US History Regents Review

Flashcards for US History Regents Review

How did the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans influence U.S. foreign policy in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries?

Oceans on the east and west coasts helped the U.S. maintain its foreign policy of neutrality during much of the 1800s.

What geographic feature contributed to the development of commerce in the U.S.?

Good harbors contributed to the development of commerce.

What was the significance of the Appalachian Mountains during the British colonial period?

Served as the western boundary for British colonial settlements prior to the Revolutionary War.

What was the Proclamation Line of 1763?

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

What was a characteristic common to early colonial settlements like Jamestown, Plymouth, and New Amsterdam?

Each developed near the coastline.

What geographic factors influenced the New England Colonies?

Good harbors, abundant forests, rocky soil, and a short growing season.

How did geographic factors influence the economy of New England?

Promoting the growth of trade and manufacturing.

What type of agricultural system developed in the Southern Colonies due to geographic factors?

Plantations (large farms that used slave labor) because of fertile land and a long growing season.

How did the climate and topography of the southeastern U.S. impact the history of the U.S. before 1860?

The climate and topography of the southeastern U.S. had a major impact on the history of the U.S. before 1860 because the region provided agricultural products that were processed in the North and in Europe.

What are the Great Plains?

The relatively flat, grassy region of the U.S. between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains.

What is the Great Plains known for?

producing grain crops (aka food).

What was a direct consequence of Triangular Trade?

Led directly to the increased importation of enslaved Africans to the Western Hemisphere (colonies).

What was British Mercantilism?

Economic policy used by the British in which the American Colonies served as a source of raw materials and a market to sell goods.

What was the result of Salutary Neglect?

Led to the development of independent colonial trade practices.

What caused the French and Indian War?

Caused by disputed land claims in the Ohio River valley between the French and the British.

What was the significance of the Virginia House of Burgesses, Mayflower Compact, and Town Hall Meetings?

Early colonial efforts in self-government. They all contributed to the development of representative democracy.

What was Albany Plan of Union (1754)?

Early attempt to unify American colonies but under British rule. Many colonies objected to it because colonial assemblies did not want to give up their individual power.

What does the Declaration of Independence state?

States the colonial grievances against British rule (a list of reasons for separating from Great Britain).

How is the Declaration of Independence often described?

Statement of democratic principles rather than a framework for government.

What idea from John Locke's theory of natural rights is reflected in the Declaration of Independence?

Power to govern belongs to the people (“consent of the governed”).

According to the social contract theory of government, what is the fundamental purpose of government?

The fundamental purpose of government is to secure the natural rights of the people.

How is the Declaration of Independence similar to the Bill of Rights?

Both documents support limitations on governmental power and stress the importance of individual liberty.

What was the meaning of 'NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION' for the colonists?

Many colonists believed they could not be taxed by the British because they had no representatives in the British government, which means that the British did not have consent of the governed.

Name the major events leading to the Revolutionary War

Sugar and Stamp Acts, Quartering Act, Townshend Acts, Boston Massacre.

What were the problems and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?

Largely unsuccessful at solving many major problems because most power remained with the state governments.

Provide a specific example, explaining why the Articles of Confederation were considered weak.

Congress depended on the states for men and money to support an army. National (aka Federal) government could not enforce its laws. Congress constantly overrode the President’s vetoes.

What was a success of the Articles of Confederation?

It provided a system for governing the Western territories and a process for admitting new states to the union.

Why was the Constitutional Convention of 1787 called?

To revise (correct) the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

Why was Shay's Rebellion (1786) significant?

Significant because it convinced many Americans of the need for a stronger national government.

What issue did the Great Compromise address?

Settled a dispute over how the states would be represented in the national legislature aka Congress.

What was the solution of the Great Compromise?

Created a bicameral legislature (two houses that write and vote on laws). One house would be based on population (House of Representatives) and the other house would have equal representation for all states (Senate).

What problem did the Three-Fifths Compromise address?

Solution to the problem of how to determine the number of representatives in the House of Representatives (branch of Congress) from states with large slave populations.

How did the U.S. Constitution differ from the Articles of Confederation in terms of government power?

Strengthened the power of the Federal (aka national) Government.

Who were the Federalists?

Group that supported ratification (make into a law) of the U.S. Constitution.

What is the main purpose of the Bill of Rights?

Main purpose is to protect civil liberties and protect the people from government abuse.

What is the significance of the 14th amendment in relation to the Bill of Rights?

Extends the protections of the Bill of Rights to include actions of state governments (states must also obey the Bill of Rights).

What separation is established in the 1st Amendment?

Religion is separate from the government

What was the John Peter Zenger case?

Arrested by governor of New York (1733) for printing an article that criticized the governor. Was found to be not guilty because the article was based on fact. Led to a strengthening of freedom of press.

Which idea came from social contract philosophers of the Enlightenment period?

Idea of sovereignty of the people came from social contract philosophers of the Enlightenment period.

Who influenced the idea of limited government?

Limitations on the power of government were influenced by the ideas of John Locke and Baron de Montesquieu (checks & balances, three branches of government).

What is a democracy?

A government for the people by the people.

What is a Republican Government?

One in which representatives are elected by the people.

What is federalism?

Division of powers between the national and state government.

What are reserved Powers?

Powers only granted to the state governments by the Constitution.

What are delegated powers?

Powers only granted to the Federal Government by the Constitution.

What are concurrent powers?

Powers shared by the federal and state governments

What does the Legislative Branch do?

Group of representatives from each state that propose, write, vote on laws, approve treaties.

What Supreme Court case heard under Chief Justice John Marshall established judicial review?

Marbury v. Madison

What are Checks & Balances?

Each of the three branches of government (executive, legislative, judicial) checks the other to ensure that no one branch has too much power.

What allows for the Flexibility of the Constitution?

Amendments (changes to the constitution), the Elastic Clause, necessary and proper clause, unwritten constitution, and Judicial Review

What is the elastic clause used for?

Broaden the power of Congress (because it allows Congress to pass more laws).

What is the Unwritten Constitution?

Practices of the U.S. government that are based on custom and tradition, but not actually written anywhere in the Constitution.

How is the President of the US elected?

President of the U.S. is elected by winning electoral votes from each state, not a popular vote.

What does the census do?

Records population data to determine the number of electoral college votes from each state, as well as the number of members in the House of Representatives.

What is a flaw of the electoral college?

The winner of the popular vote can lose the election (happened in 1876 and 2000).

What perspective did George Washington take on European affairs?

Did not want to become entangled (involved) with European affairs.

What was said in Washington's Farewell Address?

Washington urges the U.S. to avoid European conflicts, stay neutral, and avoid alliances with any other nation of the world.

What did Alexander Hamilton propose?

Proposed a national bank to improve the economic position of the U.S. government.

What was Jefferson's view on Hamilton's plan?

Opposed Hamilton’s plan to create a national bank because the plan depended on a loose interpretation of the Constitution.

Why was the Louisiana Purchase a problem?

In deciding to purchase the Louisiana Territory, Jefferson had to overcome the problem of contradicting his belief in a strict interpretation of the Constitution.

What was the result of John Marshall's decisions?

Decisions as Chief Justice of the U.S. resulted in expansion of the power of Federal Government.

What was the War of 1812?

War between U.S. and Britain over trade in the Atlantic Ocean.

What was the Monroe Doctrine (1823)?

Foreign policy intended to limit European influence in the Western Hemisphere.

What did the Monroe Doctrine warn?

Warned Europe against any further colonization in Latin America.

What happened with the election of Jackson in 1828?

Starting with the election of Jackson in 1828, voter participation increased due to the end of property requirements for voting by many states

What did Jackson claim about the spoils system increased democracy?

Jackson claimed that the spoils system increased democracy in the federal government because it allowed larger numbers of citizens to hold office.

What was Erie Canal?

A waterway connecting Lake Erie to the Hudson River that aided the economic development of the U.S. by lowering the cost of shipping goods from the Midwest to the Atlantic coast.

What was the Homestead Act 1862?

Promoted development of western lands by providing free land to settlers.

What was Manifest Destiny?

Idea that the U.S. should possess the entire continent.

What were President James Polk policies involving?

Policies involving Texas, California, and Oregon Territory were all efforts to fulfill the goal of Manifest Destiny.

What were the Missouri Compromise 1820/Compromise of 1850/Kansas-Nebraska Act 1854?

All were efforts to settle disputes over the spread of slavery to the western territories.

What was Popular Sovereignty?

The idea that settlers had the right to decide whether slavery would be legal in their new territory or not.

What was Dred Scott v. Sanford 1857?

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

What was Uncle Tom’s Cabin?

Book describing slavery that contributed to the start of the Civil War by intensifying Northern dislike of slavery.

What was Underground Railroad?

A secret network that aided slaves in escaping slave-owners and reaching free states.

What were the reasons for Succession of Southern States?

Increasing sectionalism, Disagreements over states rights issues, Breakdown of compromise, Election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860.

What did Lincoln Claim about the government?

Claimed that the government was a union of people and not of states.

What were the Reasons for North (Union) Victory?

North was better prepared economically to fight the war, North had more human resources and war material.

What waas a result of the U.S. Civil War?

Power of the central government (aka Federal Government) was strengthened over the power of the States.

What was Reconstruction Era?

Time period following the Civil War, when the Southern States were reorganized and reintegrated back into the Union.

Why was Lincoln assassinated important?

Lincoln’s death allowed the Radical Republicans to control Reconstruction policy.

What did 13th Amendment (1865) do?

Law that formally abolished slavery in the U.S.

What did the Law that officially gave citizenship to African Americans provide?

Law that officially gave citizenship to African Americans and legally protected them under the Bill of Rights and U.S. Constitution.

What did the 15th Amendment do?

Granted African Americans voting rights.

What was Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)?

Supreme Court case that upheld the Jim Crow Laws based on the idea that the laws provided “separate but equal” public facilities for African Americans.

What did New South- Term describe?

Industrial development and agricultural diversification (growing different types of crops) were encouraged.

Where did industrial revolution start?

Starts in the northeast in the 19th century (1800’s) because this region had the greatest supply of capital and labor.

What is Tariff?

Tax on foreign goods in order to raise revenue and protect domestic manufacturing

What is Social Darwinism?

Theory which believed that the growth of large business at the expense of others was merely survival of the fittest

What is Laissez-faire Capitalism?

Economic policy which argues that government should limit any interference in the economy

What was the Gilded Age?

Mark Twain labeled the late 1800’s the Gilded Age to describe the extremes of wealth and poverty

What is Urbanization?

Rural (countryside) residents move to urban (inner city) areas in search of jobs. Size of cities increase.

Why did immigrants settle settle in urban areas in the North?

Many immigrants traveling to the U.S. settled in urban areas in the North because rapid industrialization created many job opportunities.

Where did New Immigrants came?

Came primarily from southern and eastern Europe (Ex: Italy & Russia) between 1890-1915.

What did Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) do?

Limited the amount of Chinese immigrants entering the U.S. An example of Nativism.

Who were Nativism?

Group of Americans who were angry about Immigrants taking jobs from Americans and working for cheaper wages.

What marked the first time that a Federal regulatory agency (a branch of the government that watches the economy) was established.

Interstate Commerce Act (1887)

What is graduated/Progressive Income Tax?

Authorized by the 16th amendment (1913). Based on the idea that people with higher incomes should pay a greater percentage of their income in taxes (taxes are based on the ability to pay).

What was Progressive Movement?

A movement to correct the economic and social abuses of industrial society.

What were Civil Service Exams?

Laws were passed requiring individuals to pass tests before obtaining government jobs in order to eliminate patronage and corruption in government hiring