U.S. History Flashcards
Squanto
Algonquian helped English settlers survive winter by teaching them how to farm corn, squash, and pumpkins
Pocahontas
Algonquian liaison with John Smith’s colony of Jamestown 1607
Sacagawea
Shoshone helped Lewis and Clark in 1805
Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull
led Sioux and Cheyenne troops in the Battle of Little Bighorn, defeating George Custer’s forces (last big Native victory?)
Chief Joseph
Nez Perce, supported peaceful interaction with white settlers and tried to relocate his tribe to Canada
Algonquians
Eastern U.S., lived in wigwams. Northerners were hunter/gatherers. Southerners grew crops.
Iroquois
East coast, lived in long houses, different language than Algonquians
Plains Tribes
Sioux, Cheyenne, Comanche, Blackfoot
Nomadic, lived in teepees to follow buffalo migration.
Pueblo tribes
Southwest. Zuni, Hope, Acoma. Stone and adobe homes, domesticated animals and farmed.
Pacific/West Coast tribes
Tlingit, Chinook, Salish. Fished, hunted, and gathered. Rectangular homes for large family groups. Totem poles.
Norther Tribes
North of U.S. Aleuts and Inuits. Lived in tents or igloos. Fished and hunted caribou, seals, whales and walrus. Built Kayaks and umiaks.
New England Colonies
New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. Founded to escape religious persecution in England - Puritans. Economy centered on fishing, shipbuilding, and TRADE. Life centered on towns and cities. Coastal cities thrived.
Mid Atlantic Colonies
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Founders from many different countries with different reasons for immigrating. Major producers of crops - rye, oats, potatoes, wheat, barley. Life centered on farms.
Southern Colonies
Maryland, Virginia (first colony), North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia (last colony). Economy based on labor intensive crops - tobacco, indigo, and rice (cash crops). Land controlled by wealthy plantation owners. Laborers were indentured servants and African slaves.
King William’s War
Also called Nine Years War. 1689 - 1697. British and French fought in Flanders
British Defeat of Spanish Armada
- Led to the decline of Spanish power in Europe. This in turn led Britain and French to vie for power in four wars 1689 - 1748
War of Spanish Succession
Also called Queen Anne’s war. 1702 - 1713.
War of Austrian Succession
Also called King George’s War. 1740 - 1748.
French and Indian War
1754 - 1763. Last of the British/French Wars, fought largely in North America. Ended France’s reign as a colonial power in North America.
France had more cooperative colonists and more Indian allies than Britain, but William Pitt led the British to victory.
Costs incurred by this war led to discontent in the British colonies which later helped spark the American Revolution.
Navigation Acts
1651 An attempt by Britain to dominate international trade
Aimed mostly at the Dutch (Netherlands), it banned non - British ships from transporting goods to the British colonies and Britain from elsewhere in Europe.
Some colonists did not like the Navigation Acts, but others benefited from them - those involved in British trade or ship making benefited economically.
By the time of the French and Indian War 1/3 of all British merchant ships were made in the American colonies, and many colonists earned fortunes in this industry.
Post French and Indian War Taxes
After the French and Indian War the British needed revenue to:
- Pay of War debt
- Continue defending their empire
- Govern their 33 colonies, including the American colonies
They increased taxes on the colonies, thinking this was fair because they had spent so much defending them in the French and Indian War. The colonists felt this was unfair, because they did not get a voice in the war or the increased taxes. This led to protests.
Triangular Trade in American Colonies
- American Colonies bring rum to Africa.
- In Africa rum was traded for gold or slaves.
- Ships then went to the West Indies trading slaves for sugar, molasses, or money.
- Ships return to colonies with sugar/molasses to make more rum, and with gold and silver.
This trade violated the Molasses Act of 1733 - which required colonies to pay high duties on molasses from non - British colonies. The colonists ignored this and the British did not enforce them.
New Laws in 1763
British passed new laws after the French and Indian War that required the colonies to pay money to Britain.
British thought this was fair because they were British subjects and because they were protecting the colonies.
Colonists felt this was unfair and illegal because they were not represented.
Colonial perspective on government
Colonies in American used local governments, which gave them a different view on the structure and role of government than the British.
The British did not understand this perspective and thought they were being reasonable since the role of colonies is to support the Mother Country.
Development of American Colonial Identity
Especially as colonists were born in America with no memory of Britain, the sense of kinship with Britain decreased.
Officially, colonists were allowed to govern their own domestic issues, but Britain reigned in international issues. Still, prior to the French and Indian War, the colonists were largely left to themselves.
American colonies had more freedom and power than most other colonies and could even form their own domestic governments.
This gave the colonists as sense of independence, so they resented British influence and control.
Colonial vs. British government
Colonists practiced representative government. Legislative bodies were made up of elected representatives - chosen by the property - owning men in the districts. The job of these individuals was to represent the interests of the districts who had elected them.
The British Parliament represented the entire country, members were not elected to represent the interests of individual districts. Instead they represented specific classes (strong representation for nobility, and some representation of “new money” wealth). Some British legislators claimed the colonies had “virtual representation” because parliament would try to act in the best interest of the colonies and Britain as a whole.
Quartering Act
1765, Required colonists to house and provide supplies for British troops. Also prohibited colonists from settling west of the Appalachians.
Sugar Act
1764, Required taxes to be collected on molasses brought into the colonies (used to make rum, a major export). Gave British officials the right to search of homes of anyone suspected of violating the act.
Stamp Act
1765, Taxed printed materials such as newspapers and legal documents. 9 colonies met in New York to demand its repeal.
Protests of the Act arose in NYC, Philadelphia, Boston, and other cities - sometimes escalating into violence. Repealed in 1766.
Declaratory Act
1766 After the Stamp Act was repealed, stated that Parliament had the right to govern the colonies.
Townshend Acts
- Taxed paper, paint, lead, and tea that entered the colonies. Colonists boycotted these goods.
In Massachusetts leaders such as Samuel and John Adams began to organize resistance to British rule.
Boston Massacre
Discontent after the Stamp and Townshend Acts led British to send troops to NYC and Boston.
March 5 1770 Protestors taunted British troops, throwing snowballs. At least one soldier fired into the crowd. Ensuing clash led to 5 deaths and 8 injuries, and was called the Boston Massacre by colonists to draw sympathy to their plight.
After the Boston Massacre, Britain repealed the majority of the Townshend Acts, but kept the tax on tea.
Tea Act
1773 Tea Act allowed the East India Company to sell tea for lower prices by bypassing American distributors, and selling directly to shopkeepers. Colonial tea merchants saw this as a direct assault on their business.
Boston Tea Party
December 1773. Angry at the Tea Act of 1773, 150 merchants boarded ships in Boston Harbor and dumped 342 chests of tea into the sea in protest.
Coercive Acts
1774 designed to punish Massachusetts for defying British authority. 4 Acts
1. Shut down ports in Boston until the city paid back the value of the tea destroyed in the Boston Tea Party
2. Required Massachusetts government to be appointed by the British governor instead of being elected by the residents of the state.
3. Allowed trials of British soldiers to be transferred to Britain instead of being held in Massachusetts
4. Required residents to provide lodging for British soldiers, even in their own homes
These Acts led to the assembly of the First Continental Congress. Called the “Intolerable Acts” by the colonists.
First Continental Congress
Met in Philadelphia, Sept. 5, 1774. Goal was to achieve a peaceful agreement with Britain. Delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies.
Affirmed their loyalty to Britain and deferred to the British Parliament.
Demanded the Intolerable Acts/Coercive Acts be repealed, instituted a trade embargo with Britain until they did.
Response to First Continental Congress
King George III said the colonies must submit to the Acts, or they would face military action. Colonial assemblies began gathering weapons.
Battle of Lexington and Concord
April 19, 1775 The British military was ordered to disperse a meeting of the Massachusetts Assembly. The colonists were armed and resisted, a battle ensued on the Lexington Common. This was the first battle of the American Revolution.
Second Continental Congress
Met in Philadelphia May 10, 1775 a month after the Battle of Lexington and Concord. They discussed the defense of the colonies, how to conduct war, and the possibility of declaring independence.
They established an army and on June 15 named George Washington its commander in chief.
Declaration of Independence
By 1776 there was agreement that war was inevitable.
The delegates of the Continental Congress drafted and signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
Thomas Jefferson wrote.
Stated that King George III had violated the rights of the colonists and was tyrannical.
Battle of Bunker Hill
June 1775 (lexington and concord was in April). One of he bloodiest battle of the war. American troops withdrew but half of Britain’s forces were lost.
This battle proved that the colonists could stand against Britain’s professional army.
In August, Britain declared the colonies were in a state of rebellion.
First Colonial Victory
December 26 1776. Trenton, New Jersey. Washington led his men across the Delaware River on Christmas to make a surprise attack on British and Hessian troops.
Hessian Troops
German soldiers on contract with the British to fight for them.
The Battle of Saratoga
Ended British plan to separate New England from Southern colonies. Surrender of General John Burgoyne. This victory led to France joining the war as Allies to the colonies. Considered a turning point in the war.
Battle of Yorktown
October 19, 1781 General Cornwallis surrendered. End of Revolutionary War.
Treaty of Paris
September 3, 1783. Ended the Revolutionary War.
Britain recognized the US as an independent nation.
Established the Mississippi River as the country’s western boarder. Granted land to the US that belonged to Native Americans.
Gave Florida to Spain, gave Britain’s African and Caribbean colonies to France.
November 24, 1783 the last British troops departed the US.
Philosophical influences on the Constitution
Jefferson’s ideas of natural rights and property rights were shaped by 17th century philosopher John Locke.
Jefferson: “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Locke: “Life, liberty, and private property”
Both felt that the purpose of government was to protect the rights of the people, and individuals rights are more important than their obligation to the state.
Articles of Confederation
Precursor to the Constitution. First attempt to establish a fully independent, national government.
Continental Congress passed it November 15, 1777. Went into effect March 1, 1781.
Wanted to avoid too much centralized power. Gave power to a Congressional body made up of delegates from all 13 states, and gave individual states final authority.
Without a strong central executive, this system was ineffective - could not settle disputes or enforce laws.
Constitution
Delegates from all states except Rhode Islands met in Philadelphia, May 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation.
Quickly decided to make a new document, but kept it a secret until it was completed. This way, the document was not open to public scrutiny.
Structure of Government in Constitution
Delegates agreed the new nation needed a strong central government. But they also wanted to limit government power. Devised Branches to balance power, and final power belonged to the citizens who voted for officials to represent them.
Virginia Plan
Plan proposed by Virginia gov Edmond Randolph and favored by larger states. Said representation in Congress should be based on a state’s population.
New Jersey Plan
Proposed by William Paterson from New Jersey and favored by smaller states. Said representation in Congress should be equal for all states.
Great Compromise
Proposed by Roger Sherman from Connecticut. Created a bicameral legislature with equal representation in the Senate and population - based representation in the House. Financial matters must originate in the House of Representatives.
3/5 Compromise
Disagreement between Northern and Southern states on how to count slaves. Southerners wanted slaves to be counted to determine the number of representatives they got in the South. Northerners did not. Compromise to count slaves as 3/5 of a person to calculate population both for tax purposes and representation.
Commerce Compromise
Northern economy centered on trade and industry, southern economy depended on agriculture. North wanted to government to regulate exports and interstate trade. South did not - they did not want tariffs to be levied on slaves. To compromise, Congress got regulatory power on all trade, including the power to collect tariffs on exported goods. But the importation of slaves was allowed to continue for 20 years without government intervention, and import taxes on slaves were limited. After 1808 Congress would decide whether to allow this to continue.
Concerns with the Constitution
- No bill of rights (yet)
- Too much power in the central government
- Voters wanted more control over their elected representatives.
Federalists v. Anti - Federalists
Federalists wanted a strong central government. Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, James Madison.
Anti - Federalists feared a tyrannical central government, wanted to limit the power of the federal government. Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry. Wrote the Anti - Federalist papers.
Federalist Papers
Written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay to convince the states to ratify the Constitution. A series of letters. Published in New York newspapers.
Final Constitution
- Strong central government with checks and balances
- Bill of Rights added (the first ten amendments to the constitution)
- Constitution today is unchanged except for Amendments
First government administration
President: George Washington elected 1789
VP: John Adams (runner up for president)
Secretary of State: Thomas Jefferson (appointed by Washington)
Secretary of the Treasury: Alexander Hamilton (Secretary of the Treasury)
