gold or silver.
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
Treaty ending the war with Mexico that gave the U.S Texas territory to the Rio Grande River, New Mexico, and California for $15 million and the U.S. gov. assumed all claims of Americans against the Mexican government.
Hartford Convention
Meeting of New England federalists in the closing months of the War of 1812 where they threatened that New England would secede from the U.S. unless trade restrictions imposed by Madison were lifted and a 2/3 majority vote law to declare war was passed; end of Federalist Party due to American victory in the war.
Haymarket Square
Chicago labor rally called by anarchist and other radical labor leaders on May 2, 1886; bomb was hurled toward police officials and policed opened fire on demonstrators; Knights of Labor union was blamed and membership declined and eventually ended the Knights.
Hessians
German troops who fought in the Revolutionary War on the side of Great Britain; treated and paid like mercenaries.
Holding Company
Company that existed to gain monopoly control over an industry by buying large number of shares of stock in as many companies as possible in that industry; ex. John D. Rockefeller & Standard Oil corp.
Homestead Act of 1862
Enactment by Congress that gave 160 of publicly owned land to a farmer who lived on the land and farmed it for two years; inspired many Americans to move westward.
Horizontal Integration
Strategy of gaining as much control over an entire single industry as possible, usually by creating trusts and holding companies, stamping out competition, or buying out others; ex. Rockefeller & Standard Oil.
Hull House
Est. by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr in Chicago in 1889 to provide housing for new and incoming immigrants; settlement house.
The First Hundred Days
The beginning of the New Deal Presidency of FDR; programs were implemented to assist farmers, banks, unemployed workers, and businessmen; prohibition was repealed.
Impeachment
The process of removing an elected public official from office.
Impressment
British practice of forcing civilians, ex-sailors, and even foreigners’ sailors into naval service; one of the causes of the War of 1812.
Indentured Servants
Legal arrangement when an individual owned compulsory service for a free passage to the American colonies; mostly inhibited the colonies in the colonial years.
Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W.)
Est. in 1905, this union attempted to unionize unskilled workers who were usually not recruited by the American Federation of Labor; included blacks, poor sharecroppers, and newly arrived immigrants from Eastern Europe; “Wobblies”; ended in WWI.
The Influence of Sea Power Upon History
1890 book by Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan that argued that the most powerful nations were powerful because of their navies; called for a large increase in the size of the American navy, acquisition of American bases in the Pacific, and the building of the Panama Canal.
Initiative Process
Procedure supported by the Populist part in 1890’s here any proposed law could go on the public ballot as long as a petition with an appropriate number of names is submitted beforehand supporting the proposed law.
Interstate Commerce Act
Established the ICC (Interstate Commerce Commission) - monitors the business operation of carriers transporting goods and people between states - created to regulate railroad prices.
Intolerable Acts
Term used by anti-British speakers across the colonies for the series of bills passed in Great britain to punish the Mass. colony for the Boston Tea Party;closed Boston harbor, prohibited local meetings, and mandatory quartering of troops in the homes of Mass. residents.
Isolationism
Foreign policy of disengaging the United States from major world commitments and concentrating on U.S. domestic issues.
Jay’s Treaty
1794 Treaty between the U.S. and Great Britain designed to ease tensions between the two; British made concessions about abandoning the forts they occupied in the west, but did not make any over the rights of American ships.
Judicial Review
Gave U.S. supreme Court the power to decide on the constitutionality of any law passed by the U.S. Congress or by the legislature of any state; stated in Marbury vs. Madison.
Judiciary Act
1801 bill passed by the Federalist Congress just before Jefferson’s inauguration; bill attempted to maintain control of the judiciary by reducing the number of Supreme Court judges and by increasing the number of federal judges appointed by Adams; repealed by new Congress in 1802.
Kansas-Nebraska Act
1854 compromise legislation crafted by Douglas that allowed the settlers in the Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide if those territories would be slave or free (popular sovereignty); large number of settlers moved into Kansas to influence the vote; much violence resulted.
Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
Response to Alien and Sedition Acts; claimed that the Acts went beyond the powers that the Constitution stated belonged to the federal government and that the states’ did not have to follow it; set precedent for Southern arguments of nullification of federal laws deemed unconstitutional by the states.
King William’s War
Colonial war against the French that lasted from 1689 to 1697; army from New England colonies attacked Quebec, but were forced to retreat because of the lack of strong colonial leadership and an outbreak of smallpox among colonial forces
Kitchen Cabinet
An informal group of advisors with no official titles, who the president relies on for advice. Most famous during Andrew Jacksons administration.
Knights of Labor
The major labor union of the 1880s; was not a single large union, but a federation of the unions of many industries. Accepted unskilled workers; lost much publicity after Haymarkets Square riot of 1886.
Know-Nothing Party
Political party developed in the 1850s that claimed that the other political parties and the entire political process were corrupt. Believed immigrants were destroying the economic base of America, and Catholics in America intended to destroy American democracy.
Ku Klux Klan
Organization founded in the South during the Reconstruction era by whites who wanted to maintain white supremacy through terror. Revitalized in the 1920s, when opposed to Catholics and Southern and Eastern European immigrants.
Labor Movement
The drive that began in the second half of the nineteenth century to have workers join labor unions.
Laissez-faire
The doctrine that government should not interfere in commercial affairs, derived from eighteenth-century economist Adam Smith.
Land Speculation
The practice of buying up land with the intent of selling it off in the future for a profit. Existed in the Kentucky territory in the 1780s, throughout the West after the Homestead Act.
Lewis and Clark Expedition
1804-1806 - Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were commissioned by Jefferson to map and explore the Louisiana Purchase region. Beginning at St. Louis, Missouri, the expedition travelled up the Missouri River to the Great Divide, and then down the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean. It produced extensive maps of the area and recorded many scientific discoveries, greatly facilitating later settlement of the region and travel to the Pacific coast.
Lexington and Concord
The first battle of the Revolution in which British general Thomas Gage went after the stockpiled weapons of the colonists in Concord, Massachusetts. 8 Colonists killed, 9 wounded.
The Liberator
Abolitionist paper published by William Lloyd Garrison from 1831 to 1865. Influence of the growing abolitionist movement leading to the Civil War.
Battle of the Little Bighorn
1876 Montana battle where Colonel George Custer and more than 200 of his men were killed by a group of Cheyenne and Lakota warriors. Last major victory by Native-American forces over a US army unit.
London Company
A joint-stock company chartered in 1606 and was responsible for founding the first permanent English settlement in America; Jamestown, Virginia in 1607.
Lost Generation
Group of American intellectuals/writers who viewed America in the 1920s as bigoted, intellectually shallow, and consumed by the quest for a dollar.
Louisiana Purchase
The U.S., under Jefferson, bought the territory from France, under the rule of Napoleon, in 1803. The U.S. paid $15 million and Napoleon gave up his empire in North America. The U.S. gained control of Mississippi trade route and doubled its size.
