HIST 1301 – Examination #2 Study Guide

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the American Revolution, the creation of the Constitution, the Early Republic, and the emergence of the 19th-century market economy based on the HIST 1301 Examination #2 study guide.

War of Endurance

A conflict during the American Revolution in which the Americans and French were able to outlast the British.

Hessians

German soldiers hired to fight during the American Revolution.

The Continental Army

The American military force whose soldiers went out to defend the nation as a whole, rather than just their individual families.

William Howe

British general who missed several opportunities to end the conflict by choosing not to pursue the retreating American army.

The Battle of Quebec

A revolutionary battle that the Americans lost primarily due to disease itself.

Thomas Paine and The American Crisis

A publication that boosted and saved the spirits of American patriots.

The Battle of Long Island

An engagement in New York City (White Plains) where troops started in Canada, ended up northward, crossed the Hudson River, fled into New Jersey, and retreated over the Delaware River into eastern Pennsylvania; resulted in an American defeat.

The Battles of Trenton and Princeton

Engagements where American forces crossed the Delaware River, were nearly defeated by a storm, and fought against the Hessians.

The Battle of Saratoga

The turning point of the American Revolution, marked by the French officially joining the American side.

Maquis de Lafayette

A Frenchman who agreed to serve in the American army without pay on the condition that he be appointed a general, and who later started his own rebellion in France.

Republicanism

A political philosophy grounded in 'we the people' electing individuals to represent them.

Articles of Confederation

The founding document that established the new nation, granted governing power to the states, and created a weak national government.

Charles Cornwallis & Yorktown

British general who surrendered all British troops at Yorktown, effectively ending major military operations.

The Treaty of Paris

The treaty ending the Revolutionary War that doubled the size of the U.S., set the western boundary at the Mississippi River, secured British recognition of U.S. independence, ceded land west of the Mississippi to Spain, and left Native Americans out of negotiations.

Loyalists

Also known as 'Tories' or 'Royalists,' colonists who remained loyal to Great Britain and the king and wanted nothing to do with American independence.

1787

The year the United States Constitution was drafted and ratified.

Three Branches of Government

The tripartite system established by the U.S. Constitution consisting of the Judicial, Executive, and Legislative branches.

James Madison

Known as the 'Father of the U.S. Constitution' and the central figure of the Constitutional Convention and its debates.

Federalism

The constitutional principle of sharing power between the national government and state governments.

Northwest Ordinance

An agreement that established the territorial framework for Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin.

Largest Weakness of the Articles of Confederation

Its creation of an excessively weak national government.

The Electoral College

The constitutional mechanism established to elect the president by representing both the states and the people.

Terms of Office (House, Senate, President)

A member of the House of Representatives serves a 2-year term, a Senator serves a 6-year term, and the President serves a 4-year term.

The Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments added to the U.S. Constitution specifically to protect individual rights.

Anti-Federalists

Opponents of the original Constitution who refused to support it without a Bill of Rights and fought to protect states' rights.

Alexander Hamilton

The first Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, serving under President George Washington.

Hamilton's Reforms

A program of financial and economic measures consisting of the creation of a national bank, the promotion of new industries (factories), and the levying of new taxes.

Thomas Jefferson's Resignation as Secretary of State

Jefferson's departure from Washington's cabinet, motivated by his opposition to George Washington and Alexander Hamilton's economic policies and political scheming.

Whiskey Rebellion

An uprising in Western Pennsylvania suppressed when George Washington led 13,000 militiamen to quell the resistance.

Daniel Boone

A pioneer who led settlers into Kentucky along the Wilderness Road through the Cumberland Gap.

Alien and Sedition Acts

Legislation passed under President John Adams that limited free speech and restricted immigration, proving to be the biggest mistake of his presidency.

Quasi-War with France

An undeclared naval conflict that erupted because France strongly objected to Jay's Treaty.

Election of 1800

The presidential contest won by Thomas Jefferson, marking a peaceful transition of party power.

Tariff

A tax levied on imported goods.

1803 (Louisiana Purchase)

The year the United States acquired the Louisiana Territory from France at a cost of 10 million dollars.

Marbury v. Madison

A landmark Supreme Court case establishing judicial review, granting the Court the authority to interpret the law and protect individual rights even though that power was not explicitly in the Constitution.

Lewis and Clark Expedition

An expedition led by army officers from Virginia tasked with exploring and mapping the newly acquired Louisiana territory.

Sacagawea

The Native American woman who served as a vital guide and translator for the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

The Embargo Act of 1807

A policy that boycotted foreign commerce by halting all international trade, which ended up severely harming the American domestic economy.

Impressment

The British practice of seizing American sailors, claiming they were British subjects, and forcibly inducting them into the British Royal Navy.

Main Causes of the War of 1812

Repeated shipping violations, the impressment of U.S. sailors, British-encouraged Indian attacks on the frontier, and the British naval blockade of the United States coast.

Francis Scott Key

The composer who penned the lyrics to 'The Star-Spangled Banner' during the War of 1812.

The Battle of Horseshoe Bend

A battle on March 27, 1814, along the Tallapoosa River in Alabama where Andrew Jackson crushed the Upper Creek Red Sticks who were allied with the British.

The Battle of New Orleans

A critical American victory fought after the peace treaty had been signed but before it was officially ratified by either the United States or Great Britain.

The Treaty of Ghent

The agreement ending the War of 1812 that returned prisoners of war and restored original boundaries without a clear victor, preventing a civil conflict, renewing American independence, and proving the U.S. could confront Britain again.

Market Economy

An economic system characterized by commercial agriculture and consistent overall growth across most years.

National Road

Formerly called the 'Cumberland Road,' this was the first federally funded highway, stretching from the Atlantic coast across Ohio and westward across state borders.

Robert Fulton

The inventor who developed the first commercially successful steamboat.

Erie Canal

A major artificial waterway connecting the Great Lakes directly to New York.

Railroads

Steam-powered transportation vehicles that enhanced passenger transit, accelerated western settlement, and fostered nineteenth-century commercial agriculture.

Pony Express Company

A mail relay service that operated between Sacramento, California, and St. Joseph, Missouri, for a total duration of 18 months.

Telegraph System

An electrical communication apparatus invented by Samuel B. Morse that could transmit messages instantaneously across long distances.

The Cotton Gin

A hand-operated machine invented by Eli Whitney that quickly separated seeds from cotton fibers ('white gold'), enabling the nineteenth-century mass production of cotton.

McCormick Reaper

A mechanical harvesting device invented by Cyrus Hall McCormick in 1831 that dramatically increased wheat output.

Discrimination Against the Irish

Nativist prejudice against Irish immigrants, who were stereotyped as dirty, prone to drunkenness, and inclined toward crime.

Levi Strauss

A Jewish tailor who developed durable work pants (jeans) for laborers.

Nativism

An ideological stance held by native-born Americans who opposed immigrants and foreign immigration.