social studies 2 Flashcards
where are the himalayas located? what is the name of the highest point?
Asia- Nepal, india china, Pakistan, and Bhutan
Highest point: Everest
where are the andes mountains located? what is the name of the highest point?
South America- Argentina, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Columbia, Venezuela
Peak: Aconcagua
where are the alps located? what is the name of the highest point?
Europe- France, Switzerland, Monaco, Italy, Austria, Germany, Slovenia, and Liechtenstein
Peak: Mount Blanc
where are the rocky mountains located? what is the name of the highest point? why are they significant?
left side of the US: 3,000 miles north-to-south from new mexico, across the US into Montana, and well into Canada
Peak: Mount Elbert
Longest mountain range in north America and second longest in the world
Smaller mountain ranges within include:
- Big horn mountains, the front range, the Wasatch mountains, and the bitterroot range
- National parks: yellowstone, rocky mountain, grand teton, and glacier
where are the appalachians located? what is the name of the highest point? why are they significant?
right side of the US- east coast; from northern Alabama to maine
Smaller mountain ranges within include:
-Smoky mountain, blue ridge mountains, green mountains, white mountains, Longfellow mountains, and the Berkshires
where are the sierra nevada mountains located? what is the name of the highest point? why are they significant?
west coast of the US; mostly in cali and some in Nevada
Peak: mount whitney
Home to yosemite national park and lake tahoe
what are the names of the 5 great lakes?
(from left to right)
Superior Michigan Huron Eerie Ontario
what are some of the geographical features that effected Napoleon and Hitler’s attempts to invade Russia?
(Hitler invaded Russia in WWII)
Very poor road network
Inclement weather
Very poor agricultural base
what is the panama canal? why is it important?
o Connects the pacific and atlantic oceans
48 miles long
Important for international maritime trade
Construction of the canal began in 1881 by France
- There were engineering problems and too many people were dying due to disease
- Construction stopped until the US took over in 1904 and it took 10 years to complete
- The canal allowed ships to travel more safely and in half the time
- In 1999 the Panamanian gov took control of the canal
- Is one of the 7 wonders of the modern world
- Many prospectors used this canal during the California gold rush
who is alexander the great? why is he important?
King of Macedonia (southeast Europe) from 336 to 323 BC
He united Greece, reestablished the Corinthian League and conquered the Persian Empire
Became king of Persia, Babylon and Asia, and created Macedonian colonies in the region
what were the Europeans motives for early exploration of North America?
Wealth and Religion
However, motives were different for Spanish, French, and English explorers, but all wanted to find the Northwest Passage
NP: direct and efficient route to the Orient- home of spices, silks, and wealth
-All wanted to lay claim to new land to expand their empires
what were the three groups of Europeans during the early exploration of North America?
spanish
french
english
what were the spanish’s motives during early exploration of North America?
In search of mineral wealth
Looking for El Dorado, city of gold
Aspired to spread Christianity
what were the french’s motives during early exploration of north america?
Also wanted to spread Christianity and find a new route by water to the east through North America
what were the english’s motives during early exploration of north america?
Motivated by a desire to colonize as much of the Americas as possible to add to the ever-increasing British Empire
why is christopher columbus important?
Sailed from Palos, Spain in search of a route to Asia and the Indies, instead- found the New World- the Americas
His journey marked the beginning of centuries of transatlantic colonization
Made 4 trips across the atlantic ocean
what were the three regional identities during the colonial era?
new england
mid-atlantic/middle
southern
all relied on each other for certain items or skills
what were some of the characteristics of the new england people during the colonial era?
Primarily religious reformers and separatists
Seeking a new way of life to glorify God and for the greater good of their spiritual life
Had skilled craftsman in the industry of shipbuilding
First specialized in nautical/boating equipment- region later developed mills and factories
Environment is ideal for water-powered machinery
what were some of the characteristics of the mid-atlantic/middle people during the colonial era?
Welcomed people from various and diverse lifestyles
Presented a diverse workforce of farmers, fisherman, and merchants
Had rich farmland and moderate climate
More suitable place to grow grain and livestock than new England
Environment was ideal for small to large farms
Coastal lowlands and bays provided harbors- were able to provide trading opportunities where the three regions meet in market towns and cities
what are some characteristics of the southern people during the colonial era?
Were established as economic ventures and were seeking natural resources to provide material wealth to the mother country and themselves
Primarily agricultural with few cities and limited schools
Had fertile farmlands which contributed to the rise of cash crops (rice, tobacco, and indigo)
Plantations developed as nearly subsistent communities
Slavery allowed wealthy aristocrats and large landowners to cultivate huge tracts of land
what was the first permanent english colony founded in America?
Jamestown, Virginia
Founded as America’s first permanent English colony in 1607
13 years before Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in Mass.
Founded by the Virginia Company of London, a group of investors who hoped to profit from the venture
John Smith was the colony’s leader
what were the new england colonies?
Connecticut Colony
The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Province of New Hampshire
what is the french and indian war?
North American conflict in a larger imperial war between Great Britain and France known as the Seven Years’ War
Began in 1754 and ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763
-Peace treaty between the US and Britain that ended American Revolutionar War
Provided Great Britain with enormous territorial gains in North America, but fights over subsequent frontier policy and paying the war’s expenses led to colonial discontent, and ultimately to the American Revolution
The war was enormously expensive and british gov attempted to impose taxes on colonists to help cover these expenses and resulted in increasing colonial resentment of british attempts to expand imperial authority in the colonies
The british also attempted to limit western expansion by colonists and inadvertent provocation of a major indian war further angered the British subjects living in the American colonies
—–all led to colonial rebellion and a full-scale war for independence
what was the slave trade?
Africans were the immigrants to the british new world that had no choice in their destinations or destinies
what were some of the reasons for the declaration of independence?
July 4, 1776
Explained to the whole world that the 13 british colonies were seeking to start their own country
-Britain was taxing and mistreating the colonies
Stated that the American colonies would no longer be a part of Great Britain and would form their own country
Listed the colonists’ thoughts about freedom and what government should be like and the reasons why they thought the British were being unfair
what were some of the major battles during the war for independence?
Battle of Monmouth (June of 1778)
Battle of King’s Mountain (October of 1780)
Battle of Fort Ticonderoga (May of 1775)
Battle of Cowpens (January of 1781)
Battle of Saratoga (October of 1777)
Battle of Bunker Hill (June of 1775)
Battle of Fort Washington (November of 1776)
Battles of Trenton and Princeton (Winter of 1776-77)
Battle of Yorktown (October of 1781)
-Last great battle of American revolutionary war
Battles of Lexington and Concord (April of 1775)
-The first battle of the revolutionary war
articles of confederation vs. the us constitution
Two most prominent documents to manifest during the American revolutionary war
AOC
- First successful effort of organizing and mobilizing the 13 colonies of the US
- Gave the original colonial powers some added leverage in handling diplomatic affairs, including negotiating land deals with foreign governments
- Established a unicameral legislature
- Voting power was delegated to the states based on committees and each state* had one vote in the AOC
US Constitution
- Adopted in 1789, replacing the AOC permanently
- Created checks and balances between the three branches of government
- Enumerated the relationship of the federal government and the states
- Established the bill of rights
- Eventual bicameral system
- voting: allowed for a single vote for each legislative representative
- created the executive branch of government, establishing a figurehead department of the government
- did more to centralize authority in a single political entity, rather than rely on the more lax union created by the AOC
bill of rights
First 10 amendments of the constitution
Written by James Madison
List several prohibitions on governmental power, in response to calls from several states for greater constitutional protection for individual liberties
founding the nation: two political parties
federalists and anti-federalists
federalists
Advocated for a strong national government
Argued that the constitution did not need a bill of rights because the people and states kept any powers not given to the federal government
The constitution as it stood only limited the government and not the people
anti-federalists
Wanted power to remain with state and local governments
Held that a bill of rights was necessary to safeguard individual liberty
Without the bill of rights, the people would be at risk of oppression
western expansion: war of 1812
Aka: the second part of the American Revolutionary War
President was James Madison
American Congress declared war against Great Britain three decades after the Treaty of Paris bc of these three factors
The british were capturing ships and forcing American citizens to serve in their navy and army (impressment)
Great Britain was holding territory by having troops and forts in the Northwest territory
The US wanted land but Britain had troops were the Indians were, and they became friends with one another so they did not leave
The battle of new Orleans was the last battle of the war
Served as a turning point in the history of the young republic
The US developed a more distinctly American fashion after the War of 1812
western expansion: monroe doctrine (of 1823)
Best known U.S. policy towards the western hemisphere
Cornerstone of US foreign policy enunciated by President James Madison
Separates spheres of European and American influence
Declared that the Old World and New World had different systems and must remain in different spheres
US promised to stay out of European business and told the Europeans to stay out of the Western Hemisphere’s business
Four main points:
- The US would not interfere in the internal affairs of or the wars between European powers
- The US recognized and would not interfere with existing colonies and the dependencies in the Western Hemisphere
- The Western Hemisphere was closed to future colonization
- Any attempt by a European power to oppress or control any nation in the Western Hemisphere would be viewed as a hostile act against the US
western expansion: manifest destiny
Held that the US was destined- by God, as advocated believed- to expand its dominion and spread democracy and capitalism across the entire North American continent
Louisiana Purchase
- Thomas Jefferson kicked off the country’s westward expansion in 1803 with this
- High birth rate and brisk immigration, the US population exploded in the first half of the 19th century
- This rapid growth, alongside two economic depressions, drove millions of americans westward in search of new land and new opportunities
Texas Independence
-Cries for the “re-annexation” of Texas increased after Mexico, having won its independence from Spain, passed a law suspending US immigration into Texas in 1830
-It’s new leaders sought to join the US and ended up doing it
By the time Texas was admitted into the Union, the idea that the US must inevitably expand westward, all the way to the Pacific Ocean, had taken firm hold among people from different regions, classes, and political persuasions
The phrase “Manifest Destiny” emerged as the best-known expression of this mindset
A treaty between Great Britain and the US partially resolved the question of where to draw the Canadian border, but left open the question of the Oregon Territory
As president, Polk wanted to issue resolved and his administration agreed to a compromise whereby Oregon would be split aklong the 49th parallel, narrowly avoiding a crisis with Britain
By the time the Oregon question was settled, The US had entered into an all out war with Mexico, driven by the spirit of the manifest destiny
causes of the civil war
Industry vs. Farming
- Economies of many northern states had moved away from farming to industry
- The southern states had maintain a large farming economy and this economy was based on slave labor
- The north no longer relied on slaves but the south did heavily
States Rights
- There had been arguments about how much power the states should have vs. how much power the governmet should have since the constitution
- The southern states felt that the fed. Gov was taking away their powers and rights
Slavery
- The heart of much of the south’s issues- relied on slavery for labor to work in the fields
- Many people in the north believed that slavery was wrong and evil- they were called abolitionists and wanted slavery to be illegal
- ^this made south fearful that their way of life would come to an end
Bleeding Kansas
- First fighting over the slavery issue
- The gov passed the Kansas-Nebraska act allowing the citizens of Kansas to vote on whether they wanted to be a slave state or a free state and the region was flooded with supporters on both sides
- They fought over this issue for years
- Eventually entered as a free state
Abraham Lincoln
- The final straw for the south was AL becoming president
- He was a member of the new anti-slavery republican party
- South felt that since he was against slavery he was against the south too
Secession
- When AL was elected, many southern states decided they no longer wanted to be apart of the US and that they had every right to leave
- 11 states would eventually leave the US and form the Confederate States of America
- AL said that they did not have the right to leave the US and sent in troops to stop the south from leaving
- The Civil War begun
Reconstruction
- The union victory in the civil war may have given 4 million slaves their freedom, but the process of rebuilding the south during the reconstruction period introduced lots of challenges
- New southern state legislatures passed restrictive “black codes” to control the labor and behavior of former slaves and other African Americans
what is reconstruction?
The union victory in the civil war may have given 4 million slaves their freedom, but the process of rebuilding the south during the reconstruction period introduced lots of challenges
New southern state legislatures passed restrictive “black codes” to control the labor and behavior of former slaves and other African Americans
early battles of the civil war
Fort Sumter
First Manassas
Shiloh
Second Manassas
Antietam
radical reconstruction
Newly enfranchised blacks gained a voice in government for the first time in American history, willing election to southern state legislatures and even to the U.S. Congress
Radical Republicans believed blacks were entitled to the same political rights and opportunities as whites
Also believed that the confederate leaders should be punished for their roles in the Civil War
At the heart of their beliefs was the notion that blacks must be given a chance to compete in a free-labor economy
the end of reconstruction
The compromise of 1877
An informal, unwritten deal that settled the intensely disputed 1876 US presidential election.
Resulted in the US fed government pulling the last troops out of the south and ending the reconstruction era
industrialization
The development of machine production of goods and new energy resources
positive effects of industrialization
Job opportunities
New machinery increased production speeds of goods and gave people the opportunity to transport raw materials
Led to urbanization
-The movement of people into cities and city building
Western world went from rural and agricultural to urban industrial
Steam engine
-Provided cheap movement of goods through waterways- canals were built so resources could be transported with ease
Railroad system
Road transportation
Raised the standards of living
negative effects of industrialization
Urban areas grew tremendously, leading to overcrowding in cities
Factory work was dirty and dangerous
Large populations caused many health problems- unsanitary cities and disease filled streets
Bosses strictly disciplined employees and treated them harshly- were underpaid and overworked
Child labor
Fatigue and illness
causes of the great depression
The stock market crash
Banking panics and monetary contraction
The gold standard
- As the US experienced declining output and deflation, it tended to run a trade surplus with other countries bcause americans were buying fewer imported goods, while American exports were relatively cheap
- Such imbalances gave rise to significant foreign gold outflows to the US, which in turn threated to devalue the currencies of the countries whose gold reserves had been depleted
Decreased international lending and tariffs
- The US economy was still expanding, lending by US banks to foreign countries fell, partly because of the relatively high US interest rates
- The drop off contributed to contractionary effects in some borrower countries, whose economies entered a downturn even before the beginning of the Great Depression in the US
- American agriculture also suffered
the stock market crash
The stock market went under a historic expansion in the 1920’s
Prices rose to unprecedented levels and investing in the stock market seemed like an easy way to make money
Even people out of ordinary means used much of their disposable income or even mortgaged their homes to buy stock
By the end of the decade, 100’s of millions of shares were being carried on margin
-Meaning that their purchase price was financed with loans to be repaid with profits generated from ever-increasing share prices
Once prices began to decline, many shareholders fell into a panic and rushed to liquidate their holding, exacerbating the decline and engendering further panic
the new deal
Was a series of programs and projects instituted during the Great Depression by FDR that aimed to restore prosperity to Americans
He acted to stabilize the economy and provide jobs and relief to those who were suffering
Over the next eight years, the gov instituted a series of experimental programs and projects that aimed to restore some measure of dignity and prosperity to many Americans
It fundamentally and permanently changed the federal `government’s relationship to U.S. citizens
monroe doctrine
Best known U.S. policy towards the western hemisphere
Cornerstone of US foreign policy enunciated by President James Madison
Separates spheres of European and American influence
Declared that the Old World and New World had different systems and must remain in different spheres
US promised to stay out of European business and told the Europeans to stay out of the Western Hemisphere’s business
Four main points:
• The US would not interfere in the internal affairs of or the wars between European powers
• The US recognized and would not interfere with existing colonies and the dependencies in the Western Hemisphere
• The Western Hemisphere was closed to future colonization
• Any attempt by a European power to oppress or control any nation in the Western Hemisphere would be viewed as a hostile act against the US
manifest destiny
Held that the US was destined- by God, as advocated believed- to expand its dominion and spread democracy and capitalism across the entire North American continent
Louisiana Purchase
• Thomas Jefferson kicked off the country’s westward expansion in 1803 with this
• High birth rate and brisk immigration, the US population exploded in the first half of the 19th century
• This rapid growth, alongside two economic depressions, drove millions of americans westward in search of new land and new opportunities
Texas Independence
• Cries for the “re-annexation” of Texas increased after Mexico, having won its independence from Spain, passed a law suspending US immigration into Texas in 1830
• It’s new leaders sought to join the US and ended up doing it
By the time Texas was admitted into the Union, the idea that the US must inevitably expand westward, all the way to the Pacific Ocean, had taken firm hold among people from different regions, classes, and political persuasions
The phrase “Manifest Destiny” emerged as the best-known expression of this mindset
A treaty between Great Britain and the US partially resolved the question of where to draw the Canadian border, but left open the question of the Oregon Territory
As president, Polk wanted to issue resolved and his administration agreed to a compromise whereby Oregon would be split aklong the 49th parallel, narrowly avoiding a crisis with Britain
By the time the Oregon question was settled, The US had entered into an all out war with Mexico, driven by the spirit of the manifest destiny
legislative
makes laws
congress–>state–> house of reps
executive
carries out laws
president–.VP–> cabinet
judicial
interprets laws
supreme court–?other federal courts
magna carta
“The Great Charter”; one of the most important documents in history as it established the principle that everyone is subject to the law, even the king, and guarantees the rights of individuals, the right to justice and the right to a fair trial
King John ruled England for almost two decades and was well known for being a heavy handed ruler
He would often wage unnecessary wars and burden his subjects with heavy taxes to pay for them
King John begrudgingly signed the Magna Carta because he needed the barons to fight his wars and collect his taxes
treaty of versailles
o The most important of the peace treaties that brought WWI to an end
o Ended the state of war between Germany and the allied powers
norman conquest
o The military conquest of England by William, duke of Normandy, primarily effected by his decisive victory at the battle of hastings and resulting ultimately in profound political, administrative, and social changes in the British Isles
1st amendment
basic liberties
2nd amendment
gun
3rd amendment
quartering soldiers
13th amendment
abolishing slavery
14th amendment
equal rights
15th amendment
voting rights for blacks
18th amendment
prohibition
19th amendment
womens right to vote
emancipation proclomation
o Executive order issued by president Lincoln freeing all slaves held in geographical areas in rebellion against the US
topography
arrangement of the natural and artifical physical features of an era
ethnography
scientific description of the customs of individual people and cultures
