Knowledge Platform Flashcards
What is the commonly-accepted explanation for how the first “Native Americans” arrived in North America?
The Beringia Land Bridge
Approximately how many different Native American nations existed before the arrival of Columbus, and in what basic characteristics did they each differ from one another?
150 Tribes which all had different language
What year did Cristobal Colón (a.k.a. Christopher Columbus) first arrive in the Western Hemisphere?
1492
What two European nations were the first to colonize the Americas, and which of these two was the first to colonize in North America?
Spain and Portugal were the first to colonize the Americas. Spain was the first of the two to colonize in North America
What is the difference between a “primary source” and a “secondary source”? If given an example of a source, could you identify it as one or the other if given the context in which it is being used?
Primary: first hand
Secondary: second hand account
Why is a “Pilgrim” a “Puritan” but a “Puritan” is not necessarily a “Pilgrim”?
Both are protestants. Puritans wanted to reform or purify their church. A pilgrim is someone who makes a journey for religious purposes. The pilgrims were Puritans who went to the Americas.
How did Puritans differ from Anglicans? How did Anglicans differ from Roman Catholics? What unites Catholics and Protestants (and therefore separates them from other religions)?
Puritans were Anglicans who wanted to “purify” the church. Anglicanism is a branch of Christianity that formed during the Protestant Reformation. The main difference between it and Roman Catholics is that it recognizes a different head. Catholics and Protestants are united because they are forms of Christianity.
What kind of “religious freedom” were the “Pilgrims” who settled Plymouth Colony seeking?
They did not want to seek persecution because of their beliefs.
In what order were the Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, New Amsterdam, and Jamestown colonies settled? In the first third of which century?
Jamestown, Plymouth, New Amsterdam, Massachusetts Bay
17th century
Which of the above four colonies was not English, and which nation founded it?
New Amsterdam was Dutch.
Which of the above colonies’ founding is associated with the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving?
Plymouth
What agricultural product was instrumental in the survival and eventual prosperity of the Jamestown (Virginia) Colony?
tobacco
What was the Mayflower Compact and why is it considered significant in the development of democratic government?
The first agreement of self-government in America. The idea of self-government was then important to democratic governments.
What was the House of Burgesses and why is it considered significant in the development of representative government?
The first legislative assembly in the American colonies. Elected burgesses represented different plantations.
Which individual is associated with the quotations “No taxation without representation!” and “Give me liberty or give me death!”?
James Otis and Patrick Henry
What was the Stamp Act?
A tax on paper products on the colonists by the British
What happened at the “Boston Tea Party?”
People in defiance of the Tea Act destroyed an entire shipment of tea.
Why would it have made no sense for Paul Revere to have shouted “the British are coming!”?
He would not have referred to them as British because the colonists referred to themselves as British still.
Why are Lexington and Concord significant towns in U.S. history?
That was where the first battles of the Revolutionary War were.
In the context of the 1770s, what did the terms “patriot”, “loyalist”, and “tory” mean?
Patriots: colonists against the British
Loyalist/Tories were loyal to the British crown
In which document would you find the phrase “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…”?
Declaration of Independence
Who made the “Louisiana Purchase”, what did it do to the size of the United States, and what role did Lewis and Clark play?
Thomas Jefferson
It doubled the size of the US
Lewis and Clark led the expedition exploring the new territory
Who were the first four presidents of the United States (in order)?
Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison
Where is the Erie Canal and why was its construction so important to the development of the United States?
It connected the Hudson River at Albany to Lake Erie at Buffalo.
What is the significance of Fort Sumter?
First battle of the American Civil War
What did the Southern states do (collectively) that ultimately resulted in civil war, and what is the correct way to spell this word?
They seceded from the union
Who was U.S. president during the entirety of the Civil War?
Lincoln
Who won the U.S. Civil War?
The North
What was “Reconstruction” and when did it occur?
Rebuilding the South after the civil war
What was a “Jim Crow law”?
Mandated the segregation of public schools, public places, and public transportation, and the segregation of restrooms, restaurants, and drinking fountains for whites and blacks.
suffrage
the right to vote in political elections
temperance
abstinence from alcoholic drink
nationalism
patriotic feeling, principles, or efforts
imperialism
a policy of extending a country’s power and influence through diplomacy or military force
capitalism
an economic and political system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state
socialism
a political and economic theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole
communism
a political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs
fascism
governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism
Destruction of National Bank / “Trail of Tears”
president
Andrew Jackson
“Trustbusting”; “Speak softly and carry a big stick” (president)
Teddy Roosevelt
“New Deal” (president)
FDR
“Ask not what your country can do for you…” (president)
JFK
The “Great Society” programs (president)
Lyndon B. Johnson
Watergate (president)
Richard Nixon
“Supply-side” economics / “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall!” (president)
Reagan
Prior to the election of 2016, who were the last ten U.S. presidents (in order) and what political party did each belong to?
Barack Obama - Democrat
George Bush - Republican
Bill Clinton - Democrat
George Bush - Republican
Ronald Reagan - Republican
James Carter - Democrat
Gerald Ford - Republican
Richard Nixon - Republican
Lyndon B Johnson - Democrat
JFK - Democrat
Continental Congress approves Declaration of Independence (exact date)
July 4, 1776
U.S. Constitution adopted as “law of the land” (exact year)
1787
Civil War (start and end year)
1861 - 1865