NYS Examination in United States History Regents Review Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering major geographic, political, and historical concepts for the NYS United States History Regents exam.

Appalachian Mountains

A geographic feature that served as the western boundary for British colonial settlements prior to the Revolutionary War.

Proclamation Line of 1763

A border established by Great Britain to avoid conflicts between American colonists and Native Americans.

Great Plains

The relatively flat, grassy region of the U.S. located between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, known for producing grain crops.

Triangular Trade

An 18th-century trade route that led directly to the increased importation of enslaved Africans to the Western Hemisphere.

British Mercantilism

An economic policy where the American Colonies served as a source of raw materials for Great Britain and a market for British finished products.

Salutary Neglect

A period when the British ignored the colonies to benefit from their economic prosperity, leading to the development of independent colonial trade practices.

French and Indian War

A conflict caused by disputed land claims in the Ohio River valley that led to the end of Salutary Neglect due to the British need to tax colonists to pay for the war.

Albany Plan of Union (1754)

An early attempt to unify American colonies under British rule that was rejected by colonial assemblies who did not want to give up individual power.

Declaration of Independence

A document written by Thomas Jefferson that states colonial grievances against British rule and presents a statement of democratic principles.

Common Sense

A pamphlet published by Thomas Paine that was influential in persuading undecided American colonists to support independence from Britain.

Articles of Confederation

The first form of government used by the U.S. following independence, creating a decentralized political system where state governments held most of the power.

Shays’ Rebellion (1786)

An event that exposed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and convinced many Americans of the need for a stronger national government.

Great Compromise

An agreement at the Constitutional Convention that settled the dispute over state representation by creating a bicameral legislature with the House and Senate.

Three-Fifths Compromise

A solution to determine representation in the House of Representatives by counting $3/5$ of the slave population for representation purposes.

Federalists

A group that supported the ratification of the U.S. Constitution and favored a strong national government to provide order.

Anti-Federalists

A group that opposed the ratification of the Constitution, fearing it threatened individual rights, and only agreed to ratify after the addition of the Bill of Rights.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, designed to protect civil liberties and protect citizens from government abuse.

John Peter Zenger

A New York printer whose 1733 acquittal in a libel case strengthened the principle of freedom of the press.

Federalism

The constitutional principle involving the division of powers between the national (Federal) government and the state governments.

Reserved Powers

Powers granted exclusively to the state governments by the Constitution, such as public education.

Delegated Powers

Powers granted exclusively to the Federal Government, such as the power to declare war and coin money.

Concurrent Powers

Powers shared by both the federal and state governments, such as the power to tax.

Marbury v. Madison

The landmark Supreme Court case heard under Chief Justice John Marshall that established the principle of judicial review.

Checks & Balances

A system where each of the three branches of government can limit the power of the other branches, such as the President's power to veto bills.

Elastic Clause

A constitutional provision that allows Congress to broaden its power by passing laws deemed necessary and proper to meet the needs of a changing society.

Unwritten Constitution

Practices of the U.S. government based on custom and tradition, such as the presidential cabinet and political parties, rather than written law.

Electoral College

The system used to elect the President of the U.S., where candidates win votes from each state based on population size rather than the popular vote.

Whiskey Rebellion

An uprising in Pennsylvania that George Washington put down with state militia to demonstrate that the new national government intended to enforce federal laws.

Alexander Hamilton

The first Secretary of the Treasury who proposed a national bank and a protective tariff to strengthen the nation's financial position.

Louisiana Purchase

An 1803 land acquisition that secured U.S. control of the Mississippi River and focused the nation on westward expansion.

Monroe Doctrine (1823)

A foreign policy statement warning European nations against further colonization or influence in the Western Hemisphere.

Roosevelt Corollary

An addition to the Monroe Doctrine by Theodore Roosevelt that permitted the U.S. to intervene as a "policeman" in the affairs of Latin American nations.

Spoils System

The practice of elected officials rewarding their political supporters with government jobs, famously utilized by Andrew Jackson.

Manifest Destiny

The belief that the U.S. should possess the entire continent to the Pacific Ocean, used to justify territorial expansion.

Homestead Act 1862

A law that promoted the development of western lands by providing free land to settlers, directly affecting the Great Plains.

Missouri Compromise 1820

An effort to settle disputes over the expansion of slavery by determining whether new states would be admitted as free or slave states.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle set up by the Kansas-Nebraska Act that allowed settlers in a territory to decide whether slavery would be legal.

Dred Scott v. Sanford 1857

A Supreme Court decision that ruled Congress could not ban slavery in the territories.

Emancipation Proclamation

An 1863 order by Abraham Lincoln that declared slaves free in Confederate-held areas to help the North win the Civil War.

13th Amendment (1865)

The constitutional amendment that formally abolished slavery in the United States.

14th Amendment

A Reconstruction amendment that gave citizenship to African Americans and extended Bill of Rights protections to include the actions of state governments.

15th Amendment

The constitutional amendment that granted African Americans the right to vote.

Jim Crow Laws

State and local laws that restricted the freedoms of African Americans and provided a legal basis for racial segregation.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

A Supreme Court case that upheld Jim Crow laws based on the principle of "separate but equal" facilities.

Laissez-faire Capitalism

An economic policy suggesting that government should limit interference in the economy and allow prices to be determined by supply and demand.

Social Darwinism

A theory used to justify business monopolies, claiming that business success is a result of "survival of the fittest."

Robber Baron

A term for Gilded Age business leaders who used ruthless tactics to eliminate competitors, such as John D. Rockefeller and J.P. Morgan.

Urbanization

The process caused by industrialization where residents move from rural areas to inner cities in search of jobs.

Nativism

An anti-immigrant attitude held by Americans who feared immigrants would take jobs for cheaper wages, leading to quotas and restrictions.

Sherman Antitrust Act (1890)

A federal law passed in an attempt to limit the power of monopolies and maintain competition in the market.

Federal Reserve System

Established in 1913, this system is intended to provide a stable supply of money and credit to the U.S. economy.

Progressive Movement

An effort to correct the economic and social abuses of industrial society, supporting reforms like women’s suffrage and government regulation of business.

Muckraker

A writer during the Progressive Era, such as Upton Sinclair or Ida Tarbell, who exposed social ills, corruption, and poor working conditions.

Pure Food & Drug Act (1906)

A law providing federal inspection of meat products and forbidding the sale of unsafe food and poisonous medicines.

Populist Party

A third-party political coalition of farming interests that proposed concepts like the national income tax and direct election of senators.

Big Stick Policy

The foreign policy of Theodore Roosevelt used to police the Western Hemisphere and intervene in Latin American affairs.

Open Door Policy (1899-1900)

A policy issued by the U.S. to ensure equal trade opportunities in China and guarantee access to its markets.

Fourteen Points

President Woodrow Wilson's statement of principles for the postwar world, aimed at preventing international tensions from leading to war.

19th Amendment

The constitutional amendment that granted women the right to vote in 1920.

Harlem Renaissance

A 1920s movement where African American artists and writers used their work to celebrate their heritage and increase cultural pride.

Scopes Trial

A 1925 legal case involving the teaching of evolution that illustrated a conflict between religious fundamentalism and scientific theories.

Hoovervilles

Nicknames given to poor communities during the Great Depression to blame President Herbert Hoover for the suffering of the homeless.

New Deal

President Franklin D. Roosevelt's program to provide work for the unemployed and stimulate economic recovery through government intervention.

Social Security Act 1935

A New Deal program created to provide economic support to elderly and retired citizens.

Korematsu v. U.S.

A Supreme Court case that ruled the confinement of Japanese Americans in internment camps during WWII was constitutional due to national emergency.

Truman Doctrine

A cold war policy designed to contain communism by providing aid to Greece and Turkey.

Marshall Plan (1948-1952)

A U.S. program that provided economic aid to help European nations recover after WWII and resist communist influence.

McCarthyism

A term representing the fear of communist influence in the U.S. and the practice of making reckless, unsupported accusations of disloyalty.

Domino Theory

The idea used to justify U.S. involvement in Vietnam, claiming that if one country fell to communism, others in the region would follow.

War Powers Act 1973

A law passed by Congress to limit the President's ability to send troops into combat abroad without congressional approval.

Cuban Missile Crisis 1962

A Cold War confrontation where the U.S. imposed a naval blockade after the Soviet Union placed nuclear weapons in Cuba.

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka

The 1954 Supreme Court ruling that overturned Plessy v. Ferguson and required the desegregation of public schools.

Great Society

President Lyndon B. Johnson's domestic program that attempted to end poverty and racial discrimination through expanded social welfare.

Détente

A foreign policy used by Richard Nixon intended to ease tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

Watergate Scandal

A political scandal involving a break-in at the Democratic National Committee that resulted in the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

Camp David Accords (1978)

A peace treaty negotiated by Jimmy Carter between Egypt and Israel, representing the first such agreement between Israel and an Arab nation.

Supply-Side Economics

An economic policy favored by Ronald Reagan that used tax cuts to stimulate business growth and provide incentives for investment.

NAFTA

The North American Free Trade Agreement, which increased commerce and eliminated tariffs between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.