AP US History Review Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards for AP US History exam review.

Encomienda System

Spanish system to regulate and control Native Americans by dividing up their labor force in the Americas during the 16th century.

Joint-Stock Companies

Businesses owned by shareholders that invested in exploration and colonization, playing a key role in founding colonies in North America.

Pueblo Indians

Native Americans of the present-day southwestern region known for their adobe structures, distinct culture, and revolts against the Spanish.

Asiento System

Spanish slavery system that laid the foundation for slavery in the Americas by taxing the import of African slaves.

Roanoke

Early English colony that mysteriously disappeared, representing the difficulties and fears surrounding colonization.

House of Burgesses

First form of legislative power in the colonies formed in 1642 by the Virginia Company, foreshadowing American government.

Mercantilism

Economic theory emphasizing wealth generation through trade, stimulated by profitable balances encouraged by government protectionism.

Cash Crops

Crops grown for profit instead of subsistence, driving colonial expansion, such as sugar plantations after European arrival.

Triangular Trade

Trade route involving ships from Africa to the New World to Europe, trading slaves for cash crops, enriching Europe and depopulating Africa.

Bill of Rights

First ten amendments to the Constitution, guaranteeing freedoms and representing the fluid nature of the Constitution, impacting Supreme Court cases.

Boston Massacre

A scuffle between colonists and British soldiers in 1770 that was used as propaganda to galvanize colonial sentiment toward independence.

Boston Tea Party

Protest against the Tea Act of 1773 where colonists dumped tea into Boston Harbor, leading to the Revolutionary War.

Checks and Balances

Political framework dividing government power into legislative, executive, and judicial branches to prevent dominance by one branch.

The Constitution

Document establishing the three-branch system of the US government, including Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court.

Declaration of Independence

Document declaring the American colonies' separation from Britain, outlining reasons for independence and rights to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.

Sons of Liberty

Group of colonists who resisted British actions and taxation, including figures like Samuel Adams and Paul Revere.

Embargo Act

Law enacted by Thomas Jefferson in 1807 prohibiting American ships from trading in foreign ports, damaging the US economy.

War of 1812

War between America and Britain due to British seizure of ships, impressment of sailors, and aid to Native Americans, leading to American national pride.

Hartford Convention

Meetings by the Federalist Party during the War of 1812 to discuss grievances and propose constitutional amendments, diminishing the party's influence.

Tariff of Abominations

Tariff of 1828 meant to protect the American economy but primarily protected the North leading to dissent in the South.

Cult of Domesticity

Social ideology defining women as subservient to men, emphasizing caregiving and domestic roles.

Monroe Doctrine

U.S. policy warning European nations against further colonization or puppet monarchs in the Western Hemisphere.

Marbury v. Madison

Supreme Court case establishing judicial review, allowing the Court to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional.

Emancipation Proclamation

Decree by Abraham Lincoln freeing slaves in rebelling states during the Civil War, making abolition a clear Union goal.

Fugitive Slave Act

Act requiring the return of runaway slaves to their owners, increasing federal responsibility and discrimination.

The Missouri Compromise

Compromise admitting Maine as a free state and Missouri as a slave state, preserving the balance of power in Congress.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Act allowing states to decide on slavery through popular sovereignty, repealing the Missouri Compromise and leading to "Bleeding Kansas."

The Surrender at Appomattox Court House

Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendering, sealing the Union’s victory and paving the path for an era of Reconstruction.

Gilded Age

Period of rapid industrial and economic growth in the United States between 1870 and 1900, marked by wealth and social unrest.

Laissez-Faire Economics

Economic theory emphasizing a free market with minimal government intervention.

JP Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, and Andrew Carnegie

Influential bankers and industrialists who led the expansion of the American steel industry during the late 19th century.

Horizontal Integration

Business strategy of joining or consolidating with competitors to create a monopoly.

Vertical Integration

Business strategy where a single entity controls the entire process of a product, from raw materials to distribution.

Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890

Federal action designed to thwart monopolies by outlawing cartels and attempts to monopolize commerce.

The New South

Attempt to modernize the South’s economy and to diversify southern agriculture by adding new industries and trading methods.

Roosevelt Corollary

Addendum to the Monroe Doctrine; declared that if a European power tried to intervene in the affairs of North or South America, then the United States would exercise military forces to keep Europe out.

Speak Softly, and Carry a Big Stick

Adage made famous by Theodore Roosevelt summarizes Roosevelt’s approach to foreign policy during his presidency.

Transcontinental Railroad

Manifestation of the American dream of Manifest Destiny, stretched from San Francisco and Iowa to the Atlantic Ocean.

Wilson’s 14 Points

Outlined the exact goals of the United States for entering World War I and a variety of peace negotiations to end the war.

Great Depression

The worst economic crisis of the 1930’s and one of the worst economic collapses of world history.

Manhattan Project

The scientific project undertaken by the United States to create the first atomic weapon.

Potsdam Conference

As WWII concluded, the Allied leaders met in Potsdam and determined Germany’s fate.

Scopes Monkey Trial

The issue began when a substitute biology teacher unwittingly taught evolution in a Tennessee high school.

Bay of Pigs

The invasion, which occurred in 1961, ultimately failed and the United States faced embarrassment on the international stage, forced to grant Cuba’s new political system legitimacy.

Cuban Missile Crisis

Marked the height of tension during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Red Scare

Refers to the period of time between 1947 and the early 1950’s when the American national consciousness became inundated with fear regarding all things communist.

The Kent State Massacre

Students protesting the Vietnam War at Kent State University were shot and killed by the National Guard.

Détente

United States attempted to strategically unravel the Soviet Union while simultaneously easing tensions between the two superpowers.

Domino Theory

The belief that if one country fell to Communism, then surrounding nations would follow suit, leading to a gradual development of communism.

Fall of the Berlin Wall

The USSR began dismantling the Wall to a crowd of ecstatic citizens finally able to reunite with the city’s other half.

Attacks of September 11, 2001

Members of the Islamic extremist group al Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Affordable Care Act

It also decreed that medicare will operate with the notion of “payment bundling,” the idea that hospitals, doctors, and other healthcare providers should be paid on the basis of patient outcome, not services provided.