Social Studies Flashcards
Colonialism
1607 - The first permanent English settlement was established in Jamestown, Virginia.
1620 - The Pilgrims sailed to the Americas aboard the Mayflower and established a second English colony in Massachusetts.
Beginning about 1675 - Colonists began importing a large number of slaves from Africa.
American Revolution
1754 - 1763 - England defeated France in the French and Indian War and acquired many of France’s American colonies.
1776 - The Thirteen Colonies declared independence from England. The Continental Congress assigned George Washington to lead the Continental Army and ordered publication of the Declaration of Independence on July 4
1781 - The American Revolution lasted until the surrender of the British at Yorktown in 1781.
1783 - The final treaty to end the war resulted in the recognition of American independence.
The new nation initially formed a weak national government through the Articles of Confederation. Over time, many colonial leaders recognized the need for a centralized government.
1788 - The U.S. Constitution was ratified. To counter fears of an overly powerful government, the first ten amendments to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, promised many individual freedoms.
The Civil War
Conflict over whether slavery should be allowed in the nation’s new western territories led to the Civil War.
Slavery had been legal throughout the North during the colonial period. However, by the early 1800s, it was abolished in all Northern states.
As the U.S. expanded during the early 1800s, the North and the South worked to maintain a balance of power. New states were generally added in pairs, one slave and one free.
In the 1850s, Congress voted that the territories themselves should decide whether or not to allow slavery. This soon led to war in Kansas. People from both the North and the South rushed to settle the territory. Voter fraud in the 1855 elections led to the setup of two warring governments. The violence in Kansas foreshadowed the Civil War.
In the late 1850s, political parties fractured over the slavery issue. Abraham Lincoln, who promised to halt the spread of slavery (although not abolish it where it already existed) won. Opposed to Lincoln’s policies, most slave states seceded from the U.S. They set up their own government, called the Confederacy.
By April 1861, the U.S. (called the Union) and the Confederacy were at war. At first it seemed as if the Confederacy might win. However, by the summer of 1863, the Confederacy began to wear down because the South lacked industry.
In 1865, Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union general Ulysses S. Grant.
For the next 12 years, federal troops oversaw the rebuilding of the South (Reconstruction). Schools were established for former slaves, who were all freed when the war ended. However, the sharecropping system, which kept black farmers enslaved economically, soon came into being. Whites who came back to power as Reconstruction ended in the South in the 1870s prevented African American from exercising their right to vote. The Civil War ended slavery, but it did not end racism.
Industrialization
Took place in the mid-1800s. Reasons:
(1) With the addition of the vast western territories, the U.S. gained plentiful natural resources (metals and fuel)
(2) The invention of many new machines and industrial processes
(3) Booming population (doubled in the last 40 years of the 1800s). Asian immigration was declining because the government had passed laws barring Chinese.
The Progressive Era
In the early 1900s, groups were working toward so many sweeping social and political improvements that the time is called the Progressive Era.
Imperialism
The U.S. pursued imperialist policies in the late 1800s.
1898 - the Spanish-American War. After winning, the U.S. took over Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam.
1913 - WWI began in Europe (the Allies vs the Central Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire)
1917 - the U.S. joined the Allies.
Nov 1918 - the Allies defeated the Central Powers
1929 - the world had fallen into a serious economic downturn, which Americans called the Great Depression. Economic problems aided the rise of fascism in Europe and elsewhere.
1933 - the height of the Great Depression. Franklin D. Roosevelt instituted a set of federal programs called the New Deal to try to lower unemployment.
Mid-1930s - Germany started attacking smaller nations in Europe. Italy fought to take over Ethiopia. Japan attacked China.
1939 - WWII between the Axis and the Allies.
1941 - The U.S. enters the war after Pearl Harbor.
The Cold War
Early 1950s - the Korean War.
1954 - 1975 - the Vietnam War.
1973 - the U.S. pulled out of Vietnam.
1991 - the Cold War ended with the breakup of the Soviet Union.
The Civil Rights Era
1950s - African American leaders launched the civil rights movement to try to end segregation and discrimination. Among their victories included the integration of public schools and other public facilities, the passage of laws protecting the voting rights of minorities, and the striking down of laws the permitted overt discrimination based on race or cultural background.
Habeas Corpus
A legal doctrine, which made it illegal for the government to hold or imprison individuals without granting them trial.
Magna Carta
Latin for Great Charter. Was signed in England in 1215. A document limiting the King’s rule and subjecting his decisions to review.
The Bill of Rights
Passed in 1791. The first 10 constitutional amendments, define the rights of citizens.
Republic
A form of government in which citizens elect the people who will govern them.
Legislative Branch
Representatives are elected for two years and senators for six years for any number of terms.
Judicial Branch
Federal judges are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. They can serve for life.
Producer Goods
The materials and parts that businesses buy to make their products.
