History Flashcards
List four key beliefs in Hinduism.
- Reincarnation
- Caste system
- The cow is sacred
- Polytheism (multiple deities)
Name three significant causes that led to the fall of the Roman Empire in AD 476.
- Ineffective political system (no formal system to choose emperors)
- Economic decline (and excessive taxes)
- Military invasion from Germanic and Asiatic tribes
Name the three branches of US government. Include one power of each.
Legislative - makes laws
executive - enforces laws
judicial - interprets laws
Name three military objectives the North had during the Civil War.
- Capture Southern capital at Richmond, Virginia.
- Blockade the South’s Atlantic seaports.
- Split the Confederacy at the Mississippi River.
Name a few consequences of the California Gold Rush in the US.
- Dramatic increase in population in California.
- California went from a territory to a state.
- Trade and commerce expanded.
- Transportation systems developed (extensive).
- Mistreatment of non-European peoples (Chinese, Indians) increased.
List three reasons for establishing the mission system in California.
- Convert Native Americans to Christianity.
- Provide agricultural land and food for the emerging Spanish population.
- Discourage English/Russian colonization in the area.
Where was Hammurabi’s Code developed? By Whom? When? What was it?
Mesopotamia. Babylonians. 1750 BC. Written law code.
Name the order of Mesopotamian civilizations, beginning with the Sumerians and ending with the Persians.
Sumerians, Babylonians, Hittites, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Persians.
What civilization established the first lasting monotheism?
Israelites - Saul established the first kingdom in Palestine in 1030 BC.
What early civilizations are associated with the Aegean Sea?
Ancient Greece: Minoan, Mycenaean, Hellenic, Hellenistic civilizations.
Describe the Peloponnesian War. When did it happen?
Conflict between Sparta & Athens - devastated both sides. Sparta was victorious, but unable to unite the Greek city-states. 431-404 BC.
What did Alexander the Great do? When?
Alexander the Great of Macedonia established the Hellenic Age in 356-323 BC.
- Conquered Persia, Asia Minor and Egypt.
- Established a bureaucratic government.
- Facilitated the fusion of Greek culture with the East.
How was Roman Republic society organized?
- Patricians (propertied class)
- Plebeians (main body of citizens)
- Slaves
When did Rome fall? Why?
Rome fell in 476 AD:
- repeated barbarian invasions by the Goths, Vandals and Huns.
- political instability, excessive taxation, and decline of military.
- rise of Christianity divided kingdom.
List some reasons for the spread of Christianity during the Roman period.
- The church was efficiently organized.
- Doctrines stressed equality and immortality.
- Constantine converted to Christianity in 313 AD.
- Establishment of Christianity as official Roman religion in 380AD.
- Supremacy of the pope during the disintegration of Rome.
Who founded the Byzantine Empire? How long did it last? What are some major accomplishments of the Byzantine Empire?
Constantine. 1,000 years!
- Constantine established a “New Rome” = Constantinople in AD 330.
- Codification of Roman law “Justinian Code”
- Center for world trade and cultural exchange - avoided military conflict through the use of diplomacy.
- Preservation of Greek language/culture.
Why did the Byzantine Empire fall? When?
- Constantinople was sacked during the 4th crusade in AD 1453.
- Geographic proximity and therefore vulnerability to the Arabs, Slavs, Seljuk Turks…
- Religious controversy and the split from the Roman Catholic Church.
Islam is based on the teachings of __________?
Mohammed.
Who ruled the Muslim Empire?
Arab caliphs
What was the Battle of Tours in 732AD?
Conflict between Muslim Empire and Franks (Germanic tribe). Muslim expansion was halted in Europe by the Frank leader, Charles Martel.
What event resulted in The Dark Ages?
The destruction of Rome and the subsequent period of decline (500-800AD)
Describe the political structure of feudalism.
Hierarchical and interdependent.
Church, Lords/Nobles, Vassals/Lesser Lords, Knights, Peasants.
What was the Treaty of Verdun?
When Charlemagne (revived Holy Roman Empire) divided his empire between his three grandsons in 843AD.
What was the Hundred Years War?
Between England and France. Booted English from France. 1337-1453.
What was the Battle of Hastings?
1066 - ended Anglo-Saxon rule in England.
Name the most important document in English constitutional law. What did it do?
Magna Carta (1215).
- It limited the king’s power! (constitutionalism)
- It declared the rights of the king’s subjects (habeas corpus)!
- It established legal procedures! (due process)
How was English Parliament divided?
House of Lords and the House of Commons composed Parliament.
When was the Renaissance? Where did it emerge? Name three characteristics.
1350-1600. Italy.
- Emphasis on man, not god.
- Reawakening of classical models of thought (humanism)
- Universal man.
What was the Act of Supremacy and why was it significant?
1534 - Marked the beginning of the English Reformation. King Henry the 8th wanted an annulment, it wasn’t granted, he established himself as the head of the church and converted to Protestantism and established the Anglican Church.
Who wrote “Ninety-Five Theses”? What did it question?
Martin Luther questioning the right of the pope to grant indulgences.
Name a few philosophers during the Age of Enlightenment:
Voltaire, Montesquieu, Locke, Rousseau.
Who wrote the Wealth of Nations? What did it advocate?
Adam Smith. Manufacturing as the true source of a nation’s wealth.
Name three causes of the French Revolution.
- Inequitable class structure.
- Disorganized political/legal structure.
- Bankrupt treasury.
- Enlightenment philosophy.
- Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen.
What was the 1815 Battle of Waterloo?
Napoleon (France) versus the rest of Europe…Napoleon was defeated and exiled to St. Helena.
Name three results of the Industrial Revolution.
- Increase in productivity due to factory system.
- Demographic changes (from rural to urban).
- Division of society into classes.
- Development of modern capitalism.
Name the four rivers important to Africa’s economic history.
Nile, Zambezi, Niger, Congo.
What are the three topographic regions in Africa?
Desert, savanna, tropical rainforest.
Name three consequences of the Spanish Conquest on the indigenous peoples in the Americas.
- Disease ravaged native populations
- Mass transfer of wealth from Americas to Spain
- Conversion to Christianity
- Loss of native culture
- End of political/economic independence of native peoples
What did the Council of Trent do?
1545-63…The Council of Trent defined the doctrines of Catholicism and reinforced papal authority during the Counter Reformation.
Name three effects of the Reformation.
- Growth in spirit of modern nationalism
- Authority of the state was strengthened
- Middle class was strengthened
What prompted the Renaissance (1350-1600)?
- Conflicts between the papacy and the Holy Roman Empire resulted in regional autonomy for Italy city/states.
- Greek & Roman culture contributed
- Crusades were focused elsewhere (Greek and Near East)
- General movement towards secularization
What was the House of Burgesses? The Mayflower Compact?
In 1619, the House of Burgesses was an early colonial attempt at representative self government. The Mayflower Compact was the basis for government by the consent of the government.
What war ended the French threat in America? When?
French and Indian War from 1756-63. English victory.
Name three causes of the American Revolution (1763-76).
- English mercantile policy discouraged colonial economic independence. “taxation without representation”
- Increased frequency of colonial opposition to British actions - petitions, boycotts, etc.
- Formation of the Declaration of Independence.
Name three important battles in the Revolutionary War.
- Fort Ticonderoga (1775) - American Victory - Americans seized 100 cannons which were badly needed!
- Bunker Hill (1775) - British Victory - Huge british losses, Americans held their own and proved how badly they wanted independence.
- Princeton (1777) - American Victory - GW - French sent supplies to help the colonists.
- Yorktown (1781) - American Victory - GW - Tartleton surrendered. Cornwallis defeated. Britain recognizes US independence.
Name three things that contributed to America’s deteriorating relationship with Britain during the American Revolution.
- Proclamation Act (1763) - Banned settlement beyond Appalachian Mountains.
- Townshend Revenue Act (1767) - New taxes on paper, tea, glass, lead, paint.
- Boston Massacre (1770) - Boston mob protesting British soldiers were fired upon point blank.
- Coercive Acts (1774) - British power shut down port of Boston, created new Quartering Act.
- Lexington & Concord (1775) - British troops search and destroy militia weapons.
What was the point of the Articles of Confederation? What were some of the problems with it?
- Meant to hold the nation together during the time after the Revolutionary War (1781-89) by providing some semblance of a central government.
- No national bank, no centralized control over trade, no fair representation in Congress based on population, unanimous approval required to changes, no checks/balances.
What was the Great Compromise? When?
1788 - Created a bicameral Congress in the Constitution:
- House of Representatives: representation based on pop size
- Senate: 2 senators per state
List some important facts about the Constitution.
- Checks and balances
- Separation of Power
- Great Compromise
- Federal System (responsibilities shared between central gov and states)
- Bill of Rights
- Amendments (require 3/4 approval from states and 2/3 from Congress)
List some differences between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans.
Federalists: Pro-Britain, centralized authority in national government, banking interests, favored rich/wealthy, manufacturing focus.
Democratic-Republicans: Pro-France, decentralized authority to the states, farming, favored “common man”.
Why was the War of 1812 fought? What was the result?
Between US and Great Britain. 1812-1815.
- Britain impressment of US soldiers.
- Conflict over frontier land.
- Neutrality - British & French were at war…who did US support?
- Other British abuses of power.
Resulted in US victory and a renewed sense of nationalism and american pride.
What was the Era of Good Feelings?
The time after the War of 1812 characterized by the successes of the Anti-Federalist Party.
Why was the Battle of New Orleans significant?
It was the final major battle of the War of 1812, though the Treaty of Ghent had already been signed. Andrew Jackson became an American hero.
What were the three main causes of the Civil War? When was the Civil War?
1861-65.
- Social/Economic Differences between North and South.
- States’ Rights versus Federal Authority
- Expansion of Slavery
How were the following states/territories added to the Union?
- Louisiana Territory
- Florida
- Oregon Territory
- California/Utah/Nevada/Arizona/New Mexico
- Texas
- Louisiana Purchase 1803 from France
- 1821 purchase from Spain
- 1846 Treaty with Britain
- Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo 1848 after Mexican-American War
- Annexed after Mexican cecession in 1850.
What was the Missouri Compromise of 1820?
Outlawed slavery above a certain latitude, except for Missouri which could be a slave state.
What was the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854?
Allowed slavery in Kansas and Nebraska (despite the Missouri Compromise initial restriction) AND allowed states to decide via popular sovereignty if they would be a slave state or not. LAME.
What advantages did the North have versus the South during the Civil War?
North: manpower, firepower, economic resources
South: territory, leadership
What was the opening battle of the Civil War? When?
Fort Sumter 1861. Confederate Victory.
Why was the battle at Antietam significant?
First battle fought on northern soil. Bloodiest single day of the civil war. Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation!!! 1862.
Why was the battle of Vicksburg important?
Union victory split the confederacy at the Mississippi River! 1863.
Describe Sherman’s March to the Sea.
Sherman’s troops captured Atlanta and pushed ahead to capture Savannah. Violent, bloody, burned Atlanta. Left a legacy of bitterness toward the North. 1864.
What was the final battle of the Civil War?
1865 - Battle of Appomattox Courthouse. Lee surrendered to Grant.
What were the differences between Presidential versus Congressional Reconstruction plans following the Civil War?
Presidential (Lincoln/Johnson) FYI Johnson was impeached and Lincoln was assassinated…DAMN. Amnesty plan for southerners. Require ratification of 13th Amendment. Nullify “nullification” state ordinances. Debt repudiation. Provisional governors to protect newly freedman’s rights.
Congressional (Stevens/Sumner): Punish the south!! Full suffrange to freedman, 14th and 15th amendment ratification. Divide south into 5 military districts.
Why was the presidential election of 1876 significant?
Hayes could be president if troops left south (so they could establish their own Jim Crow laws and try to get things back to the way they were. Awesome!). Set back civil rights for at least 100 years.
What was the Homestead Act of 1862?
Go find some land out west, live there for five years and prove that you have made “improvements” on the land, and the land is basically yours for free/little cost.
What were the Sherman and Clayton Antitrust Laws?
The limited the power of giant corporations in 1890 and 1914.
Name some Northern California tribes.
Yurok, Hupa, Modoc, Pomo.
Name some Central California tribes.
Maidu, Miwok.
Name some coastal tribes.
Chumash, Esselen, Miwok.
Name some desert tribes.
Mojave, Serrano.
Name some Sierra Nevada tribes.
Miwok, Mono.
What is El Camino Real?
Cali’s first transportation route along which the 21 missions were built.
Who established Fort Ross? When and why?
Russians in 1812 as a trading post, and as a place to keep/store/raise food for the capital of Russian America - New Archangel (Sitka) in Alaska.
What was the Monroe Doctrine?
1823 - Monroe outlined the concept of manifest destiny and restricted european colonization of the Americas.
Name three reasons why the Spaniards establish the California missions? When?
1700-1823
- Convert Indians to Christianity.
- Establish cultural and agricultural centers to support spanish population.
- Populate Alta California for Spain.
What was the Compromise of 1850?
Admitted California as a free state, but gave the south the Fugitive Slave Act. :(
What was the international “Gentleman’s Agreement”?
A compromise in 1907 to “voluntarily restrict” Japanese immigration while finally allowing integrated schools.
World War I produced a new economic boom in Cali. How?
- Wages, productions, manufacturing, commerce grew rapidly!
- Panama Canal opened in 1914 extended international links.
- Influx of immigrants
What was the impact of the Great Depression on California?
- 375,000 midwesterners migrated out of the dustbowl to california, driving wages down and unemployment up.
- mexican repatriation (cali had too many workers so they tried to send mexican nationals and mexican-americans back to mexico.
- film industry expanded because it provided a relatively cheap “escape” from reality for californians.
World War II revitalized the california economy. How?
- US needed airplanes, ships, and other war products.
- California became “defense center” of the nation.
- Oil and mineral resource production at maximum levels.
- Film industry increased production (entertainment and war propaganda movies).
What are the five economic regions of California?
- Hollywood (entertainment)
- Southern California (aerospace)
- Central Valley (agriculture)
- Silicon Valley (computers/technology)
- Napa/Sonoma/Santa Barbara/Paso Robles (wine)
What are the five primary sectors of employment in California?
- Trade/transportation/utilities
- Government
- Professional and business services
- Education and health services
- Leisure and hospitality
Name two sources we use to inform ourselves about ancient societies.
- archaelogy
2. ancient texts
Who wrote the original draft of the Declaration of Independence? Who was it addressed to?
Thomas Jefferson. Addressed to King George III.
Where was gold first discovered? When? Who was president at the time?
January 1848 at Sutter’s Mill in California. James Polk made an announcement in the press, which prompted migrants from China, Europe and Australia to flood to the area (‘49ers).
How does the California constitution differ from the US constitution?
California Constitution:
- Affords more substantial rights to citizens - prohibits capital punishment and allows free speech even in privately owned spaces.
- Allows governor to veto PARTS of a bill.
What was Mendez v. Westminster?
1947 case declared racial segregation in Orange County schools to be unconstitutional.
What accounts for almost half of all exports out of California?
Computers and electronics.
What aqueduct provides water to the Bay Area?
Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct
What aqueducts meet the water needs of LA and San Diego Counties?
California, Los Angeles and Colorado aqueducts.
What rivers make up the rare inverted delta of the Central Valley?
Colorado, Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers.
California contains both the highest and lowest points in the continental US. What are they?
Mount Whitney - 14,495 feet
Death Valley - 282 feet BELOW sea level
What are the 7 distinct geographical regions in California? Look at a map, Kate!
- The Coast Ranges
- The Klamath Mountains
- The Sierra Nevada (Snowy Range)
- The Central Valley
- The Basin and Range
- The Cascade Range and Modoc Plateau
- The Transverse and Peninsular Ranges
What chinese dynasty is associated with the terra-cotta army?
The Qin Dynasty
During the Middle Ages, new mathematical concepts such as algebra and calculus came from ________.
Islamic scholarship
What were two military objectives of the War of 1812? Were they successful?
- Take Canada from the British.
- Take Florida from Spain.
Nope, failed on both accounts!
What was the primary focus of the Lewis & Clark expedition? Which President sent them?
To find an all-water route to the Pacific. President Jefferson.
After which Act was the rallying cry “no taxation without representation” created?
The Stamp Act - taxed written documents (newspapers, legal documents)
What source supplies water to the important agricultural region “The Imperial Valley”?
The Colorado River
What was the most important industry in California between 1821-1848?
Cattle ranching.
What did Vasco de Gama do?
First European (Portuguese) explorer to reach India by Sea.
What is Juan Cabrillo known for?
First European (Portuguese) explorer to reach coastal california.
What is Francisco de Coronado known for?
First European explorer to explore the US southwest.
What area did Ponce de Leon claim for Spain in 1540?
Florida.
What religious group was a theocracy with the objective to set up a Bible commonwealth?
Puritans
What was the 18th amendment?
Authorized prohibition (outlawing alcohol consumption) in 1920.
What was the Raker Act?
Passed in 1913, it allowed the O’Shaughnessy Dam to proceed in Yosemite National Park.
What was the “Howl” trial in 1957?
City Lights books in SF was accused of distributing “obscenity” when custom agents seized copies of Ginsberg’s poem “Howl”. The judge ruled it was NOT obscene.
What happened after the Battle of Vienna in 1683?
The Ottoman Empire was defeated by the Holy Roman Empire and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, marking a turning point in a 300 year conflict between the Ottomans and the Hapsburgs.
What was the Bronze Age known for in Africa?
- Beginning of writing
2. Use of bronze and copper.
What was the Iron Age known for in Africa?
Implements were hammered into shape rather than being cast.
What is the Neolithic Age known for in Africa?
The development of farming in the Fertile Crescent.
What was Pinckney’s Treaty?
Also called the Treaty of San Lorenzo, Pinckney’s Treaty opened up the Mississippi River to american navigation and allowed western settlers to conduct transactions in New Orleans (previously under Spanish control).
Who was William Penn?
Penn befriended the Lenape Indians, learned their dialects, and paid them fairly for their lands instead of just taking it (like everyone else). He died in 1918.
What was the Geary Act of 1892?
Extended the Chinese Exclusion Act for another 10 years and required that Chinese carry a certificate of residency at all times.
What was the Naturalization Act of 1798?
One of four Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, it extended the requirement for residency from 5 years to 14 years.
