APUSH Review Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from AP US History review notes, focusing on periods 1-9.

Columbian Exchange

The transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the Old World (Europe, Asia, Africa) and the New World (Americas) following Columbus's voyages.

Encomienda System

A forced labor system used by the Spanish in the Americas that required American Indians to work on plantations and convert to Christianity.

Mercantilism

An economic system where countries tried to increase their wealth through government control of all aspects of trade.

Cash Crops

Crops, such as tobacco and sugar, raised in large quantities in order to be sold for profit.

First Great Awakening

A religious movement that promoted emotional, evangelical religious belief through passionate sermons and camp meetings.

French and Indian War

A conflict between Great Britain and France (with their respective allies) for control of territory in North America, particularly the Ohio River Valley.

Articles of Confederation

The first government established by the newly independent United States. It had a weak federal government.

U.S. Constitution

The foundation of the U.S. federal government, establishing a system of checks and balances between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.

Federalist Papers

A series of essays written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison that advocated for a strong federal government and ratification of the U.S. Constitution.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing fundamental rights and freedoms to individuals.

Judicial Review

The power of the Supreme Court to determine whether a law is constitutional.

Second Great Awakening

A series of religious revivals in the early 1800s that focused on personal religious experience and led to social reform movements.

American System

A plan proposed by Henry Clay that was intended to strengthen the U.S. economy through tariffs, a national bank, and infrastructure improvements.

Louisiana Purchase

The acquisition of a large territory from France by the U.S. Federal government in 1803, significantly expanding the size of the United States.

Nativist

A native-born person or group that opposes immigrants and advocates for policies that favor native-born citizens.

Manifest Destiny

The belief that Americans were destined to expand the United States from coast to coast.

Reconstruction

The period after the Civil War during which Northern political leaders imposed strict regulations and governance on the South so that the South could rejoin the Union.

Second Industrial Revolution

A period of rapid industrial growth in the late 19th and early 20th centuries characterized by technological innovation, mass production, and the rise of large corporations.

Robber Barons

A term applied to business leaders who were considered corrupt in some way.

Union

A collective bargaining unit that helped urban dwellers and factory workers improve their working conditions, pay, and retirement.

Reservations

Areas of land, often with very poor agriculturally, where Native Americans were required to live.

Progressive

A term applied to people who tried to implement social programs and increase government spending to address social inequalities

Great Depression

A severe economic downturn in the United States and throughout the world during the 1930s, leading to widespread unemployment and social and political upheaval.

New Deal

A wide ranging government approach that addressed the Great Depression through combination of government funded infrastructure projects, social programs, and relief aid

Ronald Reagan

40th President of the United States; his administration implemented supply-side economics and reduced government programs.

Cold War

A period of diplomatic tension between the United States and the Soviet Union that pitted capitalism against communism

Terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001

A series of coordinated attacks by al-Qaeda on the United States on September 11, 2001, that resulted in wide ranging changes in almost all aspects of American life.