APUSH Units 1-4 Timeline

Question 1

What years does Time Period 1 cover?

Answer 1

1491-1607

This period covers the time just before Columbus’s arrival in the Americas and includes early European colonization.

Question 2

What significant event occurred in 1492?

Answer 2

Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic and reached the Caribbean

This marked the beginning of widespread European exploration and colonization.

Question 3

What was the encomienda system?

Answer 3

A Spanish labor system where settlers were granted land and indigenous people to work it

It involved exploitation and forced labor under the guise of protection and Christianization.

Question 4

What does the Columbian Exchange refer to?

Answer 4

The exchange of goods, crops, animals, diseases, and people between the Americas, Europe, and Africa

This dramatically altered ecosystems, economies, and societies on both sides of the Atlantic.

Question 5

What was Jamestown, and when was it founded?

Answer 5

The first permanent English settlement in North America, founded in 1607

It faced hardships like starvation and conflicts with Native Americans.

Question 6

What was the Great Puritan Migration?

Answer 6

The migration of thousands of Puritans to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1630s

This was driven by religious persecution and led to a theocratic society.

Question 7

What was the cause of Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676?

Answer 7

Frustration over policies regarding Native American relations and land distribution

It highlighted tensions between frontier settlers and the colonial elite.

Question 8

What was King Philip’s War?

Answer 8

A conflict between Native American tribes and New England settlers from 1675-1678

It resulted in heavy casualties and marked the end of large-scale Native American resistance.

Question 9

What were the Salem Witch Trials?

Answer 9

A series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in 1692

They resulted in the execution of 20 people and reflected mass hysteria.

Question 10

What was the Great Awakening?

Answer 10

A religious revival movement in the 1730s-1740s that increased church attendance

It influenced American religious and social life.

Question 11

Define mercantilism.

Answer 11

An economic theory advocating for a favorable balance of trade to accumulate wealth

Often enforced by colonial powers like Britain.

Question 12

What was the Triangle Trade?

Answer 12

The transatlantic trade route exchanging goods, slaves, and raw materials between Africa, the Americas, and Europe

It played a crucial role in the colonial economy.

Question 13

What did the Treaty of Paris (1763) accomplish?

Answer 13

Ended the French and Indian War, with Britain gaining significant territory

The Proclamation Line of 1763 restricted colonial expansion westward.

Question 14

What was the Stamp Act?

Answer 14

A British tax on paper goods in the colonies enacted in 1765

It sparked widespread protest and contributed to the American Revolution.

Question 15

What was the Boston Tea Party?

Answer 15

A protest against the Tea Act where colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor in 1773

It led to the Intolerable Acts, which restricted colonial autonomy.

Question 16

What significant events occurred at Lexington and Concord in 1775?

Answer 16

The start of the American Revolutionary War

British troops attempted to seize colonial arms, prompting colonial militias to fight back.

Question 17

What is the Declaration of Independence?

Answer 17

A document declaring the colonies’ independence from Britain, drafted in 1776

It was significantly influenced by Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense.

Question 18

What did the Treaty of Paris (1783) establish?

Answer 18

Recognized the United States’ independence and established new borders

It formally ended the American Revolutionary War.

Question 19

What was the Northwest Ordinance?

Answer 19

Established a process for admitting new states and banned slavery in the Northwest Territory in 1787

It also provided for public education.

Question 20

What was Shay’s Rebellion?

Answer 20

An armed uprising of struggling farmers in Massachusetts from 1786-1787

It highlighted the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

Question 21

What was the purpose of the Constitutional Convention in 1787?

Answer 21

To address the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

It resulted in the drafting of the U.S. Constitution.

Question 22

What are the Federalist Papers?

Answer 22

A series of essays advocating for the ratification of the U.S. Constitution

Written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay.

Question 23

Who was George Washington?

Answer 23

The first president of the United States, serving from 1789-1797

He set many important precedents for the new government.

Question 24

What was the Whiskey Rebellion?

Answer 24

A protest against a federal excise tax on whiskey in 1794

It demonstrated the power of the new federal government.

Question 25

What was the creation of the Bank of the United States intended for?

Answer 25

To stabilize the economy and provide a central banking system ## Footnote It was championed by Alexander Hamilton.

Question 26

Who was John Adams?

Answer 26

The second president of the United States ## Footnote He faced challenges like the Quasi-War with France and the Alien and Sedition Acts.

Question 27

What were the Alien and Sedition Acts?

Answer 27

Laws that restricted the rights of immigrants and curtailed freedom of speech in 1798 ## Footnote They were highly controversial during Adams' presidency.

Question 28

What years does Time Period 4 cover?

Answer 28

1800-1848 ## Footnote This period represents early U.S. expansion and internal conflicts.

Question 29

Who was Thomas Jefferson and what did he oversee?

Answer 29

The third president who oversaw the Louisiana Purchase from 1801-1809 ## Footnote He emphasized states' rights and reduced federal power.

Question 30

What was the Louisiana Purchase?

Answer 30

The acquisition of the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803 ## Footnote It doubled the size of the United States.

Question 31

What was the significance of Marbury v. Madison (1803)?

Answer 31

Established the principle of judicial review ## Footnote This allowed courts to declare laws unconstitutional.

Question 32

What was the Embargo Act of 1807?

Answer 32

Prohibited American ships from trading with foreign nations ## Footnote It was a response to British and French interference.

Question 33

What was the War of 1812?

Answer 33

A conflict led by James Madison against Britain over maritime rights and territorial expansion ## Footnote It ended in a stalemate but fostered national identity.

Question 34

What caused the Panic of 1819?

Answer 34

Speculation and bank failures leading to widespread unemployment ## Footnote It was the first major economic depression in the U.S.

Question 35

What was the Missouri Compromise?

Answer 35

A legislative agreement allowing Missouri to join as a slave state while maintaining the balance of free and slave states in 1820 ## Footnote It was an early attempt to address sectional tensions.

Question 36

What does the Market Revolution refer to?

Answer 36

The shift toward a more market-oriented economy with innovations in transportation, communication, and industrialization ## Footnote It transformed the American economy.

Question 37

What was the significance of McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)?

Answer 37

Affirmed federal authority over the states ## Footnote This case involved the national bank.

Question 38

What was ruled in Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)?

Answer 38

Only the federal government could regulate interstate commerce ## Footnote This strengthened federal power.

Question 39

What was the Monroe Doctrine?

Answer 39

A U.S. foreign policy warning European powers against further colonization in the Western Hemisphere ## Footnote It asserted U.S. influence in the Americas in 1823.

Question 40

What was completed in 1825 that fostered economic growth?

Answer 40

The Erie Canal ## Footnote It connected the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.

Question 41

What was *The Liberator*?

Answer 41

An abolitionist newspaper published by William Lloyd Garrison ## Footnote It called for the immediate emancipation of slaves.

Question 42

What characterized Andrew Jackson’s presidency?

Answer 42

Populism, the Indian Removal Act, and the Nullification Crisis from 1829-1837 ## Footnote He strongly opposed the national bank.

Question 43

What did the Indian Removal Act authorize?

Answer 43

The forced relocation of Native American tribes to lands west of the Mississippi River ## Footnote It led to the tragic Trail of Tears.

Question 44

What was the Nullification Crisis?

Answer 44

A confrontation between South Carolina and the federal government over tariffs ## Footnote South Carolina claimed it could nullify federal laws.

Question 45

What was the significance of Jackson's Bank Veto in 1832?

Answer 45

He vetoed the recharter of the Second Bank of the United States ## Footnote He argued it was unconstitutional and favored the wealthy elite.

Question 46

What triggered the Panic of 1837?

Answer 46

Bank failures and speculative land investments ## Footnote This led to widespread unemployment and economic instability.

Question 47

Who were the Antebellum Reformers?

Answer 47

Individuals involved in movements like abolition, women's rights, and temperance ## Footnote They worked to improve American society before the Civil War.

Question 48

What was the Second Great Awakening?

Answer 48

A religious revival movement promoting individual piety and social reform ## Footnote It significantly impacted American culture and reform movements.